tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57397443193310983882024-03-16T14:53:03.661-04:00The Masticating MonkeyEating and imbibing at home and around New York's Capital Region.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-38303560344875596702015-01-20T14:05:00.000-05:002015-01-20T14:08:58.188-05:00The Shop in Troy: A Simple Name for a Place with Big Flavors and Good Drinks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JxbRNV2rYSc/VL3pbCHIrKI/AAAAAAAABYA/IwI5Y0YMVIU/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JxbRNV2rYSc/VL3pbCHIrKI/AAAAAAAABYA/IwI5Y0YMVIU/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Even before its opening a little over two months ago, I was excited by Kevin Blodgett's new bar/restaurant concept in Troy called simply <a href="http://www.theshoptroy.com/" target="_blank">The Shop</a>. In speaking to the Times Union, <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Steve-Barnes-Hardware-store-retools-for-5824678.php" target="_blank">Blodgett said</a>, "We want a casual place that's comfortable and affordable, where you can get something other than wings, nachos, mozzarella sticks and burgers." He added, "There's a lack of diversity here in town in terms of food and drink options. We wanted to help change that."<br />
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I finally made it to The Shop for dinner and beer a few weeks ago, and though The Shop has been dealing with the loss of their head chef right before opening, I came away fully impressed by every aspect of this establishment. The menu may be limited at the moment--though that should change soon, I've heard, now that a new head chef is in place--but the food was excellent, the beer selection quite solid, and the space gorgeous in its reclaimed-wood and industrially rustic styling.<br />
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The Shop is, in some ways, hard to classify. I've seen it referred to primarily as a bar, but I don't think that's fair or accurate, despite the limited early menu. Blodgett clearly is taking the food seriously; you don't hire a chef (the one who left just before opening) with "experience at high-end Philadelphia restaurants, including Morimoto," as stated in the Times Union article--and then a replacement, Rich Matthews, with training at Johnson and Wales and experience locally at Jack's Oyster House--unless you want patrons to visit as much for the food as for the drinks.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wfiv2p2MQnE/VL3p-9e-TpI/AAAAAAAABYI/bMNgiMECbwM/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wfiv2p2MQnE/VL3p-9e-TpI/AAAAAAAABYI/bMNgiMECbwM/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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So while I could talk about the drinks--I enjoyed two beers from a fairly diverse <a href="http://www.theshoptroy.com/menu/#menu-Beer" target="_blank">draft list</a>, and there were a number of <a href="http://www.theshoptroy.com/menu/#menu-Cocktails" target="_blank">cocktails</a> I'm eager to try--I think it would be more useful to focus this review more on my dining experience.<br />
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When K and I visited early on a Saturday evening, we were in the mood for dinner. Immediately upon entering we were struck by the attractiveness of the space. My photos here can't do it justice, but <a href="http://thefuj.com/2014/10/31/soft-opening-at-the-shop-troy-ny/" target="_blank">The Fuj</a> and <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2014/10/30/a-look-inside-the-shop-in-troy" target="_blank">All Over Albany</a> did much better work on this front. Blodgett took the design work seriously and made this a memorable environment that fits the "wood shop" theme from top to bottom to bathroom (seriously--I have a picture of the bathroom at the end of this post).<br />
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Our two entrees were also enjoyable enough that K and I are quite eager to return to The Shop. And in a testament to the compelling nature of their <a href="http://www.theshoptroy.com/menu/#menu-Eats" target="_blank">presently small menu</a>, even though there are currently just four entrees listed, we had a hard time deciding what to order (and we want to go back and try the others we didn't get). After several moments of indecision, I chose the chicken confit, while K went with one of the daily specials, something the restaurant called Ballerina Chicken--a dish I would love to see The Shop put on their regular menu because I want my own.<br />
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I'll admit it was hard to pass up the brisket and poutine entrees--I thought long and hard about whether or not it would be wrong to simply consider the poutine a large appetizer, finally relenting and deciding we'd just have to come back and try The Shop's unique version of it another time--and even the hot dog selections were intriguing. But after biting into my chicken confit dish, I was left with no regrets.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOE8jNOLubE/VL3qUJzKs8I/AAAAAAAABYQ/KLJBB8s_I60/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOE8jNOLubE/VL3qUJzKs8I/AAAAAAAABYQ/KLJBB8s_I60/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B5.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't say I order chicken often at restaurants; more often than not, this is a protein that isn't cooked in particularly interesting or inventive ways. The Shop's chicken confit is different and worth ordering even though the serving was a modestly-sized piece of bone-in chicken thigh (along with a huge pile of leafy greens--not the red romaine hearts that were stated on the menu--covered in a very tasty buttermilk aioli dressing that was also spread across the chicken).<br />
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Chicken confit is not your typical chicken dish, though. The <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/01/ask-the-food-lab-what-the-heck-is-confit.html" target="_blank">process of confit</a> is long and infuses a lot of flavor from whatever fat the protein is cooked in. The Shop's chicken confit thigh was pink inside from that slow-cooking process and full of a rich taste that's not often found in chicken (it didn't hurt that this thigh was bone-in, which I believe only increases the dark meat flavor). And then there's the skin, which was crisped up beautifully before serving. I could have eaten an entire plate of that skin, health concerns be damned.<br />
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K's dish, this special called Ballerina Chicken by The Shop, was in limited supply, so we were lucky to be there early enough to get one before the restaurant ran out. Since this wasn't on the printed menu, I don't know all the details, but it was essentially a stuffed chicken breast covered in a creamy sauce, served atop a latke. This picture doesn't really do it justice:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UuGgzy4cJ8A/VL3qp-hEoBI/AAAAAAAABYY/xUIVxwt5toA/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UuGgzy4cJ8A/VL3qp-hEoBI/AAAAAAAABYY/xUIVxwt5toA/s1600/The%2BShop%2BTroy%2B4.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our waiter said that shrimp was part of the stuffing, but K says she didn't specifically taste it. The sauce was rich and complex, not too heavy, with what might have been a hint of fish sauce. The side of broccoli was simple but tasty, similar to a version I like to make at home--seemingly stir-fried with soy sauce and garlic, the crunch-level of the broccoli just right.<br />
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With the success of the recently-opened <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2014/12/namu-korean-bbq-in-colonie-exceeds.html" target="_blank">Namu Korean BBQ</a> also in mind, I have to say I'm rather enthused to have two exciting and so far successful new restaurants in the Capital Region. Namu has continued to impress since I wrote about it, while The Shop shows a lot of promise.<br />
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In fact, I'd love to see The Shop continue to ramp up the "sophisticated comfort food" approach as they expand their menu. The day before K and I visited, we were down in Beacon, hoping to grab an early dinner at <a href="http://thehopbeacon.com/" target="_blank">The Hop</a>, a popular restaurant that describes itself as serving "craft beer and artisanal fare." <a href="http://thehopbeacon.com/?page_id=41" target="_blank">Their menu</a>, which had me pretty excited, is something I think The Shop could imitate: appetizers and entrees that (I presume) are big on flavor and more inventive than what's served at your average casual restaurant. Unfortunately we didn't get to eat there as the wait would have likely led to a parking ticket. We'll be back one of these days, I hope.<br />
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But more than that, I hope The Shop can serve as that kind of place for us right here at home in the Capital Region: a place that excites me for not only the beer or cocktails, but for casual food that is more complex than pizza and wings. So far, so good, and I'm eagerly anticipating their next move.<br />
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And one final note: this is the first establishment that has ever made me feel a need to pull out my phone and snap a picture of their urinal in the men's room. This restroom alone should make people want to visit (and bring all their friends):<br />
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<i>The Shop is located at 135 4th Street in Troy, NY</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-103764546039525312014-12-09T15:04:00.001-05:002014-12-10T12:45:56.233-05:00First Taste of Slidin' Dirty's New Restaurant in Troy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tuo4eBPoXvY/VIEevyWQvhI/AAAAAAAABXo/hocLdtjGXV4/s1600/Slidin'%2BDirty%2Blogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tuo4eBPoXvY/VIEevyWQvhI/AAAAAAAABXo/hocLdtjGXV4/s1600/Slidin'%2BDirty%2Blogo.png" height="192" width="400" /></a></div>
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I find myself very rarely eating at food trucks. I just never happen to be near these trucks, and seeking them out at festivals, where I'd end up standing in line for a while only to then have to eat my meal standing up, doesn't ever sound particularly appealing. But that's my problem.<br />
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Among Capital Region-area food trucks, <a href="http://slidindirty.com/" target="_blank">Slidin' Dirty</a> was always one near the top of my radar. The slider menu was somewhat enticing, the side of avocado fries particularly intriguing.<br />
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So when I heard they were opening an actual restaurant on First Street in Troy, I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd finally try their food. While I think there's promise in this restaurant, my first impression--albeit fairly soon after their opening and at a somewhat busy time--is that there are some things Slidin' Dirty needs to address in order to make sure their customers head home satisfied. Here are ten observations:<br />
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<b>1. The space is lovely, the seating cramped in places</b><br />
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You can check out some good pictures of Slidin' Dirty's attractive restaurant space <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2014/11/26/checking-out-slidin-dirtys-new-troy-restaurant-spa" target="_blank">on All Over Albany</a>; on our visit, we also found some nice little holiday touches--the lamp posts inside the restaurant were wrapped in garland and bows. It's really a striking space with all the beautiful old wood and big front windows, and I give credit to the owners for putting in the effort and money to make it look so good.<br />
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That said, it wasn't particularly comfortable where K and I were seated--at one of the five or six tables at the rear of the restaurant. The bench I was on was a little too high for the table, but more importantly (as I didn't really mind feeling tall for an hour), these tables were crammed in too tightly. Our server had trouble squeezing herself in just to take orders, and food deliveries were awkward as well. I get the idea of trying to maximize seats to hold as many customers as possible (the restaurant isn't particularly large), but sometimes it's better to look at how to simply make your customers happy. And from the grumbling coming from the tables to our right and left, it clearly wasn't just K and I that had a problem with this.<br />
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<b>2. The food needs to be served in a more timely fashion</b><br />
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Saturday afternoon, shortly after opening, I can see how a kitchen could be in the weeds. But this space isn't that large, as I said before, and the type of food being served isn't the type that should take a particularly long time to make. So unless the kitchen is understaffed (and I would hope they would plan for decent crowds at lunchtime in Troy on a Saturday), there's no excuse for sliders and tacos to take 45 minutes to an hour to be delivered.<br />
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I hope this was just an aberration; I can understand that. But I think you're walking a fine line as a restaurant when (from observing those around us) food that takes close to an hour to be served is eaten and gone within ten minutes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rljlf6NjhdA/VIEe3flX-fI/AAAAAAAABXw/kSUVZ283slE/s1600/Slidin'%2BDirty%2BKelly%2Band%2BMichael.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rljlf6NjhdA/VIEe3flX-fI/AAAAAAAABXw/kSUVZ283slE/s1600/Slidin'%2BDirty%2BKelly%2Band%2BMichael.jpg" height="315" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelly and Michael are fans of Slidin' Dirty</td></tr>
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<b>3. The menu and important info should be online</b><br />
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Maybe it's just me, because I like to sit at home and study menus before I check a place out, but why would a new restaurant--particularly one which already has a website--not post info about their restaurant, including their menu, by the time they open? As I write this, at least a couple weeks after they opened, Slidin' Dirty's menu is nowhere to be found.<br />
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Maybe I'm just annoyed because I decided to not take pictures and want to mention some specifics about the food, so now I have to use my brain a little more to remember things.<br />
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<b>4. Even fried foods still need seasoning</b><br />
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The fried items we ordered--the avocado fries and the shrimp on K's po' boy slider--were fried well, with good crunch on the outside, and drained nicely, but they were lacking seasoning. A little salt and pepper goes a long way. Yeah, deep frying something is a good way to make something tasty, but seasoning is still important.<br />
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As it turns out, we weren't as big of fans of the avocado fries as we'd anticipated. Something about the warmth of the avocado after being fried, and the taste of it in the breading, just didn't work for us. There were some other fried appetizers (I can recall mac and cheese balls, among a few others) that we were sort of left wishing we'd ordered instead.<br />
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<b>5. Stale/dry buns are a problem</b><br />
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This one goes into the "obviously" category, but I should point out that with sliders--which one doesn't want, I presume, to actually slide off the bun--this is especially troubling. The buns at Slidin' Dirty the day we visited looked promising in terms of their size and makeup (rounded and puffy but not too big), but they tasted as if they'd been left sitting out too long. They had that stale taste, and it also didn't seem to allow the juicy and saucy elements of their sliders to absorb into the buns. This created an extra-messy eating experience.<br />
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<b>6. Easy on the mustard</b><br />
<b><br /></b>We noticed this on two of our sliders: Chinese hot mustard mixed into the sauce. The result? The taste of both was completely overtaken by the sinus-clearing mustard with a distinct, dominating taste. <br />
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<b>7. Ask how customers would like burgers cooked</b><br />
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I'd also suggest that Slidin' Dirty's waitstaff ask customers how they would like their burgers cooked; while these are small burgers, they're still thick enough that temperature matters. I'd say mine was cooked medium to medium-well. This is good Kilcoyne beef being served--let it shine, if customers would like, at a more rare level.<br />
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Worse, in terms of taste, was K's ahi tuna slider, which was cooked all the way through, basically eliminating a lot of the good tuna taste many customers are looking for.<br />
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<b>8. Spread more info on the quality of the proteins</b><br />
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Like I said, the menu indicates that the beef being used for sliders comes locally from <a href="http://www.kilcoynefarms.com/" target="_blank">Kilcoyne Farms</a> and is of high quality. The menu also mentions that good quality chicken and pork are being served, but leaves it at that. Being so vague can leave some customers questioning what that really means. I'd like to see Slidin' Dirty--if they are actually using chicken and pork of good quality, especially if it's local--disseminate that information more loudly and specifically, as <a href="http://www.comforteats.com/" target="_blank">Comfort Kitchen</a> in Saratoga does (showing a whole list of where they're getting their ingredients from).<br />
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<b>9. Nice side salads, but ditch the tortilla chips</b><br />
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It's good to be able to add on a simple arugula side salad for just $3--it makes one feel a little less guilty about the sliders and fried appetizers they're otherwise consuming. With grated parmesan and a pleasant vinaigrette, I'd be satisfied. But Slidin' Dirty also adds strips of tortilla chips to these salads, which feel totally out of place and unnecessary. This isn't Pittsburgh, after all; I don't need <a href="http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/Salad-topped-with-french-fries-in-PA-m118076.aspx" target="_blank">a fried component</a> to my salads.<br />
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<b>10. Offer customers new/replacement dishes when you mess up</b><br />
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Again, just something we observed while waiting (maybe it's good we had all that time): A neighboring diner had their avocado fries dropped off the plate when they were served by a gentleman coming straight from the kitchen; they landed on a tray, which may or may not have been clean, and were picked up by the employee with his fingers and put back on the plate. We later heard the diners mention this to their server, who just thanked them for letting her know.<br />
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We could tell these customers were a little put off by this, but the employee didn't think anything of it. It's not necessarily something that would matter to all diners, but at the least, I think the employee needs to apologize, ask if the customers would like a replacement, and provide that or some other appetizer for free. The little things can make a big difference to some people.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts:</b> Okay, so some of these are pretty small points, but I figured that with a restaurant that's just recently opened, maybe it'd be helpful to put detailed feedback out there publicly. I'm sure Slidin' Dirty will continue to be relatively popular, with a loyal following from the food truck; a good location and attractive space; and a bar with a handful of solid, local beers on tap. <br />
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But I also wasn't left feeling terribly enthused about a return trip after our first experience, despite the menu and setting being right up my alley. Troy needs more quality downtown eateries, particularly ones open past 6 or 7 p.m., and Slidin' Dirty could help to fill that void. I don't think it does yet. The aforementioned Comfort Kitchen might be a good model to follow, though they don't do table service. Then again, maybe this type of food is better in that more casual setting? I suppose I'll just have to wait and see if Slidin' Dirty can prove otherwise.<br />
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<i>Slidin' Dirty is located at 9 First Street in Troy, NY</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-66044196528805562562014-12-02T13:47:00.001-05:002014-12-02T13:49:59.855-05:00Namu Korean BBQ in Colonie Exceeds Expectations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tSk5-jmylSY/VH1fm4SXnkI/AAAAAAAABW4/IiQmoh2roHA/s1600/Namu%2Bexterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tSk5-jmylSY/VH1fm4SXnkI/AAAAAAAABW4/IiQmoh2roHA/s1600/Namu%2Bexterior.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's been quite some time since I posted here on the blog. There are a number of reasons for this, but one of the main ones is that I was tired of writing negative reviews and then having to justify such an opinion. I wanted instead to be able to find something legitimately good that I could rave about here.<br />
