“Cake” by Alissa makes me wish my birthday was everyday

I discovered Cake last year when I was looking for businesses to feature on Bite Me. Alissa started Cake after leaving a career in executive recruiting.  She wanted to follow her passion for food and baking so after 7 years in Boston, she packed up her bags and moved to Lake Placid with her husband to pursue a career as a pasty chef at Paul Smith’s College.  After graduation, she became the pasty chef at Putnam Market in Saratoga where she satisfied everyone’s sweet tooth for 8 years.  Combining her education and experience, Alissa launched Cake in 2011 and let me just say it’s to our benefit.

When it comes to desserts, cake usually isn’t my first choice.  If it were up to me, I would much rather have a cookie, brownie or ice cream.  That’s not to say I don’t like it and if it’s exceptional cake, then I’m all for it.  When it comes to sugar, I’m not turning too much down anyway (I’m two bites away from a 12-step program for sugar addiction. I kid I kid but I do love sugar☺) .

After filming the episode with Alissa, she sent me home with a strawberry chocolate ganache cake and chocolate peppermint cupcakes.

First of all, the chocolate peppermint cupcake (it was December) was one of the BEST cupcakes I have ever had.  It was a chocolate cupcake with peppermint butter cream sprinkled with crushed up candy canes.  I honestly only planned on eating one, but ended up having two and a half!  I couldn’t stop myself!  Thankfully my husband was there to take down the other cupcakes otherwise it could have gotten messy.  We both thought that the cake and the frosting were wonderful.  I also tried the strawberry chocolate ganache cake (I had to share this with my neighbors otherwise I would be writing this post from fat camp), which was also phenomenal.  Rich chocolate cake layered with strawberry mouse then topped with chocolate ganache!!! Drooling yet??? I am just thinking about it!! The cake was so rich and had a deep chocolate flavor.  The ganache was a wonderful addition (when is it not?) and the strawberry moose was light and tasted like a fresh picked strawberry.  Last week I ordered her Pumpkin Pie cupcakes which consisted of a pumpkin cake with buttercream frosting.

I could hardly wait to try them since my last experience was so good.  The pumpkin cake was so moist and wonderfully spicy which went beautifully with the buttercream frosting.  It’s the perfect fall cupcake!  Alissa makes exceptional desserts so if you are looking for cupcakes, wedding cakes, grooms cakes, cake pops, or any other cake, I highly recommend CAKE by Alissa.  You will want to have your cake and eat it too! The only problem is that you might not want to share. www.cakebyalissa.com

Henry Street Taproom is a great new spot

Henry St is turning into quite the little hot spot in downtown Saratoga and the Henry St Taproom is heating things up even more. Located in the old Virgil’s House location, the Taproom offers a cozy and inviting atmosphere including a wood burning fireplace and comfy leather chairs.

It was a cool fall day so landing a spot in front of the fire was perfect.  After checking out the 16 beers they had on tap, I decided on a sampler of 4.  The taproom had a really nice selection that would appeal to lots of different beer drinkers.  It was a good combination of familiar beers along with some more rare varieties that we haven’t heard of before.

Not that I need to discover even more beer varieties that I love, but it’s always fun to try something new.  Lucky for me I did find a great new beer (actually a couple) and it was the Ayinger Oktoberfest.  The only problem is that I could drink a bunch of them and at $9 a glass, things could get pricy.

We checked out the dinner menu which looked great with dishes like duck confit quesadillas and mini mahi-mahi tacos.   They also offer a nice cheese menu with about 12 different varieties to choose from.  It comes with toasted bread, balsamic and olive oil dip, fruit and a peach chutney.

We went with the black truffle cheese which was delicious but left us wanting more.  Maybe next time I would get my own vs. sharing since the portions are small.  What’s nice is that each cheese selection is only $5 so it allows you try a couple of different varieties if you want.  All of us thoroughly enjoyed this new bar and the fireplace really added to the ambiance.  The Henry St Taproom will definitely make those cold snowy days much more tolerable.  Just don’t take my spot in front of the fire :)

They are located at 86 Henry St in Saratoga Springs, NY.

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Maestro's in Saratoga didn’t conduct any culinary symphonies

Maestro’s is one of our favorite places to grab a drink and sit outside while watching tourists and Saratogians stroll up and down Broadway.  They offer a great cheese, cracker and charcuterie spread in the bar area that hits the spot if you need something to nosh on, and their location on Broadway makes for great outdoor seating.  Recently we ordered the lamb lollipops (My previous write up can be read here) as an app before heading out to dinner with friends on Saratoga Lake.

The lamb lollipops were excellent which led us to believe that their dinners would be just as good if not better.  After a summer packed with weekends away and prior obligations, we were finally able to find a free Saturday to dine at Maestro's.  I have to say that I was pretty excited since our first experience was so good.  Not only was the lamb exceptional, the bread, white bean dip and dark chocolate bark we had was also fantastic.

We were thinking that this was the tip of the ice-berg and that our dining experience would be even better.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.  We arrived to a packed dining room but were offered seating outside amongst many gas patio heaters and fleece blankets on the back of the chairs.  It was actually pretty cozy and if I could squeeze in one more al fresco dining experience, I’m in!

