Ben "Brunch Evangelist" B.'s Profile

Bulk candy is bad enough for my impulsive purchase habits. Bulk candy in a bright, colourful environment with more than enough to catch your eye from vintage circus posters to bobblehead characters of all kinds, well, let's just call that game over.

While I'm dancing around little kids in this teeny tiny and jampacked shop, I'm also loading up Peanut M&Ms and Jelly Bellys (pear and peanut butter are the only flavours that matter) without thinking of the consequences - both the fact that my bill tends to be well over $30, and the fact that I end up eating the vast majority of these in the four to six hours that follow.

My only saving grace is that there is no Freak Lunchbox in Dartmouth.

For all the great things that Halifax has, one thing that we lack is the definitive place to stay when you visit - we don't have Portland's Ace Hotel or our own version of The Drake in Toronto. It's a shame, really. So when the Haliburton offered up a pretty snazzy deal for last weekend's Open City ($125 for a room and continental breakfast for two), I figured I'd start the quest to test out the city's homes away from home.

Going in, all I knew about the Haliburton was that Stories should be on my list of restaurants to try when my budget inexplicable grows by 300%, so I was surprised to learn that the complex extends past the brick townhouse into the neighbouring ones on Morris Street. Given the vibe of the south end, I thought this was actually a nice touch and a great way to make the experience a little more homey if a visitor were to be staying longer than one night.

You get street-level access to your building with classic keys - not the plastic-card variety -and a second key for your room door. Now, I did hear from multiple sources about doors that leave a bit too much room near the floor, but ours fit snug! The room itself, well, I wouldn't exactly put it in the 'boutique hotel' category, but for an classic style inn with a bit of continental charm, it fit the bill. Besides, in my books, the location is unbeatable.

A (surprisingly high up) double bed was comfortable, the pillows were massive (I'd bring my own next time), a flatscreen was mounted on a swivel arm on the wall, and two armchairs and couch make a decent sitting area. Not exactly to my personal taste, but it was all clean and cozy! I *did* love the balcony in the back that looked over their patio garden. Lovely for enjoying the complimentary two cups of Keurig coffee in the morning. The continental breakfast hit the spot too - bagels and cream cheese, boiled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt cups, Java Blend coffee...it was just what I was looking for.

Overall, it was a pleasant, quick stay. I think it may be jarring to go in expecting the same level of blown-awayness that Stories offers foodies which could be why I wasn't left tremendously excited coming or going, but for someone who doesn't exactly need grandiose lobbies and amenities for a night out in my own town, I felt pretty good about our visit.

I can't believe it took me this long to finally take my first steps inside the Uncommon Homestead in the Public Gardens but during Open City weekend, I finally crossed this off my Halfax bucket list.

For alliteration's sake, I was going to call this a seasonal sugar shack but that would never do the building justice. It's surprisingly roomy inside with high peaked ceilings that I didn't expect. Very unique space and the perfect compliment to the Gardens themselves. Add on a wrap-around patio deck and you've got yourself a winner.

It was incredibly busy while I was in (yay for UG and Sugah!) which made the lineup situation confusing - were we waiting behind ice cream customers when we just wanted a coffee - and since there were just two people manning both counters we figured we'd come back on a different day when things were a little less hectic.

Definitely a sight to be seen on the Halifax scene whether you're in it for the coffee buzz or the sugah rush!

Set up on the second floor of the ever-popular Lower Deck, the Beer Market seems to always be mid-identity crisis. During the day, it's a calm, casual lunch spot for above average pub fare. At night? It's the weird, pop-music-loving sister of the Lower Deck.

As east coast enthusiasts jam to Atlantic classics and yell 'sociable!' below, pub crawls, bachelorette parties, and otherwise interesting crowd dances it out to Top 40 and more than the occasional 90s throwback.

Don't like it? Well, you can always take one of the two stairwells back down to the Lower Deck Classic - once you're in you pretty much have free reign of both floors.

