5 Years Later

A lot can happen in five years.  Someone who joined me for my first meal to be blogged is engaged and currently living in a state with equal marriage.  I went from an unpaid intern (at a place with this guy's mug on the entry wall) to a full time employee with a salary.  My first cousins (22 in total) produced 14 children, so I got fourteen new first cousins once removed.  Eight boys and six girls, but I feel compelled to tell you that 4/6 of those girls arrived in the past 18 months.  So it was raining boys until recently.  Our schools got new presidents and the law school has a new dean.   

ANYWAY.  We moved, then moved further.  And moved again, albeit not as far.

We've got 380 posts, a number that includes a handful of drafts I'm not sure whether I should delete, even still.  These are "all time" stats, which are really from May 2008.  I guess I didn't have analytics enabled before then.  Because I didn't know what analytics were. 

So thanks Emily. Because you wrote the #1 viewed post by far.  HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER.

I see a pattern here.  Postcards are popular.  People are traveling where I'm traveling (or maybe they live there) and they want to know where to eat.  If you live in Albany and I'm the 17th person to write a blog post about City Beer Hall, who cares?  Besides my mom? Just kidding, my mom doesn't read this blog.

Thanks for joining me (or searching for "where is the real hogwarts" and ending up here).   Have an awesome day, and don't forget to tip your server.

Gimme Your Summer Food

On a recent sweltering night I joined someone who is actually qualified to give feedback on a new menu and did my part by documenting it.  Not everyone likes to take pictures of their food.
Read Daniel B.'s post here.  I am grateful to be invited--THANK YOU!

Remember that Creo isn't tucked away on an adorable side street of rowhouses or shops - it's in Stuyvesant Plaza but it's unconnected, so it's floating in between the road and the massive parking lot.  I don't think they have outdoor seating...but who would want to be hanging in the parking lot anyway?  What it lacks in the outside it makes up for inside.  It's super funky with tons of pendant lights, mirrors, crazy high ceiling, and copper colored tabletops. 

Cheese plate.  Loved them all. Led to a short discussion about how most strawberries are covered in poison. Fresh figs are delicious and make me think of The Land.

Watermelon, watercress, feta, jicama, pepita, citrus.  This was my FAVORITE DISH!  What could possibly go wrong?   The watercress was kind of wild and and curlier than usual and I loved it. The chef said it wasn't a big seller.  Things That Make Me Sad.

 Halibut over sweet corn puree.  Inexplicable tartar sauce and lobster hat.  Loved the fish and the corn was yummmmmmm.  I like green beans but it was funny to have them hanging out in the puree. Like green kayaks.

Diver scallop and cauliflower puree.  Loved the puree.  Hmm piece of thing from the ocean sitting on puree of a vegetable.  Where have I seen this?  I liked it though.  My scallop was seared a little more perfectly crust-wise than the Profussor's.

Berry explosion with cake.  The homemade ice cream was my favorite part.  I thought the cake was kind of a snooze.  What if it were a waffle?  That would be fun.

I really enjoyed my first meal at Creo over a year ago, and I'd definitely go back and get some of the summer dishes I've now had the pleasure of trying.  Like the watermelon/watercress salad, but in extra-large size. 

It is disheartening to hear directly from chef Brian Bowden about the politics of changing a menu.  I think that's why I like small places with ever-changing menus on a chalkboard.  I want what's fresh and best NOW, and if my favorite thing isn't on the menu that week, that's probably a good thing, because it's not what it could be.

All Over The Internet

I haven't been posting much.  It's a pet peeve of mine when people apologize for that because it makes it seem like someone cares, and really the writer should just move on to their post. So I'm not apologetic, but I will tell you what you've missed since I haven't been posting it here.  However, I want to note that if you follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you probably haven't missed much, but my characters have been limited (which is probably a good thing. Too bad in real life I have more than 140 each time I open my mouth).

So, time passes.  We celebrated a birthday, an anniversary, anticipated a friend's baby, went to a wedding, and had a bunch of visitors.  Mostly, I cooked or assembled.  Sometimes we went out.

I was still all over the internet.  I'm in love with these Shiba Inu puppies. And a few of these Call Me Maybes.  This makes me laugh.  And of course, I was posting on Instagram and Twitter all this time.