The house Sauvignon Blanc (The Crossings from New Zealand) is not only delicious, but serves as a good way to stay warm as well.  After enjoying some of the white bean dip and warm bread, we were ready to order.  I thought I was going to go with the Prix Fixe since the options that were online looked great. I had my eye on the duck and white bean sausage as an app along with a great looking salmon dish that came with kale and a potato pancake but both were no longer an option.  I opted for the Salmon burger as an alternative and the pumpkin raviolis as an appetizer.  My husband ordered the five-onion bisque and butternut chicken risotto as his entree.

My mother went with the Prix Fixe and also went with the bisque along with the hanger steak and blondie for dessert (She didn’t have a choice when it came to choosing her dessert.  Once I saw that it came with salted caramel, pretzels and peanuts, it was a no brainer.)  First of all, the ordering system is cumbersome and I felt like I was in the Soup Nazi episode from Seinfeld.  Each person had to order their soup, salad or app first, then their entrée.  If you order then change your mind, the waiter has to delete your original choices out of his handheld PDA and start from the beginning.  After we ordered, I realized I wanted to add an appetizer and felt as though it was an inconvenience to change things once they were entered into this seemingly regimented system.  It definitely took away from the dining experience and I’m sure it results in lower food bills since guests probably feel as though once they order, they are locked in. “No soup for you” wouldn’t be too much of an understatement with the way things are done here.  After our ordering debacle, the bisque came out relatively fast and was extremely rich and hearty which hit the spot on a cool fall evening.  The flavor was wonderful and not too overpowering and the extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top was really delicious.  Next came the pumpkin raviolis topped with walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chevre and brown sage butter.   They weren’t too sweet which was enjoyable and the crunch of the nuts and seeds was a nice contrast amongst the soft pasta.  They were good but nothing special in terms of a pumpkin ravioli.

It was time for the main course and I was looking forward to finally having a chance at trying some of their entrées.  My salmon burger came on a griddled flatbread with shredded lettuce and a bacon tomato relish. The dish was served with “tater-tot sticks” and a pickle.  I was disappointed with this since the salmon was “fishy” and the burger was difficult to eat.  The tater-tot sticks were awesome but it’s not something I would expect at a nicer restaurant.

My mother’s steak was tough and not cooked to her liking. The dish came with haricot verts and mashed potatoes that were both good but again, nothing out of the ordinary.  My husband’s butternut chicken risotto pretty much left us feeling the same way.  I had no problem eating the blondie because it’s filed with sugar and I’m a sucker for anything with sugar in it, but I wouldn’t classify it as a gourmet dessert.  I loved the crunchy peanuts and chewy consistency of the blondie but I’ve gotten just as good if not better high-end baked goods at local coffee shops.  I wasn't thrilled with the presentation either.

All in all I would give them a 6.5 out of 10.  My impression of Maestro's was that it’s more of a fine dining restaurant and their prices certainly reflect that.  I have had much better meals at Brown’s Brewing at less then half the price.  I don’t want to say that the food was bad because it wasn’t; it was just way under par for what we had anticipated.  I will absolutely go back but it will be for a couple of drinks on the patio and lamb lollipops. Think I will head to Capriccio afterwards or maybe just Esperanto’s for a dough-boy.  I’ll be conducting my dinners elsewhere going forward.

Local Fall Favorites

My favorite thing about fall is all of the wonderful food that’s available.  Right after Labor Day weekend, I’m ready for the pumpkin beers, cider donuts and freshly picked apples.  There are so many local places offering incredible fall treats so I thought I would highlight a few in case you needed a pumpkin, cider or apple fix of some sort.  One place that really exudes fall is Bowman Orchards.  They have a Pumpkin Pie ice cream that is to die for and their honey crisp apples are equivalent to Snickers bars in my mind.

I do get the cider donuts when I go because who can pass up a donut, but they aren’t my favorite in the area.  Not to say they aren’t good, I mean come on! It’s a fried donut covered in sugar, but there are better ones out there.  I was thinking that it would be good to make an ice cream sandwich using a cider donut and either Bowman’s Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie ice cream in the middle.  The ultimate fall treat! Some of my favorite cider donuts are at Devoe’s in Clifton Park.  The only downside is that you won’t be able to get them hot out of the fryer.  Another great place to go is Lakeside Farms in Ballston Lake.

You could grab a donut as an app, then have breakfast or brunch on a nice fall day.  Grab another hot donut on the way out for dessert too! If you haven’t had enough sugar eating donuts and ice cream, check out the fall cupcakes Coccadot’s is offering.  Two of the flavors that really caught my attention are Pumpkin Spice Walnut and Cider Donut (you can’t have too much cider donut anything in my opinion).

These cupcakes are great and they look adorable too!  After eating all that sugar you may need something healthy to balance everything out. 3 Chicks and a P sells a pumpkin hummus that goes great with apple slices, or you can sprinkle candied walnuts on top for a little added crunch.

It’s still healthy if you eat the whole container right?!?!  Moving on to the adult beverages.  I seriously wait all year for the release of Browns Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Ale.

It’s SO good and having it with their Beer Pretzels and Pale Ale mustard is about as good as it gets.  To round out the evening, head over to The Living Room in Saratoga.  They have a Pumpkin Pie Martini that will rock your world.

They won’t say what’s in it, but it’s absolutely wonderful and the cinnamon sugar rimmed glass adds such a nice finishing touch.  So pull out the cozy sweaters, put on your loose fitting jeans and enjoy all of the fall deliciousness the Capital District has to offer.

