Winter is upon us yet again which means comfort food. I wanted to share this amazing recipe from Food & Wine that we made on Christmas Eve, and it ended up being a huge hit! The sweetness of the root vegetable mash went so well with the savory braised beef short rib, it was perfect combo. We plan on making it a few more times this winter. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Braised Short Ribs with Root Vegetable Mash
Curry cashews and bacon?!?! Yes please! Check out the rest of Henry St Taprooms menu here.
OMG these pork sliders and maple fries looks amazing! This is from the Tipsy Moose in Latham.
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!
So excited about the first annual Lake George Wine and Food Festival! It will be held on June 27th and 28th at Charles R Wood Festival Commons in Lake George. The festival will showcase some of the areas wineries, breweries, distilleries, gourmet foods and food trucks among other vendors. Check out the site for more information. Another exciting thing happening in the area is a new place called Troy Kitchen. It will be a food court with space for 4 vendors and a coffee shop. Lots of money was invested in an empty space to overhaul the building in what is becoming a true rebirth of Troy. It will be located at 50 Fourth St. Check out the article here.
The First Friday in Albany will now have a Fork in the Road feature which includes some of the areas local food trucks. Can't wait to see what Emack & Bolio's has! I can only imagine it's like an ice cream truck on steroids!
If you’re looking to treat yourself and happen to be in the Glenville or Albany area, you must try the chocolate covered potato chip cluster from Krause’s Homemade Candy.
The salty sweet combo was so good and the potato chips stayed nice and crunchy. Can’t go wrong with one of their chocolate covered pretzels either. Thinking a (huge) candy assortment would make a great Mothers Day Gift! Especially because I'm planning on her sharing :)
So there’s a new show being put together which focuses a lot on the local Real Estate market including tips from attorneys, how to get your home ready for sale, and other informative material on the housing market. Each week the show will have different segments, and I will be hosting the portion highlighting the local food scene. I was honored and humbled when Filmworks 109 asked me to be a part of this, and it’s so much fun getting to showcase the great businesses in our area. We did our first shoot at Bake For You with the always-lovely Linda Kindlon. I had the immense pleasure of helping her make Cannoli cookies that were to die for! There’s ricotta cheese in the dough and are they are sprinkled with crushed up cannoli shells!
If you have a severe sugar addiction like I do, Bake For You will help you get your fix in a really good way! We traveled next door to The Cheese Traveler where the cheesemongers seem to have a PhD in cheese. It was really amazing to hear them talk about where the cheeses are made, what type of milk is used, and what tasting notes to look for. There are so many wonderful options that it makes you want to sample everything and take home pounds of it! One of the best cheeses I‘ve ever had was the truffle Brie. It was out of this world and I still can’t stop thinking about it.
Next on our hit list was The Whistling Kettle in its newest location and hotspot, Troy. They have an enormous variety of teas to choose from and you can even check out their “Sniff Bar” to see what teas might appeal to you.
The Marzipan Roobis was one of my favorites but Belgian Chocolate is a close second. If you are not a tea fan, stop in to check out their amazing food. It really is wonderful and I was lucky enough to try the “Afternoon Tea”.
It comes as a 3-tiered dish and the combo I got was a home run! The sandwich was Spicy Thai Roast Beef which has sautéed onions, Brie and Provolone on ciabatta, the next tier had salad with house made Greek dressing and the dessert was the moistest (hate that word but it’s the only one that’ll work here :) ) decadent carrot cake.
We headed across the street to check out Nibble Inc. which is a new donut shop located on Broadway as well. They actually put mashed potatoes in the donut dough making for a rich and very dense donut. Some of the flavors I got to try were the Maple Bacon, Pineapple Habanero, and the Milkman, which is one of their stuffed donuts. It was like the donut version on a bread bowl! Hollowed out and filled with gooey sugary deliciousness!!
Nibble Inc. has got it goin’ on when it comes to donuts, but they also make knishes and pocket sandwiches using the same donut dough. Oh yes they did!!!! Be sure and check out one of my new favorite spots located at 461 Broadway in Troy.
It’s a lot of fun working with all of these amazing entrepreneurs and I look forward to discovering more wonderful places right here in the Capital district.
Want to see where we are shooting next? Check out BiteMeShowNY on Instagram, “like” us on Facebook under “Bite Me” or on Twitter @BiteMeShow. Thank you for your support!
The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year and being in New York City in December is magical. The energy, people, holiday lights, festive decorations, tree and of course food are all so much fun to be a part of. We booked our trip a few weeks back which meant I needed to start doing some research on which foods we will be eating and where we should have dinner. Baked by Mellissa cupcakes have been on my hit list for a long time so they were a top priority for me. What I love about these mini cakes is that they are all about the size of a quarter which allows you to try a lot of different flavors.
I tried the S’mores, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Chip Pancake, Cinnamon, Peanut Butter cup, PB & J, Red Velvet and the mini of the month which is a vanilla cake with fudge stuffing, vanilla icing and a snowflake coconut crunch topping. They were worth the wait because they were all delicious. The cake was moist and the flavors were great. My favorites were the PB & J, Snowball (mini of the month) and Cinnamon although I really loved all of them. After my “mini” sugar fix, we headed to the holiday shops in Bryant Park. I stumbled upon the French macaroon booth which not only got me psyched for more sugar but looked beautiful as well. The array of colors and flavors offered by Woops macaroons and cookies was so much fun to look at.
