Fodor's Expert Review Fid

This restaurant, a two-minute walk from the main gates of the Halifax Public Gardens, takes its unusual name from a nautical tool used to splice rope. It seems appropriate, then, that chef-owner Dennis Johnston splices together the best of the old and new when designing menus. The casual interior—with its butcher-block tables and a bistro-style blackboard—is the perfect setting for innovative permutations of locally supplied products. You might start with a warm chanterelle tart with Nova Scotia cheddar, and move on to caramelized sea scallops, line-caught haddock, or the chef's daily "Market Inspiration."