Halifax Socials is a non-profit initiative to support and promote local businesses in Halifax. We support the idea of buying products manufactured locally (in and around Halifax) over others.

We believe purchasing and using locally made products should be a matter of pride for Haligonians!

Buy Halifax, Be Halifax !

An Ideal Purchasing Habit for Halifax

Responsible purchasing addresses environmental and social factors, as well as
the total costs associated with each purchase. It means looking at what products
are made of, where they come from, how they were made and how they will be
disposed. It is also about looking at whether a purchase needs to be made at all
(e.g. Could it be leased or rented?). The intent of sustainable purchasing is to shift
spending away from goods and services that negatively impact the environment
and society towards products that are more environmentally sound and socially
beneficial. It is part of a growing movement within government, industry and civil
society toward more sustainable forms of production and consumption.

Why is it important ?
Quite simply, because it can help you make better choices that positively impact your
local economy, environment, community, and your bottom line. Every buying decision you
make has a variety of environmental, social and economic factors associated with it,
including:
• consumption of raw materials and emissions and energy used to process or
manufacture the product,
• labor practices of manufacturers and suppliers,
• geographic locations you import from and transportation required to
get the product to you,
• energy and materials required to operate the product, and
• waste associated with the product, (e.g. waste packaging used to transport
the product or the product itself at the end of its life cycle).

Thinking social yet, Halifax ?

Social Purchasing at the Halifax Farmer's Market

What is  Halifax Social ?

As we've talked about in previous posts, Halifax Social is an initiative aimed at creating a specific social mindset in Halifax. We hope Haligonians will understand the need to tweak their spending habits to plan for a better future for Halifax.

The Halifax Social initiative identifies two important facets. These are :

Sustainable Purchasing
Sustainable purchasing is practice of viewing procurement as more than a cost-only decision. Sustainable Purchasing involves supply chain, purchasing and procurement policies and practices that contribute to the creation of a blended-value bottom line including social, economic and environmental impacts.
This practice is applicable for both individuals and organizations. In a nut-shell, if you consider the impact your purchase will have on the environment, your locality and the future of these two, you are in the habit of sustainable purchasing

Social Purchasing
Social purchasing looks at the multiple social impacts purchasing has, such as employment opportunities, poverty reduction, social inclusion and community economic development.By purchasing goods and services from your own community, you are doing much more than community service. Indirectly, this practice benefits you the most. By contributing to a stronger community, you pave the way for a brighter future.

The Halifax Farmer's Market: An ideal Social Purchasing Initiative

So, buy Social and be Social!

Viva Halifax Socials !

Chives Canadian Bistro

Chives Canadian Bistro is conveniently located in beautiful historic downtown Halifax at 1537 Barrington Street. The restaurant boasts a warm and unpretentious décor where you will enjoy extraordinary casual dining in a chic interior that captures key elements of the Canadian landscape; water, wood, rock, and sand. Another key feature of this restaurant is “The Vault”, a leftover from the 1950’s when their space was occupied by The Bank of Nova Scotia. The actually money vault now stores wine as well as a unique dining space for an intimate dinner for 2 to 4 people.

Location:

1537 Barrington Street
Halifax, NS B3J1Z4

(902)420-9626 

·       Rating:

     Food: 8.5/10

·       Service: 8/10

·       Pricing: 6/10

·       Comfort Factor: 8.5/10

Locally owned with locally sourced product on the menu, this Bistro is the perfect choice for the supporters of Love-Local-Halifax. Their specialities include items such as the cream of fiddlehead and the stinging nettle soup with buttermilk biscuits. Making reservations is recommended.

The restaurant is small with eclectic local artwork on the walls.  There is a banquette against one wall with tables for two.  The tables are relatively close together so not really conducive to intimate dining.Service was well timed and attentive. Our wine & water glasses were never empty.

We ordered the PEI Beef Striploin Steak and the Braised Nova Scotia lamb du Jour. The steak was a 10oz aged grilled steak served with spinach and old growler gouda risotto, ragout of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia mushrooms, broccoli and buttermilk onion rings. The lamb du Jour which happed to be lamb shoulder that evening served with new garden vegetable hodge podge, minted rhubarb jam and tawny port lamb jus. The food is where this place really shines. Starting with the signature buttermilk biscuits served in a paper bag with butter and molasses on the side. Our mains arrived piping hot and oh so tasty. When you see "market price" next to a menu item you know it won't be cheap but the steak was done to our specifications and every bite worth the price. The lamb so tender you could "cut it with a spoon" as promised. The vegetables swimming in a creamy sauce were perfectly cooked with a nice bite.  The mint rhubarb jam was a new combination for me and complimented the lamb quite nicely.

Happily I was able to order dessert and chose the Sugar Moon Maple Crème Brulee topped off with a little "Nanny Flinn's shortbread cookie" which was a nice little finish to the meal.  The crème was oh so creamy with a hint of maple and the brulee nice and sweet & crunchy.

We'll definitely be back.

Boneheads BBQ

"BoneHeads BBQ: A genuine southern barbeque experience and Best of Food winner, offering pork, ribs, chicken and other finger-licking meat dishes and sauce-slathered goodness, with chili, baked beans and mac daddy n' cheese to round out the comfort food."-  The Coast


Location:

1014 Barrington Street
South End, Halifax                           

(902) 407-4100

Rating:

·        Food: 8.0/10

·        Service: 7.0/10

·        Pricing: 8/10

·        Comfort Factor: 6/10

 We ordered the pulled pork plate and it was a cafeteria-size tray with a huge helping of the pork, two large sides (we chose Mac n Cheese and fries), a small cup of coleslaw and a small cornbread.
The pork was moist and delicious.  The fries and Mac and cheese were also both good and seemed homemade.  The coleslaw was a little too sweet and vinegary (lots of cider vinegar perhaps). The portions were huge. We ended up taking more than half of it home.
They have Propeller sodas, Coke products, milk and beer.

