Little Anthony's

We were going to a not-too-late movie on a weeknight and needed a quick bite.  Suggestions from the Twitterati included Ralph's and Chipotle.  I couldn't stop myself from a little Yelping, and ended up curious about Little Anthony's. People had some nice things to say about their pizza and hot sandwiches, and I was intrigued about the vegan options.  I didn't want to have anything vegan, necessarily, but I liked that the option was there.  If one of my vegan or quasi-kosher friends comes to visit, they may enjoy a vegan option from LA.  But it'll probably be takeout.

We walked in and saw one guy waiting for his takeout order.  We stood at the counter for about 5 whole minutes until someone came to take our order. There were a couple guys back there, and two guys rushed hurriedly one way and then the other, passing us, DEFINITELY seeing us, but not acknowledging anything at all.  It was awkward.  I don't want to be like "hi, can we order?" because it is so clear that they see us and they know that we haven't ordered. They just don't seem to care.  Maybe I'm in too much of a hurry.

It was a toasty day, and that translated inside Little Anthony's.  I don't think they have A/C.  It was dark, and it smelled a little bit like a locker room.  Not strongly, but faintly. 

My food was delicious. It took a while, but when I got it, I really liked it.  I had eggplant parm, and it wasn't too soggy (which happens sometimes), the bread stood up to it.  VERY filling.  I recommend takeout not only because of the lack of ambiance at LA's, but then you can quickly put the remainder in the fridge (probably 1/4) for a post work out OMGIneedfoodnow snack.

J was a champ.  He ate all of this gigantic calzone.  I really liked the texture of the dough.  This thing wasn't stuffed--it's not the ripieno basilico.  But it was tasty and gigantic.  I kind of want it right now.

Other funny note: we were undercharged, unbeknownst to us.  During what seemed like our epic wait for food, the guy who took our order came by and told us he didn't charge us the right amount. Again, awkwardness.  The difference was about $7, and it wasn't like we gave them the wrong amount--they asked us for the wrong amount to start with.  A little weird, but it's not like it was an expensive meal.  I didn't mind paying what it actually cost, it was just a funny situation.  If I were him I probably wouldn't have said anything--after all, it would be my mistake.

I could see us getting takeout from here if it's on the way home.  Reasonable prices for solid eats and great portion sizes.

PS This is probably my last post in August. How cray cray is that?  That means I've lived in Albany for 9 whole months.  An entire human being grew in someone's womb and could be born in the amount of time I've lived in Albany.  Actually, one did!  Mazel tov to my cousin and her brand new bundle of squish. ::retreats to finish knitting blanket::

Little Anthony's
1095 Central Ave
Albany, NY

Postcard from Cape Cod

For a lot of people [from Massachusetts], summer = Cape.  With great company, delicious eats, and unbelievable weather, I'm starting to agree with them about that equation.

The ladies and I began our weekend at Clancy's.  Even though it's now called Chapin's Fish n' Chips, my friend M calls it Clancy's because she refuses to adopt new names, much like the people who attend events at the MCI Center or the Fat Bee Eye Tee Cee H.  Regular Clancy's can be distinguished from Fancy Clancy's, which is now Chapin's Restaurant.  "Beach Bar" is a bit of an overstatement.  You can't see the beach or water from regular Clancy's, but you can eat on a big open deck--good enough for me.

 Seen in this photo:  M's extremely bright employees-only Sundae School t-shirt, onion rings, and copious amounts of wings, dressed, undressed, spicy, and not spicy.  Wings are delicious, whether you eat them on the Cape or alllll the way in Buffalo. 

Fish tacos ftw.  I'm obsessed.  If they aren't fried, I don't want to hear about it.

Big piece of crispy on the outside, melt in your mouth on the inside fish.  COD on Cape Cod.  Start your trip out right.

 I went to Sundae School twice. Maybe three times?  Razoreo is a favorite, that's raspberry + oreo, a creation of dear M.  But they don't stop there.  There are so many flavors, and they change all the time. If you like Oreos, you're in luck. They have Oreo EVERYTHING.  Coffee oreo is important, and you should really get down to business and have some. 

 

Steamers and name-labeled butter cups for dinner at home.

Lamar the lobster.  Or maybe this was Barry?  I'm not sure.  He's scary!

If you haven't been to the Cape, find a friend with a parent/grandparent/cousin with a Cape House.  Go, swim in the ocean, waterski in a lake, eat fried fish, and have Sundae School once a day at least.  Have a great time :)

Credit to Seester for some of these lovely photos.  Her real camera is the bomb.

Hattie's

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SEEEEEEEEESTER!  My partner in crime as a paparazzo of delicacies, my Will Travel For Half Marathon T-Shirts buddy, my dear friend who might read this in a few weeks because she's busy having fun, that city slicker.

If you have one night only in Saratoga, you should probably go to Hattie's. It's not fancy, it's delicious, and it's pretty classic Saratoga.  When I tweeted out to the world for suggestions for me and my intern on two separate occasions, people were all about Hattie's.

I've never been one to shy away from fried food done right.  While my family doesn't eat fast food on a regular basis, we obviously fry Chanukah latkes and indulge in the best of what's fried in the world, which includes, but is not limited to, many fries cooked in duck fat. 

When E was in town for a week at the track, we met up at Hattie's to get to the bottom of all these recommendations.

 Stop it with the outdoor charm.

 Yummy biscuits and cornbread.  Has anyone ever made cornbread French toast? They should...today.

 Riiiiibs.  A little fatty, but enjoyed by all.  Not the star, though.