ICYMI:

 This photo is from Memorial Day weekend, when we had two friends stay over on Friday, a sister and grandparents on Saturday and Sunday, and parents on Tuesday (on their way up north).

We went to an awesome wedding, and a friend we've known since we were 5 and 6 years old literally rode in on a white horse and married his beautiful bride.

 For two weeks straight I was addicted to knitting this blanket in all of my free time.  One of those weeks I was home alone with pup and knitting time was fairly short, but I fit it in whenever I could.

3/4 of us had chicken and waffle (singular) at Hattie's, plus one crabcake eggs benedict.  The poached eggs were hard inside but they were happy to make them pretty quickly.  Sitting on the covered patio is really relaxing and there was no wait for brunch.  

 We took Henry hiking for the first time, a short one in Thacher Park.  Not one, but two people told us he looked "just like" another dog they knew.  He was bringing back memories left and right.

The rest of the summer is going to be great. Another boating day on Lake George, two more weddings, a bachelorette party (whooooa watch out), and many more meals.

I hope you're enjoying this unbelievable weather week and that you had a great weekend!

My Favorite v. The Best v. I Like It

What makes something The Best?  Is it the best because it's been compared to others and really is, in the end, The Best?  Or is it the best because it's your favorite?  Or is it the best because you really like it, and everything else is just meh.

Sometimes I think about this when we figure out where to have a meal.  For me, value has a lot to do with what makes an eatery great.  Note that value includes not only good food but also good service.  The more expensive the meal, the better experience I demand.  If that's not the case, I'd rather spend less.  When we go out sometimes in the Albany area, I think: Will this be better than Ala Shanghai?  At Ala Shanghai we may only spend $25 for the two of us, even with leftovers.  And it's fresh, delicious food with big flavor and lots of texture.  It's hard to get a better bang for our buck with a sit-down restaurant.  Of course, you're not always in the mood for soup dumplings. Or maybe you are.

Take it over to my birthday, where we enjoyed the tasting menu at the Wine Bar on Lark.  Now, it certainly wasn't $25 (although that was the wine pairing price--a STEAL), but it was truly phenomenal.  Chef Jason Baker created such a personalized, thoughtful menu where dinner truly was the show (it took a few hours, which allows one of you to maybe drive home).  Even at more than 6 times our Ala price point, I was happy with the value we received.  I couldn't repeat that experience frequently, but you see what I mean.

So.  Is the Wine Bar my favorite?  Is it the best?  What about Andy's Subs Carmen's Colossal or the 42nd Street--I truly love eating those sandwiches, and they are $8 each.  What about Ala Shanghai?  Or Karavalli, where I have an addiction to the Bhel Poori.   Or All Good Bakers, where I feel like I'd sell my kidney for a warm savory scone. 

To wrap up, if I feel like I could make something better at home (and I'm not a tremendous cook, but I'm okay--particularly with breakfast) then I will not be back to that restaurant.  Or if another restaurant does it way better (I'm looking at Ala compared to the purported "Chinese" "restaurants"--quotes necessary to denote the ick--in the strip malls near our house, where the food is plentiful and SUPER cheap but you'd rather not eat it).    If I think I've had better at a lower price, I won't be back.  But if there's value, you'll be seeing me again.

Whether You Live Here Or Not

Whether you live here or not, you know that Subway isn't the best sandwich we have to offer.  You know this especially well if you've had Andy's Subs while visiting me (that's at least 4 of you).  Subway smells icky, and Andy's Subs smell like fresh happy yummy omg they put that all together on a sandwich?  I cut those suckers into four pieces, and 3 people can happily share 2 sandwiches, with a little left over.

Whether you live here or not, you know deep down in the pit of your stomach (and if you are like me then it is a deep, deep pit waiting for delicious duck confit hash and eggs) that our best burger is not from Five Guys.  We may not have a Ray's Hell-Burger (or anything close) but we certainly can do better than FG, and we have.

So go here and check out Daniel's list of picks on his FUSSYlittleBLOG, because, as you might have read, he's on a mission to make things change.  Because he, like you, knows that Cold Stone Creamery is certainly not our best ice cream store.  #1 it's not "ours" at all, and #2 it's not the best.  And I have a lot of experience in this area so I can say it definitively.