If your lucky enough to get to New York over the next few week, I hope you get to enjoy all of the amazing food the big apple has to offer. My picks for the day were the Baked By Melissa cupcakes, Caramel Fleur de Sel Macaroon by Woops in Bryant park, and the Gingerbread popcorn at Garrett’s. Happy Holidays!
I know this isn’t a news flash, but there are two new incredible looking donut shops in the area. One is in Albany called Cider Belly Donuts and the other; Nibble Inc. is located in Troy.Both of these great new spots serve fresh, warm and delicious donuts hoping to satisfy your sweet or savory (Nibble’s Cheddar doughnut with a tequila jalapeno lime glaze looks amazing!) cravings.
Both businesses saw a need for freshly made products that didn’t come from a chain and it looks like they both have accomplished their goal. I’ve heard nothing but great things about each, and I can’t wait to try BOTH of them this weekend! #fatpants
Looking for a great way to experience a TON of local food businesses this weekend?? The first annual Saratoga International Flavorfeast in happening in downtown Saratoga on Saturday from 11-4. Local restaurants will be offering something that is specific to the ethnicity they represent. This is similar to Chowdefest in that each sample will cost $1. Some of the highlights are the Jerk Pork Tostadas with Jamaican beans and rice with mango habanero hot sauce from The Wine Bar and the Pork Schnitzel with braised red cabbage and fresh lemon from Park Side Eatery. There are approximately 25 businesses participating. The rest of the line up can be seen by clicking here.
On Sunday, Troy is holding their annual Chowderfest on River St from 12-4. Around 20 local businesses will be serving up specialty chowders to keep you warm on a cool fall day. Some chowders that look incredible are the Chicken Cordon Bleu chowder from B-Rad’s Bistro and Catering and the Autumn Pear Chowder from Mallozzi’s. To check out the rest of what’s being served, click here. Hope you have a locally delicious holiday weekend!
There are lots of exiting things happening in our area so I wanted to mention a few new places to be on the lookout for. The first is Cake Placid located in Lake Placid and now in Ballston Spa as well. They make an array of baked goods including cupcakes, cookies, cake pops, muffins, breads and so much more. Their new location is at 88 Front St in Ballston spa. Right down the street is Next Door Café located where Strata used to be at 51 Front St. Although they aren’t open yet, they plan on featuring locally sourced food and NY craft beers. Can’t wait to see what the menu looks like! Dinner and dessert are covered!
Another notable mention that is high on my hit list is 15 Church in Saratoga.
They offer a wonderful looking menu with starters like crispy Kurobuta pork belly with pork jus, pine nut risotto and saffron infused apples. Maybe you’d like to try the lump crab cake croquettes with ginger hazelnut aioli, frisee salad and roasted red pepper.
I think it would be hard to get past the appetizers since the selection looks incredible! Join them for happy hour between 4:30-6 for $6 glasses of wine and $3 select drafts along with 25% off specialty cocktails and appetizers. Could be a good way to try a few things and check the place out. If you didn’t feel like indulging in one of their decadent looking desserts, head on over to TC Paris on Henry St in Saratoga for their latest creation. It’s a chocolate macaroon with rich vanilla custard based ice cream in the middle.
The pictures alone have me dreaming about it! While you’re there, pick up a bag of their chocolate covered pretzels; they are some of my favorites!
Last but not least, Nine Pin Cider which opened just recently, offers an array of hard ciders all made from locally grown apples.
Some of their products include a blueberry cider, their original signature blend, Ida red, which is made with only red apples and a butternut cider that sounds incredible!! Check out their tasting room on Thursdays and Fridays from 4PM-9PM or on Saturdays from 1PM-9PM at 929 Broadway in Albany. On select Thursday’s this summer, they will be hosting a Cider & Sliders event featuring Slidin’ Dirty food truck from 4-9 PM. I can’t recommend the Avocado fries highly enough! Check them out on Facebook to see which nights they will be there. Hope you’re as excited as I am to try all of these great local goodies!
I'm excited to announce that there are 3 new Bite Me episodes. I want to thank Bake For You in Albany along with the Slidin' Dirty food truck for being a part of the pilot episode. This wouldn't have been possible without them, or Filmworks 109 and their amazing film crew. Check it out under the "Bite Me Episodes" tab. Hope you enjoy learning about these great local food businesses! There's plenty more to come :)
Exciting things are happening in the world of Bite Me! The blogging portion has taken a back seat so that I could focus on my latest endeavor. I am currently working on a project with a local TV production company and I'm looking forward to helping you uncover a great new spot right here in the Capital District!! Stay tuned!