New episode featuring Bake for You

The latest "Bite Me" episode can be seen by clicking on the link above.  Find out how Linda was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. Hope you enjoy :)

Moby Rick’s, Olivia! and some fun food events this Sunday

There are a couple of new businesses that have opened up just recently and both are worth checking out.  The first one is Moby Rick’s located at 173 Lake Ave in Saratoga Springs.

Moby Rick’s is a seafood market offering top-quality fresh seafood.  Rick Lofstad Jr., owner of Pura Vida Fisheries has been a regular vendor at The Saratoga Farmers Market for over two years and has decided to open up a retail location.  Rick says that they will offer all different kinds of seafood like shrimp, crab or anything else his customer’s request.  Don’t expect the market to look fancy though.  The main focus for this fish man is the quality and freshness of the seafood.  Another business that just opened this past Saturday is Olivia!, located in Clifton Park Center (or as I affectionately refer to it as CCM).  Olivia! is a family run business offering an extensive collection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars from around the world.

They import their products from both hemispheres in bulk allowing them to provide customers with fresh extra virgin olive oil all year round.  Stop in to sample a variety of their products before deciding on which olive oil will be coming home with you.  I plan on swinging around the corner to pick up a loaf of fresh bread from The Meat House and maybe some craft beer to round out my dinner of champions.

Are you looking for something to do this Sunday?  The 4^thannual Harvest Festival is happening between 12-4 at the Washington Park Lakehouse in Albany.

This festival first started in 2009 as a way of bringing a lot of the amazing local vendors in the Capital District together for one event. There will be over 45 local businesses and bands including Bake for You, Mingle, New World Bistro, All Good Bakers, 3 Chicks and a P, Bro’s Tacos, Creo, and many many more.  If you haven’t filled up on all of the incredible food at the Harvest Fest, head up to Saratoga for the Henry St Festival which is also from 12-4 happening on none other then Henry St. :) This is a fundraising event for Ballson Spa’s Gateway House of Peace.  There will be a wine tasting at Scallions, a beer tasting and The Forthlin Road Band and Irish music by The Saratoga Celtic Music Session at The Parting Glass. Several local vendors will be in attendance as well including Eat Good Food, Sunnyside Gardens, Thousand Island Winery, The Chocolate Spoon and Chane’s Deli.  There are lots of great local places to check out this week so enjoy your fresh fish sautéed in some EVOO from Olivia!  You’re going to want to eat light leading up to Sunday’s food festivities!

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Max London’s plays the coolest music ever! Oh and the food is great too.

Max London’s has been on my hit list for a while now and I’m mad at myself for waiting as long as I have.  It was a beautiful Friday evening in downtown Saratoga, and after some happy hour drinks at Saratoga National, it was time to eat.  We only had to wait about 15 minutes for an outdoor table which was great! I’ve been eying their menu and was told that they are known for their Chickpea Polenta Fries and Piggy Back Dates.  Since we were being piggy’s and going to Boca Bistro the following night (where I have to have their dates), we went with the polenta fries.

Wish I had gone with the dates because they were okay at best.  Drizzled in a black olive aioli, the fries themselves didn’t have much flavor.  The aioli was good but it was sort of like eating a plain fried stick with some salty sauce. Thankfully that was the only disappointment.  For our main dish we got the Opah (also known as moonfish) and Smoked Salmon Tartare along with the wood-fired Eggplant pizza. Both of them were excellent!  The fish came with capers, shallots, sweet corn, crème fraiche and crostini.  It had a wonderful flavor, was nice and light and paired well with the dry rose our waiter had recommended.

The pizza was very good too and we both loved the thin crust.  One thing they could have done to take this pizza over the top would be to add crumbled sausage giving it a salty element which would contrast with the subtle sweetness of the pizza.  I’m not saying I didn’t like the pizza, but sausage makes things that much better.

What’s great about Max London’s is that their menu changes daily according to what’s fresh and in season.  There are a lot of items that are standbys too so if you are hooked on their dates (like I have heard a couple of people say), don’t worry, they will always be on the menu.  An unexpected element of our dining experience was the music. I couldn’t believe the great tunes they had playing from artists like The Pharcyde and Arctic Monkey’s.  I felt like I was at a fine dining restaurant with the coolest soundtrack going.  Now that I’ve had dinner there, it’s time for brunch.  The feedback I’ve gotten from friends who have gone say that it’s excellent.  I would definitely start out with the Breakfast Stout Float which is O’Reilly’s Stout and house made vanilla ice-cream.   The main dish would be much harder to choose since the selection is incredible but the French toast with cinnamon butter and local maple syrup or the Pulled Pork Ranchero Pizza which has smoked pulled pork, tomato, cherry peppers, Serrano chilies, cilantro, fontina, house made mozz and baked egg (OMG!!!)  would be two strong contenders.  If you happen to have any room left after “maxing” out, Max London’s is connected to Mrs. London’s who serves some of the best baked goods and desserts around. Max London’s is located at 466 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.  www.maxlondons.com

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Portable eats on the Saratoga Streets. Finally some Food Trucks!

The food truck scene is BIG, just not so much in our area.  Albany offers a better scene then Saratoga for sure, so when I drove past the Eat Good Food truck in the Minogue’s Beverage Center parking lot (16 West Ave, Saratoga), I was excited to see this truck trend heading north.

I quickly did a U-turn seeing as though I could pick up some adult beverages and grab a bite to eat at the same time and this was a very good decision.  The vibe is laid back and there were a few lawn chairs and hand painted ironing board “tables” set up for people to sit at while eating good food.

