When dining out in Halifax I tend to keep returning to the same great restaurants and forget that we have so many excellent options to choose from. Last Tuesday night I had an impromptu dinner at the Press Gang with some Starwood Hotels colleagues. I have to say that I had one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time, anywhere. All menu choices were creative and sounded delicious when reading the descriptions. As soon as decisions were made menus were closed or we never would have decided on what to order.
Two of us couldn’t resist the Beet & Goat Cheese appetizer, ”Warm goat cheese and roast mixed beets with shaved asparagus, tender organic greens tossed in champagne vinaigrette”. Served as a tower of diced multi coloured beet and goat cheese salad with goat cheese crostini it was very unique and delicious. For main courses the Halibut was cooked to perfection but as far as interesting flavour combinations go the winner was the “Sticky Bison Short Rib With a Blue cheese bread pudding, roast carrots and parsnips, Yukon puree”. A close second for unique presentation was the “Seafood Lasagnette, Fresh pasta sheets in a mushroom and pear cream with lobster, shrimp and halibut topped with truffle cheese”. Everything was so good I am going to bring a friend back next week for a birthday celebration.
The ambiance of stone walls and candle light was perfect for a cold, dark, fall evening. The meal & service were impressive and to top it off our server told us that the restaurant’s chef is still in his 20′s! Chef Matt Costain, originally from Elmsdale, Prince Edward Island, graduated from the Culinary Institute of Canada in 2001. Following graduation, he moved to the west coast and trained with some of the best chefs in Alberta and British Columbia. Returning to the Maritimes in 2006, Matt worked at Da Maurizios in Halifax for one year before joining The Press Gang in 2007. Matt is very passionate about providing customers with the best in fresh local products, including extensive menu selections and a wide variety of flavors and cultures. Matt prides himself on presentation excellence.