Burlington, VT is one of the coolest cities in the Northeast. With amazing views of Lake Champlain, and the wonderful cobblestone streets boasting big and small businesses, it’s no wonder people flock to this quaint city for vacations. We were headed there for one of my favorite events, the Vermont Brewers Festival. It’s such a blast and it’s held right on the waterfront where you can sample over 150 beers from lots of craft breweries for 4 hours while overlooking the lake. It really doesn’t get any better then that. We always head in on Friday via the ferry, which is the best way to kick off the weekend. We’ve been to this event 2 other times, so I knew which Vermont goodies I was after from prior experiences. Burlington has some AMAZING food and one of our first stops was Lake Champlain Chocolates.
Now I know that you can get their chocolate at a lot of places, but this is a retail store so the selection is huge. They have some of the BEST chocolates in my opinion so we popped in for a treat. I went with my stand by which is dark chocolate and caramel with sea salt- outstanding! We also ordered a few almonds coated with toffee crunch, dipped in chocolate then rolled in cocoa power. Ummmmmm I don’t think I need to say anything else.
They also had caramel apples that they were making fresh right in the front window that looked divine. Thankfully they are right on the main drag so you can easily find them and treat your sweet tooth. Next stop was Farm House Tap and Grill just off of Church St at 160 Bank St.They have one of the best outdoor patios in the area. We only stopped in for a drink, but the menu looked wonderful with offerings like a summer quinoa salad with grilled zucchini, mint yogurt, hazelnuts, lemon and feta or how about one of their housemade burgers or charcuterie all farm to table. We decided to head elsewhere for dinner since the wait was fairly long, and I have to say that we made a great choice in doing so despite the awesome menu at Farm House. With no prior knowledge of a lot of the restaurants, and a huge variety to choose from, we ended up at Sweetwaters. All 4 of us were raving about the food and it’s a MUST try if you are in the area. We started out with pulled pork nachos and I had the sesame encrusted tuna paired with some of the best Thai peanut noodles I’ve ever had.
I’m still dreaming about this dish (and the killer nachos). My friend had the Mahi bruschetta which was also delicious and highly recommended. Later that night, we were in the mood for a little something sweet and stumbled upon My Little Cupcake- JACKPOT! It’s exactly what we were looking for. Lots of mini cupcakes with all sorts of fun flavors to choose from like Salted Caramel and French Toast. We tried the Butterfinger along with Coffee and Donuts which is a cappuccino cupcake with vanilla buttercream topped with the cutest housemade glazed donut! These cupcakes Hit. The. Spot! After a day and night of fun, we decided to head to bed so we could be ready for the beer fest.
On Saturday mornings, the Burlington Farmers Market is held right in City Hall Park from 8:30-2:00. There are a ton of local vendors offering all sorts of local products like salsas, baked goods, soaps, crafts and lots of ethnic foods. It’s a fun thing to check out! As we headed for the festival de heavenly (AKA VT Brew Fest), I knew there was one spot we’d be grabbing a snack once inside, and it’s at A-Maize-ing Kettle Corn. The name really does say it all.
This is some of THE BEST kettle corn and it’s always served warm and fresh. It really makes for the perfect snack and will satisfy your sweet and salty tooth. They also have a cart on Church St so keep an eye out for it. I’d say you could start with a small bag but you’d just regret it. Go for the gusto and get the big boy. The people you are with will appreciate it (that’s if you’re willing to share). Another street vendor that’s an absolute favorite is Hong’s Chinese Dumplings. Please do yourself a favor and visit them. The dumplings are made from scratch by the sweetest little woman and they will knock your socks off. After a fun day of drinking craft beers, it was time for dinner, and our tradition is to head to Splash.
It’s right on the water and always offers a cool vibe and great sweet potato fries. Between the 90 degree sunny day and the palm tree planters on the dock, we almost felt as though we were in the Caribbean. Such a great spot! Unfortunately Sunday was upon us and it was time to leave the Green Mountain state, but the trip would not be complete without a stop at The Skinny Pancake (Ironic, I wasn’t feeling too skinny when I left :).
They offer all sorts of savory and sweet crepes like Apples and Brie, Brownies in Bed (OMG the description for this looks insane!) and Cannelloni crepes. I decided to go with the Breakfast Burrito crepe which was delish, but you can’t have breakfast without dessert so we ordered my absolute favorite, the Nutella crepe.
This is something that I must have every time I’m here and you should too! It’s SOOO good! Burlington has some excellent local food businesses and it’s a great place to not only visit, but eat!
Troy is becoming one of the area’s hot spots when it comes to getting great food. I was introduced to Brown’s Brewing only a few years ago but it was worth the wait and has become one of our new favorite spots. I dream about their wonderful beers and warm pretzels served with a honey mustard sauce that I could bathe in! It’s hard to say whether the beer or the food is better (okay, I’m giving it to the beer for obvious reasons). Over the winter we discovered the Charles F Lucas Confectionery and Wine Bar. If you haven’t had the opportunity to get over there yet, you’re missing out. The ambiance is beautiful and the food and drink selection is divine.
It’s yet another contributor to the greatness Troy is experiencing. Dinosaur BBQ has also decided on Troy as it's Capital District location (not that that’s news but a testament to Troy’s presence in the culinary world) and they obviously made the right choice because it’s always packed.
