shared plates

Chubby Fish, Charleston, 12/5/25

~ hsnixon ~ 4 Comments
building – 252 Coming St, Charleston, SC 29403-5433

Chubby Fish holds about 40 guests, so large parties are limited as well as timing for each party.   Founded in 2018 by Charleston native, Chef James London, they offer small plates of Lowcountry food with a spotlight on seafood.  The daily changing menu is on a board above the bar in back by the kitchen.  There is no printed menu so take a photo to look at if you need to.  This place is extremely popular and takes no reservations so people start lining up about an hour before opening to secure a space and to reserve one for later in the evening.  You can choose between tables, counter, or standing tables.   They offer beer and wine but not a full bar.  (However next door is a bar Seahorse where you can wait).  Music was in the background and service was friendly, helpful and efficient.  We had read that they will ask you to leave after an hour as they turn the tables but we were never told that we couldn’t order more as our time was up.   Nevertheless diners need to be mindful that someone is waiting for your seat.  It’s definitely worth the effort and is a solid recommendation for your next meal in Charleston. Continue reading →

The Highwayman, Halifax, 6/14/24

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exterior – 1673 Barrington St, Halifax, NS B3J 1Z9, Canada

Highwayman is a small place with about 40 seats in an historic building.  Opening in 2016 the relaxed atmosphere goes with the menu of Spanish inspired shared plates – tapas and pintxos.  Along with an ambitious cocktail menu they try to serve ingredients from Nova Scotia.   The long interior has bench seating along one wall and the opposite wall is the bar with backed high chairs.  Mirrors, plants and art decorate the space with that has the kitchen in the back, paper napkins and music in the background.   A couple high-top tables are in the window and when you make a reservation you indicate your seating preference.  We had reserved one of the high tops as that was the only available but luckily we were offered a table which was way more comfortable.  We started with a cocktail and then moved to a bottle of wine.  The service was friendly and helpful, especially as we wanted to try a number of their things but not get too overwhelmed.  The food was good but mixed in flavor content but it was good enough that I’d recommend the place to you, if you find yourself in Halifax. Continue reading →

Bar Kismet, Halifax, 6/12/24

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building – 2733 Agricola St, Halifax, NS B3K 4E2, Canada

Bar Kismet was a small family owned restaurant and bar serving fresh seafood and handmade pastas.  Founded by Annie Brace-Lavoie and partner Jenner Cormier about 7 years ago, it is also known for its inventive cocktail menu.  Inside you’ll find small concrete tables set with chairs by the windows to the street or with bench seating along one wall.  A U-shaped bar with stools takes up the center of the space and plants are everywhere.  Otherwise there are framed mirrors on the walls, a wide plank wood floor and music in the background for the continuous casual crowd decending on the place.  Reservations are a must if you want a table and service can be slow to get started with so many coming and going, but once you get started it moves right along.  Plates are in varying sizes and are meant to be shared which means you can try lots of things and that’s best here cause there are lots of great options on the menu and you won’t want to miss any of them.  Hope you’ll stop by when you’re in Nova Scotia. Continue reading →

BOSA Food & Drink, Bend, OR., 5/3/24

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exterior at night – 1005 NW Galveston Ave, Bend, OR 97703

BOSA owned and operated by chefs Bill Dockter and Nate King, offers regional Italian and French specialties including housemade pasta.  They opened in August of 2021 in the historic Bakery Building, just before Covid hit.  The restaurant is named for a town in the Sardinia region of Italy that the owners felt resembled Bend.  It’s a long space with counter seating running the length of the place divided by a low wall with the table area.  The open ceiling is decorated with cloth ‘flowers’ probably for sound absorption as the rest of it is hard surfaces.  Opposite the counter seating are numerous windows that offer views of the street.  The other walls have mirrors or art.  The noise level was significant as it was packed with tables changing out regularly, but it did get better when one large group left and was replaced with 2 or 4 person groups.  The plates are served family style and meant to be shared.  Our server wanted our entire order in at one time and said he would course it out.  He did, it was well paced and the small table did not get overwhelmed.  It was really tasty food and I would recommend this place be on your schedule when you visit. Continue reading →

Mon Lapin Montreal, 9/19/23

~ hsnixon ~ 3 Comments
interior – 150 Rue Saint-Zotique East, Montréal, QC H2S 1K8, Canada

Mon Lapin was created by Marc-Olivier Frappier and Vanya Filipovic, a chef and sommelier husband and wife team.  Joining the team were Jessica Québécois (chef), Alex Landry (sommelier) and Marc-Antoine Gélinas (front) to move the restaurant to #1 on Canada’s 2023’s 100 Best list.  Opening in 2018 in the area called Little Italy, they present an ever-changing menu of seasonal and local ingredients accompanied by natural wines.  It started quite tiny but they were able to expand after a couple of years and now have room to accommodate a few walk-ins.  The beautiful tile floor is set with small tables of wood or marble under lowered lighting and fairly loud upbeat music.  The vibe is energetic and the service is outstanding.  The servers know about the food and wines and will help you make a meal plan that works together.  For example, after we selected our shared plates the server brought out several wines at different price points, described them and then we chose one. It was a fabulous evening and I would recommend it to anyone who can get there. Continue reading →

Chasing Sage, Charleston, 2/7/23

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exterior – 267 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29403

Chasing Sage is a medium-sized place that tries to focus on locally grown produce and locally sourced meat and seafood.  They were scheduled to open in March 2020 but due to the pandemic instead sponsored a series of pop-up take-out meals.  They officially opened for dinner in June 2021.   The Chef, Walter Edward is a graduate of the CIA in Hyde Park, NY and then worked internationally before opening this place.  His wife, Cindy Edward runs a farm, that has been in her family and will now supply produce for the restaurant.  The space is long with a bar on one side, a long service table in the middle and small tables filling the rest of the space that ends with a window to the kitchen.  Faint music is in the background, the lights are fairly low, candles are on the tables, and the walls have decorations of wine bottles, books and such.  It’s a cozy feel but the food did not live up to my expectations.  The menu is a la carte but they offer a ‘let us pick for you’ option which we tried.  The pacing was varied as were the portions. Continue reading →