Trendz Café and Wine Bar
Best Western Dartmouth
15 Spectacle Lake Dr.
www.trendzcafe.ca
Rating: *** 1/2
Dinner & drinks for two: $90
Signature Dish: Seafood Paella
Signature Drink: Red wine
It’s after 8 p.m. and the dining room at Trendz is empty, so we wander into the more casual and busy bar area. We’re welcomed by our server who proves to be among the cheeriest and most charming I’ve ever encountered.
We sip a local wine, Jost’s Leon Millot ($7), and a Carmen Shiraz ($6).
The Bruschetta ($9) — olive oil, basil, olives and tomatoes, baked on pita bread with melted mozzarella cheese on top — tastes fine, but it’s lukewarm and should have stayed under the grill a while longer.
Crab Cakes ($19) are pan-roasted with a tasty, spicy remoulade sauce and parmesan risotto. The cheesy risotto is heavenly, but the crab cakes are mushy and over-salted. The accompanying asparagus and carrots are cooked perfectly.
Rib Eye of Beef ($25), a 10-oz cut of AAA Angus beef, is medium rare as requested and absolutely delicious, with sautéed onions and mushroom sauce on top. The potato galette is almost too salty to eat.
The dishes are beautifully presented, but less salt would be an appreciated trend.
Dining out
SAEGE BACK IN BIZ Saege Bistro, 5883 Spring Garden Rd., has re-opened after an electrical fire caused a two-week closure. The popular bistro is open everyday except Monday, and serves pizzas, pastas and a variety of entrees. Visit www.saege.ca for more information.
DINE AROUND ONYX, 5680 Spring Garden Rd., is one of several Nova Scotia restaurants participating in Dine Around, The Flavours of Nova Scotia that is going on until June 18. As part of the program Onyx is offering a $45 meal with choices including clams, mahi mahi, crab and lobster.
In brief
Awards Nova Scotia Wineries received 16 awards at the All Canadian Wine Championships including: gold, silver and bronze to Annapolis Highland and Jost Vineyards; silver and bronze to L’Acadie Vineyards and Domaine de Grand Pré; and bronze to Blomidon Estate Winery.
Cheese please Fox Hill Farm in Port Williams has a newsletter for cheese fans. Sign up at www.foxhillcheesehouse.com where there are also online videos showing their farm and their cheese-making process. The family-run business specializes in cheese, yogurt and gelato.
