It has been a while since I’ve written a new blog post, but that’s not to say I haven’t been out and about eating at some of the great places in the area. We finally had a chance to check out Next Door Kitchen and Bar in Ballston Spa, and immediately fell in love with the décor. It consisted of reclaimed barn wood, funky light fixtures and a really cool vibe. I’ve been eyeing their Pulled Pork and house made Kimchi Eggrolls for some time now, so I was excited to try them.
The Fava Bean Bruschetta and Brown Butter Brussels Sprouts also looked wonderful, but I had my eye on the prize. I also tried the Kale and Apple Salad which had almonds, lemon, shaved pecorino and a champagne vinaigrette. The Fettuccini Carbonara was really good too and I liked how they used asparagus instead of peas for a little twist. This is a nice place to grab a seat at the bar and order some small plates. Great way to try a few items on the menu.
A new/old favorite of ours is Slidin’ Dirty which now has a permanent location in Troy. We’ve always been a fan of their food truck, but now we don’t have to track them down when I have an Avocado Fry craving. The new restaurant is located at 9 1st Street in Troy. The atmosphere is great and the sliders are even better!! We tried a few different ones, but my absolute favorites were The Dirty Pig (pulled pork, coleslaw, buttermilk fried onion, BBQ sauce) and The Dirty Cowboy (beef, bacon, cheddar, arugula, tomato, jalapeno, buttermilk fried onion, BBQ Sauce).There are still a bunch on the menu I haven’t even tried yet, so that list may get longer. I also like that each slider can be made with chicken, beef or vegetarian black bean. You can’t go there and not get the Avocado Fries though. They are SO good. There are a ton of great new spots in Troy, and this one should be added to the list. You will not be disappointed.
I’ve heard good things about the new Cooking School at Market Bistro in Latham, but never really took the time to check out the class line up. My mom emailed me and was interested in the Make & Take class where you prepare a meal at the school, then bring home 4 portions to have for the week.
It sounded like a lot of fun, so we signed up. Chef John was a great instructor and I learned some useful kitchen techniques that will come in handy for sure!! He taught us how to prepare the meal, then we got hands on and started cooking.
We prepared Chicken Sorrentino which is breaded chicken topped with eggplant, prosciutto, red sauce and mozzarella. To accompany that, we made a creamy orzo pasta with sun dried tomatoes, artichokes and fresh basil.
To top it off, we were listing to some great music while sipping wine. If you are looking for something fun to do, I highly recommend looking into the classes at the cooking school. It would make for a great date night, girls night or just a way to eat some delicious food!