A chalkboard menu sits in the grass displaying what’s being served today, aka what’s fresh, local and in season.  There were a lot of great things to choose from like Buffalo Chicken Tacos, Tomato Scallion Cheddar Quiche and a Roasted Garlic Panzanella salad.  I went with the Flank Steak on a Cheddar Waffle with lettuce, tomato and Cajun Mayo which was my second good decision for the day.

The cheddar waffle was great and wasn’t soft or soggy underneath all that steak and the marinade on the flank steak was excellent! It paired so well with the Cajun mayo.  The picture would make it seam as though there may be too much mayo but once you dive in, you discover that it’s the perfect amount.  The lettuce and yellow and red tomatoes were really good too and helped balance everything out nicely.

Not only is the food good, the service is excellent too! Jean greeted me at the window after mingling with some other customers with a huge simile on her face.  She seems to really enjoy her job and was excited to talk about what was being offered on the menu today.  Jean and John Travis have been in the restaurant business as employees or owners for most of their lives.  As Jean says “it is a happy coincidence that he is the cook and I am the "cleaner-upper."  In between and during their restaurant adventures, John enjoyed a corporate career in the food business and Jean maintained a career as a middle school educator.  They thrive on hard work while having fun together. They were first bitten by the entrepreneurial bug years before they were married when they found themselves thrown into doing a lobster bake dinner for John's dad's high school class reunion in Maine. Years later they operated the Jonesville store as a restaurant/ art gallery/ music bistro for over 6 years and had always intended to supplement the brick and mortar space with a food truck. They found their truck this past winter and are proud to be operating on the cutting edge of an immensely popular trend in gourmet food delivery.  They are especially excited to introduce this trend to a famous resort and college town where people not only need it, they "get it"!! Throughout their endeavors, they have never altered their mantra of EAT GOOD FOOD FOR LIFE! As Jean says “we are ready, willing and able to provide stellar products and service at any event!  They will be parking the truck at the Henry Street festival on 9/23, the car show at the Maple Ave. middle school on 10/6 and the Octobeerfest in Malta on 10/13.  It’s worth stopping by for some GREAT food! Jean and John can be reached at 518.796.4298 or EATGOODFOOD@nycap.rr.com

After my lunch, I headed to Ballston Spa for work and stumbled upon another food truck!  Yes, this was 100% a coincidence but I pulled in to see what it was all about.  Fitzy’s Fork In The Road was parked right on Dunning St near Bentley’s Tavern and it happened to be their first day in business.

I spoke with Scott and Kathy who own this truck and they said that originally, they were supposed to be in Saratoga, but permits held them back so they are now operating in Malta.  Scott had worked at Siro’s for 15 years but decided he wanted to work for himself so he bought this truck, created a wonderful looking menu and he’s off to being another great food entrepreneur in the area.

Feel free to contact them at fitzysfork@gmail.com or 518.290.4518.   After checking out the first couple of food trucks in the Saratoga area, I’d say we are off to a great start.  Let’s hope we can keep the ball (and trucks) rolling!

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Thanks MAMA!

So I was asked to do a guest post for the popular blog www.SaratogaMama.com which meant I had to find a business that was not only local, but it had to be food related and kid friendly.

I don't have any kids of my own so there was a slight challenge involved.  After asking some of my friends that are moms what they recommend, I kept hearing about Tiny Tots Tea Room in Clifton Park.

What a great find!!  To read more about this great local business and the amazing local food products they carry, including their own brand of tea, check out www.SaratogaMama.com

Thanks so much to Colleen at Saratoga Mama!! If you have kids, her website is a great resource with tons of information.

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Getting baked at Bake For You

**READ BELOW TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN WIN 2 DOZEN FREE COOKIES FROM BAKE FOR YOU!!** It’s no secret that sugar is my drug of choice (yes, I do love my vino and beer too!:) so when I’m able to get my fix AND shoot an episode of  “Bite Me,” I get really excited.  Linda started Bake for You 3 years ago after friends and family kept asking her to bake for them.  She thought “Hey, I could start a business and call it Bake for You!”  Well the rest is history and now she makes all of her wonderful delights in a commercial kitchen overlooking Washington Park in downtown Albany.  Linda’s favorite things to bake are scones and cookies but she also makes cupcakes, brownies and a variety of other baked goods including a vegan line.

I’m all about butter and eggs so when I found out we were going to be making vegan cookies for the show, I was skeptical. Well leave these specialty type baked goods in the hands of a professional because her vegan cookies were amazing!!!

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it ended up being rich and soft and everything you want in a cookie.  Lucky for me, Linda sent me home with an EXTREMELY generous goodie box which included her cranberry scones, two types of cookies and mind blowing brownies so I got to sample (I use that term lightly, more like scarf) a variety of her items.

She is truly a wonderful baker and it’s obvious that she puts love and care into all of her baked goods, which are only made in small batches.  Linda hand mixes almost all of her dough’s and uses only organic and local products whenever possible. The other telltale sign that she cares about her baked goods is the fact that she uses Cabot butter from VT.  That’s what I used back in my baking days and there is no question that it makes a big difference in taste and texture.  It looks like Linda’s waitressing days are over.  Because she was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, she now gets to do what she loves and we get to enjoy her goodies.  To learn more about Bake for You visit their website at www.BakeForYou.com

**COOKIE CONTEST** WIN 2 DOZEN FREE COOKIES from Bake for You!  For five days, I will be taking submissions on the Bite Me Facebook page for a new cookie flavor. Just tell me what your idea is and what you would like to name your cookie.  The Facebook fan who comes up with the winning idea for a new cookie flavor will receive 2 dozen of them for FREE.  Good luck!