The place is small and only has about 8 tables.  It gets pretty cramped.  We got there just after 5:00 on a Saturday and it was busy. I hear weekdays are quite busy too. Finding parking is a minor problem. We had to go around the block once in order to find a spot.Overall, it’s a good choice if you have meat craving. The place is famous for its pulled pork and is a must have. The Pit Boss Sampler is another must-try.

  

Darrell's Restaurant

Darrell's, originally named My Other Brother Darrell's, has been a Halifax hot spot since 1992. Located on Fenwick Street in the South End of Halifax, Darrell's has been a favourite stomping ground for students, local professionals, neighbours, families, first daters and all who have heard the rumblings of our fantastic food, consistency and great service.

 Location:

5576 Fenwick Street
Halifax, NS B3H1R2

(902) 492-2344

Rating:

·         Food: 7.5/10

·        Service: 8/10

·        Pricing: 7/10

·        Comfort Factor: 8/10

Comfortable little place on a side street in south Halifax. Eating on the patio outside would be great for summers. I sat inside. The place was compact but clean. The interior was well maintained.

My order was a peanut butter burger (PB Burger), potato wedges and hot chocolate.

The PB burger was a minor let down. For a burger that’s supposed to have won awards ‘year after year, in a row’ it wasn’t much. Just a smear of peanut butter inside the top bun of a regular BLT burger. The condiments kept oozing out and I needed plenty of napkins to keep things under control. Although the burger was huge, you tend to get sick of the peanut butter taste after a while. Definitely not a worth a second time. The potato wedges were great. Crispy outside and soft inside. And the quantity was great too. The hot chocolate was nothing special though. It wasn’t bad tasting or anything. Probably, I expected much more from an establishment that was supposed to be iconic in this part of the country.

The service was nice. The waitress was courteous and quick. She made sure I had everything I needed, including tons of napkins!

Overall, a good place that I’d go to again. Just to try out something else from their extremely impressive and varied menu.

 

Beautiful Lunenburg- Continuing Heritage

Lunenburg is a Canadian port town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia. Situated on the province's South Shore, Lunenburg is located on a peninsula at the western side of Mahone Bay. The town is approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the county boundary with the Halifax Regional Municipality. Being the first British Colonial settlement in Nova Scotia outside of Halifax, the early settlers were from various parts of Europe especially Germany and France . They followed in the footsteps of earlier Mikmaq and Acadian inhabitants in the area. Lunenburg posses a vibrant and stable economy, built on farming, fishing, ship building and ocean-based commerce. More than 200 years in fishing, ship-building and marine related industries has provided Lunenburg with strong economic base.
The Town of Lunenburg offers visitors many architectural delights. Houses, businesses, churches and public buildings from the late 1700s and particularly early 1800s are still being used today (Architectural Tour). The Town's German heritage has been maintained and promoted and the history of the fishing industry has been captured in the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. In 1992, the Government of Canada designated "Old Town" Lunenburg as a National Historic District. In 1995, the World Heritage Committee, under the auspices of UNESCO, recognized Lunenburg's cultural and natural heritage by adding it to their World Heritage List.

Here's a few list of must visit places in Lunenberg:

1. FISHERIES MUSEUM OF THE ATLANTIC
   
Address: 68 Bluenose Drive - Lunenburg B0J 2C0
Phone: +1-902-634-4794
Website: http://museum.gov.ns.ca/fma/en/home/default.aspx

2. KNAUT-RHULAND HOUSE MUSEUM

Address: 125 Pelham Street Lunenburg
Phone: 902-634-3498
Website: www.lunenburgheritagesociety.ca

3.ST JOHNS ANGLICAN CHURCH

4.BLUENOSE II

5.BERLIN WALL

Old Town Lunenburg has been designated by the Government of Canada as a place of National Historic Significance. Lunenburg is part of the family of National Historic Sites, one of more than 800 places across Canada which help define the important aspects of Canada's diverse heritage and identity. For more information visit the Parks Canada Website.

Magical Halifax

As the air starts to get pleasant and the leaves slowly changes from lush green to vibrant hues of red, yellow, and orange, visitors to Halifax, Nova Scotia can enjoy a changing landscape and dashing mix of  both colour and variety. Fall creates the perfect blend for a eye raising sequence of Halifax festivals and events celebrating cuisine and wine, the arts. Those wondering what to do in Halifax - see what can be done.

Not only is Halifax the best Atlantic Maritime destination – where you can tour a natural harbor or relax on the waterfront, breathing up sea air – it’s also the cultural hub of Atlantic Canada.

When deciding your destination as Halifax, do consider the following:

• Explore our unique heritage of the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site & Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
• Dine on fresh Nova Scotia seafood - and discover the award-winning Nova Scotia wines
• Shop Spring Garden Road and while you’re there tour the Halifax Public Gardens,
• Vist Alexander Keith’s Brewery or head to a pub on the water to catch the warm ocean breeze
• See the iconic Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse in St. Margaret’s Bay along Nova Scotia’s South Shore or enjoy the sandy beaches of the Eastern Shore
• Year-round Halifax festivals, sporting events, concerts and theatre performances

Make your vacation exciting, starting here. Check out flynovascotia.com for direct flights to Nova Scotia. Select Halifax hotel options, restaurants, attractions. Visit HalifaxSocials! to hear what’s going on right now from our community.

Hello World

halifaxsocials.blogspot.caThis is my first post.Watch out for more interesting news on local businesses in your community.