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That place has just opened within the past month in a nondescript strip mall off of Central Ave. in Colonie: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Namu-Korean-BBQ/945113145514722?sk=timeline" target="_blank">Namu Korean BBQ</a>. I've been hopeful about a few different Korean restaurants here in the Albany area, starting with Kinnaree, which, after <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2012/09/korean-in-capital-region-kinnaree-in.html" target="_blank">that first experience</a>, slipped to mediocre or worse. There was also Kabuki in Latham--mentioned in that previous post--which became Seoul, which we've tried multiple times and don't intend to bother with again. Overpriced, underspiced, and so on. Not worth writing about. And yes, <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2013/03/lunch-at-mingle-reevaluating-korean.html" target="_blank">there's Mingle</a>, which does make some good food, but with the fusion concept and prices of their dishes, it doesn't fit in the same category.<br />
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So when K and I heard about Namu opening in early November, we approached it with a combination of hopefulness and trepidation. We're both clearly fans of Korean cuisine and, having tasted it done well in locales as diverse as southwest Missouri and northern New Jersey, hold it to a high standard.<br />
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Namu exceeded our expectations. Multiple visits in its first month open yielded a variety of delicious, authentic food at reasonable prices in a surprisingly hip and comfortable atmosphere.<br />
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I say surprising because, as mentioned before, this is a restaurant located in the heart of Albany's strip mall suburbia, basically behind an Advanced Auto Parts (useful as a reminder of where to turn left into the parking lot). Stepping inside, it's easy to quickly forget where exactly you are. The modern design is a mixture of light-colored woods and shiny metals, featuring a rather spacious seating area and K-Pop videos playing on TVs around the dining area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very dramatic K-Pop video</td></tr>
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That's nice, but I'm most interested in the food. The first questions with a Korean restaurant have to do with <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banchan" target="_blank">banchan</a>:</i> Do they serve it (and how much)? How good is it? Is it unlimited? The answers at Namu: Yes (six small bowls on our first visit, eight on the second), very good, and yes.<br />
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I don't even know what all these dishes were. There was the familiar kimchi and japchae, but also other tasty plates, like a mashed potato dish (or maybe some other mashed root vegetable), and curious ones, like a white jello-like concoction served with thin slices of fried egg.<br />
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In terms of the menu (which can be found <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/45799/colonie-korean-bbq-opens-today-with-table-grills-check-out-menus/" target="_blank">on this page</a> from the Table Hopping blog), there's the Korean barbecue section of the menu, plus many of our non-barbecue Korean favorites, classified as "Stews and Soups," "Rice," "Noodle," and "And More." While we felt we had to try out one of the barbecue dishes, since this is the restaurant's specialty and all the tables are outfitted with the built-in grills, we've found really good dishes all across the menu.<br />
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For the barbecue dish, we tried the Spicy Pork ($19), which was not terribly spicy. Our server prepared it in the grill at our table for us, and the worst part here was waiting for it to get charred while the smell of the spices and garlic drifted toward us. This isn't the best deal on the menu, as it wasn't a huge portion of pork for the price, but the marinade gave it wonderful pepper and garlic flavor, and I found myself trying to pluck every last charred scallion from the grill.<br />
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From the "Stone" side of the menu, we've enjoyed a few dishes: the Seafood Jeon ($18), plus the Kimchi Stew ($13) and Spicy Tofu Stew ($14). We'd tried a version of the Seafood Jeon--a wide, seafood-filled pancake--at Seoul in Latham and were most disappointed in the amount of seafood included. This wasn't a problem at Namu; the pancake was bursting with several types of seafood, most notably shrimp and squid. The flavor was quite good, and only enhanced by the thick, brown, soy-based dipping sauce it was served with.<br />
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I don't care what season it is--I'm always in the mood for Korean stone-bowl stews. But with the harsh early winter weather we've endured this year, there was no question we were trying some of these stews on our second visit. K went with the Kimchi Stew, while I wanted to try the Spicy Tofu Stew, especially after having this dish last year at the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/organic-tofu-house-ridgewood" target="_blank">Organic Tofu House</a> in Ridgewood, NJ.<br />
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K's stew was loaded with kimchi and bits of pork and firm pieces of tofu. The flavor was excellent: sour and full of spice and heat with a bit of that pork flavor in the background. I'm getting my own bowl next time.<br />
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That's not to say I didn't enjoy mine--it was very good, almost as good, I would say, as the acclaimed version at the Organic Tofu House. It was fun cracking my own egg into the soup in Ridgewood, but flavor-wise I was very satisfied with Namu's version. The heat from the spices was just enough to not be overpowering, while the combination of soft tofu, runny egg, and a variety of seafood was enjoyable. There were mussels, squid tentacles, and a large, unpeeled shrimp hiding under the block of tofu, which was almost creamy in texture.<br />
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I'm confident in recommending Namu already, which is often not the case with new restaurants in this area. It's been fairly crowded during both of our visits, mostly populated by young Asians, a sign, I take it, that the food here is authentic and good.<br />
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This is the kind of restaurant I've been longing for in the Capital Region: tasty, fairly-priced ethnic food with a menu diverse enough that I want to keep coming back for more. They even have Kimchi Tacos as part of their $11 lunch menu, the kind of item I associate more with, say, <a href="http://kogibbq.com/menu/" target="_blank">Roy Choi's food truck</a>. But then there's the Galbi Tang--a beef short rib stew "cooked for hours and hours for deepest flavor."<br />
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I hope all the dishes stand up to the expectations I now have. But for now, I have no problem recommending Namu. And really, just go ahead and plan for multiple visits while you're at it.<br />
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<i>Namu Korean BBQ Restaurant is located at 1770 Central Avenue in Colonie, NY</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-77067489703045778462014-05-28T10:03:00.001-04:002014-05-28T10:03:11.582-04:00Trying the new Sadudee Thai Restaurant in Watervliet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I understand the feelings of many area residents that we don't exactly need more Thai restaurants here in the Capital Region, but the fact that a new one just opened up in my neck of the woods is pretty exciting. I've only been to <a href="http://www.sadudeethaifood.com/" target="_blank">Sadudee Thai Restaurant</a> in Watervliet once so far, and would prefer to check out more of the menu before writing about it, but judging from the emptiness of the space on a recent Saturday night, I figure it's flying under the radar and could use some good word of mouth.<br />
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Because this one experience showed that Sadudee might be right near the top of the list of area Thai restaurants. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>Located at 1401 Broadway in the former home of Gianna's Pizza, Sadudee is far from a fancy space, and it feels kind of off the beaten path, even by Watervliet standards. That's not to say it's an unpleasant space--it's clean and comfortable with ample seating--but it's not exactly a surprise that it used to house a pizza joint, the layers of red paint being just one giveaway. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-63IrraJHcU4/U4WPO18zFAI/AAAAAAAABWc/aR5mglXloxo/s1600/Sadudee+curry+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-63IrraJHcU4/U4WPO18zFAI/AAAAAAAABWc/aR5mglXloxo/s1600/Sadudee+curry+3.jpg" height="400" width="268" /></a>Meanwhile, service was friendly, attentive, and quick, but not overbearing, something that can't always be said for restaurants that are rather quiet (K and I were at one of only two occupied tables at the time). Do you ever notice the way servers at some fairly quiet restaurants stand and stare at you while you wait for your food? I think of it as the Babu Bhatt syndrome, from the classic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cafe_(Seinfeld)" target="_blank"><i>Seinfeld</i> episode</a>. Thankfully, that wasn't the case at Sadudee.<br />
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K and I started with what's become a somewhat regular appetizer for us at Thai restaurants lately, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_papaya_salad" target="_blank">somtum (papaya salad)</a>. The somtum was reminiscent in size and appearance of those we've had elsewhere, prominently featuring the matchstick slices of green papaya, but it was particularly satisfying because Sadudee wasn't shy with their use of fish sauce and pepper for heat. So while this was a typically refreshing way to start the meal, there was an assertiveness to the somtum that just isn't found at many restaurants.<br />
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The somtum was just the prelude to our two entrees, a pair of curries for $12 apiece. There are seven options available on the <a href="http://www.sadudeethaifood.com/#!the-plan/cdf0" target="_blank">Sadudee menu</a>, and that's not even accounting for the different protein choices (we both went with chicken this time). While on another occasion I might want to try any of these variations--the pumpkin curry might be the most intriguing--I went with the yellow curry while K chose the mango curry. <br />
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The yellow curry is said to have its roots in Indian cuisine, which isn't much of a surprise. I found the taste of this dish to be reminiscent of Indian curry, stronger on the curry and cumin than your typical Thai curry. With the presence of the coconut milk adding thickness and richness, this curry was very tasty. The chicken was tender, while the vegetables--potatoes, red onions, green peas, and carrots--were cooked nicely, crisp and not soggy, and nicely balanced. (In other words, this wasn't one of those curries that was overfilled with huge hunks of onions; here, the red onions were cut into slivers in a way that made it clear they were there for flavor, not as cheap filler.)<br />
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K's mango curry was as lively a bowl of curry as I can remember (judging from my small sample of it). She was pleased as well. There were numerous chunks of mango and pineapple, and this seemed to work quite harmoniously with the classic curry flavors that were present, and added a nice complement to the other vegetables on the plate: red and green peppers and green peas. With a touch of Thai basil in there, too, this was another dish with a remarkably deep flavor profile.<br />
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Our curries were each served with a slice of deep-fried Japanese eggplant. The breading was crunchy on the outside, but inside the eggplant was beautifully tender, practically melting when I bit into it. This is the kind of random bonus food I can certainly endorse.<br />
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So yeah, Sadudee is yet another Thai restaurant in the Capital Region. But it's also pretty damn good, from first glance, and much of the menu is quite reasonably priced. With lunch entrees like pad thai at just $7 and lunch curries at $8, I can't wait to return to work through more of the menu. <br />
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<i>Sadudee Thai Restaurant is located at 1401 Broadway in Watervliet, NY</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-20977696890201735572014-05-21T09:21:00.000-04:002014-05-21T09:21:53.340-04:00Thoughts on food criticism in Albany--a response to a Jonathan Gold interview<div class="tr_bq">
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I like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Gold" target="_blank">Jonathan Gold</a>. Of course, right? He's a <a href="http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2007-Criticism" target="_blank">Pulitzer Prize winner</a>, one of the best food critics (or food writers in general) in America. I've been familiar with his work for some time because I went to college in Los Angeles at a time when he was writing for the <i>L.A. Weekly</i> paper; even though I was far from a "foodie" back then, I do remember reading many of his pieces with interest and hitting up a couple of his finds, like some dive taco joint in Santa Monica that was, unsurprisingly, fantastic.</div>
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More than anything, I regret spending four years in that city and not following his leads on a weekly basis, particularly because I can't foresee myself living there again.<br />
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But I mention him here because I just came across an interview <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/05/19/jonathan-gold-interview.php" target="_blank">he did with Eater</a>, and some of his comments got me thinking about the role of food criticism in a city like Albany and my (albeit small) role in that. Compared to other cities I've lived in or near, Albany is a place in which tough criticism doesn't flourish. There are reasons for that, though; Gold hit on some of them, and after I parse his comments, I want to elaborate a bit since I've been pondering this issue lately while mostly taking a little break from my own food writing.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Let's start here:<br />
<blockquote>
Gold: The key thing, keeping a critic is really expensive... A, the expense of hiring them; B, the expenses are a ton; C, this is something that happens in small publications more than bigger ones, but if you're in a publication that depends on restaurant advertising, then if your critic is good, then he or she is going to cause problems for you at some point. You're going to think your expenses are going to make you want to put a bullet in your head. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Unless you're a completely food obsessed city, and you're like Savannah or Charleston, New Orleans, or San Francisco, San Francisco's not a small market. There's not that much interesting stuff to write about a lot of the time. You know, traveling around the country, you're going to a mid-sized place like Kansas City, which has 20 really good restaurants. Or Reno, which has not 20. There are full time critics, and it's so hard. You don't want to review the Olive Garden, you know...</blockquote>
I'm not going to use this as an opportunity to make fun of the Times Union for <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Big-country-5481437.php" target="_blank">reviewing the Texas Roadhouse</a> chain this past Sunday. The place is wildly popular, and it's not like there are restaurant openings frequently throughout the region. So a chain restaurant review is okay once in a while, in my opinion.<br />
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That said, it sort of goes against my philosophy of wanting to highlight independent, often under-the-radar, sometimes (if only there were more chances) ethnic restaurants. But this just isn't realistic here. It drives me crazy sometimes, being in an area of this size. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4WLE5Ta1yok/U3xbKLn2wsI/AAAAAAAABVg/rFUvYdqBMCg/s1600/jonathan+gold+profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4WLE5Ta1yok/U3xbKLn2wsI/AAAAAAAABVg/rFUvYdqBMCg/s1600/jonathan+gold+profile.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan Gold</td></tr>
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The thing is, however, that just because some restaurant might fit my criteria above, it doesn't mean it's going to be good. And just because something isn't good, I don't think--as I've demonstrated on (too many) occasions here on this blog--that means it shouldn't be discussed. I know some people don't like it when I voice criticism for local establishments. But I want the food scene here to be better, and I think that if I can, even on this minor scale, highlight both some of the good <i>and</i> some of the bad, it could help lead us to more satisfying dining experiences.<br />
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But to go back to something Gold said above, being negative can be bad for business. Not the restaurant's business, but the publication's business. And I can feel this more in the Capital Region than in any of the other cities I've lived in or near in the past decade. I think there's a combination of an inferiority complex here--being in the shadow of cities like New York and Boston--and a desire to really prop up the even moderately good things we do have here. Because hell, without those places, things would really be bleak.<br />
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Let's go back to Gold again before I go on:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There's some key ways of looking at this: One, restaurant critics have never been anonymous, right? Never. The people who think they're anonymous are just kidding themselves, because when a restaurant has that kind of financial involvement in knowing who one of their customers is, they're going to know. So officially, the moment I stopped being anonymous is the day I won the Pulitzer at which point, the Pulitzer guys ran a thing. Even one of the interns, not the interns, one of the social media people at the Weekly ran my picture in an excited blog post, and it's like, by the time I realized and had it taken down it was on every food blog there is. Of course, no other country has anonymous reviews, even for Paris. Although, the Michelin inspectors make a pretty good try. </blockquote>
I hear what Gold is saying here. We live in an era where it doesn't really matter what kind of disguises you wear as a critic; if you're in a major market, and particularly if you step into a fine-dining establishment, people are going to know you're a reviewer.<br />
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But I've been thinking about this issue lately, and in the Albany area, which feels like a small town where everybody knows everyone else, I think it's especially problematic when it comes to restaurant reviews and the lack of tough criticism. Where are you supposed to turn--<a href="http://www.yelp.com/" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, which has <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2012/12/03/andrew-zimmern-calls-yelp-a-forum-for-uninformed-morons.php" target="_blank">many skeptics</a>?<br />
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The food scene here is quite small. The same people traverse the same terrain, meeting the same people, eating and drinking at the same places, and access to the locals who run these establishments is pretty easy. And a lot of these people are genuinely nice and friendly; it can seem like one big family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uYdpcKhVPss/U3xeaGVMuAI/AAAAAAAABVs/I70h9vyzpvo/s1600/Rain+interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uYdpcKhVPss/U3xeaGVMuAI/AAAAAAAABVs/I70h9vyzpvo/s1600/Rain+interior.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interior of Rain in Albany</td></tr>
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When we go back to the idea of fair, sometimes tough, criticism, though, I think this leads to problems. Even in my very small little corner of internet food writing, I've received invites to attend a number of special events put on by restaurants and food businesses in the area. I've mostly been unable to attend because of my teaching schedule, which in some ways has made me a little sad--who doesn't want to be wined and dined and treated, you know, special? <br />
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I certainly don't begrudge anyone for attending these events; I might well have, too, if doing so hadn't meant canceling a class. But I think this has also led to some accountability issues in the local food criticism scene. It is a LOT harder to write even-handedly about an establishment if you've met the owners, if they've been totally gracious and sweet to you, and you know they're trying really hard to do a good job. The problem is, trying hard doesn't always equate to doing things well, so a lot of places out here I think get a bit of a free pass because they've played a smart (and quite possibly sincere) game of making connections with the local food writers, be it the bloggers or the folks publishing in print.<br />