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[vimeo https://vimeo.com/49848298]

Great weekend on tap, literally!

It's Travers weekend folks and you know what that means?! It's time to get Sh#*!ty in the Spa City!  This is one of the best weekends of the year and we are kicking it off at 12 noon tomorrow for the beer fest at the track.   Being able to sample tons of different craft brews while hanging out on a sunny afternoon at the track is pretty fabulous!

After 4.5 hours of "sampling" it's off to downtown for dinner and more "samples."  I'm sure Toga will be bumping as usual and I can't wait to be right in the middle of it.  We will kick off Saturday with an Ice Cream Sandwich throw down! (Info on the throw down can be found at Saratoga Idiots or FUSSYlittleBlog )

As if drinking beers the day before wasn't enough, we are off to Comfort Kitchen, Wheatfields, Creo and The City Beer Hall to "sample" 4 ice cream sandwiches.   My pants are getting tight just thinking about it but bring it on!

After I recover from my ice cream headache that will be WELL worth it, it's back the the track for round 2! Can't wait to place my $4 bets that I never win on and have a few Corona Lights (I have to balance out the day somehow:) The vibe is always awesome and there's really no other place to be on Saturday except Travers.

After making a B-line for the car right after the big race, it's time to do it all over again and head for the hot spots in Saratoga.  This weekend is always one of the best, so get out there, place some bets, check out the local restaurants and have a blast!

3 Chicks and a P hummus and dips

Warm pita bread and hummus is like peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, or gin and dry vermouth- a match made in heaven! I stopped into The Meat House to pick up, well, meat… and was excited to see that someone was standing in the front of the store handing out free samples of something I assumed was delicious.  It was Matt, one of the owners of this great local business and he was sampling his hummus and black bean dip.

He started telling me about their hummus/dips and how they’re made with all locally grown ingredients.  The unique thing about their products is that they are all tahini-free.  I guess there is a growing concern with people having sesame allergies and they have decided to perfect a hummus/dip recipe without using tahini. Thank goodness he was doing all of the talking because I was doing all of the eating.  I tried each one of their wonderful varieties which included Roasted Red Pepper, Sun Dried Tomato, Garlic Breath, Garlic and Chives and their Spicy Black Bean Dip.  They were all great but the Spicy Black Bean Dip is the one that really got my attention.

You could taste the cilantro and it was obvious that it was freshly made from the best local ingredients.  Don’t let the word “spicy” fool you though. On a spice scale of 1-10, I give it about a 1.5 so if you’re not a fan of heat, this dip won’t leave your mouth in flames.  When I got home, I tried it on all sorts of thing like pretzels, veggies, crackers, a spoon :) and I even put it on my turkey sandwich which was delish!

Matt and his wife Jennifer were bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and started this business in May of 2011.  They have been long time supporters of the Schenectady farmers market and thought that it would be great to be involved somehow, but they weren’t quite sure how. Jennifer had attended a hummus and wine party about a year prior and thought that she could make hummus way better then any of the store bought varieties that were offered.  She started playing around with recipes and discovered that she had quite the talent for making hummus.  After her husband was laid off two years ago, all of the pieces came together and 3 Chicks and a P was born.  First, let me say how cute the name is. It incorporates their whole family because they have two girls, so Jennifer and her daughters are the 3 chicks.  Matt’s last name starts with a “P” and there you have it! I think the “P” could stand for Pretty awesome Products!  They produce their hummus and dips at the Rotterdam Boys and Girls Club who just happen to revamp their kitchen so they have access to some of the latest and greatest equipment.  Currently they are making their products 1-2 days a week, but this business is in addition to both of them working full time (Matt found an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.  The lay off could have been a good thing though because if it never happened, they might not have had the catalyst they needed to start this business).  So the dream of being a part of the Schenectady farmers market has come true because you can find them there every Sunday from 10-2.  Local stores that carry their products are The Meat House in Clifton Park and Saratoga, King Brothers Dairy, Galway Market, Niskayuna food co-op, Gabe Farms in Guilderland and the Honest Weight food co-op in Albany.

Have a suggestion for a flavor?  Let them know because they might make it for you.  The Spicy Black Bean dip idea came from a customer of theirs and now it’s their #1 seller.  Try it on loaded potato skins for a healthy snack or side dish.  Not sure how healthy my version would be after the addition of bacon, butter and sour cream but the black bean dip would make it taste great!  Looking to the future, they would like to expand their product line, acquire nutritional information and get into some major grocery stores.  The main goal for these 3 chicks and a P is to have the business be big enough for their daughters to take over some day.  I’d say they are off to a great start and I can’t wait to see what other flavors they come up with!

Check out their website at http://www.threechicksandap.com

**WIN** Three lucky Facebook fans will receive a FREE tub of hummus.  Comment on the "Bite Me" Facebook page on how you use their products and 3 winners will be chosen.  You can pick up your free hummus at the farmers market in Schenectady on Sundays from 10-2.

This ice cream sandwich throw down got me thinking…..