Fine. I concede: The Bitter End has long sunk below the five-star rating it once deserved in my books.

Once upon a time, this was a gorgeous, classy space where you could order one of the best cocktails in the city. Unfortunately over the years, the rest of the city has grown up and the Bitter End has stayed exactly the same.

Today, their martinis (that are actually sugary cocktails in martini glasses) fail to compete with some of the craft cocktails available elsewhere, the service often borders on apathetic, and the food never quite recovered from the menu reduction that happened several years ago. I could get over one or two of these things, but not all three at once.

It's not all bad though. Sometimes you'll get a nice server, you'll almost *always* get an attractive one, I dig the soundtrack and DJs that they bring in, and they do boast prime patio real estate in the summers.

I love Mediterranean food. Greek, Lebanese, Turkish... it doesn't matter the time of day, it doesn't matter if I've just had a full meal, it doesn't matter whether it comes from a place with linen tablecloths or a takeout counter - I want it all. Obviously, even just walking in the door at Blue Olive was bound to make me happy.

My first visit was just for a dessert to cap off the day. Enter the Loukoumades - fried balls of dough that arrived drizzled in all kinds of honey goodness. They reminded me of a Dutch treat I used to love when I lived abroad (oliebollen for anyone keeping track) except they're served smaller so you can eat a whole bunch of them at once. New obsession.

My second visit, though, blew the first out of the water. Why? Well, a few reasons but let's start with Drew. Blue Olive only has one server and she is an absolute saint. I love feeling like a regular when I go places and Drew was quick to make me feel like I had just come home to my imaginary Greek relative's house for dinner. I also love watching the hilarious dynamic between her and Jimmy, the owner, who's very quick to make the rounds whether it's just to say hi to customers or to pour the wine.

Second, the vibe of the place just really floats my boat. Once the sun sets, I love the low lights and the little nooks and crannies that let you feel some privacy even though it's a pretty small spot. It's the perfect setting for the kind of personal attention that you'll get and proved to be a great spot for a nice dinner out with friends.

Third, well, this one's obvious: the FOOD. The Flaming Saganaki blew. my. mind. I actually can't believe that I had never tried it until now but it was delicious. Not to mention a bit shocking at just how much flame bursts out of that sucker.

I had a nice ravioli in a sundried tomato cream sauce that was good enough (the actual sundried tomatoes were some of the best I've tasted) but next time I'll definitely go with one of their more classic plates. I had total meal envy of the souvlaki dishes and was in awe of the chicken spanakopita special. Check the photos - you'll see why.

Consider the last star on reserve while I figure out my go-to menu item but ultimately, I'm a big fan of this spot.

Has anyone ever had fun or easy breezy success when shopping for area rugs? No. Not a single person in the history of time. This is simply one of those great big truths of the world: once you know what you want, you will never ever see it in a store ever again no matter how many times you stumbled across it before.

It was in this state that I arrived at Tabrizi - a shop I had driven by at least twice a day for two straight years without ever having stopped in. We just redid our living room and need an area rug to be the crowning glory that pulls it all together. After revisiting all of my previous haunts, I figured I'd go right to the source.

Tabrizi doesn't look like much from the street and, to be honest, it doesn't have much of a boutique feel once you're inside either. But, if you're looking for rugs, you'll find them here. Every wall is covered with hanging racks, the floor is covered in piles of rugs stacked by the dozen, and there are even rolled up ones leaning in every corner. It was a little staggering, to be honest.

A gentleman was happy to give me the lay of the land, pointing me in the direction of their small modern collection, and I'm sure he would have been able to be a huge help if I was looking for something more classic like the bulk of their stock. There were some close contenders but ultimately I left empty handed. He did mention that they have a pretty sweet refund policy so that folks are able to bring a rug home for a substantial time period to see if it works - super helpful!