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An example: It didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't really take <a href="http://metroland.net/category/food/" target="_blank">the restaurant reviews</a> in <i>Metroland</i> very seriously; review after review seemed to mention old friends of the writer's who ran the restaurant, or, even if they weren't old buddies, just what wonderful people the proprietors are. This doesn't mean that the food isn't necessarily good at these restaurants; it's just that the reviews are always glowing, but not often enough about the food. To quote Gold again, from <a href="http://www.believermag.com/issues/201209/?read=interview_gold" target="_blank">a different interview</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As a writer of criticism, the consumer thing is the least interesting thing, but as a critic, the single worst thing you can do is send a reader to waste time and money on something—even if it’s something you personally love. You have to indicate the reasons why you love it.</blockquote>
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Granted, my own (and others') <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/features/eat-this/" target="_blank">Eat This articles</a> for All Over Albany were inherently positive, too, though at least those weren't written under the guise of being reviews, per se. Still, there seem to be woefully few outlets for legitimate criticism out here. I think this does go back somewhat to Gold's point about advertising dollars and the challenges in a market like this, but that doesn't mean it can't work; I remember fondly reading the <a href="http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/ArticleArchives?category=1332599" target="_blank">Pittsburgh City Paper dining reviews</a> during my three years in that city and really learning a lot about food from the writers there (who, I'm happy to see, are still going strong several years later). And, of course, you can look to Gold's own work for <i>L.A. Weekly</i>.<br />
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I don't want this to sound like I think that what I'm doing is better than what others are doing. But I've been attacked by some <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2014/03/offensively-bad-new-orleans-cuisine-at.html?showComment=1394677809471#c2713602665480042616" target="_blank">who don't understand</a> that an honest review isn't always positive. I set out on my Eat This adventures with a lot of hope, expecting to highlight a lot of great, under-the-radar eateries. But for each restaurant I wrote about, there were typically at least three or four other places that I visited and had to cross of my list because they didn't live up to expectations. Most were mediocre to below average; a couple I felt a need to highlight on this blog because their problems stood out so egregiously.<br />
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So I want to put this out there as questions for anyone reading this: Do we need more fair and even-handed criticism in the Capital Region dining scene? Should those reviewing restaurants not be bedfellows of some sort with the proprietors? Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-61726304042772412552014-05-05T13:11:00.000-04:002014-05-17T16:22:21.101-04:00Burnt Ends and More at Bar-b-qsa in Saratoga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I stepped down from doing the <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/features/eat-this/" target="_blank">Eat This</a> articles for All Over Albany in March, necessitated by the busyness of teaching full time and preparing for a wedding (not to mention trying to slim down for it), I still had a couple restaurants on my list of hopefuls that I hadn't yet gotten to try.<br />
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Fortunately, I still have this blog (even if it has been in hibernation lately), so I can still talk about <a href="http://www.pjsbarbq.com/" target="_blank">PJ's Bar-b-qsa in Saratoga</a>, which might now be my favorite barbecue joint in the area, thanks especially to an old favorite of mine, burnt ends.<br />
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You don't see burnt ends on the menu at every barbecue restaurant, and to many the name wouldn't exactly be enticing. They're <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/what-are-burnt-ends-brisket-barbecue.html" target="_blank">a regional specialty</a>, a staple of Kansas City barbecue, and after spending two years in that area, I was thrilled to see them on the menu at Bar-b-qsa. Tasting them--and a number of other items at this casual hangout on Rt. 9 just north of Exit 13N on the Northway--was even more exciting.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I've been to Bar-b-qsa twice now, and I can now comfortably and confidently vouch for the burnt ends there, plus the State Fair chicken, Kansas City style ribs, and collard greens.<br />
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After entering the restaurant, you step ahead to a wide counter at which you order and pick up your order (and to the left there's a frozen custard station, which is super exciting and will be taste-tested on a warmer day this summer). To the right you'll find a seating area with a small bar with a few beers on tap, most notably the QSA Red Ale from Davidson Brothers, which I tried on my second visit. This is a perfectly serviceable, malty, slightly bready ale that was fun to drink from a plastic cup while the DJ behind us spun tunes from the mid-40s to early-60s.<br />
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All these elements add to the atmosphere (likely even moreso when it's warm and not raining and the seating outside can be utilized), but the key here is, of course, the food. Before I get to the main items, I want to mention the cornbread, which was soft, moist and slightly sweet, almost like pound cake, which is in contrast to what I read about in a review <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/pjs-bar-b-qsa-saratoga-springs?hrid=CcCSOMKz7Ct2pwWc5ocZ7A" target="_blank">on Yelp</a>. The changes in the cornbread show me that Bar-b-qsa is willing to listen to feedback, reevaluate their food, and make sure that what they're serving is all of good quality--something I know isn't the case at many area restaurants whose owners/chefs are either too ignorant or stubborn to make any alterations.<br />
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<b>The Burnt Ends</b><br />
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The burnt ends at Bar-b-qsa, as with most items, can be ordered on their own (in a couple different sizes) or as part of a platter. A half pound of burnt ends is $8.50, and I'll talk later about why this might be the best way to approach ordering here (as opposed to the platter). The burnt ends arrive as some kind of thrilling mystery package, fully wrapped up in paper streaked with grease--a good sign that these are going to be some tasty burnt ends.<br />
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Indeed they are, even if that flavor is distributed a bit unevenly. That's the nature of this part of the brisket; some pieces end up laced with fat that just melts in your mouth, while others are a bit drier and chewier. None of the pieces, however, are lacking in the taste of mesquite wood smoke from the barbecue, the single most important element of good barbecue.<br />
<br />
Burnt ends are burnt ends of brisket. That's why they end up with so much wonderful smokey flavor. And at Bar-b-qsa they're served unsauced, which is just fine by me. They're cooked with a rub, too, and boy do I love a good rub. I don't know what all was in it--pepper was most prominent, and maybe there was some cumin and paprika in there, too--but it was immensely flavorful, especially when combined with the smokiness and fattiness.<br />
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<b>State Fair Chicken and the rest</b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cz4ThuEV6X8/U2cuXlLqLmI/AAAAAAAABU8/__4NZLAKysk/s1600/Barbqsa+Cornell+chicken+and+cornbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cz4ThuEV6X8/U2cuXlLqLmI/AAAAAAAABU8/__4NZLAKysk/s1600/Barbqsa+Cornell+chicken+and+cornbread.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I've never been to the New York State Fair, and I'd never actually had <a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/CornellChickenBarbecue.htm" target="_blank">State Fair chicken</a> before (I was familiar with it from picking up a <a href="http://shop.spiedie.com/statefairchickensauce.aspx" target="_blank">bottle of the sauce</a> in the supermarket and trying it on chicken at home, however), but I can safely say that Bar-b-qsa does a very nice job with their version of this upstate specialty. <br />
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The restaurant's rotisserie (over charcoal) is on display behind the counter, and that's one of the keys to this chicken turning out well. The skin was full of flavor, while the meat inside was juicy. The skin had great taste from the State Fair spice rub, which had been applied liberally, highlighting the herbs that make up the poultry seasoning and, once again, pepper. I got hints of sourness--maybe from lemon juice, maybe from the cider vinegar in the recipe?)--along with some garlic. Overall the flavor here was complex and very enjoyable.<br />
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On our second visit, K got the <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/05/barbecue-kansas-city-style-ribs-recipe.html" target="_blank">Kansas City style ribs</a>, which were seasoned well and covered in the restaurant's Kansas City style barbecue sauce (tomato-based and sweet). These were good ribs: the meat was tender and pink, and the sauce was a good complement (not overwhelming) to the fattiness and smokiness.<br />
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Speaking of the sauces--because any good barbecue joint needs to have good sauces that they make themselves--there's the aforementioned Kansas City style at Bar-b-qsa, plus a Memphis whiskey sauce and a hot sauce (not a barbecue sauce) that seems like a thickened version of something like Texas Pete. My favorites were a hickory sauce--kind of smokey, not too sweet--and a spicy take on their regular sauce. There's a whole sauce station at Bar-b-qsa which allows diners to get small cups of as many sauces as they like. With the variety offered, there's no doubt everyone will find at least one to their liking.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-juRYtMYqzk0/U2cvsGJTrpI/AAAAAAAABVI/EoFY7jRo0Us/s1600/Barbqsa+black+eyed+peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-juRYtMYqzk0/U2cvsGJTrpI/AAAAAAAABVI/EoFY7jRo0Us/s1600/Barbqsa+black+eyed+peas.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>As far as the sides go, the ones that come with the platters aren't terribly exciting--this is the one way in which I think Dinosaur Bar-B-Que holds their own in a comparison of these two restaurants. You receive two sides with a platter; among those we've tried are the mac and cheese, the fried okra, the corn on the cob, and a couple recent additions--a black eyed pea salad and a cup of cheese grits.<br />
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These were all fine. In particular, I thought the black eyed peas, which were interspersed with some small bits of red onion, were quite refreshing when eaten alongside the fatty burnt ends. But none really stood out as special.<br />
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On our second visit I decided not to get a platter because of the ordinary nature of the sides; instead I got a half pound of the burnt ends ala carte, plus a side (not from the sides menu, but from the "joint favorites" section of the menu) of collard greens. A small cup was $3.25, which seemed like a fair price, and these were quite good--the greens clearly cooked low and slow with bits of pork in a vinegar-based broth. I love the way Southern greens pair with meaty, fatty barbecue, and these didn't disappoint in any way. I only wish they were available as one of the platter sides. <br />
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Overall, there's no argument that Bar-b-qsa is one of the premier barbecue restaurants in the region. Dinosaur is in contention for that top spot, I'd say, though it's hard for any smaller restaurant to compete with Dinosaur, which has the ability to churn out a wider variety of items (particularly sides) because of the practically guaranteed crowd of patrons visiting daily.<br />
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Bar-b-qsa is a fun place for a real barbecue meal, and I say that without even visiting once the weather has warmed up and crowds are filling the place (and the tables outside) up. The burnt ends alone are worth driving for, no matter where you are in the Capital Region in relation to Saratoga, but to talk only about them would be a disservice to the other excellent barbecued meats being served at Bar-b-qsa.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.pjsbarbq.com/" target="_blank">PJ's Bar-b-qsa</a> is located at 1 Kaydeross Ave. West in Saratoga Springs, NY</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-72449444502248005652014-03-17T15:26:00.001-04:002014-03-18T00:54:11.034-04:00St. Paddy's Day IPA Roundup: Bell's Hopslam, Brooklyn Blast!, Smuttynose Noonan Black IPA, and Victory DirtWolf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3H2UeZbrI-s/Uya05LWOOfI/AAAAAAAABSo/q84rb-j09Zc/s1600/IPA+Roundup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3H2UeZbrI-s/Uya05LWOOfI/AAAAAAAABSo/q84rb-j09Zc/s1600/IPA+Roundup.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></div>
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None of these beers are green. Some of them have some green on the labels. Is that enough to make this post acceptable for St. Patrick's Day?<br />
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It's not like I've ever really subscribed to the notion that one should drink green beer on St. Patrick's Day--I can't recall ever having a green beer, though that might speak more to my social life than anything else.<br />
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So for anyone not doing the bar scene today, but still looking to enjoy a nice beer at home, here are a few options, all types of IPAs, all at least good and worthy of trying.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/19-Hopslam+Ale" target="_blank">Bell's Hopslam</a></b><br />
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It had been several years since I'd tried Hopslam--I'm thinking around six, way back when I was spending some of my days in Southwest Missouri--and I was still something of a craft beer neophyte in those days. After all those years, after honing my palate and developing a real affinity for IPAs, it was interesting to go back and try this beer that I remember as just overpowering my taste buds. It was too strong, too bitter for me at that point.<br />
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Now? Different story. Did I always have a taste for the bitter but, as somebody who never really used to drink coffee, let alone strongly-hopped beers, needed to hone those specific taste buds? Or did I actually train my taste buds in a way by drinking more IPAs and more coffee in recent years?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j8scmn2IP2s/UydKveoqokI/AAAAAAAABS4/b1eOjJZ8eDg/s1600/Hopslam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j8scmn2IP2s/UydKveoqokI/AAAAAAAABS4/b1eOjJZ8eDg/s1600/Hopslam.jpg" height="320" width="236" /></a>Whatever the answer to those questions, I now fully appreciate Hopslam, though I'm still not sure I'd rank it up as high as some of my favorite IPAs, like Heady Topper and Lagunitas Sucks. The 10% ABV is noticeable, and I still think this is a pretty heavy beer, even compared to other double IPAs. Maybe the honey that's added to Hopslam contributes to this (and to the bit of sweetness in the background), but I don't really mind. I like a little variety, even amongst beers of the same style.<br />
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As for the hops, there's great, fresh flavor here. Not to the same level as in a newly-canned Heady Topper--the vibrancy of the hops there is almost over the top--but enough so that the flavors really pop and outshine the thickness and sweetness. There's a lot of good grapefruit flavor in there, and certainly a strong trailing bitterness.<br />
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This is an impressive beer for someone who likes IPAs and is accustomed to these flavors. I'm glad my palate seems to have progressed to a point where I can fully appreciate this one, especially since I still have five bottles left!<br />
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<b><a href="http://brooklynbrewery.com/brooklyn-beers/perennial-brews/brooklyn-blast" target="_blank">Brooklyn Blast!</a></b><br />
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I found this while wandering around Whole Foods in Paramus about a month ago, the first time I'd encountered it. Since Whole Foods doesn't upcharge for singles (in this case exactly 1/4th of the price of the four pack), I figured it was worth a try.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dBa1YlZva8c/UydK-qa2WTI/AAAAAAAABTA/ZlZeq46El6U/s1600/Brooklyn+Blast_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dBa1YlZva8c/UydK-qa2WTI/AAAAAAAABTA/ZlZeq46El6U/s1600/Brooklyn+Blast_edited-1.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a>In the double IPA category, at 8.4% ABV, it's nice to see Blast! seems to now be a part of Brooklyn's regular rotation. This is a good beer, though it obviously suffers in comparison to others in this style.<br />
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But Blast! does distinguish itself from many of these other American DIPAs because of the hops featured. As described on Brooklyn's website, "we use earthy English hops to build the foundation and bright citrusy American hops to bring the noise." This is a pretty well-balanced beer, especially for those in this style. Maybe it's the way those English hops harmonize with the malty backbone, but the citrusy hop flavor isn't so prominent here, and even the bitterness seems somewhat minimized.<br />
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Granted, I love those citrusy hop flavors, so this is never going to be near the top of my list of double IPAs. But it was enjoyable enough that I wouldn't hesitate to have this again.<br />
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<b><a href="http://smuttynose.com/beers/seasonal_beers/noonan-black-ipa.html" target="_blank">Smuttynose Noonan Black IPA</a></b><br />
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This beer was available at Trader Joe's for something under $2 per bottle, more than reasonable for a new beer from a well-respected brewery. Named after late brewing pioneer Greg Noonan, this isn't your average IPA. The color alone will give that away; it looks like a porter or stout, but supposedly has the hops to bring those IPA flavors.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oziuHfqnkKc/UydLEhkrmbI/AAAAAAAABTI/fsORhg95ggA/s1600/Smuttynose+Noonan+Black+IPA_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oziuHfqnkKc/UydLEhkrmbI/AAAAAAAABTI/fsORhg95ggA/s1600/Smuttynose+Noonan+Black+IPA_edited-1.jpg" height="200" width="172" /></a>I say supposedly because I honestly didn't get those flavors. What I tasted was definitely more in line with a porter. Maybe I just drink with my eyes too much? Now, this isn't to say the taste here was bad. The roasted malts present do create a satisfying taste, but there was something slightly off here. Maybe that was the addition of the hops--but the sign that they just didn't harmonize particularly well with the other elements of this beer. <br />
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Mouthfeel wise this one is moderately thin and well-carbonated. It's only 5.7% ABV, so it drinks pretty easily, but there was nothing about this--at least to the way I tasted it, and I did let it warm sufficiently to make sure I was getting all the notes--that made it stand out to me.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.victorybeer.com/beers/dirtwolf-double-ipa/" target="_blank">Victory DirtWolf Double IPA</a></b><br />
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Yet another double IPA, and another recent addition to shelves, Victory's DirtWolf replaces their past Hop Wallop IPA. Victory is one of those beers that I tend to trust with pretty much any of their products, so when I found this on tap at The Hollow in Albany, I was excited to give it a try.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfqxmhYqUyk/UydLy9S4imI/AAAAAAAABTc/vM9fx_oIL20/s1600/Victory+DirtWolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfqxmhYqUyk/UydLy9S4imI/AAAAAAAABTc/vM9fx_oIL20/s1600/Victory+DirtWolf.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
I'm glad I did. Again, we're talking stiff competition in this style, but I think DirtWolf is an excellent addition, just a notch below the very top of this group. On tap at The Hollow I found it to be very smooth, refreshing with the bold pop of the citrusy hop flavors, and only moderately bitter on the finish. The Simcoe and Mosaic hops add a nice layer of earthiness and spiciness in the background; I'm never the biggest fan of strongly pine-flavored hops in my IPAs, but here I think the balance is just right.<br />
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For anyone in the Saratoga area, I just saw a four pack of DirtWolf on sale at <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-i-like-healthy-living-market-in.html" target="_blank">Healthy Living Market</a> for $8.99. I didn't pick any up because I'm a little overstocked right now, particularly as I try to limit my beer consumption for the time being and slim down a bit, but it's a deal I would have otherwise jumped on.<br />