After seeing what all of the local restaurants came up with for their version of the ice cream sandwich, I started to think about what my ideal ice cream sandwich would consist of. There were a few ideas that starting swirling around my head like a S’mores ice cream sandwich or something that incorporates Nutella. But in my sugar addicted mind, the ultimate combo would be a chocolate chip cookie on one side and a peanut butter cookie on the other (possibly a smear of peanut butter on it). Add chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream to the middle then roll it in crushed up peanut and pretzel pieces (heavy on the pretzels).  I may need to hit up a bakery to pick up some cookies so I can make one of these!  What would be your ultimate ice cream sandwich?

Troy farmers market boasts some killer small food businesses!

The Troy farmers market is one of the best in the area with over 50 vendors ranging from farmers, bakers (my favorite), chefs, artisans and a whole lot more.

The live sax music was a nice touch and offered a great vibe while walking around.  My first stop was to Buddhapesto who specializes in PESTO- duh :).  I’ve heard a ton of great things about his products and after he explained that the basil was picked the morning prior and the pesto had just been made that evening, I knew this was going to be fresh if nothing else.  Well it was incredible and needless to say, we will be having pesto a couple of times this week.  Strolling down the street, I stumbled upon dreamPuff marshmallows.  When I see sugar my eyes light up (I’m like a 5 year old when it comes to sugar) and when I saw what they were selling, they got even bigger!  Homemade S’mores! They scratch make the graham cracker and obviously the marshmallow, then add rich dark chocolate and sea salt. It was incredible!

I also sampled their strawberry and vanilla marshmallows but ended up buying the lavender since that sounded so unique.  Some other flavors they make and would LOVE to try (hopefully they’ll have them next time) are Passion Fruit, Guinness and Fireside Brulee.  Their marshmallows are like clouds- seriously! It may be cliché to say that but it’s true because they melt in your mouth!  It is worth making a point of finding them at the market.

Some other notable items I tasted were Rosemary and Fig Goat Cheese from Painted Goat, The Chocolate Peanut Butter from Saratoga Peanut Butter Company, S’mores Peanut Butter from The Peanut Principle, Empanadas from Magdalena’s Menu (must check them out),  humus, baba ganoush and stuffed grape leaves from Beirut, all 3 flavors of Gatherer’s Granola (must try Fox’s Fancy which has apples, cinnamon, allspice, honey and vanilla. Very apple pie-esque) and waffles from Pika’s Waffles.

I won’t lie, I sampled about 500 other things as well but these were some of my favs.  If I were going to pick my top 3 must try items, number 1 would be the waffles from Pika’s hands down. They were like nothing I have had and the 2 kids that work at the stand are an absolute riot.  If you’re not in the mood for something sweet, it’s worth heading over there just to see these two interact with customers.  Number 2 would be the hummus from Beirut and the third must try item would be the marshmallows from dreamPuff.  Since I had sampled/purchased SO many food items, I was unable to try any of the baked goods but there was a lot there that looked fantabulous!

Some other items that are on my hit list for our next visit are baklava from one of many places that offer it, Caribbean food from First Choice Caribbean, Kimchi from Pucker’s Gourmet, Dashing through the Dough cookie dough peanut butter (OMG!!!!) from The Peanut Principle, maple cotton candy, any sort of baked good and the soft baked pretzels one of the bakeries was selling.  Are you wondering if I wore elastic pants to this or something??  I went with a flowy dress which gave me plenty of room to enjoy all of the kick ass food at the market :)  I did pick up some fresh veggies from Denison Farms so it wasn’t all debauchery.

The Troy farmers market is held on Saturday’s from 9-1 on River St in downtown Troy.  If you are looking for a fun food adventure, it makes for a great Saturday morning.  If you head down later in the day, save room for beers at Brown’s- my only regret getting is there at 10:00 AM.

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An ice cream throw down brought on by a bunch of idiots and one fussy blogger

In the world of foodies and bloggers, there has been an ice cream sandwich throw down brought on by a bunch of “Idiots” from the team at You Idiot  http://idiotsbeingidiots.blogspot.com/ which is a blog about life in Toga town.  They challenged local restaurants in Saratoga to come up with their best version of an ice cream sandwich.  The contenders are as follows: The Wine Bar - Strawberry Basil Ice Cream w/ Chocolate Balsamic Cookie. 28 Tables - Lucky Charms Ice Cream Sandwich. Comfort Kitchen - House-made vanilla bean ice cream between two house-made pizelles, chocolate ganache, salted caramel peanuts. Wheatfields - Coconut Macaroon and Amaretto Gelato.

When a fellow blogger at FUSSYlittleBLOG  http://fussylittleblog.com/ heard this was going down, he challenged the Idiots by saying that Albany had the best ice cream sandwiches and he really heated things up in this cool competition by adding four restaurants from the Albany area. Here is what the Capital is throwing down with:

The City Beer Hall- Cinnamon raisin cookie from All Good Bakers filled with apple cider donut ice cream from Bowman Orchards

Creo- Blood orange and fennel ice cream with a pistachio cookie dipped in dark chocolate Kahlua

New World Bistro- Valdeon-fig ice cream, pine nut cookie and choc-PX sherry-fig sauce

All Good Bakers- Brandywine semifreddo with brown butter and cinnamon basil cookie.

