Last week there was a wedding show in Halifax so we took the opportunity to make it a bit of a girls weekend. Which as it should, involved great food and wine. We took this very seriously as you can imagine.
So the night before the wedding show myself, my mom and my sister went da Maurizio for dinner and drinks. Also for those reading that are coming to visit this summer, it is a restaurant you must try during your time here.
Coming here on this particular night was special because it was one of the few Saturday nights my sister took off work. Which for her is being one of the managers for this restaurant and not to sound biased but she is a skilful powerhouse at her job. So, It was great for her to get to be on the other side of the restaurant for a change.
Another great in we have is the fact at the head of the kitchen was my unbelievably talented brother in law. I have been saying for years now that he is soo good at what he does I will eat any food he puts in front and this night was no exception.
We chose 3 courses of food and 4 courses if you include cocktails. Now, I am not usually one to skip on dessert but when the food is this rich and delicious I can make an exception. Which was to indulge more on the apps and meals main meal, I do not regret my decisions at all.
I am usually the one with the biggest appetite but not with a menu like this one.
Our first three were appetizers of calamari sautéed in garlic, which is a is something my sister and I always order...When we know its good ;) Then Meatballs braised in a garlic and tomato sauce followed by seared shrimp with an avocado salad that was the perfect texture and flavour to with it. Before now I never thought to make salad with an avocado as the key ingredient but a couple weeks later I am still dreaming about it.
A few glasses of wine later we were ready for the next course which was chicken piccata (top right) and braised veg which was one of the evenings specials and the braise that was on the veggies could have been a meal in itself. It had all the right flavours without being overpowering in the dish. Another of that evening's specials was a haddock with black rice and roasted veg (top left). When cooking myself I can find it hard to make something like fish the right amount of sweet and still fulfilling, but that is tight how I would put this dish. Cooked in a coconut milk sauce was so well balanced that it perfectly complimented the black rice. I admit until today black rice is not something I have tried but it has become a favourite. This rice and its texture is such a vibrant compliment to the lightly breaded haddock.
Our third option was my sisters' favourite romaine lettuce heart salad. This salad was topped with lemon caper dressing, garlic and crispy pancetta was so fresh and flavoursome it balanced the previous dishes perfectly. Unfortunately, I did not get a pic of the salad because it did not last long enough ;)
Three cheese gnocchi
This dish above is particularly my favourite and whenever I am in the city my sister or brother in law takes it home for me when I stay over. Id say this is because they are the best and they know the way for me to dog sit is via this gnocchi. I can safely say you might just have to go to Italy to have gnocchi better than this and even then I am not sure it will be better. The flavours and additions change but the fact it is rich and full of all the flavours you want when dining Italian does not.
If you find yourself in Halifax I would say this restaurant is a must try! I would even say there are enough great restaurants in this city to plan a trip here just to eat, definitely make da Maurizio stop # 1.
If you are one of my Canadian readers get yourself to Halifax and to da Maurizio ASAP. Either way, it will become your go-to for when you are in the area as much as it is for me.