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In some ways I think it's easy to look at all these IPAs and double IPAs that are, in a way, flooding the market and get worried about over-saturation. I've always been a fan of drinking a variety of beers, but lately I've been mostly into IPAs, so I'm not complaining. Sure, I think at some point in the next couple years we're going to see a push back, and even true hop heads are probably going to be pushing for breweries to focus efforts more in other directions. But this is a great time to be a fan of these beers. Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-36528176311964654942014-03-11T14:35:00.000-04:002014-03-11T17:35:05.500-04:00Offensively Bad "New Orleans" Cuisine at Nanola Restaurant in Malta <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKckUTdZagM/Ux6yxpUSJAI/AAAAAAAABRg/ClNLk19s6IQ/s1600/Nanola+interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKckUTdZagM/Ux6yxpUSJAI/AAAAAAAABRg/ClNLk19s6IQ/s1600/Nanola+interior.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
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A few weeks ago I thought I had a brilliant idea for an Eat This article: feature a classic New Orleans dish from the new <a href="http://nanolamalta.com/cajun_american_restaurant_bar_menu_nanola_malta_saratoga_clifton_park.html" target="_blank">Nanola restaurant</a> and bar in Malta on Fat Tuesday. My upcoming piece was to be posted on March 4, the start of Mardi Gras, the perfect day to publish such an article. I'd been wanting to get out to try out Nanola and figured this was as good an excuse as any.<br />
<br />
There were several options that appealed to us, any of which would have been fine to focus on for an Eat This piece. We ordered the alligator bites as an appetizer, I had the jambalaya for my entree, while K got an oyster po' boy. And there was the promise of beignets for dessert. <br />
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But just as I wrote about a couple weeks ago with my <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-disappointing-meal-at-capital.html" target="_blank">visit to The Capital</a>, my hopes of eating something worth writing about were dashed. While the failure at The Capital was rooted in brutally bad execution, the issues at Nanola run even deeper. Not only were the dishes we ordered at Nanola executed poorly, but they were also failures conceptually. Just wait until you see the picture of my "jambalaya" for proof.<br />
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It was so bad, I have to say, that when it came time to think about dessert, we passed on those beignets. Here--with another first-hand report from K--are the reasons why we came to that decision. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>Nanola's odd name is a combination of "nanotech," since the Malta area is known for housing that industry, and "Nola," an abbreviation for New Orleans. Opened late in the fall of 2013, <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/40743/nanola-aka-bayou-cafe-malta-to-have-soft-opening-this-weekend/" target="_blank">Nanola has connections</a> to the old Bayou Cafe in Albany (that space now houses The Hollow, which I <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2014/02/18/tempeh-burger-at-the-hollow" target="_blank">actually do like</a>). After my visit to Nanola, I heard some bad things about the Bayou; I only wish I'd known those before this experience.<br />
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I don't have any personal connection to New Orleans' creole and cajun cuisine; I've never even been to Louisiana. I've always had a fondness for the flavors and styles of many of the dishes associated with New Orleans, though. It didn't hurt my optimism that Nanola also has a pretty good beer list, so I started my meal off by ordering a pint of <a href="http://www.ballastpoint.com/beer/sculpin/" target="_blank">Ballast Point Sculpin</a>. This is one of the best IPAs you can find, a perfect representation of the San Diego style.<br />
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That was a good start, but alas, it was all downhill from there. While studying the menus, we also took in the atmosphere. There was some good--an old tuba hanging from the ceiling, light fixtures meant to evoke the French Quarter, and windows on an interior wall with printed scenes featuring New Orleans revelry behind them. K immediately noticed that those printed images were highly pixelated, probably pulled off the Internet and blown up, the kind of shoddy work we'd soon find applied to our food.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lSBPgUe8zBM/Ux6zunooNKI/AAAAAAAABRs/RBAR4pAxzq4/s1600/Nanola+alligator+bites+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lSBPgUe8zBM/Ux6zunooNKI/AAAAAAAABRs/RBAR4pAxzq4/s1600/Nanola+alligator+bites+1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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With this image in our minds, we decided to forego the oysters (the thinking was: if a restaurant takes this little care with these images right across from most of the dining tables, then would they take good care with their oysters?) and instead get the alligator bites. These deep fried pieces of alligator meat were listed as "market price," which turned out to be $10. <br />
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I don't know much about the cost of alligator meat, but this felt a little high after trying the appetizer. There were 14 of these "minuscule" bites, to use K's description, and the ratio of breading to meat was definitely slanted to the side of the breading. If you want to hear about the breading, head down to K's description of her po' boy; the oysters in there were fried in the same unpleasant style.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pZQ8o3FQIz0/Ux60paTavDI/AAAAAAAABR4/FATNOKlWauM/s1600/Nanola+alligator+bites+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pZQ8o3FQIz0/Ux60paTavDI/AAAAAAAABR4/FATNOKlWauM/s1600/Nanola+alligator+bites+2.jpg" height="287" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mysterious meat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Meanwhile, the meat. This alligator meat--of which there wasn't much--was fine, tender enough, but tasted like pork chop meat. In fact, K is convinced that it actually was pork, not alligator. Not that we don't like pork, but it's not what we were expecting. With no seasoning, not even salt, that left the dipping sauce--which tasted like me to a sriracha aioli--as the sole provider of flavor. It was fine, but you still need seasoning on the product, and the greasy breading was overpowering.<br />
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Not a good start. K was already feeling disappointed, and then her oyster po' boy arrived. I swear, I saw some real sadness in her eyes when she saw it. Let's let her explain why:<br />
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***</div>
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My mother taught me to never say food is disgusting. She said that if I was ever served something I found strange or offensive, I should simply say, “That was interesting.” And so I suppose I should say that Nanola’s oyster po’ boy was . . . interesting. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6d6-FoXSpU/Ux61LZQ-NVI/AAAAAAAABSA/f707eqXVvug/s1600/Nanola+po+boy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6d6-FoXSpU/Ux61LZQ-NVI/AAAAAAAABSA/f707eqXVvug/s1600/Nanola+po+boy+1.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></div>
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First, there was a pickle speared on top of the sandwich. I have no idea why the chef thought this was a good idea, and I certainly don’t want pickle juice on my bread. The bread was a long ciabatta roll that was dry and difficult to bite through instead of the crusty, fluffy French bread or soft hoagie roll that I’d expected. Then there was coleslaw on my sandwich, which is a serious transgression in and of itself. I despise coleslaw in general, and I especially hate it as a sandwich topping because it seeps its juice onto everything beneath it. Maybe coleslaw can be an okay element on top of cold cuts that won’t soak up the juices, but on top of breaded, fried oysters, it just served to make the breading soggy. </div>
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And the oysters were, shall we say, interesting. First, they were really small, and I wondered if they might be canned oysters that had been dunked in a batter and fried, but then one of the oysters was nearly raw, and canned oysters are generally cooked through and slightly chewy. There were four oysters on the sandwich, which is a stingy serving, especially for a sandwich that costs $12.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8mV6R2DBD3I/Ux61YIAdbII/AAAAAAAABSI/2nxHdQ7f0Fw/s1600/Nanola+po+boy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8mV6R2DBD3I/Ux61YIAdbII/AAAAAAAABSI/2nxHdQ7f0Fw/s1600/Nanola+po+boy+2.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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The po’ boy was bulked up with anemic tomatoes, big pieces of romaine, and the aforementioned coleslaw. The oysters were just a minor part of the sandwich, whereas in a good oyster po’ boy the oysters should be the star. When I order a po’ boy, I want a generous serving of oysters, good soft or crusty bread, a tasty remoulade, and maybe some lettuce for coolness and crispness. Traditionally, the oysters in a po’ boy are fried in a cornmeal batter, but in this case the batter was greasy, puffy, and tasteless with no cornmeal. When I plucked an oyster off the sandwich and tried it on its own, the predominant flavor of the batter was grease (with a slight hint of coleslaw drippings). </div>
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Oh, and there was no sauce of any kind on the sandwich. I guess the coleslaw was supposed to just drip its mayo slime onto the oysters, but, as I’ve already mentioned, this just created sogginess with no boost in flavor. Sorry, Mom, but this sandwich was disgusting. </div>
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***</div>
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So there was that. And then there was my jambalaya. I shouldn't have even ordered it, considering the cost--$14 plus a two-dollar addition for shrimp--felt too high. But I did order it, and I received this:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2DqNFS6FS1Q/Ux61nuPd_4I/AAAAAAAABSQ/dyVqDW4MkBM/s1600/Nanola+jambalaya+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2DqNFS6FS1Q/Ux61nuPd_4I/AAAAAAAABSQ/dyVqDW4MkBM/s1600/Nanola+jambalaya+1.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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Not unattractive plating. Except that is <i>not</i> what jambalaya is supposed to look like. A quick <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=jambalaya&espv=210&es_sm=91&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0GIdU7uPFuKbygGXwICwCA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=643" target="_blank">Google image search</a> reveals just how wrong Nanola's version is. I can see the thinking behind the scenes at Nanola right now. "Let's make this 'fancy' so we can charge more for it. Put some white rice down in the middle. Who wants that messy looking stuff anyway?"</div>
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Point #1: If you don't know what jambalaya is--or, for that matter, if you don't know how to make a po' boy properly--then you probably shouldn't open a New Orleans-themed restaurant. Honestly, I find the failings of The Capital pale in contrast to these at Nanola; these are such fundamental mistakes, blatant examples of ignorance of the cuisine, that I think it's an insult the customers who patronize this establishment. At least at The Capital they were trying some interesting, different things.</div>
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You don't have to have even visited New Orleans to know what jambalaya should look--let alone taste--like. Turn on <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/throwdown-with-bobby-flay/1-series/jambalaya.html" target="_blank">the Food Network</a>. Hell, read the recipe right on the Food Network page if you're a chef and have never made it before. Instead, I get the sense that the owners of Nanola figure that if enough patrons come to drink alcohol and listen to live music, diners there won't care what the food is like.</div>
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In effect, they're telling all of us diners in the Capital Region that we're too ignorant, too uncultured, to know any better. (Or they don't have a clue, which is just crazy to think about.) Of course, if we're willing to just <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_share?bizid=2IYAL00vMv3bSxQgX24cPw&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz%2Fnanola-malta&reviewid=EjwxfaEVmIWrJApUpHQwKA" target="_blank">come on right back</a> after a bad experience, maybe they're right. I just want diners out here to be tougher, more honest with themselves and with restaurants. Somebody has to hold restaurateurs to some standards. We already know it's not going to come from any of the mainstream media in the area. That's why I write pieces like this, after all. Not to be a jerk, but to hopefully help push others to care a little more.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-17Zh26kMGTM/Ux616Zfk9sI/AAAAAAAABSY/mA6-u5o045s/s1600/Jambalaya+not+jambalaya_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-17Zh26kMGTM/Ux616Zfk9sI/AAAAAAAABSY/mA6-u5o045s/s1600/Jambalaya+not+jambalaya_edited-1.jpg" height="147" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: Jambalaya. Right: Not jambalaya</td></tr>
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Anyway, Point #2: Even if you're going to stray from tradition, you can still make something taste good. Nanola couldn't pull that off, either, with this jambalaya. The chunks of chicken were bland, the shrimp was cooked okay but not really integrated into the dish, the andouille sausage was fine (tough to screw that up if you're not making it yourself), and the vegetables were minimal--just a handful of green bell pepper pieces scattered about.</div>
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The major issue was the sauce. This was a tomato sauce, probably just canned tomato puree, and it was really one-note. Or two-note, I guess. There was the tomato, somewhat harsh and bitter tasting, and there was heat, seemingly from cayenne powder. It was no more complex than that, which is disappointing when considering <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cajun-chicken-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe.html" target="_blank">the herb blend</a> that typically goes into jambalaya. At this point, I think it's clear why we gave up on the idea of ordering beignets. </div>
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Finally--though I should say this isn't my biggest concern, just a minor peeve--I got the bill (on an iPad, so it wasn't as if they were expecting people to pay by bills and coins) and found that it had been rounded up by nine cents to the nearest quarter. This <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/33984/is-it-legal-to-round-up-the-bill/" target="_blank">isn't entirely unusual</a>, for this area or elsewhere, but it's still off-putting to see this "rounding adjustment" on the bill, particularly when it's not about A) trying to get lines to move more quickly, like in the Chipotle case, or B) trying to eliminate change. With prices like those listed above, it's not as if people are often going to be paying with cash at Nanola.</div>
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Of course, unless there are serious changes made in the quality of food at Nanola, I don't think people should--or will--be paying for much food there going forward, no matter what the method of payment. And if the business can't stay afloat on the back of its alcohol offerings, then I hope the owners make the most of the extra change they collected from customers.</div>
Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-34221269659104170052014-02-25T12:10:00.000-05:002014-02-25T12:10:14.337-05:00A Disappointing Meal at The Capital American Eatery and Lounge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The process of discovery has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing my <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/features/eat-this/" target="_blank">Eat This!</a> articles for <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/" target="_blank">All Over Albany</a>. Being fairly new to the area, it's given extra incentive to searching the region for good dishes--sometimes at new restaurants, sometimes at restaurants that are just new to me.<br />
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But the flip side of this is that there are a lot of restaurants I've checked out that turn out to be mediocre or worse. Often, these experiences don't warrant mentioning (well, maybe if I had more free time to work on my blog they would)--but when an experience is particularly notable for all the wrong reasons, I think it's worth discussing here.<br />
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And that's the case with our recent visit to <a href="http://www.thecapitallounge.com/welcome.asp" target="_blank">The Capital American Eatery & Lounge</a> in downtown Albany. Sure, there was some good to be had--I certainly liked the pint of the <a href="http://ithacabeer.com/flower-power/" target="_blank">Ithaca Flower Power IPA</a> I had--but K and I found such frustration with our food that in a first, she's going to be contributing her own extensive account of what was wrong with her dish.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Before that, let me set things up and give my take on things. We'd had our eye on The Capital since its opening late last summer; from the look of <a href="http://www.thecapitallounge.com/menu.asp" target="_blank">the menu</a>, to the <a href="http://www.thecapitallounge.com/about.asp" target="_blank">attractive interior</a> and the appealing beer list, this sounded like the kind of place we'd happily welcome to the dining scene in Albany. They offer locally-grown products and feature a list of draft beers all from the state of New York; I love seeing restaurants out here actually highlight locally- and regionally-sourced products.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5OtTkc7TKsk/UwxCzqopW-I/AAAAAAAABRE/i9wF-jaCJ1Y/s1600/Old+Chatham+camembert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5OtTkc7TKsk/UwxCzqopW-I/AAAAAAAABRE/i9wF-jaCJ1Y/s1600/Old+Chatham+camembert.jpg" height="201" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hudson Valley Camembert</td></tr>
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I was interested in the Char-Grilled Cornish Game Hen as a possible dish to write about for Eat This, but more on that later. We decided to start with the New York State Cheese Board ($12). Featuring a chevre from <a href="http://www.nettlemeadow.com/" target="_blank">Nettle Meadow Farm</a> and the <a href="http://shop.blacksheepcheese.com/product/4-hudson-valley-camembert-square" target="_blank">Hudson Valley Camembert</a> and <a href="http://shop.blacksheepcheese.com/cheese/product/9-ewe-s-blue-wedge" target="_blank">Ewe's Blue</a> from Old Chatham Sheepherding Co., we were pleased with all three of these cheeses, particularly the camembert.<br />
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Still, The Capital even managed to screw up this cheese board. "How is that possible?" you might be asking. Well, the major issue was the roast beef, which was supposed to be smoked, according to the menu, but didn't taste of smoke, beef, or anything, really. It was rolled up, sliced too thick, and difficult to cut with our dinner knives, let alone chew.<br />
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K ordered what she thought was a pretty safe dish, one we both expected to be good, the short ribs ($16). How does a restaurant ruin such a dish? Let's let K tell the story. This is worth reading.<br />
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At the Capital American Eatery I was served very disappointing short ribs. The plate came out with one rib on it, the meat looking firm, and a large blob of fat encapsulating one entire side of the rib. The dish also came with a steak knife. I believe short ribs are often served with this kind of knife, but in general the diner is not sawing away at the short rib as if it were an old oak that had to be sawed down before it crashed through a roof.<br />
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I poked at the meat, and it did not move. It was a solid mass. There was no falling off the bone here. It had to be hacked off the bone. I cut a slice (a slice of short rib! Not a soft, tender bite of fatty, rich meat) and stared down at a grayish-brown piece of meat on my fork. Although the dish was advertised as being served in a burgundy sauce, the stingy serving of sauce resided on the mound of mashed potatoes below the short rib.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rq9v8SPV5GU/UwxEOope-wI/AAAAAAAABRQ/RgtC_AcoL7o/s1600/The+Capital+exterior+copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rq9v8SPV5GU/UwxEOope-wI/AAAAAAAABRQ/RgtC_AcoL7o/s1600/The+Capital+exterior+copy.png" height="320" width="198" /></a>The meat tasted like an unseasoned, overcooked piece of steak that had been zapped in the microwave. There was no detectable salt on the meat, and without dunking it into the mashed potato/burgundy sauce beneath it, it was almost flavorless. I cut another piece, and the knife went more smoothly through the meat (no hacking this time), and then I realized that what I’d speared onto my fork was a hunk of fat.<br />
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The rib needed a few more hours of cook time. I would honestly guess three or four more hours would be necessary in order for the meat to soften and the fat to melt into the cooking liquid. The meat was also drastically under-seasoned, and I couldn’t remedy this because there were no salt and pepper shakers on the table. I searched nearby tables for condiments, but there were none.<br />