I never thought I liked BBQ until their pulled pork made its way into my life via a Slider. The soft potato roll and house made pickles make it my go to dish every time. Now when we go to Troy, I have a battle with myself in terms of where we should go because I want one of everything from all of these amazing places!! A new player in town is Sweet Sues.
Sweet Sues offers delectable desserts along with a nice lunch menu. Her cupcakes are beautiful and I can say that the salted caramel truffle was everything you could ask for in a salty and sweet treat! With desserts like Strawberry Mango Daiquiri Bavarian's and cupcake flavors including Dark Chocolate Pomegranate and Pistachio Grapefruit with Candied Edible Flowers, you really can’t go wrong! This place should be on your radar, especially if you need dessert.
There are a few other places that I’ve heard great things about so they deserve a mention. The first one is Bacchus Wood Fired located at 3 Second St in the basement. It may be tucked away, but they are known to have excellent pizza!
Another Troy hot spot that’s been on the radar is The Flying Chicken. I need to book a flight to this place because it’s supposed to have some of the best fried chicken (besides Hattie’s of course) in the area. Finnbar’s Pub has opened in the last year specializing in Irish-American fare and Beirut will fulfill all of your Lebanese or hookah cravings.
If you’re looking for some new places in the Capital District, you should strongly consider Troy as a starting point. Where to go once you are in the home of Uncle Sam is a tough call. There are so many great options, but that’s a good problem to have. Oh did I mention that Bombers opened last week too!?!?! The 12180 is becoming the place to be when it comes to getting some good eats. Hope you enjoy Troy as much as I do!
There are so many wonderful food businesses in our area, and going to a farmers market is a great way to experience lots of local goodies at once. Today was the first day of the Spa City Farmers Market, which makes it Saratoga’s second market. There were over 50 vendors with tons of local produce, flowers, baked goods and much more. The Peanut Principal was sampling a lot of varieties of peanut butter including S’mores and dark chocolate among many others. Zorbas makes great hummus as well as a product called Gar-La-La. Gar-La-La is a potato-based dip with garlic. It tasted incredible and would be great in place of mayo, as a veggie dip, or on a pizza. It was hard choosing which flavor to buy because they were all so good. Donnas Stuf’t makes pretzels filled with all sorts of delectable things including the peanut butter from The Peanut Principal. One thing I was thrilled to find was the Pak Dong from Puckers Gourmet.
I love anything pickled so this is the booth I tend to gravitate towards (well that and anything with sugar). The Pak Dong is a spicy slaw that tastes incredible!! If you see it, buy it because they always sell out. It’s great on burgers, sandwiches or salads. Nighthawk Kitchens was sampling bacon caramel popcorn (OMG!) that was to die for and we discovered a new brewery from Chatham.
Another local favorite is Gatherer's Granola which makes really tasty flavors of granola that will help get your day started (or finished if you want to throw it on ice cream). The new farmers market is a great place to uncover some wonderful local goodies all while supporting our community. I can’t wait to go back again this summer.
Saratoga Art Fest is also happening this weekend so we headed over to Beekman St to check out some of the artists.
Luckily for me, Eat Good Food and Slidin’ Dirty were there. These are two of the many food trucks cruising around the Capital District lately.
Now I’ve heard a lot of buzz about the avocado fries from Slidin’ Dirty so I made a bee-line to the window to get them. Unfortunately they were already sold out! I guess a lot of other people had the same idea. Instead we ordered The Dirty Ninja slider and they threw in fried green tomatoes as a substitute for the fries. I'm almost glad that they were sold out of the avocado fries because we wouldn't have tried these other two things. The Dirty Ninja comes with sautéed bok choy, shitake mushrooms, scallion, sesame seed and Asian mustard.
You can choose from beef or chicken and we went with the beef. It was fantastic!! The fried green tomatoes are a must try too! I loved that they were small (about 2 bites each) and topped with a roasted red pepper sauce. I haven’t had a ton of fried green tomatoes in my life but these were some of my favorites.
Slidin’ dirty will be featured on Live with Kelly and Michael this summer since they are one of the finalists in the Truckin’ Amazing Cook Off! Let’s hope they take home the grand prize and show the rest of the country that the Capital District knows how to roll when it comes to food trucks. If you see this truck or any of the others crusin’ around, be sure to check out some of the delish food they have to offer. We couldn’t finish off the day without stopping at The Local. The outdoor seating area was open and the big red Adirondack chairs were calling our names. Nothing like a pint of great beer to round out a nice Sunday afternoon.
Hello friends. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted anything because I’ve been a total blogging slacker!Between starting a new job and the lack of motivation I have over the winter months, nothing has been accomplished.After thinking about the true intention of “Bite Me,” the blog posts will be changing a bit going forward.The main goal of the blog, Facebook and Twitter page was to promote local food and beverage businesses in the Capital District.Somehow along the way, it became a food review blog and that’s not what it was intended to be (plus I hate taking pictures of my food while I am out).Going forward, the blog will feature local businesses only.If I think something is delicious, it will definitely get a mention but if something isn’t that great, I will keep it to myself.These business owners work hard so who am I to say what’s good and what isn’t. Who the heck am I anyway?!?!!?!The goal is to grow readership, which will in turn help get more exposure for the great places in our own backyard.Who knows, maybe a TV series will accompany the blog soon too!If there is place that you love, let me know!There’s nothing more exciting than trying a new local eatery, winery or brewery.Thanks for checking out the blog and I hope it helps you find some cool new spots to check out.