When I heard this was going down, I made sure to find out the details as quickly as possible so I could get my hands on these incredible concoctions.  I headed up to Saratoga and made my way around to try these frozen treats and let me just say that this throw down is best idea ever! People will vote for their favorite ice cream sandwich and the 2 winners from Saratoga will go against the 2 winners from Albany for the ultimate idiotic fussy little contest.  After sampling the 12866 versions, I am voting for Comfort Kitchen and Wheatfields.  First off, the sandwiches were huge, which in the eyes of a sugar addict like myself, is a critical part. The Comfort Kitchen version was incredible with the addition of the salted caramel peanuts. I also LOVED the homemade ice cream and pizelles - nice touch.

The Wheatfields version was excellent because it was unexpected.  The combo of the coconut and amaretto was perfect!

28 Tables put up a good fight but I thought they could have used a better and richer ice cream and they were a little small.

Honestly, I wouldn’t turn any of these down and actually, I may need to head back up for another round because I am hooked!  If you want to participate,  visit the local restaurants mentioned above.  Then comment or email the team at You Idiot to cast your vote for the Saratoga restaurants or comment/email the FUSSYlittleBLOG to cast your Albany votes.

If I were going to come up with the ultimate ice cream sandwich, I would use a chocolate chip cookie on one side and a peanut butter cookie on the other.  Sandwich some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in between then roll it in crushed up peanut and pretzel pieces.  Any of these restaurants want to make me one? I challenge you :)

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Harvest and Hearth Wood Fired Pizza’s

I teamed up with fellow food blogger Aliza at Savoring Saratoga and we decided to review a restaurant and swap posts.  Check out her site to see what I thought of Harvest and Hearth.  http://www.savoringsaratoga.blogspot.com/2012/08/guest-post-on-harvest-and-hearth.html

The Living Room in Saratoga Springs, NY- Review from Guest Blogger Aliza

Fellow food blogger Aliza is a dedicated foodie giving honest food reviews of places in the Saratoga area.  She recently went to The Living Room and here is what she thought.  Thanks for being a guest blogger on "Bite Me!"  To follow Aliza, check out her blog at http://www.savoringsaratoga.blogspot.com/ Hi guys! Before I tell you all about the Living Room, I just wanted to give a quick thanks to Jenn for the guest post. I love when local bloggers work together, especially when it involves food…

The owners of Putnam Den must have been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug when they decided to open up a second business, but instead of another music venue they created a fun, fine dining restaurant. The Living Room is tucked away on Caroline St and when you first walk in it looks like any other restaurant…until you see where it got its name. On a raised platform in the corner is an array of tufted sofas and lounge chairs around a coffee table, probably one of the more adorable places to enjoy happy hour in Saratoga.

We were seated further back, at a table that had a decadent sofa on one side and two beautiful chairs (that I wanted to somehow take home with me) on the other. Two tables had to be pushed together for us, and though that seemed to be quite the production I certainly appreciated all of the efforts our waitress made to ensure that our table was steady – nobody likes an unbalanced table.

Once we were finally settled I got a chance to look at the cocktail menu and quickly noticed the theme. The Living Room refers to itself as a 1920’s speakeasy restaurant, with all the drinks being either classics from that era or named for it, like the Daisy Buchanan or the Bees Knees. I personally went with a Sidecar, one of my new favorite drinks. I think a speakeasy is a great idea, but it seemed that the drinks list was where it was most evident - I wish there had been a blurb on the menu or an explanation from the waitress – some additional little tribute to the 20’s.

While we looked over the menu our waitress brought us home made potato chips with three dipping sauces, a nice touch instead of the usual bread and butter.

The menu focuses on local, organic, and seasonal ingredients and has a variety of categories that range from “getting started” to “getting comfy”. Since I wasn’t sure how big the dishes actually were, I ended up getting the soup du jour and the Lump Crab Timbale. The soup was a chilled nectarine horseradish soup (pretty adventurous) that had an interesting taste, but was too intense as a soup. I ate as much as I could and then ended up passing it over to some friends, though I think it would have tasted great over fish or on a salad maybe.

After my soup I was definitely looking forward to my crab dish that came with tomatoes, arugula and a sweet pea sauce. The dish had a great combination of flavors, I particularly loved the sweet pea emulsion, but my friend who also ordered it was disappointed. We decided that it was the kind of dish that would have been amazing if we ordered it for lunch while sitting outside on a hot summer day, but was not necessarily what we wanted for dinner.

I mentioned earlier that the size of the dishes was a little confusing when looking at the menu. For example, the Crab Timbale was under “getting started” or small plates, yet was a pretty decent sized serving. My friend who also ordered the crab got the salad nicoise as well which was under “getting started” or appetizers. That would normally make sense, ordering a small plate and an appetizer, yet the salad was huge and could have easily been a main dish. Our waitress wasn’t particularly helpful either, I kept trying to ask about the size of the dishes to figure out what I wanted to order and her answers were always vague like “well it wouldn’t be enough food for me”. I almost felt like saying “show me with your hands how much food is on this plate”. Long story short, this friend and I ended up overeating simply because we really weren’t sure how much food we were ordering.

My other two friends ended up ordering pizza, one got the Grilled Apple and Chevre pizza that came with onion jam and arugula and the other got the Spinach Shitake Mushroom pizza with grilled red onion and truffle oil. Both were amazing, but I think the mushroom pizza was my favorite; truffle oil just always kicks everything up a notch. The pizza dough itself was pretty unique too; it was an extremely thin crust that was so crispy it tasted fried. The pizzas were perfect for sharing and both went home with a couple leftover pieces for lunch the next day.