During my clearly not thought-out plan of visiting the market on Tuesday (when only a handful of vendors are actually on site and open), the Seaport Bread Shop ended up being my only option for a cup of coffee. It wasn't looking good since this place is clearly a bakery and not a café, but yet a wee drip machine and tea selection were advertised on the printed menus.

Now, this place is deceiving. The look and smell of all their baked goods was pure heaven but from the looks of things, you'd think it was a pop-up bakery. There's nothing slick or pretty about the set-up but they appear to get the job done nonetheless!

While the 8.5x11 white print-out price lists seem a little amateur, don't be fooled. Another print-out right next to it (this one laminated, natch...) let me know that they're the official source of bread for elements on hollis which is a huge stamp of approval in my books.

From bagels to fresh sandwiches, even a signature Caesar salad, this place may not look like much but their range of tasty treats was way more than I would have guessed. I didn't order anything this trip but I definitely will next time. I figure I'll be updating with more stars once I actually get to try their specialties.

As for the coffee, it absolutely did the trick but definitely won't offer up much competition on days that Steve-O's next door, or JavaBlend upstairs are open.

Confession time: I'm not as committed to the weekend morning market routine as some of the other Yelpers. Quite frankly, I like my sleep especially on the rare Saturday morning that I get to just relax. So, when I do make it into the Seaport Market, I'm almost always seeing a ton of booths and vendors for the first time.

Today, I ended up here shortly after the lunch hour and was thrilled to find a food-serving spot that was open on a Tuesday while the rest of the place was a bit of a ghost town. Wrap So D is right in the middle of things across from Steve O's but I could see how you might miss it during a crowded Saturday morning.

The man in charge himself slings about six signatures wraps (plus omelets and breakfast wraps in the mornings) that'll have you forgetting the days of cold chopped veggies, a shred of cheddar, and some Ranch dressing in a wrap. These bad boys are creative concoctions made fresh with clearly premium ingredients. Of course, you can always build your own but I can't imagine why you'd ever want to...

The Pulled BBQ Chicken had me questioning my vegetarian status but ultimately the Garden won me over with the promise of a hot 'n spicy oil, roasted red pepper sauce, and a party of veggies. I love me a place that doesn't get lazy with their veggie options!

The Garden (about $8ish - cash only) was definitely nice and flavourful, served hot with just a hint of crunch to the veggies and a perfect dose of egg for some extra substance. I wouldn't call it spicy by any stretch but the *spicing* was lovely. Totally satisfying and perfectly portioned.

Words of caution: it gets drippy because of the delicious roasted red pepper sauce. Don't consider this a wrap that can be eaten while mosying or while on first dates.

Once I get into the HomeSense side of this Winners, I definitely do have some fandom for the spot. It's packed to the brim with all kinds of home goodies that tend to be better brand names and better deals than you'll find on the clothing side of things. Of course, it does take some time to scour and plenty of repeat visits especially if you're looking for something quite specific, but since I live nearby, that's no issue!

Gorgeous outdoor pieces greet you on the left-hand side as you walk in, with an obnoxious amount of kitchen items and dishware to the right. I don't usually mess around with this stuff since it's all a little overwhelming, but it's a great option if you need to stock up on new place settings on the cheap. Plenty of clean, white dishes of all shapes and sizes plus the occasional crazy cat lady design.

A little further toward the cash, you'll find cardboard boxes stuffed with art pieces. It's nice stuff but since it's sold at Winners I'm always nervous you'll just see it at every apartment in town by the end of the month. It's not a very good system for browsing through either as you flip through giant canvases as if they were very large books on a shelf, but hey...sometimes you can luck out.

The furniture selection is small and definitely hit-or-miss but we've found a chair or two with some perseverance. Pricing is anyone's guess on the larger pieces. Some are surprisingly cheap, others will make you wonder what the original price must have been if *this* is the reduced version.

What you'll really want to focus on though are the lamps, the rugs, the pillows, and random accent pieces. This is where you'll find some gems for very little dough and be able to know that they're not quite as mass-produced as Bouclair's selection. Mix and match to your heart's content!