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I thought about whether to even ask for salt and pepper. A restaurant that doesn’t place these condiments on the table has a certain level of confidence that their food is seasoned to perfection. Yet I was hungry and felt that leaving my entire meal behind would be a waste of money. Finally, I asked the waitress if they might have salt and pepper. She looked a bit surprised but immediately fetched salt and pepper shakers for me from behind the bar.<br />
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The salt helped a bit, but I could only eat a few more bites of the short ribs. The pieces I cut off alternated between hard slices that tasted like overcooked steak and globs of fat. I ultimately left about 60% of my meal behind (the only thing I ate all of on the plate were the mashed potatoes). There were too many execution errors in this dish; it simply wasn’t ready to be presented to a diner. I appreciate the idea of offering a homey, hearty dish, but the chefs need to make sure to give a dish like this the time it needs to cook and to properly season their food.<br />
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I probably don't need to say much after that thorough take-down of the mistakes made by The Capital, but the problem is that my Char-Grilled Cornish Game Hen ($14) might have been even worse than the short ribs, for the main reason that it tasted wrong enough that K speculated that it might be spoiled. She described it as a rancid sourness. (In fact, parts of the bird seemed to have not been cooked through.) I ended up leaving much of it uneaten, partly because of the rawness, but primarily because I'd given up on it tasting good enough to consume.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qMS5yZTV2vI/Uww-4LKNIeI/AAAAAAAABQ4/iLFZobXb8sk/s1600/The+Capital+Game+Hen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qMS5yZTV2vI/Uww-4LKNIeI/AAAAAAAABQ4/iLFZobXb8sk/s1600/The+Capital+Game+Hen.jpg" /></a></div>
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The game hen had piqued my interest because I know this can be a very tasty bird, but the description on the menu--marinated in herbs and dry vermouth and served with spinach gnocchi and tossed with braised kale and bacon--made this sound inventive, unique, and potentially really good, just the kind of dish I like to highlight in my Eat This articles.</div>
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I don't think the game hen was actually spoiled. Instead, I'm guessing that something just went wrong in terms of the way this dish was conceptualized or in terms of how the vermouth was used. Neither K or I are drinkers of dry vermouth, so maybe it was just that the flavor of it was too strong and aggressive for our palates in this dish. Even if that's situation, it's the responsibility of the chef to find a good balance of flavors--including the vermouth--and that was just not happening here.</div>
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On top of that, the gnocchi was very bland, seemingly boiled and unseasoned and then tossed on the plate. And the kale and bacon mixture was incredibly off-putting as it was disgustingly gritty. Gritty from what, exactly? Who knows--perhaps the kale wasn't properly cleaned, but I can't be sure. I got bites of the grit multiple times--probably about half a dozen--before I gave up on the kale.</div>
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This was a rather grand failure on just about every front by The Capital, which is a shame because we were so hopeful. And this is a very nice use of the space, highlighted by a rather large, open bar area at the rear of the restaurant, which seemed both popular and well-stocked in terms of beer, wine, and spirits. <br />
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However, if the plan is to showcase <i>both</i> the food and the alcohol, a lot more effort and care needs to be put into the food at The Capital.<br />
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<i>The Capital American Eatery & Lounge is located at 55 N. Pearl Street in Albany</i></div>
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Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-85774239858722606442014-02-11T13:59:00.001-05:002014-02-11T13:59:15.398-05:00My Many Frustrations with Capital Region Coffee Shops<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9R58-CjlCnA/UviRmMyH78I/AAAAAAAABPw/cwZ3ZY4KKNs/s1600/Rev+coffee+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9R58-CjlCnA/UviRmMyH78I/AAAAAAAABPw/cwZ3ZY4KKNs/s1600/Rev+coffee+1.jpg" height="310" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Rev Coffee House in Hudson</td></tr>
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Back in Boone, NC, where K and I lived for a year before moving up here to the Capital Region, there's a coffee shop called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Espresso-News-Low-Wine-Bar/185155824836076" target="_blank">Espresso News</a> that we were particularly fond of. I've been thinking of Espresso News lately because I've been fairly underwhelmed by our local coffee shops.<br />
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What was it about Espresso News? Part of the appeal was the shop's location; it was a five minute walk down the hill from where we lived. Where we are now, in the hinterlands of the Latham/Watervliet suburbs, there's no choice but to get in a car. <br />
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But beyond that, Espresso News was a place that exuded the vibe of Boone itself: relaxed, an open space for everyone from students to professors to business professionals to tourists. Downstairs was a simple, open room with many tables and outlets, while upstairs--remodeled to include a wine/beer/dessert bar--there were more tables and a number of cushioned chairs. The coffee, roasted in-house, was excellent.<br />
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That's not to say it was perfect. Sometimes it was impossible to find a seat because it was so convenient and popular; sometimes there were--how's a polite way to put this?--outdoorsy hipsters of a certain Boone brand who smelled as if they hadn't bathed in a week. This could be...distracting. But maybe this was part of its charm; you never knew what you'd see there. Once we saw a pig on a leash in the outdoor seating area.<br />
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Ultimately, Espresso News was just the kind of spot K and I like for a coffee shop. It was usually a great spot for us to settle in for a few hours and work. As writers and teachers we both find this to be the most important aspect in a coffee shop. The place was open late every night, so being, uh, not morning people, we didn't have to worry about the shop closing while we were on a roll.<br />
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I understand that there are some places in the Albany area that are <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2014/01/21/talking-about-coffee-culture-in-the-capital-region" target="_blank">making some good coffee</a> and espresso drinks, but as I said, that's not the most important aspect of a coffee shop for us. Here I want to explore some of the problems I've found in in these area coffee shops, and highlight a place we found in Hudson that we really like (except that it's almost an hour away).<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Coffee Shop or Restaurant?</b><br />
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First off: I understand that in some ways this might be a business decision--selling more food to make more money. That said, so many area coffee shops act like restaurants. At a place like <a href="http://professorjavas.com/" target="_blank">Professor Java's</a> in Colonie, the table service is fine except that sometimes they forget about you and it takes a long time just to get your drink. Or it takes a long time to pay and get out; you sort of need to plan ahead if you need to run.<br />
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It's pretty much the same way at <a href="http://dailygrind.com/" target="_blank">The Daily Grind</a> in Troy where--and maybe it's just me--I always feel a little awkward getting just a coffee and sitting down to work for a while, and the tables are too small for more than one person to work at. <br />
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At <a href="http://dailygrind.com/" target="_blank">Uncommon Grounds</a> in Albany, there always seem to be so many people in line to get food, and then sitting down to eat, that even though there's no table service the wait time in line can be a little long. (I also always wonder if I need to wait in line behind the food orderers if I'm just getting a drink--is it okay to cut the line in those circumstances?) And then due to that popularity, it can be crowded enough that it's hard to find a table to work at.<br />
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The idea of a coffee shop posing as a restaurant isn't the biggest issue, but it can be annoying in combination with other factors. And it's something I feel is somewhat unique to the coffee shops in this area, at least compared to the several other places we've lived over the past decade.<br />
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<b>Limited Hours and the Market</b><br />
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Granted, this wouldn't be as much of an issue if we were morning people, but especially being on college teaching schedules, with unique hours and lots and lots of work to do outside the classroom (grading 75 essays can be time consuming and best aided by caffeine), late hours for a coffee shop can be particularly useful. And it's just nice to be out and doing something--not always at a bar--at night sometimes.<br />
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Outside of Starbucks, there aren't many coffee shops that actually stay open past 6 p.m. out here. In Troy, for instance, there are no options currently that offer hours beyond six on a regular basis (the <a href="http://lucasconfectionery.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lucas Confectionery</a> doesn't count because every time I've been there or observed it it's always seemed too crowded and too lively for working). The same goes for downtown Albany, such as on Lark Street, where The Daily Grind and Caffe Vero also close fairly early (Caffe Vero is open somewhat later--8 p.m. during the week--but there's barely any seating in there).<br />
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Our favorite coffee shop in the area might be <a href="http://www.perfectblendcafe.com/index.html" target="_blank">Perfect Blend</a> in Delmar--even though I always forget the name and just call it the Dave Matthews Cafe because of all the concert posters on their walls--but they're not open later than six. <br />
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There are a few places that do stay open later, but I think Professor Java's is the only one of these places located outside the Pine Hills or UAlbany areas. That makes sense as studying students can certainly use late night coffee shops to haunt, but the fact that there seems to be little market outside those students leads me to other questions.<br />
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Namely, what is it about residents of this area--particularly in the cities, downtown Albany and Troy, where I'd have naturally assumed there'd be such a market--that there's no need or desire for coffee shops that are open late? Where do people on dates go, say, after dinner or a movie if they don't want to go to a bar?<br />
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I think it also might speak to a lacking literary scene in this area. In so many other cities, you'll find people working at independent coffee shops, hammering away on stories, novels, screenplays. But overall I've found that--even with the presence of the New York State Writers Institute--there isn't a very vibrant literary scene in this area (I've heard this from others, too, who have lived in the area longer than I have). <br />
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Not to denigrate state workers, but I suppose this might be a result of living in a place where so many residents work in government. While there are pockets of art and culture in the area, for the most part these are just not very mainstream, and I think that spills over to the coffee shop culture.<br />
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<b>Uninspiring Settings</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDM_vFnNR_0/UviTy0fy_VI/AAAAAAAABQI/dKWIKDC-ugs/s1600/Hudson+River+Iced+Coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FDM_vFnNR_0/UviTy0fy_VI/AAAAAAAABQI/dKWIKDC-ugs/s1600/Hudson+River+Iced+Coffee.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iced coffee at Hudson River</td></tr>
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There are a couple parts to this--let's go back to Espresso News as an example. First, the upstairs especially was quite attractive there, comfortable, cozy. But downstairs, even though it wasn't beautiful or anything, there were just all these people working away on their computers or reading--it was inspiring and made me want to be productive.<br />
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In terms of aesthetics, it's hard to say what works; some nice wood paneling or attractive fixtures are always nice. <a href="http://www.hudsonrivercoffee.com/" target="_blank">Hudson River Coffee House</a> in Albany is pretty nice in this regard, set in an old phone company building, and their coffee is awfully good. But then many of the chairs are too low for the tables--I always feel like I need a booster seat--and during the school year it's sometimes hard to even get a seat.<br />
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Nearby <a href="http://www.tierracoffeeroasters.net/" target="_blank">Tierra Coffee</a> has some good coffee and solid hours, but I've never found the space particularly comfortable for working. Professor Java's is okay, but one room has a setup that's not terribly conducive to working (most of the tables are far from the limited outlets and with no music playing in that room it's too easy to hear everyone else's conversations), and the other room isn't lit well enough for reading or grading after the sun starts to set. <br />
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And then there's Starbucks. The MANY area Starbucks. For one, I'd rather support local businesses. Beyond that, there's the coffee (meh), the strange temperature control in many of the Starbucks (I don't want to have to bring a jacket with me in the summer), and many people there seem to be using the tables as their office--loudly conducting interviews or holding meetings either in person or on the phone.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/revhudsonny" target="_blank">Rev Coffee House in Hudson</a></b><br />
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I know I might be coming off as kind of whiny or unreasonably demanding, but I feel like I've known enough coffee shops--even simple ones, suburban ones--all across the country that have worked well for what I'm looking for. <br />
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A good example, I found last fall, is right down in Hudson: Rev Coffee House. We only visited once, but it hit all the right notes. The interior is eclectic and attractive--even though many of the decorations look like they came from a thrift store, they somehow fit together to create a comfortable, homey vibe--with a variety of seating, from nice tables to a slightly beat-up antique couch. And there's even what appears to be a nice outdoor area out back for sitting when the weather's nice.<br />
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The coffee is good. Again, I'm no connoisseur, but I think I can tell the difference between bad (say, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/spot-coffee-cafe-saratoga-springs" target="_blank">Spot Coffee in Saratoga</a>, which has a simple and solid space but iced coffee that's tasted sour to me on multiple occasions), mediocre (Professor Java's), and good. Rev did a nice job with my iced coffee, while K was very happy with her two drinks, an Americano and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_espresso" target="_blank">a Cuban</a>, which kept her up for approximately four straight days.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PE4sCIAvtWY/UviSaeWKsCI/AAAAAAAABP8/ySBefgHYOnY/s1600/Rev+coffee+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PE4sCIAvtWY/UviSaeWKsCI/AAAAAAAABP8/ySBefgHYOnY/s1600/Rev+coffee+4.jpg" height="320" width="286" /></a>And the location is good--just off the main drag in Hudson, on Warren Street--and the hours work (open until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday). It wasn't crowded when we were there on a Saturday in October, but those who did settle in at the shop seemed hard at work.<br />
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I think of all the wonderful spaces in downtown Troy, the seemingly significant population of young professionals in that area, and wonder why there isn't a coffee shop like Rev there. And even in the suburbs, like the Latham/Loudonville area, why can't a non-Starbucks, non-Dunkin' Donuts coffee shop (even a chain like Spot--I'll have a tea--or something with more of a national presence) move in, say in the Fresh Market Plaza at the corner of New Loudon and Watervliet-Shaker?<br />
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Until then--and outside of our fairly rare visits to Hudson--we'll continue to try working at all these local coffee shops, but remain at least slightly unsatisfied for a whole variety of reasons.<br />
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<b>* And one final complaint</b>: To all you coffee shops that still charge 65 cents or a dollar for soy or almond milk, I ask, Really? It's 2014--these regular milk substitutes aren't exactly exotic or expensive, so please quit unnecessarily nickel-and-diming your customers. Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-46818166399579185372014-02-10T13:21:00.000-05:002014-02-10T13:21:26.420-05:00A Glimpse into the Holy Land of Beer, aka Vermont<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i3YuKni6RBk/UvgRTidO1MI/AAAAAAAABOs/PfHK7ybCGtc/s1600/Alchemist+brewery+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i3YuKni6RBk/UvgRTidO1MI/AAAAAAAABOs/PfHK7ybCGtc/s1600/Alchemist+brewery+2.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heady Topper and Ms. Pac-Man, before The Alchemist brewery closed to the public</td></tr>
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A couple weeks ago <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-long-post-about-two-days-of-eating-in.html" target="_blank">I detailed the eating portion</a> of my first weekend trip to Vermont, a stroll through Burlington and nearby parts. Very tasty. But to be honest, I was looking forward to the beer even more than the food on this visit. Thankfully, as I mentioned in that last post, there are a number of good restaurants that also serve some damn good beer on tap. <br />
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It's interesting: judging from the places K and I visited in Burlington--and the many others I read about online--it seems like a good beer list is just par for the course in restaurants, at least in this part of Vermont. And why not? There are so many fantastic local breweries, with residents who seem to appreciate good beer and visitors who are making trips to get those beers, that it only makes good business sense for these restaurants to have good beer on tap. <br />
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But coming from the Capital Region, where I've found it challenging to find good beer at restaurants that serve anything beyond standard (or worse) pub fare, it was a real pleasure to find some great beers in restaurants that offered some interesting (and tasty) food items on their menu. But I've already talked about the food; here I want to talk about the beer--including my first taste of an offering from <a href="http://www.hillfarmstead.com/" target="_blank">Hill Farmstead</a> and my successful trip to The Alchemist's brewery to pick up some Heady Topper, just a short time before they closed to the public. <br />
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://www.hillfarmstead.com/ancestral-series/" target="_blank"><b>Hill Farmstead Edward</b></a> and <b><a href="http://www.northshirebrewery.com/" target="_blank">Northshire Brewery</a> Molocchio</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cgA17qEXj64/UvgOYeyr0aI/AAAAAAAABOk/DMVOFuIMo6A/s1600/Farmhouse+beer+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cgA17qEXj64/UvgOYeyr0aI/AAAAAAAABOk/DMVOFuIMo6A/s1600/Farmhouse+beer+1.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edward</td></tr>
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On our first night in Burlington, we stopped for dinner at <a href="http://www.farmhousetg.com/home.html" target="_blank">The Farmhouse Tap and Grill</a> in Burlington. The beer list at this place is <a href="http://www.farmhousetg.com/FARMHOUSE_BeerList_Web.pdf" target="_blank">crazy good</a>, so considering we ordered a pretty solid amount of food, I thought it was okay to try a couple different local beers. The first was their only Hill Farmstead beer on tap at the time, the Edward, an American pale ale. <br />
