I Love Local Halifax’s Open City May 10, 2014

I Love Local Halifax had their annual Open City day over the weekend. It was my first time attending and checking out the events, special offers and back door take out. I spent the day with my friend Emily who is hula hooping in the photograph above.

The Cut

We started the day trekking to CUT Steakhouse & Urban Grill. Why? How often can you go to such a fancy place to eat for $10?

That’s right! $10 lobster poutine. We thought for sure we would pay our $10 (we split all the food that day) and then have to eat in an alley somewhere but no. They actually let us sit in their stunning restaurant.

We were not the only ones in search of this decadent street food dish. There was a guy picking up a couple of takeout containers and commented that he thought there would be a huge line for the food and to be honest, there should have been.

Because there it was! Lobster Poutine topped with homemade aioli. And yes, it was this delicious and luscious, OMG! The lobster was perfectly cooked and the food was so decadent and beautiful. I could have easily eaten this whole container myself but no, we shared the dish and had to move on to discover more treats.

Second Hand Rose

While on our walk we discovered the store Second Hand Rose and checked it out.

I bought this giant purple heart purse for just $7! It reminded me of a box of chocolates so I had to buy it.

Morris East Wood Fired Oven

Morris East was selling their $3 Wood Fired Brown Sugar & Chilli Potato Chips at their back door.

They looked so delicious and smelled so good. There was always a lineup at the back door for this particular treat.

As you know, chips are my absolute weakness! I could barely wait for Emily and I to dig in and start chomping on our way to the next foodie gig.

The problem? We thought all that fluffy stuff on top was brown sugar but it turned out to be salt! I had the top chip and I just about keeled over from the sodium smack to the head. I think Emily coughed a little bit when she had hers. Ack!!! I hope it was a one-time mistake because the chips underneath were quite good but it was hard to recover my tastebuds for a while.

Wildflower Clothing

We were so parched that the call of free lemonade and cupcakes at Wildflower Clothing‘s 14th anniversary party beckoned us.

We both tried the mocha cupcakes and dang it, they were some of the best cupcakes I have ever had. So moist, mocha-y and delicious.

Local Source Catering Market & Bakery at P’Lovers

Our final treat was a taste test of Local Source Catering Market & Bakery vanilla wedding cake at P’Lovers. Which, as you can see, was a huge hit with the customers checking out P’Lovers’ vintage wedding and formal wear for sale.

I am not a big fan of cake but will admit, this cake was wonderful. It was not too sweet and the buttercream tasted like, well creamed butter with vanilla. It was genius in its simplicity. Nothing too overdone. Classic flavours done perfectly. I wish I had asked for a bigger piece!

Open City Comes to a Close

By 3 pm places were quiet and sold out of their treats for the day. Together Emily and I only spent $13 on food since so much was free but we love a deal. Emily really wanted to try Starbucks‘ Happy Hour Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino which was half price between 3-5 pm that day.

She got her wish and I had my first Frappuccino of all time and ordered the hazelnut. Wow!!! It was like having a hazelnut milkshake which of course, I have to try making at home now.

Is there anything better than foodie inspiration? Yes, cheap foodie inspiration!

Thank you Emily for your continued ambassadorship to Halifax and for introducing me to so many cool places I had never been before. All the food was amazing and the entire afternoon was a blast. And I hope YOU enjoyed the foodie tour!