To kick off my first blog post in months, I wanted to mention that The Thirsty Owl winery is now open in Saratoga. The original Thirsty Owl Wine Company is a destination winery, midway up the west side of Cayuga Lake, dedicated to producing high quality wines. They have decided to open a second location in Saratoga which is to our benefit. They remodeled a building that’s been around for a while and it’s beautiful.We did a tasting and I have to say that the Malbac was a favorite of mine.The Thirsty Owl is now pouring full glasses of wine as well and they intend to open a restaurant in the front of the building.If you are in the area, it’s worth stopping in and checking out.The winery is located at 184 South Broadway.
When I heard about this new place called The Charles F Lucas Confectionary and Wine Bar in Troy, it immediately piqued my interest. How could it not with both wine and confection beingmentioned in the title?!?! It was around 4:30 and we were looking for a little happy hour fun. When posed with the inevitable “Where should we go?” question, I get stressed. We’re always torn between going to one of our usual spots or trying something new. Once we decided on trying something new, we then have the task of figuring out where. There are so many great options in our area but I had my eye on the prize and the Wine Bar in Troy was it.
Right when we walked in, I knew this place was going to be good. The décor was beautiful with exposed beams and brick throughout the space.
We took a seat at the bar and were immediately greeted by one of the very nice bartenders. After hearing about the three wines they had on tap, I sampled the Cabernet Sauvignon and a Malbac from the large wine list. I went with the latter which was very good but not too full bodied. I should have listened to the bar tender when he recommended the Cabernet Sauvignon. No complaints though, trust me.
After deciding on our drinks, it was time to move on to the menu. The Charles F Lucas Confectionary and Wine Bar specializes in small plates, cheese, charcuterie and confections of course. We decided on doing the 3 for $12 cheese and charcuterie menu where you get to choose from a wonderful selection of many different types of cheeses all paired with something sweet like Nutella, fruit or chocolate. The charcuterie selection was wonderful too so it made it very hard to narrow it down. We decided on Shushan Snow cheese which was from the Smooth and Silky section of the menu and that was paired with honey, the Soft Wheel from the Little Stinkers section which was paired with pear paste and Applewood Smoked Duck Breast to round out our third selection. Our choices were served on a slate board with plenty of fresh bread, mustard, pickles and we even got some figs and fig jam on there too since I told the bar tender about how much I love figs- what a nice little treat!
The cheeses were incredible and I loved all of the pairings they came with. It really complimented everything so nicely. The duck was excellent and the portions were very good. We were toying with the idea of getting a small plate as well but I’m glad we stuck with just the 3 choices because it was plenty. While sitting at the bar, we noticed lots of glass jars filled with all sorts of fun candy like Bit-O-Honey, Mike & Ike, Gummy Bears and Runts.
You can order from a wide selection of candies and chocolates and they will serve it to you in a glass dish or you can get it to go! How much fun is that?!?! I saw that someone had ordered Runts which I haven’t had in years! Our fantastic bar tender overheard me say how much I loved those as a kid and he gave us a little glass full.
Yes, this place is truly heavenly. Sadly, it was time for us to leave but that did mean it was time for the Confections portion of the meal…my favorite! There was a beautiful display of truffles, cake pops, brownies, blondies and lots of other goodies.
I’m totally obsessed with desserts topped off with sea salt so I went with the salted caramel truffle. It was the perfect ending to our perfect experience at The Charles F Lucas Confectionary and Wine Bar in Troy. This has become one of our new favorite places and we can’t wait to go back and try some of the other wonderful selections from the menu. Put this place on your high priority list. You will not be disappointed!
Oh and by the way, if you have to use the restroom, just look for the Troylet :)
First of all, I have been a complete and total blogging slacker. Between the holidays and starting a new job, blogging has taken a back seat recently. Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to go to Lake Placid and what a wonderful trip is was. Being at the Mirror Lake Inn during the holidays is like something out of a greeting card. The Christmas decorations both inside and out are amazing.
Everywhere you look, something beautiful and festive just pops up. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a couple of months for many reasons, but the two things I really had my eye on were the Abby Ale from the Adirondack Steak and Seafood Company and the house-made granola from Mirror Lake Inn. More on those wonderful treats in a bit. We arrived to freshly baked chocolate chip cookies upon checking in which is always the best way to be welcomed in my opinion. Although they weren’t the best chocolate chippers I have had, I managed to have a couple just to be sure ☺. We arrived around lunchtime and knew that having a little nosh at The Cottage is the only way to go for lunch. It’s a great spot that’s part of MLI and sits right on the lake. We were able to get a cozy table right next to the window where we enjoyed the spectacular views and a Harpoon Winter Warmer.