The star!  Pabst Blue Ribbon Fried chicken!  Hot, meaty, crispy, salty, crunchy fried chicken.  In a bucket.

You might have dessert at Hattie's, but if the weather is fair, I encourage you to grab ice cream, gelato, or frozen yogurt somewhere along downtown Saratoga.  Go for a stroll--after the fried chicken you will definitely need to stretch your legs and move around a little bit.  And hydrate.

I'll definitely be back at Hattie's; not too often, because I want to enjoy what I think they do best.  But it's a place to bring out-of-towners and a reliably happy, fun experience.

Hattie's
45 Phila Street
Saratoga Springs, NY

Flatzas and Vegetables

I haven't been so much on the biweekly CSA updates, but that doesn't mean I haven't chronicled what we got.

I wasn't sure what to do with the cabbage.  I couldn't massage it into a salad.  But I probably could grill it, which is what I'd been doing with most of our vegetables in the summer heat.

Arthur Bryant-ified chicken, corn, mixed veggies, and the arrowhead cabbage, with a surprise inside. We emailed this photo to our parents with the caption "Nothing Is Safe (From Being Grilled)." 

Turkey bacon!  Since I love TB and Brussels sprouts, why can't cabbage go the same way?  We toothpicked some TB onto the cabbage, grilled it TB side down, then cut it up into a warm salad of charred goodness.  It reminded me of a few delicious "grilled Caesar salads" I've had in the past, including one at The Heights in Columbia Heights.

Beets! Onions! Chard!  Also, delish lettuce, cherries, broccoli, squash, corn, cucumber, parsley, and cilantro.

 Obviously I've been eating grilled veggies straight up.  The beets, zucchini, and summer squash are my favorite.  But sometimes I hold off and stick them on a pizza.  I buy Hannaford's multigrain dough because it is delicious.  I'm sure I'm capable of making my own pizza dough, but when it's so cheap and available, and I'm not exactly looking for things to do in my spare time, why not?

Mmmmm. Flatbread.  Major freeform.  Those yellow tomatoes were the bomb.

Stop, you're being ridiculous.

I know they aren't perfect circles (or squares).  They are freeform pizza/flatbread/things that are so delicious yet easy, and they don't make my kitchen a hotbox.

Stretch or roll out the dough to your desired misshapen shape.  Put it on the grill for 2-3 minutes.  Take off the grill (carefully!), flip over so your grilled side is up.  Put on your toppings, and return to the grill.  I suggest any combination of thinly sliced and grilled beets, potatoes, zucchini, squash, tomato chunks, goat cheese, turkey bacon, fresh mozzarella, Tofurkey sausage---whatever!  Get creative!  Or get lazy, and throw a store bought dough on the grill and top it with miscellaneous edibles.  However you slice it, it works.

This is from this past Tuesday.  Potatoes, more summer squash, peaches, green beans, which btw were delicious a few weeks ago. I trimmed some and took them to the Cape, forgot about them, then was surprised (and delighted) to have them as a snack with onion dip that was definitely not organic/CSA material, but it was Heluva Good.  I'm not totally sure what I want to do with the broccoli rabe.  Also, I'm a little excessive on potatoes right now - I bought too many sweet potatoes recently (for company) then promptly forgot to cook and serve them.  So now I have SPs and regular potatoes that need eatin'....it might be time to actually incorporate the vegetables into recipes, as opposed to eating them raw or lightly seasoned and grilled.  Perhaps it's time for African Peanut Soup!  I know this fall I'll be digging back into the archives for my fall CSA recipes.

For now I'll keep enjoying the simplicity of summer.  Take a beefsteak tomato, slice it, and put some goat cheese on top.  Who needs an oven?  Who needs a stovetop?  Not me.

Eat your veggies, and enjoy your week.

Pangaea Lounge

After a long day of kayaking and sunbathing, these folks needed some dinner. 

Pangaea Lounge in North Bennington had some sweet reviews, so we headed in sans reservation.  Unforch we couldn't sit outside on this beautiful night, but we still got to sit within 10 minutes on a Saturday (early) evening.

Note that we are in the Lounge, not Pangaea Restaurant, which is shmancier.  It's like Palena Cafe or Bourbon Steak--we do it up right in the Lounge.  The menu had a lot of options, with sandwiches, burgers, salads, sides, and a bunch of appetizer or entrees, depending on the size.  We decided to choose a la carte from the tasting menu, mostly.

Roasted beet, spinach, squash, and chevre salad.  This salad was superb.  Recently when J of J&J asked me what year it was, as in "the year of the trail mix" or "the year of the zucchini," I suggested that for us, it's the year of the beet.  We've been roasting them up on the grill with their friends every week.  SO delicious.  Also pictured, less colorfully, is the chilled cucumber asparagus soup.  We probably shouldn't have gotten a bowl because the flavor and texture eventually wore on us, but we mostly enjoyed this dish.

Mmmm meat.  This burger was really well cooked (as in, medium rare) and the thin potato slice fries were a nice touch.

The star.  The diva.  The reason why we'll definitely return: gnocchi with peas and basil in a mustard cream sauce.  The gnocchi's texture was perfect - it wasn't mushy, it wasn't hard.  The flavor of the sauce was uhhhhhhhhhhhh ok, so I might have asked if they would sell it to me by the jar.  (They wouldn't.)  Go.  Eat seasonally, and enjoy the gnocchi.

Pangaea Lounge
1&3 Prospect Street
North Bennington, VT