Overall my experience at the Living Room was mixed. I got so excited about the 20’s cocktails (I wanted to try each and every one of them) and the sexy atmosphere, but then was slightly disappointed with the food. Maybe now that I have a slightly better idea (kinda) of portion sizes I’ll be able to order better next time. Maybe I’ll just stick to pizza and happy hour. The Living Room has a lot of potential, just needs a little more fine-tuning. A speakeasy is a great idea but needs more than some fancy couches and prohibition cocktails to make it come to life.

The Living Room is located at 30 Caroline St in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Although their website says it's "Under Construction," you can still click on the links and see the menu.  http://www.thelivingroomsaratoga.com/

Thanks for the great review Aliza!!

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It's National S'mores Day! Let's get ROASTED!

Does it get any better then graham crackers, toasted marshmallows and chocolate?!?!?!

In honor of this wonderful summer holiday, I wanted to share my top 10 picks for S'mores recipes.

1. S'mores Bread Pudding

http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2008/11/03/bow-to-your-partner/

2. Bacon and Beer S'mores

http://www.saltandchocolate.com/2011/03/bacon-and-beer-what-could-be-better.html

3. S'mores Brownies

http://sugarcooking.blogspot.com/2010/06/smores-brownies.html

4. S'mores Pops

http://thehalfbakedhousewife.blogspot.com/2012/04/recipe-smores-pops.html

5. S'mores Bites

http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/02/smores-bites-two-ways.html

6. S'mores Milkshake

http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/2012/06/smores-milkshake-giveaway.html

7. S'mores Cupcakes

http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/03/smores-cupcakes.html

8. Golden Grahams S'Mores Bars

http://pinchofyum.com/golden-grahams-smores-bar

9. Peanut Butter and Caramel S'mores

http://jumboempanadas.blogspot.com/2009/03/peanut-butter-and-caramel-smores.html

10. S'mores Truffles

http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2011/12/smores-truffles.html

Druthers Beer Rizzocks!!!

It’s finally here! An awesome brewpub in downtown Saratoga!

I headed over there on their second night and I’m glad I did because we went again on Saturday and they had already run out of a lot of their beers.  Although we were bummed about it, I was happy that Druthers did way more business then they anticipated!  Love when new businesses are kicking ass and taking names right out of the gate.  Before they kicked many a kegs, I was lucky enough to try the Brevity Wit, IPA, Pilsner, Brown Ale and the Hefeweizen.  The Brevity was like candy and it only took me about 3 sips to finish it because it was so good.  I loved the IPA and Hefeweizen as well. The pilsner was good (pretty standard as far as pilsners go) if your looking for something on the lighter side and the Brown ale was decent too.  I was SO disappointed when they said they weren’t doing samplers or flights but I guess they are planning on doing it soon.  For food we ordered the Smoked and Spicy “Cubano” which has smoked pulled pork, spiced ham, melted Gruyere, pickled jalapenos and banana peppers on a grilled ciabatta roll.  It was awesome!!

Druthers is owned by three guys, one of which is an ex public finance officer, another a burnt out financial analyst and the third a master brewer who’s been brewing professionally for 13 years and is one of only 100 Master Beer Judges (possibly the best job ever outside of a Ben & Jerry’s tester). What I love about these entrepreneurs is that they have built their business based on the philosophy that we all have choices.  They chose to follow their dreams and open a brewery (totally jealous btw) because they wanted to do things their own way.  If given my druthers, I’d be at this place every night!  It had a great vibe, live music, awesome beer and wine (house pinot was great!) and good food.  Although they still have a few kinks to work out, this place is a new Saratoga hot spot for sure!  They are located at 381 Broadway St.

Funding, SCORE, and Your Small Business

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground as well as grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.

They can offer you volunteer mentors in a variety of industries, free business tools, tips and templates, free confidential business counseling and workshops that are both local and online.  The local branch in the Capital District is located at 1 Computer Drive South in Albany (518) 446-1118 Ext. 233).  It is very easy to set up an appointment with them and if you need advice, this is a great way to go.  Their website is a great resource too.  If you visit http://www.score.org/ you can see a variety of online workshops with tons of different topics like social media and networking, accounting, management, HR, customer relations and much more.  They also have a “Tools and Templates” tab where you can download templates for cash flow planning, budgeting, accounting and that’s just the beginning.  If you are looking for some ways to grow and expand your business, it’s definitely worth checking out SCORE.

If funding is something you are in need of, either as a start-up, or to grow your small business, The Adirondack Trust Company may be a good option for you.  They were voted SBA (Small Business Association) lender of the year for the past 11 years and offer a full complement of SBA products including the Express Program, Basic 7 (a) Loan Program, and SBA 504 Loan Program, lines of credit, equipment financing and real estate loans.  They have a total of 12 branches with locations in Saratoga, Queensbury and Glens Falls and offer 6 lenders on staff within the bank.  On average, they do about 26 SBA loans a year so it would be worth stopping in to see if they could assist you.  What I loved about Adirondack Trust is that when I called, I was immediately able to talk with someone in the lending department who took the time to answer all of my questions.  I reached out to a few other local banks and credit unions in the area and I’m still waiting to hear back.  The fact that I was able to get ahold of someone right away speaks well for Adirondack Trust and their SBA program could help you achieve your dreams!  If you’ve been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, get out there, follow your heart, make educated decisions and live the life you love!