We decided to get the cheese board which came with a loaf of fresh bread, wheat crackers, grapes, apples, Boursin cheese, strawberry chardonnay cheese and maple cheddar. Boursin is a favorite or ours so we knew that wouldn’t go to waste but the maple cheddar was something new to us. I’ve had a lot of cheese and many varieties but my first instinct wouldn’t be to reach for a maple cheddar. Well I’ve been converted my friends. This combo was excellent!!! I can’t wait for my next get together so that I have an excuse to get it. The maple added just a hint of sweetness but it wasn’t overpowering at all. It was a great way to have a different variation on cheddar. It was time to check out the holiday stroll going on in the village so we walked around and got to eat free Christmas cookies and gumbo samples. This place is truly heaven on earth! As we reached the end of the strip, there was a cute little bakery called the Sugar Shack Dessert Co.
I had to pop my head in to see what they had and the cupcakes looked really good. In the dessert hierarchy, cake and cupcakes don’t usually come in at the top of my list but these looked delectable, so I went with the Sno-Cap cupcake which was chocolate cake with chocolate frosting topped with nonpareils. I don’t want to say that this cupcake was topped with frosting because it was reminiscent of chocolate mousse.
Needless to say, it was excellent and I could have eaten the frosting by the gallon. The light airiness of the chocolate mousse frosting combined with the crunchiness of the nonpareils was so good. The only thing I regret is getting a mini, but seeing as though our next stop was the Lake Placid Brewery, it was probably a good idea. Now that I’ve had my sugar fix, it was time for my beer fix so LPB here we come!
The cozy ambiance of Christmas lights inside and out made it the perfect backdrop for my Moose Island Ale. Now I definitely enjoy the beers at LPB but one of THE BEST beers I have ever had can be found at the Great Adirondack Steak & Seafood which also has a brewery (Great Adirondack Brewing Co.) located on the main strip in Lake Placid. All of their beers are excellent but the Abby Ale is unbelievable!!!
I practically have dreams about this beer it is SO good. It’s worth stopping in for a sampler so that you can try all the beers they have on tap but I say just skip to the good stuff and get a pint of the Abby.
Now that we’ve had a few beers to keep up warm, it was time for dinner. I’ve always been a fan of Milano’s in Latham, so we thought we would check out Milano’s North right here in Lake Placid. We got a great spot in the window (again) overlooking the main strip so we could watch holiday shoppers and strollers wonder about. I’ve been completely obsessed with figs lately so we started with the Fico pizza which had Adriatic figs, roasted shallots, prosciutto, gorgonzola and fontina with a balsamic glaze. (the Latham locations' version comes with fig jam, not Adriatic figs).
It was so good I almost ordered it again as my meal. I loved the sweetness of the figs and balsamic glaze against the saltiness of the prosciutto and cheeses. I would almost drive back up to Lake Placid just to have this pizza and an Abby Ale. Unfortunately, that was the best part of the meal. For dinner I got a pasta dish which had chicken, roasted squash, eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, spinach, toasted almonds and extra virgin olive oil. Sounds good right!?!?! Not so much.
There was practically a puddle of water on the bottom of my plate and everything was soggy and flavorless. Such a huge disappointment after such a great start. My husband’s pasta dish was not much better so we decided that it’s probably best to stick to the pizza. After a fun night playing games at the Inn next to some of the most amazingly decorated Christmas tress, we headed to bed as visions of sugar plums and Mirror Lake Inn granola danced in our heads.
The breakfast buffet at the hotel has a decent selection of your typical morning fare but there is one item that is head and shoulders above the rest, and it’s the house made granola. It has huge chunks of oats, brown sugar, cashews, cinnamon and some other heavenly type ingredients along with a TON of butter. I’m going to try and convince myself that it’s healthy because it’s “granola,” but nothing that good could actually be good for you (at least in the quantity I eat it in:). Okay, I would add this granola to my list of items worth making the trip to Lake Placid for. I noticed that the granola is on the room service menu so you might be able to just pop in and pick some up. If not, it’s worth getting the breakfast buffet just for this-it is that good. All in all, it was a wonderfully festive and delicious weekend at the lake. My picks are obvious so enjoy some Abby Ale from Adirondack brewing, grab a Fico pizza from Milano’s and start your day off with the Mirror Lake Inn house-made granola. You won’t be disappointed!
The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year, and being in New York City in December is magical. The energy, people, holiday lights, festive decorations, tree and of course food are all so much fun to be a part of. We booked our trip a few weeks back which meant I needed to start doing some research on which foods we will be eating and where we should have dinner. Baked by Melissa cupcakes have been on my hit list for a long time so they were a top priority for me. What I love about these mini cakes is that they are all about the size of a quarter which allows you to try a lot of different flavors.
I tried the S’mores, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Chip Pancake, Cinnamon, Peanut Butter cup, PB & J, Red Velvet and the mini of the month which is vanilla cake with fudge stuffing, vanilla icing and a snowflake coconut crunch topping. They were worth the wait because they were all delicious. The cake was moist and the flavors were great. My favorites were the PB & J, Snowball (mini of the month) and Cinnamon, although I really loved all of them. After my “mini” sugar fix, we headed to the holiday shops in Bryant Park. I stumbled upon the French macaroon booth which not only got me psyched for more sugar, but looked beautiful as well. The array of colors and flavors offered by Woops macaroons and cookies was so much fun to look at.