Keep in mind that Daniel may be Fussy, but he's not bossy.  We built this ballot together over time and comments.  (Sing it.)  I'm not all that helpful having lived in the Capital Region for all of 16 months, and part of that was in a hotel in Latham.  And sometimes I disagree with the Ballot; but the idea is to agree that we're going to agree (not disagree) for a higher case: to change the results. 

For anyone who's confused, it's like the movie Stick It: we're picking the winners, on OUR terms. And it'll only work if we all buy in.  So get Fussy and get votin'. 

All Good Bakers - New Location

In case you missed the news, All Good Bakers moved from Quail Street (also known as, why would I ever be over there in the first place/inconvenient for my life) to 540 Delaware Ave, right next to the Yoga Loft (much closer to my life). 

So you can do some yoga and then eat some feel-good vegetarian farm-fresh happy food.  Or, like me, you can skip the yoga and go straight to the food.  Seriously, I am the WORST at yoga.   I'm more likely to have brunch there and stop at Jim's Tastee Freeze on the way home.

There are a few more seats in this location than the last, but that same charming feeling that--and I mean this in a good way--you might be in an episode of Portlandia. 

The place was jamming when I dropped by only 90 minutes before closing time on Saturday.  I got the last sourdough loaf (YUM) and a Philmore (pastry dough stuffed with apple happiness).  Then I ran my errands at Target, BJ's, and Marshall's, and when I got back into my car it smelled like my Ford Fusion used to be a bread factory--maybe even that morning.  Amazing smells.  Eventually I'll sit down again for a grilled cheese, seitan sandwich, seasonal soup, or scone. 

Because the Northway Mall needs like 8 more stop signs than it has, I got hungry before I even got to the light that let's you leave.  Thank goodness for that Philmore and the end of the loaf.  Sorry J - I had bought the Philmore for you. But you still have chocolate chip mandel bread, Samoas, leftover chocolate chocolate chip cookies that my coworker made for me...you'll live.


Go visit, and try to knock The Profussor from Dukedom.  A little competition would be great for the shop.

All Good Bakers
540 Delaware Ave
Albany, NY
Wed-Fri 8am - 3pm
Sat/Sun 9am - 3pm with brunch

What's Making Me Happy

If you listen to the NPR podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour then you might enjoy the last segment, called "What's Making Me Happy This Week."  Well, here's what's making me happy this weekend.

On Friday we were low on dining ideas, so we ordered two pizzas from Bellini's.  We've never been to a Bellini's or ordered before, but I've heard about the deals they do for takeout from some parents in my office.  With pizza we figure we'll try almost anything once--very open-minded.   We ordered the meatball and ricotta pizza and the Da Nico (spinach, prosciutto, & goat cheese), and yes, I was also wondering why some had names and some were merely the name of the key ingredients.  The smaller size of each (12 inches) brought us to $31.  This becomes important later. 

We had plenty left over, which brings me to my favorite part about the pizza:  eating a slice of Da Nico from the toaster oven with over easy eggs on top for brunch after a long run, with a side of sliced pear and Nutella of course.  YUM.  

Saturday night we wanted to go out, and once we got soup dumplings in our mind there was no doubt we were off to Latham and Ala Shanghai.  When we were there last on Christmas Eve with family, some of our XLB were deflated and desoupified--the place was jamming, and we ate them anyway.  Last night each one was soupy and super hot.   But the star of the show was the eggplant in our eggplant and chicken dish.  I'm not sure why the eggplant tasted like magic, but it did.  I'm surprised we had any left over--when we were both admittedly full we continued to nab pieces of eggplant until it was getting ridiculous and we HAD to stop eating.  Soup dumplings and two large entrees brought us to $25, AND we had leftovers and complimentary tea.  Quality, value, and a truly delightful atmosphere are what keep me schlepping to Latham from south of the border.

Lastly, what's making me happy this weekend is a new-to-me hamantaschen dough recipe from Not Derby Pie that yielded 21 cookies, none of which flapped open.  NONE.  J says they are the best-looking hammies I've ever made.  I liked that they were really fast to make--no refrigerating for hours or overnight, a quick 30 minutes did the trick (I recommend cleaning in between....or making another batch of hammies).   I'm still making a batch of these from smitten kitchen (with the cream cheese) because I do really like the taste of that cookie, but I've had varying success with the shaping.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we watched most of Cool Runnings this weekend.  It had been way too long since we saw that movie, and we couldn't tear ourselves away.  Really brought us back to '93.