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Hill Farmstead's brewery is a little out of the way, so there was no chance to actually get there and stock up on this trip, but I wanted to know if all the fuss--the <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/bestbrewers_012013x.asp" target="_blank">#1 rated brewery</a> according to Rate Beer, for instance--was justified. Judging from Edward, I'd say so. This was a pale ale that was as complex as any I've ever tried, just gorgeous in the glass and substantive in mouthfeel despite the 5.2% ABV. The citrus from the hops was delicious, grapefruit and orange at just the right level, with the bitterness relatively modest on the back end. Just thinking about this beer now gets me lustful; I want to spend a night alone with a growler of it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-679nPji0qOY/UvgSPAXsV0I/AAAAAAAABO4/Lyjfc0F7oZ8/s1600/Farmhouse+beer+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-679nPji0qOY/UvgSPAXsV0I/AAAAAAAABO4/Lyjfc0F7oZ8/s1600/Farmhouse+beer+2.jpg" height="320" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molocchio</td></tr>
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For my second beer I decided to go a little off the grid, trying what seems to be a very rare beer from Bennington's Northshire Brewery--their Molocchio Sicilian pale ale, which especially piqued my interest because it's brewed with blood oranges. I liked the idea of that, but ultimately the beer was mediocre. Thin, and the blood orange didn't really come through all that much--the whole flavor profile was kind of muddled and tinny (maybe too bitter to handle the addition of blood oranges?). That said, considering we're awfully close to Bennington, I wouldn't be opposed to trying more of what this brewery has to offer if I come across it.<br />
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A final note about The Farmhouse itself: the beer list is great here, as I said above, but it's also a wonderful setting overall. There's a fairly spacious and modestly attractive dining space, plus a beer garden which serves as a great place to have a beer and snack or wait for a table in the restaurant. I love the vibe of this place; I don't know how better to put it than to say it feels like a spot for adults who appreciate both good food and good beer. I wish we had more places like this in the Capital Region.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fiddleheadbrewing.com/beer/" target="_blank"><b>Fiddlehead IPA</b></a><br />
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This was on tap at Duino Duende, a hip little joint with some tasty food and a boatload of character in downtown Burlington. I'd never heard of Fiddlehead Brewing before; it's a small, young (started just over two years ago) brewery based out of Shelburne, VT, just south of Burlington, and <a href="http://www.7dvt.com/2011fiddlehead-brewing-company" target="_blank">headed up by</a> the former head brewer at Magic Hat. Judging from this lovely IPA, I'd say Fiddlehead is certainly on the right track.<br />
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For a 6.2% ABV IPA, the Fiddlehead feels quite full-bodied. There was a really nice lychee aroma and taste here, a backdrop of grapefruit and just a hint of bitterness. I could have drank a couple of these if we didn't need to drive back up a mountain a while later that night. After having the Edward pale ale the night before, I was a little worried that this IPA from Fiddlehead would fall flat. It didn't. That's not to say it's at the level of Hill Farmstead right now, but there was a real complexity of flavor here.<br />
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I'm looking forward to maybe spending a whole day in the Shelburne area next time we're in this part of Vermont. Maybe a visit to Shelburne Farms, a stop at the museum, and a trip to the Fiddlehead brewery for a growler fill (no bottles or cans are sold yet) and <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/folinos-pizza-shelburne" target="_blank">Folino's</a> for pizza next door.<br />
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<b>The Heady Topper trip</b><br />
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So of course a trip to these parts necessitated the acquisition of the much beloved and hard-to-get <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27039/16814/" target="_blank">Heady Topper</a> Imperial IPA from <a href="http://alchemistbeer.com/" target="_blank">The Alchemist</a> brewery in Waterbury. It can be tough to find this beer even in these parts of Vermont--the only place it's distributed as of now--so I wanted to just head straight to the brewery, particularly because we'd already be practically next door at the Ben & Jerry's factory.<br />
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Little did I know the brewery would be closed to the public shortly after our visit, making it feel like an even more worthwhile pilgrimage. And on top of that, after I'd picked up my beer and we were hanging around, sipping our samples and watching the production of the beer in the back, a sign went up saying they'd sold out of all their beer for the week. Sheesh. This isn't the kind of luck I'm used to, though I knew all was still right with the world when, on the drive to Burlington from The Alchemist, a small falling rock smacked the windshield of my new (and leased) Honda Civic. <br />
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I probably don't need to write too much about the beer--I think there's been enough <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/09/beer-porn-the-alchemist-cannery/279812/" target="_blank">digital ink spilled</a> over the years fawning over it--but I will say that it lived up to the hype, as much as is possible. I was mostly just struck by the freshness of it, which isn't surprising since that's what they're striving for with their limited production at The Alchemist. The hops were just so lively and bright in this beer. It was like tasting a great IPA on steroids. <br />
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How is it even possible to say declaratively that something is THE BEST beer, or even the best of a particular style? Still, is it worth making the effort to find some Heady Topper? Oh, yeah. And even though the brewery is closed for beer sales now, that means more is on the market in regional stores. With <a href="http://alchemistbeer.com/buy/" target="_blank">release days noted</a>, I'm hoping--for my next trip to the area, of course--that Heady's not that hard to find.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.citymarket.coop/market/whats-new/2013/10/21/40th-anniversary-beer-co-hoperator" target="_blank">Onion River Co-Hoperator</a> from <a href="http://www.rockartbrewery.com/home" target="_blank">Rock Art Brewery</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zo9lZCGaSQ8/Uvh8UWPr2bI/AAAAAAAABPc/tkWVDyq0oVE/s1600/Onion+River+Co-hoperator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zo9lZCGaSQ8/Uvh8UWPr2bI/AAAAAAAABPc/tkWVDyq0oVE/s1600/Onion+River+Co-hoperator.jpg" height="320" width="262" /></a></div>
This was a special release to honor the 40th anniversary of the splendid <a href="https://www.citymarket.coop/" target="_blank">City Market / Onion River Co-op</a> in downtown Burlington; since it was so limited and I'm sure isn't even available now, it's probably not worth saying much about it. But it was my first taste of a beer from Rock Art, and it was pretty good, so why not mention it here?<br />
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Plus I think it speaks to the incredible amount of really good beer being made up in these parts (Rock Art is based out of the small town of Morrisville, about 15 minutes from Stowe). This was a fairly piney and earthy IPA, so it wasn't my favorite as I'm biased toward citrusy hop flavors, but I was impressed enough that I'd be interested in picking up more of what Rock Art has to offer next time I come across one of their offerings. <br />
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So yes, Vermont is some kind of incredible beer mecca, and I feel like this is just the start. Hopefully I'll have the chance to rave more about it in the coming year, but this first trip left me fully satisfied on the beer front (and beyond).Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-53263360265285969592014-01-23T11:52:00.002-05:002014-01-23T11:53:52.436-05:00A long post about two days of eating in and around Burlington, Vermont<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've lived here in the Albany area for more than a year now, so I was getting more and more eager to get up to Vermont. Fortunately, K and I got the opportunity this fall and spent a couple days near Burlington. It was, of course, the perfect time of year, the fall foliage in full color, the temperatures just right.<br />
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I've always subscribed to the belief that Vermont is some kind of uniquely beautiful and special place, and my only fear was having that notion shaken. Now, it's not like I got the experience of living there, but in our few days around the state (we also headed down to Brattleboro for a literary festival), I found a place that possessed all the physical beauty I could have hoped for, a place where good food and good beer was the norm, and where the arts and creativity seem to be both thriving and embraced, both in the small and large towns of the state.<br />
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While I could go on and on about all of that, here I'll focus on the food and beer, especially around the Burlington area. It was pretty crowded with all the tourists out to look at leaves and some UVM alumni event, but that didn't do much to diminish the experience. I only wish we had more time to explore: to try out more restaurants, to drink more beer, to hike a little, to take a ferry across Lake Champlain. But hey, we're close enough--another visit wouldn't be too hard.<br />
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Here are some food highlights from this first visit--with a recap of my beer adventures to come soon.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><a href="http://www.farmhousetg.com/home.html" target="_blank">The Farmhouse Tap & Grill--Burlington</a></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YWmhEi0M2vk/Utjcx5jopWI/AAAAAAAABMM/Qzv93xtiK50/s1600/Farmhouse+Burlington+marrow+toast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YWmhEi0M2vk/Utjcx5jopWI/AAAAAAAABMM/Qzv93xtiK50/s1600/Farmhouse+Burlington+marrow+toast.jpg" height="252" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marrow toast</td></tr>
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I had my eye on this place well before our trip; it sounded like something right up not just my alley (because of the superb beer list), but K's, too, because they actually have a pretty interesting menu. But even with interesting menus, the execution isn't always there. At The Farmhouse, everything came together quite nicely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WnlUrt4cGjs/UtjdaO3WLcI/AAAAAAAABMU/E6AMC-THVAA/s1600/Farmhouse+Burlington+rillettes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WnlUrt4cGjs/UtjdaO3WLcI/AAAAAAAABMU/E6AMC-THVAA/s1600/Farmhouse+Burlington+rillettes.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork Rillettes</td></tr>
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We arrived around peak dinnertime and thus had to wait a bit for a table, but the wait was well worth it. Yes, the beer was great (I had my first taste of Hill Farmstead--but more on that another day), but there were also a number of dishes calling to us, so we went a little wild. <br />
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We started with the Marrow Toast, which featured marrow blended with butter already spread on pieces of Red Hen grilled bread. There was a decadent richness from the butter and the marrow; it was meaty and salty, an excellent combination. On top of that, we had the pork rillettes, which is similar to pate, but sort of chunkier, with pieces of pork that are less blended than in a pate. It was a fun item to find on a menu at a restaurant like this, tasty and definitely worth trying.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvz-5ubfCwE/Utjdntlj2bI/AAAAAAAABMc/s8Vt4uL_D9Y/s1600/Farmhouse+Burlington+burger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvz-5ubfCwE/Utjdntlj2bI/AAAAAAAABMc/s8Vt4uL_D9Y/s1600/Farmhouse+Burlington+burger.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a>It would have been fine to stop right there, but we each ordered a burger and fries--mine off the specials menu, while K had the veggie burger. These featured local ingredients, including cheese, beef, bacon, and buns--and, most importantly, they were both really good. This was one of the best burgers I can remember having in some time. Juicy, cooked perfectly, with cheese that stood up to good beef taste, and a bun that held up despite all that juiciness. And the fries were crispy, likely twice-fried, and served with aioli--an excellent accompaniment to both the burgers and the beer.<br />
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Even with a full house, The Farmhouse featured good service and a lively buzz, but never seemed too loud or hectic. After a fairly long drive up to Burlington earlier, it was a wonderful place to unwind and indulge.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.coldhollow.com/" target="_blank">Cold Hollow Cider Mill--Waterbury Center</a></b><br />
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We came for the cider donuts, got a taste of one hot off the belt, and ended up leaving with a few locally-made handmade gifts we gave for Christmas to some family members. This place is a wildly popular tourist stop, and while I've had better apple cider donuts--these were a little bland and could have been crisper--I didn't really mind Cold Hollow and won't call it a typical tourist trap because they do sell a lot of locally-made products, and there is a good little self-guided tour of the cider press.<br />
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I liked my sample of apple cider, too, right off the press. I'm no connoisseur, but it tasted good and--judging from the tour--you could see just how it was being made, right there with real apples.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/factory-tours" target="_blank">Ben and Jerry's--Waterbury</a></b><br />
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We were staying right up the hill from the Ben and Jerry's Waterbury plant, so even though K had been on the tour when she was a kid, we had to do it again. At $4 a person, why not? The wait for the tour was short, just long enough for a quick jaunt around the flavor graveyard, and the ice cream sample at the end of the tour quite generously-sized.<br />
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Plus it was just down the street from the Alchemist Brewery, where I was able to get a couple four-packs of Heady Topper. So it was all definitely worth the trip.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.uvm.edu/~growvt/?Page=Vendor_files/Cotton_Candy_Connection/Cotton_candy.html" target="_blank">Cotton Candy Connection--Maple Cotton Candy</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scmgMKQ1ghU/Utjud5NyeJI/AAAAAAAABNs/_fe1mKbx714/s1600/Maple+Cotton+Candy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scmgMKQ1ghU/Utjud5NyeJI/AAAAAAAABNs/_fe1mKbx714/s1600/Maple+Cotton+Candy.jpg" height="320" width="300" /></a>I'd always thought cotton candy was kind of gross, for lack of a better word. I mean, just the way people eat it, pulling off sticky strands with their fingers. Maybe those are just my issues.<br />
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Anyway, we found this maple cotton candy being sold at a store featuring Vermont-made goods in downtown Burlington, so K picked up a container of it. She was really enjoying it; meanwhile, I was looking for my own sweet treat--scroll down for that--so I abstained for a while, I think until we got back to our hotel that night.<br />
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And you know what? This cotton candy is really good. The maple flavor is certainly present, and I don't know, maybe it was the ability to eat it in the confines of my own room with cleanly-washed hands, but I got into it. This was some real melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Too bad there wasn't much left by the time I got to it, but that's my own fault. K gives it the highest recommendation.<br />
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<b><a href="http://duinoduende.com/" target="_blank">Duino Duende--Burlington</a></b><br />
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Back in Burlington, wandering around downtown in the late afternoon, we decided to pick a place to eat without vetting in online beforehand. I was a little nervous about missing something great, since I knew there were lots of good options in the area, but it turned out to be no issue at all; we stumbled upon Duino Duende--whose sign read "Street Food Internationale"--just a block or two off the main drag in Burlington, and ended up very satisfied with our meal.<br />
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Attached to the popular <a href="http://www.radiobean.com/" target="_blank">Radio Bean</a> bar, Duino Duende features a funky and attractive interior. K and I were kind of cozy at a small table; it was somewhat dark inside with eclectic decorations. And coming from Albany, where even the newest and nicest spaces almost always follow a certain aesthetic pattern, I'm okay with a little funkiness--especially when there's good food and beer to go with it.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PVYcov_aYZM/Utjsi6dbULI/AAAAAAAABNY/DA9Hw3Rs-QQ/s1600/Duino+Duende+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PVYcov_aYZM/Utjsi6dbULI/AAAAAAAABNY/DA9Hw3Rs-QQ/s1600/Duino+Duende+3.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a>I had a very nice <a href="http://www.fiddleheadbrewing.com/beer/" target="_blank">Fiddlehead IPA</a> with the meal, which we started with the Duende Salad. We needed some greens at this point in our trip, but this salad was alluring for the additions of house-pickled beets, whipped local goat cheese, and an orange blossom vinaigrette.<br />
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To offset those greens, though, we also had the poutine and the Parisian oysters. Both were quite good. The poutine wasn't exactly traditional, but it wasn't pretending to be, and this was a creative and tasty version, featuring a mix of regular and sweet potato fries, chunks of Grafton cheddar, their homemade hot sauce, and a butternut squash gravy. I would have liked a little more of the gravy, but nevertheless this was a very satisfying dish.<br />
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The Parisian oysters were perfectly fried, retaining a lush and creamy interior, and were covered in a chive creme fraiche, mustard pickled shallots, and local bacon that was smoked and cured. The oysters would have been just fine and good on their own with the creme fraiche, but some of the bites here, when including both the bacon and the shallots, were stunning. <br />
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<a href="http://duinoduende.com/index.php/menu/dinner-menu/" target="_blank">The menu</a> at Duino Duende features a lot of reasonably priced items, and, as noted from the above dishes, a lot of creativity. The restaurant is playing on traditions, using a lot of local ingredients and making several unique and thoughtful vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. I like the concept and aesthetic of this restaurant <a href="http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110930/LIVING06/110929031/At-Duino-Duende-staff-menu-embrace-localvore-ethic" target="_blank">on so many levels</a>, but most importantly, they follow through with really tasty food.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ice-Cream-Bobs/112205995523066" target="_blank">Ice Cream Bob's--Burlington</a></b><br />
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It may have been fall, but it was a warm weekend, which was perfect because I wanted to try a local delight, a maple creemee (your spelling may vary). I turned down a few options along the trip, finally stopping as we reached the Lake Champlain waterfront and saw Ice Cream Bob's, which offers real <a href="http://www.vermontlife.com/no-matter-how-you-spell-it/" target="_blank">maple creemees</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJWOy0hl93Y/UtjwGpZmrGI/AAAAAAAABOA/FHne7gTNJNA/s1600/Ice+Cream+Bob's+Creemee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJWOy0hl93Y/UtjwGpZmrGI/AAAAAAAABOA/FHne7gTNJNA/s1600/Ice+Cream+Bob's+Creemee.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a>I'm a lover of ice cream in many forms, but I especially miss frozen custard from my few years spent in the Midwest. When I saw that maple creemees are considered somewhat like frozen custard, I knew I had to get a taste of one. Some say it's a myth that there's a higher butterfat content in a creemee (which would make it like custard, and inherently better than your typical soft serve), but I don't know--I thought maybe there was an extra creaminess to this ice cream, which worked perfectly with the added sweetness from the maple syrup that had been blended in.<br />
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Whatever its butterfat level, I certainly enjoyed my maple creemee from Ice Cream Bob's, which had the look of your average vanilla ice cream because Bob's doesn't use dye.<br />
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The setting was perfect--the graying sky blending with the water of the lake and the shadows of the Adirondacks in the background, a chill coming, signaling the true changing of seasons.<br />