It was a tough decision in terms of what flavors to get because they offered 15, but we went with Nutella and Caramel Fleur De Sel. Both of them were excellent but the Caramel Fleur De Sel was absolutely unbelievable.
It had a rich butter flavor and just enough sea salt to balance out the sweetness. After working towards a diabetic coma, we figured it was time for lunch. Not really having an agenda, we walked down 5thAvenue looking down side streets to see if we could find something that looked interesting. We found a place called Brinkley’s Station offering up classic American fare from local New York farmers, markets, winery's and brewery’s. This is the way to support local businesses for sure! After grabbing a spot at the bar along with a Six Point Righteous Rye, it was time to check out the menu. We were given the brunch menu which I thought was a little weird because it was about 2:00 on a Saturday and they also offer a lunch menu but that’s okay. The selection was still great and after looking things over, I went with the eggplant and chickpea burger.
It came with spicy Tahini dressing and thinly sliced cucumber along with kale on a 7 grain bun with a side of sweet potato fries. This dish was awesome! The burger had really great flavor and the fries were served with a very generous dusting of some sort of brown sugar spice mixture. The dipping sauce was a chipotle mayo as if the brown sugar topping alone wasn’t enough. I absolutely LOVED these. Now that I have the fuel to power down the rest of 5thavenue, it was time to do some shopping. After seeing the spectacular windows at Saks, and the amazing décor on the outside of Harry Winston and Bergdorf Goodman, it was time to check out the Rockefeller tree. Making our way through human grid lock was worth the pushing and shoving because as always, it’s quite a beautiful sight. I had one more place on my hit list (involving sugar of course) and it was Momofuku Milk Bar. There’s a lot of hype around their amazing cakes along with their Compost Cookie.
I would consider myself a cookie connoisseur because it’s one of my absolute favorite things to eat and I’ve probably consumed more then the average human being. When I heard that the Compost Cookie consisted of chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, potato chips, pretzels, oats, coffee grounds and toffee I had to get my hands on it. Luckily there was a location close by so we stopped in to see this work of art in person.
I have to say that the cookie looked great but it honestly tasted like a toffee cookie which was a little disappointing. It was a good cookie, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t really see what all of the hype is about. Save the calories for one of the other 8 million amazing things offered in New York. The weather was starting to get cold and windy which meant it was time for a little winter warmer a.k.a. cocktail. We wanted to go somewhere cozy and Christmassy and the Cock and Bull British Pub was both. The beer selection was good and I guess they are known for having a couple of rare British beers on tap. I was in the mood for wine so it was Cabernet Sauvignon for me. The place was decked out for Christmas and Bing Crosby was keeping things festive. We figured we would come up with our dinner plans despite the fact that I had already made a few reservations. My first choice was Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo, but it’s one of the hardest places to get into. I called the day of to see if there were any cancellations but no such luck. I decided to cancel our reservations at his other restaurant Lupa along with our reservations at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill since they were both a little bit further away and we didn’t want to risk missing our train. A nice trade off was heading to restaurant row between 8th and 9thAve in the theater district. We didn’t have reservations anywhere so I popped in to about 5 places till I found one with less then an hour wait. It was a great little Italian restaurant called Lattanzi. After waiting about 20 minutes, we were seated in a beautiful room with brick walls, a wooden ceiling and lots of candlelight.
While noshing on bread sticks and sipping some wine, we decided to order the tortellini which was filled with veal and chicken in a tomato sauce along with the Veal Scalopini.
The food was very good but definitely not out of this world. The tortellini was the better of the two dishes and the potato’s that came with the veal were very good too. If you happen to be in this area and you're looking for a place to eat, I wouldn’t cross Lattanzi off of your list, just don’t expect anything over and above the norm. The day was winding down so we started heading towards Penn Station. Lucky for us, Heartland Brewery was on our way back so we thought we deserved a beer for all of the walking around we did.
What better way to try a local brewery then ordering the sampler. The beer was good and the vibe was cool but I think we are spoiled by Brown’s Brewing in Troy.
There, I said it! The beer in Troy is better then NYC in this particular case (of course this is only my opinion:). Our last and final impromptu stop was at Garrett’s Popcorn right next door to the train station. When I saw that they had gingerbread caramel popcorn, I couldn’t contain myself.
After a day fueled by sugar and wine, I figured lets go for the gusto and finish things off the only way I know how, more sugar! If you are in the city this holiday season, I highly recommend getting this as a snack to walk around the city with because it was AWESOME!!!
If you're lucky enough to get to New York over the next few weeks, I hope you get to enjoy a lot of the amazing food the big apple has to offer. My picks for the day were the Baked By Melissa cupcakes, Caramel Fleur de Sel Macaroon by Woops in Bryant park, and the Gingerbread popcorn at Garrett’s. Happy Holidays!
