Weekends were made for a lot of things. Brunch probably comes in at number one for me.

“It’s not quite breakfast, it’s not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end. You don’t get completely what you would at breakfast, but you get a good meal.” — Jacques, The Simpsons

There are plenty of places to go in the city of Halifax for a delicious brunch. Cora’s and Esquire Restaurant are a couple of standards for Cokebaby and me. If we’re feeling adventurous and want to leave our neck of the woods, we also like The Olde Triangle. Brunch for me usually means Eggs Benedict or, if I’m tricking myself into thinking I’m healthy, Eggs Florentine.

If you’re a foodie and into Twitter, a great way to find new eateries is to get your followers to do your legwork for you. Thanks to my followers, I was able to jot down some new places to hit up at a later date. The one that caught my eye came courtesy of @wryandginger who recommended Finbar’s Irish Pub.

Located in Sunnyside Mall in Bedford, Finbar’s is a great spot if you’re looking for pub fare and not interested in heading downtown. There’s a good selection of Irish beer on tap and if you’re into lamb burgers and hand cut fries this is the place to go. For an additional cost, you can even swap regular fries for sweet potato fries or go with curried chips.

But I digress from brunch.

Photo credit: Andrew Huff from Flickr

I have to admit, at the sight of a new menu I was thrown off course. Usually, I know what I want before I sit down thanks to the technology of online menus. When I saw the word boxty, my confidence in ordering Eggs Benedict faltered.

According to the menu, a boxty is the quintessential Irish traditional meal. It’s a potato crepe stuffed with one of the chef’s unique fillings. Served with Balsamic greens ($11). The day’s flavour was Cajun chicken. I was sold.

I’ve been told by a reliable source that the boxties we get here in Nova Scotia are a glorious bastardization of the original in Ireland. Next week, while on the Emerald Isle, I plan to taste for myself. Meanwhile, here’s what I can tell you about the kind we get in Halifax: They are perfectly delicious and the only other restaurant in the city that serves them (that I’m aware of) is The Olde Triangle at lunch. And they usually sell out. So, I have mixed reservations about letting you all in on the fact that you can now get them at a second location. On the other hand, if you don’t all rush out to try it, the menu item may not survive.

Cokebaby ordered the Finbar’s Irish Breakfast: Two eggs any style, bacon, sausage, homefries, toast, and fried tomato ($9). His meal was satisfactory but not anything he’d write home about. When he has an Irish breakfast there’s an expectation for Irish ingredients. Things like white and black puddings and soda bread. This breakfast was more of a standard full breakfast.

We both had coffee that wasn’t terrible. Now, I’m not saying it was good coffee or coffee that I’d make at home or even go out of my way to get a mug of but for brunch diner coffee it was at least palatable. The service was also efficient and friendly. When it comes to atmosphere, I have to say I enjoyed the quiet afternoon ambience. Often in the evenings it’s crowded and the noise isn’t buffered enough, making conversation difficult. Maybe that’s just old age creeping up on me though.

After watching the play version (not to be mistaken for the movie version) of Doubt: a parable this past weekend, Cokebaby and I headed across the street to Durty Nelly’s (corner of Argyle and Sackville Street) for dinner.

For a city that prides itself on East Coast culture, when we first moved here in the summer of ’99, there weren’t a lot of Irish pubs. In fact, the only one I seem to recall from that time was O’Carroll’s. I’ve never set foot in that particular establishment as it seems decidedly geared toward another, more white-haired, generation.

But eventually things changed and we saw the rise of such fine establishments as: Jamieson’s, The Old Triangle, and Pogue Fado. Now Durty Nelly’s can be added to the list.

The owners certainly went all out in their attempt to recreate an authentic Irish pub. From the refacing of a genuinely hideous building, to the gorgeous bar as centerpiece, to the fine glass work on the doors, and the spare but cozy furnishings the place just felt right. They even had the good sense to not demean their staff by requiring them to dress like serving wenches and stable boys (I’m looking at you Halifax Alehouse).

At the time they were offering a limited opening week menu which was about the quarter the size of their drink menu. That might seem very limited but get back to me after you’ve seen the size of their drink menu. That said, if you’re a vegetarian there are slim pickings and a vegan might want to stick with the beer for now. I’m hopeful that the full menu will include offerings for herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores.

Photo credit: puamelia from Flickr

My one complaint is that the three bite-sized, gnocchi-shaped dumplings seemed a bit overcooked and didn’t really do anything for me. To be honest, I would have been happier with a slice of soda bread.

Cokebaby went with the Guinness braised lamb shanks with market vegetables and potato-parsley dumplings ($18). All I can say is that he cleaned up everything that was on his plate. Apparently his dumplings were like stuffing balls and he even raved about the caramelized mini onions. The meat was clearly fall-off-the-bone which made it easier to not leave any scrap behind. Or at least that’s what I’m assuming unless he has a pocket piranha that he feeds while I’m not looking.

With his meal he ordered a Durty Nelly’s House Ale which turned out to be light and more like a Harp.He would have preferred something more like a Kilkenny which is what I had but c’est la vie.

Our waitress was friendly and prompt despite the place filling up rather quickly. She got points for her enthusiasm over our meal choices though I wonder if she would have been equally enthusiastic for other selections.

I do have to mention the fact that our table was wobbly only for this reason: How does that happen in a new restaurant? Someone needs to explain the physics of restaurant furnishings and the rules of probability that we seated ourselves at the one malfunctioning table in the whole place.

Overall, it was a great dining experience. In fact, we’ll be returning for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Did you know that in Newfoundland and Ireland it’s a holiday? And, since Cokebaby is both we’ll be taking the day off together to celebrate!

Sláinte!