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We headed out of Burlington a little later, and this creemee, enjoyed along with the beautiful views just a few minutes from the busy and fun downtown of the city, was a nice final note for our quick visit to the city. I can't wait to go back, I hope for longer next time, with a chance to enjoy more of everything--the food, the nature, the beer--we just barely started to get a taste of this time.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-9405145294532652222014-01-13T11:47:00.000-05:002014-01-13T11:47:54.173-05:00More from Northeast Dumplings House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My latest <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2014/01/07/spiced-potato-with-hot-pepper-and-special-pancakes" target="_blank">Eat This article</a> for All Over Albany covers the Spiced Potato with Hot Pepper and Special Pancakes at Northeast Dumplings House. That was a surprising, delicious dish--different than anything I'd previously encountered, and something I'm looking forward to having again.<br />
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But it wasn't just those potatoes K and I enjoyed when we visited Northeast Dumplings House. Everything we had was good, and that's not something that can be said for most places we visit, let alone restaurants that just opened two months ago. And this is the kind of little restaurant that seems like a real coup for Albany; to find a restaurant dealing in the cuisine of such an unrepresented area as northeastern China, I figured I'd have to make a trip to Chinatown or Flushing--not Central Avenue.<br />
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So with that in mind--and because Northeast Dumplings House is an unknown to most at this time--I figured I'd give an even deeper look into the food served at the restaurant.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Pickled Cabbage and Pork Fried Dumplings</b><br />
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You go to a dumpling house, of course you have to try the dumplings. It was quite exciting to hear that the chefs are making the dumplings here in house, and it's fun having a view of them at work, as there's a pretty large window in the rear of the restaurant that looks into the kitchen.<br />
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None of this would mean much, though, if the dumplings weren't actually good, and they were. We went with the fried version of the pickled cabbage and pork dumplings, an order of 15 for $8.99 (it's a dollar less if you want them boiled).<br />
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With dumplings made fresh at a restaurant, you never know what you're going to get, particularly with the skins. Sometimes they'll end up too thick and chewy, creating an unpleasant texture and an imbalance between dough and filling. At Northeast Dumpling House, I thought the skins were nicely done. They were maybe a bit on the oily side, but browned quite nicely.<br />
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In terms of the filling, I thought the pork on its own was good, but when the sourness of the pickled cabbage came through, it was even better. The only issue here was that some dumplings didn't really have much cabbage, and the filling wasn't always in a tight enough ball, so it sometimes fell apart as we ate.<br />
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Also, while K and I had no problem finishing off this order of dumplings, I'd prefer an option for fewer dumplings. 15 is kind of a lot of one kind of dumpling, unless you're sharing with at least two others. Then again, I like variety--the reason I have trouble buying an actual six-pack of beer instead of doing a mixed six--so maybe this is just my issue.<br />
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<b>Lamb Bun</b><br />
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The fluffy, thicker skin of these buns is almost bread-like. At $2.99 for two, a pair of lamb buns is a good deal, particularly because they're quite good.<br />
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Lamb is a specialty in only certain regions of China, so you don't encounter it at every Chinese restaurant you visit. I love this meat, though, and the fact that it's featured in a few ways on the menu at Northeast Dumplings House is one of the reasons it's exciting to have this restaurant now open.<br />
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There's enough of the filling that you can get a taste of it every time you bite into the bun. Sometimes the filling can get kind of lost in a bun if it's too small for the size of the bun. I also enjoyed the taste here; I'm a fan of that slight gaminess of lamb, and of course its fattiness in this form is good. Bits of scallion and garlic were mixed in, too, adding some depth of flavor here.<br />
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<b>Spicy Sauce and Squid</b><br />
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This dish really worked for me, as it had pretty intense levels of heat and garlic flavor. If you're like me and really love both of those, then this is a dish for you. There were bits of hot pepper throughout (and, I'm guessing, some chili oil used in the sauce) and significant chunks of garlic mixed in. This is the level of garlic that will linger on your breath; consider yourself warned, but don't let it deter you from getting this dish.<br />
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At $6.99, this felt like a very reasonable deal for a fairly significant pile of squid. And it was all parts of the squid, not just the questionable circles you sometimes are served exclusively, as explained on this <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/484/doppelgangers" target="_blank">episode of <i>This American Life</i></a>.<br />
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The squid here was cooked just right--texturally, it was just chewy enough. Satisfying on that front, too. And just like the Spiced Potato with Hot Pepper, there was a strong level of sourness from vinegar. All these strong elements really worked to create some deep, interesting flavor.<br />
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In all, this was a really great experience we had for our first visit to Northeast Dumplings House. There was food we knew (the dumplings and buns) that hit those familiar spots for us, while the new dishes (the potatoes and this unique take on squid) surprised and excited us.<br />
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It's hard for a new, under-the-radar little restaurant to make a mark, especially when surrounded by a lot of popular restaurants on Central Avenue, and when competing with quality Chinese establishments around town, like my beloved Ala Shanghai and newer spots that hit some strong notes in Taiwan Noodle and Hong Kong Bakery. But Northeast Dumplings House deserves a spot in even the critical diner's rotation, and I can only hope that in talking about a few of their tasty dishes I can influence more people to start checking out this new little gem.<br />
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<i>Northeast Dumplings House is located at 299 Central Ave. in Albany</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-19640130089623468352013-11-06T10:40:00.000-05:002014-01-13T00:03:40.741-05:00My Grandmother's Ravioli: Not Your Average Food Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t5K0OymuHlk/UnCzUbn_6cI/AAAAAAAABKw/uEARk-y6IgE/s1600/Mo+Rocca+My+Grandmother%27s+Ravioli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t5K0OymuHlk/UnCzUbn_6cI/AAAAAAAABKw/uEARk-y6IgE/s1600/Mo+Rocca+My+Grandmother's+Ravioli.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've been meaning to write about food-related TV programs since I started this blog, but here we are, more than a year after I started the thing, and still nothing on that front.<br />
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Until now. I'm happy to say that I was inspired to finally write about a TV show because I found one--new to me, though now in its second season--that I've truly fallen for: <i><a href="http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/my-grandmothers-ravioli.html" target="_blank">My Grandmother's Ravioli</a></i>, hosted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Rocca" target="_blank">Mo Rocca</a>, currently airing both new episodes and reruns on Wednesday nights on the <a href="http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/" target="_blank">Cooking Channel</a>.<br />
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I knew Rocca from his Daily Show days and his appearances on NPR's <a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/" target="_blank"><i>Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!</i></a>, which seems a bit of an unusual path to food TV. Nevertheless, he slides seamlessly into this role.<br />
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<i>My Grandmother's Ravioli</i> is a show that's full of both humor and heart. The premise is that Rocca "learns to cook and discover[s] treasured family recipes and stories from grandparents in their kitchens across the country." This certainly is a different concept than what we see across the Food Network and Cooking Channel's typical programming (they're both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripps_Networks_Interactive" target="_blank">Scripps</a>-owned and share shows and talent), which is an initial plus. It doesn't feature some loud-mouth host pigging out in restaurants, there isn't some creepy and seemingly fake "stake-out" going on, and nobody is competing with anyone else.<br />
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It's just Rocca and a rotating cast of elderly folks who, from what I've seen so far, are sharp, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Maybe there's a part of me that loves this show because watching it often reminds me of my own grandmother, back in California, who I don't see nearly often enough. But I don't think that's a requirement for enjoying <i>My Grandmother's Ravioli</i>. Here are a couple other reasons to like it:<br />
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<b>The Ladies</b><br />
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Nothing I can write could really do them justice. Here's a clip from the "Mary Gray and the Golden Gals" episode to help the cause:<br />
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What can you say? The ladies are legitimately funny. Sometimes they're funny with Mo, or because of the ways in which he prompts them. Sometimes it's just natural. And never do I get the sense that we're meant to be laughing at them on this show--we're laughing right along with them. You can tell that they're having a good time, and they seem truly charmed by the engaging host.<br />
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They also have some incredible stories to tell--some joyous, some heartbreaking. But they're all fascinating. Here's an interview with Rocca on <i><strike>CBS This Morning</strike></i> (that's been taken down) something called <i>OK! TV</i> in which he lays out why it's so great working with these ladies:<br />
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I also want to add that older folks are woefully underrepresented on TV these days, in any form. I'll still watch <i>Golden Girls</i> reruns from time to time, but it's a rare sight on a contemporary TV show when the elderly are given serious and legitimate representation. I get that there are ratings and advertising dollars at stake here, but when, since <i>The Golden Girls</i>, have older individuals actually been the focus of a show? <i>My Grandmother's Ravioli</i> wonderfully illustrates much of what we've all been missing.<br />
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<b>Mo as Host</b><br />
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I've seen it before on some food TV shows: the host travels around the country and features "ordinary people," but talks down to them, as if they're little children. I thought Alton Brown was guilty of this, for example, in many cases on his <i>Feasting On Asphalt</i> show, particularly in the second season, during which he traveled along the Mississippi River through some poor and rural parts of the South.<br />
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Knowing that a lot of people--not just TV hosts--often treat older folks that way, I was initially concerned that we might see some of that on <i>My Grandmother's Ravioli</i>. That's not the case, though. Rocca jokes with them, talks with them as if they're intelligent adults, never condescends, and, if anything, shows great reverence for who they are and what they can do in their kitchens. Here's an outtake from the Doris Spacer episode from earlier in this second season:<br />
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You can see clearly that he's there to have a fun time and let his guest's cooking shine, while at the same time balancing some serious material. In <a href="http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/my-grandmothers-ravioli/200/miyoko-mcpherson-the-party-animal.html" target="_blank">last week's episode</a>, for example, Rocca discussed issues of race with his guest Miyoko, a native of Japan who showed strength as a single mother raising biracial children in America.<br />
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Meanwhile, the silly hijinks Rocca plays, like jokingly answering Doris's phone, are really well integrated with the cooking portions of the show and the segments where the guests tell their stories.<br />
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Truth be told, it's the humor that won me over--sometimes silly or clever, sometimes surprisingly inappropriate. It's what helped me remember to watch the show a week after my first glimpse, and now has me setting the DVR so I can be sure to catch all new and old episodes. For anyone who gets the Cooking Channel, this is highly-recommended viewing, a truly unexpected and hidden gem.<br />
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<i>My Grandmother's Ravioli airs at 8 and 8:30 p.m. ET (and is replayed four hours later) on the Cooking Channel</i> Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-89834580545148508622013-10-30T10:29:00.000-04:002013-10-30T10:29:11.857-04:00Heavyweight Fast Food Burger Battle: In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know it's just fast food, but I'll admit, I can be something of a snob when it comes to fast food burgers.<br />
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I've ranted about <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2013/04/yes-but-or-i-eat-at-juicy-burgers-and.html" target="_blank">disappointing and overpriced local burgers</a> on the blog before, I've dropped bits of praise for North Carolina chain <a href="http://www.cookoutnc.com/" target="_blank">Cook-Out</a>, and I'm not shy to admit that as a California native the <a href="http://www.in-n-out.com/" target="_blank">In-N-Out burger chain</a> has always been tops for me.<br />
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The issue with In-N-Out is that its locations are confined to California, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, and Utah. And while I've been living in the eastern half of the country over the past decade, I haven't found myself able to make too many trips back home to the west very often. This summer, though, K and I flew out to visit her family just outside Las Vegas and I made a quick trip north to see a few members of my family. Of course getting my hands on some In-N-Out wasn't my top priority, but let's just say that I was pretty determined to make that happen at some point.<br />
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I did get to In-N-Out on that trip, and it was still as good as I remembered it--better in some ways, in fact. But I also recently made a weekend jaunt down to New York City and got my first taste of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Meyer" target="_blank">Danny Meyer's</a> praised and popular <a href="http://www.shakeshack.com/" target="_blank">Shake Shack</a> burger. And I have to say, those were some good burgers, too. In the end, my heart still rests with In-N-Out, though not fully because of the food itself.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>In-N-Out</b><br />
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My first memories of In-N-Out date back to high school; the chain opened one of its first Northern California locations in 1995 in the fairly small town I lived in. The burger shop already had a well-established reputation at that point, and it showed in the long, long lines of cars that snaked through the parking lot and out onto the street. <br />
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I don't remember eating there often in those days, maybe because of the crowds, but all my family certainly liked it: for the food, for the way in which it seemed different from McDonald's (where, blech, I worked), and for the way the palm trees adorning the restaurant's walls and cups evoked pleasant memories of days spent at the beach (a vacation-only activity, even for us California residents).<br />
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And in college, there was an In-N-Out location just minutes from campus in Los Angeles, right around the corner from LAX, so it would be one of the first things I noted about the place anytime I flew back. But I think In-N-Out always seemed more special after I'd left the state; because it was one of those things I could only get when I returned home, it took on a special status in my mind.<br />
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Here's the thing, though: these burgers are good, and compared to some other places, <a href="http://www.cockeyed.com/citizen/drivethru_menus/in_n_out_drive_thru.html" target="_blank">they're pretty damn cheap</a>, too, which is impressive because you know they could get away with charging more. I got myself a Double-Double during my visit this summer--that's double meat and double cheese--for $3.20, and found the quality of the burger just as I'd remembered it. The meat isn't cooked to order, so it's not a thick, juicy patty, but with the gooey melted cheese and the special sauce, there's no sense that you're eating some dried-out little burger. I'm not a fan of tomatoes on my burgers, so I removed that; still, this burger was a satisfying size. The bun was toasted perfectly, and <a href="http://www.thedailymeal.com/n-outs-animal-sauce" target="_blank">the special sauce</a>--rumored to be Thousand Island or a knockoff of the dressing--does work in harmony, with its touch of sweetness, with the meat and cheese.<br />
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I also learned some things over the years that improved what I always thought was the one weak spot of In-N-Out: their fresh-cut fries. The chain's <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/03/the-in-n-out-survival-guide-we-ate-every-single-item-on-the-secret-menu.html" target="_blank">not-so-secret menu</a> includes extra crispy fries--basically, fries cooked for 5 1/2 minutes instead of 3--which I found totally alleviated the limp, floppy nature of the typical In-N-Out fries. So now the fries possessed great texture to go along with a true potato flavor. I don't need a soda with my fast food, so here I got a great burger and great fries for less than $5--a true "value meal," if you ask me.<br />
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And I'm happy to note that this quality isn't based just on memories or nostalgia. Did it help that I took the burger and fries home and enjoyed them at my grandmother's dining table? Certainly. But I consider that a special bonus; this meal from In-N-Out would have been good anywhere.<br />
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<b>Shake Shack</b><br />
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I've been hearing about this small chain for several years, wanting to check out one of their locations in the city, but never got around to it until a recent weekend trip to Manhattan. K and I and her brother met up with her cousin and her cousin's daughter, who got there before us and kindly picked up our burger and fries and grabbed a table in the very, very busy <a href="http://www.shakeshack.com/location/theater-district/" target="_blank">Theater District location</a>. This was a Saturday afternoon, so no surprise there.<br />
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It's tough for me to give Shake Shack a completely accurate rating. As much as I love my visits to NYC, the crowds there can certainly be overwhelming at times for those not used to them. Some of us ate our burgers while standing, which is fine, but not ideal for truly judging the food. It's hard to separate the overall experience from the taste, after all. <br />
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That said, I thought the burger at Shake Shack was quite good. At $4.60 for a single cheeseburger, I thought the value was solid--better than at Five Guys, for instance, or Albany's own Juicy Burger. Like In-N-Out's, Shake Shack's was also a fairly substantial burger. The patty, a quarter pound of a good mix of beef (according to <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/10/the-burger-lab-the-fake-shack-how-to-make-shake-shack-burger.html" target="_blank">this home-made version</a> by Serious Eats), was thick enough to satisfy, and actually cooked to leave some pink in the middle. Slightly juicy and tasty from the blend of beef, I could see already why there was such hype for this burger.<br />
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And the other parts were thoughtfully chosen as well. The bun is, on the surface, nothing special, something you could buy at the supermarket--a Martin's Potato Roll--but it's just right. Toasted less, I thought, than the In-N-Out bun, it had a really satisfying squishiness, and I do like the taste of these rolls. The classic slice of American cheese melted nicely, and again we have a mysterious special sauce to provide good, balanced flavor. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt tried to figure it out at the above Serious Eats link, and seemingly did a fine job of recreating it: a sweet, slightly sour, slightly spicy mayo-based blend. Not unlike In-N-Out's Thousand Island concoction, but maybe a little more complex. <br />