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Delaware Ave in Albany has some amazing places to get food. New World Bistro, Mingle, Emack and Bolio’s (I know it’s not locally owned but still delish) and most recently, The Cheese Traveler and All Good Bakers. The only unfortunate thing is that I have only tried three of the places mentioned above. Lucky for me, they were all superb. We headed down to Albany to run some errands and I had one thing in mind; where are we going to eat on Delaware Ave? All Good Bakers was a top priority for a few reasons. One, they offer my drug of choice, SUGAR! Two, I know the owner from way back in the day. We were actually neighbors and went to school together for many years. Third, and most importantly, is their incredible reputation.
It was my fault for not checking their hours but they close at 3:00 on Saturday’s and I got there at 5:00. I should have assumed that a bakery would be closed but it was wishful thinking on my behalf. Luckily for us, or anyone else who happens to visit them, they are attached to The Cheese Traveler. This is new shop that has some incredible cheeses from around the world. Eric, the proprietor, is more then happy to let you sample some of his wonderful selections. We tried samples of 2 different types of Gouda, something from Ireland and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Every single piece was phenomenal. I feel as though I’ve been cheated in the cheese world after sampling some of the products in his store. If you are in the Albany area, it’s definitely worth stopping by his shop located at 540 Delaware Ave. This Sunday (November 18th) is their Grand Opening where they will be partnering up with Tilldale Farms for some fun events like a cooking demo and cheese tastings and demonstrations. The festivities go from 1-6 and it would be a great way to sample a variety of cheeses. After we made our purchases, we headed down the street to Mingle to see what all the buzz is about. We sat at the bar where I had a glass of red wine while checking out the menu. I ordered the Korean Tacos which is two corn tortillas filled with marinated beef tossed in gochujang and stuffed with apple-radish kimchi, Napa cabbage, scallions and Chef’s spicy yogurt sauce.
They were everything I had hoped they would be. The bar tender mentioned that they were spicy and when I first started eating them, I didn’t think they were too bad. This is definitely a situation where the heat builds because by the end of my first taco, I could feel the spiciness but I liked it. Mingle likes to support our local community and gives monetary donations along with gift cards and free food to places like Albany Suicide prevention, Senior Services of Albany and Women’s Employment and Resource Center. If you are looking for a great place to have dinner, Mingle should be on the top of your short list. While you’re in the area, enjoy some of the other great foods on Delaware Ave. I may pick up some cookies from All Good Bakers then head over to Emack and Bolios and make an ice cream sandwich out of it. Or, get some cheese from The Traveler and bread from the Bakers. Ohhhhh the combos!!
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A lot of people have been crowing about the Iron Roost in Ballston Spa so I knew I had to check it out as soon as possible. A menu that focuses on waffles is something that would pique just about anyone’s interest. It was a Sunday afternoon and the place was packed.
My first thought was how much I loved the simple yet elegant décor. My second thought was how long am I going to have to wait to get my hands on one of these waffles?
After about a 30-minute wait, we were seated and started checking out the menu. There were plenty of sweet and savory waffle options along with a salad option. One menu item that really caught my attention was the French toast waffles which consists of homemade Brioche French toast (done in the iron), powdered sugar, creamy butter, & whipped cream! That pretty much combines all of my favorite breakfast items into one dish. Add a little bacon on the side and it’s a dream come true!
They also had a waffle on special which was a pumpkin spice waffle topped with cranberry-orange butter, homemade whipped cream, and a drizzle of spiced cider syrup. Decisions, decisions! Since it was little bit later in the day, I decided to go with the savory side of the menu and opted for the chicken salad.
Unfortunately they had sold out of it so I went with the grilled chicken with cheddar, LTO and a delicious garlic herb mayo on a savory waffle.
My husband had the BLT as did our other 2 friends and their little ones got the PB&J waffle sticks. While we were deciding on what to get, I ordered the Liege waffle since I have heard so much about it. This type of waffle is native to Belgium and let me just say that it was incredible! It had a nice little crunch from the sugar and just a hint of cinnamon.
If you are planning on eating here, you must order this! It makes a great little app while you are deciding on what to get. We were all very happy with our meals as well. I loved having a waffle in place of bread on my grilled chicken sandwich and the BLT was also delicious. The bacon was crisp and the veggies were fresh. It’s obvious that they get a lot of their ingredients locally. The PB&J waffle sticks were great too! They had a subtle peanut butter flavor to them and they're served with a side of strawberry jelly for dipping.
The Iron Roost opened in April of this year and is the brain child of Linnaea DiNallo. After a successful career with the content marketing firm McMurry, she decided to change gears and open the Iron Roost on Front Street in Ballston Spa. She knew she wanted to do something café related and over the course of two years, came up with a concept and a menu. The Iron Roost allows her to design and decorate which are two things she loves to do. Because she was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and followed her passion, we now have a wonderful waffle place in the Capital District. I am still dreaming about those French toast waffles and next time I go back (aka this weekend), I am sticking to the sweet side of the menu because these sound to good to pass up. The Iron Roost is located at 36 Front St in Ballston Spa.