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The fries at Shake Shack were good, too--a hearty serving of crinkle cut fries for $2.70. I would love to try these one day alongside Shake Shack's frozen custard, one of the foods I long for here in the custard-less Capital Region, but considering we had a play to scamper off to, this wasn't the time for it. Shake Shack does have a seasonal location at the track in Saragota, so my plan is to head up there on a weekday next summer, enjoy a burger and fries (maybe with one of Shake Shack's specially-brewed beers from Brooklyn Brewing), and hope to find a comfortable seat.<br />
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***<br />
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I'm not going to sit here and try to rate these burgers against one another; it's just not a fair fight when nostalgia and all these other external factors come into play. But I will say this: Shake Shack gives In-N-Out a run for their money in my book, which is awfully impressive considering my personal bias. Add in some frozen custard and craft beer? Hmm. This story might be far from finished.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-54575280369429504542013-10-22T12:56:00.000-04:002013-10-22T12:56:23.901-04:00Chowderfest!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When the organizers of <a href="http://www.downtowntroy.org/special-events/chowderfest.html" target="_blank">Chowderfest</a> in Troy decided to hold the event in mid-October, I'm guessing part of the idea was that these cups of chowder would serve as a way to warm the attendees standing outside in the crisp fall air. Instead, here we were with yet another day with temperatures around the 70 degree mark. I'm pretty sure no one's complaining about that, and it sure made for a nice day to wait in long lines in Riverfront Park.<br />
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This was my first Chowderfest, and it really was something to see how many people came out for this event--I saw figures estimating attendance at 20,000. For those who haven't attended (you might be in the minority now), several area restaurants--this year 17--set up tents and cooked their own special version(s) of chowder for the event. Four ounce cups chowder could be purchased with tickets (one ticket per cup of chowder), which were bought for $1 each prior to heading to the tents.<br />
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While it's a pretty fun concept--shown by both the crowd and the fact that this is the seventh year of the event--I also noticed some problems with the execution of Chowderfest that made attending it fairly frustrating. Below I'll lay out some of those issues, and recap a handful of the chowders I tried this year.<br />
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<b>Too Many People, Not Enough Chowder</b>: I arrived at Chowderfest at noon, two hours after the vendors started scooping chowder, and found that a number of the tents were already shut down, all out of chowder. <br />
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It's not like I went hungry or had my tickets go to waste, as there were still around 10 of the 17 restaurants left serving chowder at 12:30, but this kind of poor planning does take away from the fun of the experience for attendees. Chowderfest was scheduled to run until 3; it's not like these places were running out of chowder at 2 p.m., which would have been more understandable.<br />
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<b>Where Are We and Where Are We Going?</b>: It's not so much that lines were long--that's understandable with such a large turnout. It's that the end of one line was typically indistinguishable from the end of another line due to the way the vendors were arranged. Also, from the middle of that swarm of people, it was impossible to see which tent was which in many cases. <br />
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Lots of these tents had signage only near ground level; with a crowd like this, where you're looking over the heads of so many others, there need to be signs up at the top of the tents. Not many restaurants got this right, and I don't understand why the organizers of the event ignored such a common sense aspect (particularly in the seventh edition of this event!).<br />
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<b>When Can I Get This Soup Again?</b>: Some of the chowders served at the event were, from my own tasting and the reports I heard from others, pretty darn good. You might think, then, that these four ounce cups would only serve as a tease, one that would get customers to come into the restaurants in the coming weeks so they could taste more of this delicious chowder. <br />
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The problem? In almost all cases, it seems, the restaurants serving chowder weren't then going to put this chowder on the menu at their restaurant, even temporarily (the only one I heard about offering the chowder at the restaurant was the Albany Pump Station, whose chowder I wasn't even able to try). Just another bizarre little business decision in an area filled with restaurants that seem to often operate in curious ways.<br />
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<b>I'm Done with Chowder and I'd Like a Drink--Why Is It So Hard to Get One?</b>: After sampling my six cups of chowder, I was interested in quenching my thirst--both from the chowder and the heat--with a nice beer. But I didn't end up getting one. Why? First, at Chowderfest itself, it seemed like a real process: there appeared to be a long line in which you could buy $4 drink tickets, which only then led you to another line to get the drinks. It wasn't any easier if you wanted a non-alcoholic drink, like water.<br />
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And let's face it: By 1 p.m., I'd had enough of standing in long lines. So we exited Riverfront Park and headed into Troy to get a drink. Unfortunately, the only place we found open at the time was Bootleggers, which was, understandably, mobbed. Finnbar's is apparently closed now on Sundays, and The Confectionery also now doesn't open until 4 p.m. on Sundays. I guess I can't argue if the reason is that business is historically bad on Sundays at these places, but even so, it would have been a great idea to open early on the afternoon of Chowderfest and advertise that, luring people in for a drink or lunch.<br />
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I only mention these issues because I think this is a potentially great event--unique, fun, and a good bit of advertising both for the city of Troy and the restaurants participating in Chowderfest. I'm not sure, though, that I would bother to return next year if it's run the same way as it was this year.<br />
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Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the six chowders I did sample this year:<br />
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<b>Illium Cafe: Seafood Chowder</b><br />
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I'll admit, we were a little disappointed to find Illium had already run out of their Apple & Pork Belly Chowder, but this seafood chowder didn't disappoint. Some servings included rather large pieces of lobster, which was a huge bonus, and the broth was full of flavor. Despite some potatoes that seemed a bit undercooked, this earned the top spot on K's ballot, third place on mine.<br />
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<b>Brown's Brewing Co.: Coconut, Miso, White Yam and Turban Squash with American Wheat</b><br />
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The description alone was intriguing with this one, and somehow, despite all these details, they didn't include that there were some dried pork cheek crumbles also added to this chowder! The bacon-like addition added some good flavor to this chowder that seemed sort of unbalanced. I didn't really detect the beer, and the texture was thin despite the coconut. It also seemed a little overly sweet. A good idea, but not one of my top three.<br />
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<b>Finnbar's Pub: Seafood Chowder</b><br />
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I like Finnbar's. Their pub is quite nice inside, they've got a good beer list, and the pub grub there has been above average, in my experience, and some of it has an authentic Irish twist. Unfortunately, here at Chowderfest, we got the last of their chowder--those parts spooned from the bottom of the pot, so most of the shrimp and whitefish had already been scooped up. The flavor of the broth, however, was quite good.<br />
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<b>Carmen's Cafe: Cuban Clam Chowder</b><br />
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What makes a clam chowder Cuban? Beats me. There was no description on the ballot, though I remember a mention of chorizo at the tent. Nothing really stood out to me about this chowder, either. It featured some chicken and the broth was quite thin. The chorizo was only slightly noticeable.<br />
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<b>Mio Vino Wine Bar and Bistro: Crab Chowder with Adirondack Cheddar and Sam Adams Lager</b><br />
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I'm always down for some cheddar beer soup, so I was pretty excited for this one. The balance was a little off on this one, though. The cheese was overly prominent (I never thought I'd be complaining about too much cheese!) in my opinion--too strong and rich--while K found the beer taste to be kind of strong. It was also pretty thin, not something I'd expect from this kind of soup, and the crab was sort of lost in the shuffle.<br />
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<b>Mallozzi Family: Autumn Pear Chowder</b><br />
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I was interested in this one from the start and used my last ticket of the day on it. Strangely, at 1 p.m., with many tents already closed, most of the remaining lines were really long, but I pretty much walked right up to the Mallozzi tent and got the autumn pear chowder immediately. I was a little skeptical of how the pear would be incorporated here, but it worked beautifully. That flavor paired really nicely with the maple syrup that was added for sweetness; overall this was easily the most well-balanced chowder I tasted, a particularly successful non-traditional take on chowder.<br />
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As it turns out, I was in agreement with Chowderfest's judges, who <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/40510/mallozzi-pump-station-win-chowder-awards/" target="_blank">gave the Autumn Pear Chowder first place overall</a>. Good call!Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-76915967920847339882013-09-03T13:07:00.000-04:002013-09-03T13:07:51.550-04:00A Sampling of Sierra Nevada's Many Offerings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a Northern California native, I always feel like I should be more of a Sierra Nevada guy. The brewery, located in Chico, was one of the major brewers behind the craft beer surge of the past couple decades. I remember in college hearing excitedly from a couple friends how Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was on tap at some nearby bars and restaurants, yet I just kind of ignored that information. Beer sucked, at least in my narrow-minded point of view.<br />
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Eventually I learned otherwise, but it wasn't when I was in California, where Sierra Nevada is fairly ubiquitous. Living primarily in the east and midwest since really discovering my love for good beer, I haven't often seen Sierra Nevada on tap in bars--if it is, it's usually the Pale Ale, which I fear I've kind of underrated or overlooked over the years--and when buying six packs or singles, I tend to go for more local beers or ones I deem, for whatever reason, more exciting than the Sierra Nevada available.<br />
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But this summer, that changed, in part thanks to my trip out to the west coast in June. K's family had visited the Sierra Nevada brewery just prior to our visit to their home outside Las Vegas, and had generously saved a few bottles for me to try while out there in the desert. Those, along with one I picked up at a Total Wine back home in Northern California, and one I grabbed shortly after I returned to Albany, made for a fine and wide-ranging sampling of some of Sierra Nevada's more unique beers.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Old Chico Crystal Wheat</b><br />
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Brewed in tribute to the Old Chico Brewery, which operated in Sierra Nevada's home town during the 19th century, this is the lightest beer offering from Sierra Nevada and only available locally. So getting a couple bottles of this--one of which I packed into my suitcase and brought home with me--was pretty exciting.<br />
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As evidenced by its name, Old Chico is a pale wheat ale, and would serve as a great transitional beer for someone used to drinking the big breweries' adjunct lagers. That's not to say Old Chico is anything like those beers, but like most pale wheat ales is not hoppy and does not contain a strong alcohol presence, at just 4.8% ABV. <br />
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I found it to be a very satisfying beer, particularly when sitting outside on K's parents' patio on a typically sweltering Las Vegas night. With moderate carbonation and a light body, it's fairly quenching in that regard, and it doesn't lack character. Similar to a solid lager, the wheat presence is somewhat in the background, and there's a bit of spice. It's a nice beer to have around--though that's not likely to be the case unless you're in the Chico area.<br />
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<b>Ovila Abbey Saison</b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yc6CkixLyYc/UiUeovwPHfI/AAAAAAAABGc/H4BmBA--Fg8/s1600/Sierra+Nevada+Ovila+Abbey+Saison+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yc6CkixLyYc/UiUeovwPHfI/AAAAAAAABGc/H4BmBA--Fg8/s1600/Sierra+Nevada+Ovila+Abbey+Saison+2.jpg" height="320" width="269" /></a>I've had a number of saisons this summer, and hope to write a recap of those soon, but this was my first of the season. It certainly looks impressive--so many bubbles! And the smell is promising: you get notes of citrus, maybe a bit of yeastiness. <br />
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The best saisons, I've found, bring a little bit of funk from their yeast, along with notes of sourness and citrus flavors. Sierra Nevada's Abbey Saison--brewed in conjunction with the Monks of New Clairvaux--sounds on the surface like it's going to really have a lot of flavor, considering it's brewed with mandarin oranges and peppercorns.<br />
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Unfortunately, as I've found to be the case with a number of the saisons I've been trying this summer, it doesn't live up to its billing as a real flavor bomb. There are hints of mandarin orange, yes, but not much more beyond that. It was relatively mild--not much yeast in the forefront, not really any peppery spice, and the alcohol was pretty well-masked. Not a bad beer in any way, just...not particularly exciting.<br />
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<b>Ovila Barrel Aged Dubbel</b><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A53Ecg9vbNA/UiUfCRRWd2I/AAAAAAAABGk/QpqFqPP4Lhs/s1600/Sierra+Nevada+Barrel+Aged+Dubbel+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A53Ecg9vbNA/UiUfCRRWd2I/AAAAAAAABGk/QpqFqPP4Lhs/s1600/Sierra+Nevada+Barrel+Aged+Dubbel+3.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></div>
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Ah, now we're talking. Another beer kindly purchased for me by K's parents at the Sierra Nevada Brewery, and another beer made with the help of the Monks of New Clairvaux. I don't know that I've ever had a dubbel I haven't liked, but that doesn't mean there aren't levels of how good these beers are. And with the added benefit of aging the beer in wine barrels, this Ovila dubbel from Sierra Nevada represents quite well.<br />
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It's that aging in wine barrels that really adds extra depth to the flavor of this dubbel. As I said, I always love the dark fruit taste of these beers, the vibrant interplay between malts and yeast, but to then have an oaky background with hints of Merlot in there means this beer is something else. Just strong enough at 8.5% ABV, there's a small alcohol heat presence, but that melds extremely well with the flavors and strong carbonation of the Barrel Aged Dubbel.<br />
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If you come upon this beer, it would be a mistake to not bring at least one home with you.<br />
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<b>Hoptimum Imperial IPA</b><br />
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From the world of serious double/imperial west coast IPAs, the 2013 version of Sierra Nevada's well-known Hoptimum series certainly lives up to its promise as a "<a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/beer/high-altitude/hoptimum-imperial-ipa" target="_blank">hurricane of flavor</a>." I've <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2013/04/battle-double-ipa-firestone-walker.html" target="_blank">sampled a number</a> of west coast imperial IPAs this year, and Hoptimum represents well. It's maybe a bit stronger and bolder than my favorites, like the Firestone Walker Double Jack, but I don't mind that in this case. Anyone picking up this beer shouldn't be surprised by its intensity, and in many ways it works quite well.<br />
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The dry-hopped flavors come through nicely here, a combination of citrus and pine and resin. Hoptimum does carry forth a moderate amount of bitterness, I'd say, but not an overwhelming amount. I do think the malt flavor may be a bit overwhelmed in this beer by the strong presence of the hops and the 10.4% ABV, so the balance isn't as ideal as on what I'd call the best strong IPAs, but that doesn't mean it isn't a very good beer and a strong representative of this style.<br />
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<b>Brux Domesticated Wild Ale</b><br />
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Though I was only able to get a small sample of Russian River's beer while back on the west coast, I found a special little treat shortly after returning to the Capital Region: the Brux Wild Domesticated Ale, a collaboration between Russian River and Sierra Nevada, on sale at Westmere Beverage. When I read the description on the bottle and saw the markdown, I was instantly sold.<br />
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Described as a "dry and complex Belgian-style ale refermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces bruxellensis," I was a little late to the party on this one, as I believe it was released about a year earlier, hence the sale price. That being said, I don't think the beer suffered much from sitting around over that time. The flavors were still lively and bright, with moderately tart notes up front followed up by some spice and fruit. <br />
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I don't have much experience with beers containing the wild Brett yeasts, but it's beers like this--which I've read falls on the lighter end of the Brett sour/yeasty spectrum--that make me want to dive further into that world. It may be hard to find at this point in time, but it's worth grabbing if available, and it also makes me hope for more collaborations between Russian River and Sierra Nevada going forward.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-76274959058088607662013-08-20T15:10:00.001-04:002013-08-20T15:10:59.695-04:00What's in a name (and a logo)? The new Jugs and Mugs makes me wonder<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7afXrTv-42A/UhOjZIE8s0I/AAAAAAAABFs/-kAJ2NV2O5E/s1600/Jugs+and+Mugs+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7afXrTv-42A/UhOjZIE8s0I/AAAAAAAABFs/-kAJ2NV2O5E/s1600/Jugs+and+Mugs+logo.jpg" height="320" width="271" /></a>First, the background: Steve Barnes ran a short piece in his <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/39573/friday-poll-what-do-you-think-of-jugs-and-mugs-name-and-logo/comment-page-2/#comments" target="_blank">Table Hopping blog</a> last Friday discussing the concerns expressed by the city of Albany over the name and logo for the soon-to-open restaurant/bar called Jugs and Mugs, which will be located at 849 Madison Ave., just down the street from St. Rose. The city apparently is worried that the provocative name and logo are harbingers of trouble--rowdy late night partying, that sort of thing.<br />
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That's all speculation. I'm more concerned with the name and logo and what they represent for Jugs and Mugs in concert with the type of restaurant the chef and general manager, Chick Hawksley, is going for. In the Table Hopping piece, Hawksley says, "This is not a college bar; things are not going to suddenly go crazy at 9 p.m." Barnes goes on to say that the restaurant expects to feature compelling food--the kind that I say is missing from most pubs and casual restaurants in the Capital Region (in favor of unimaginative Sysco stylings)--including New Orleans shrimp, pork belly and manchego tacos, fried chicken, house-made corned beef. None of it will be frozen, and the shot of chicken wings included in the article makes the food look promising.<br />
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So what's the problem? I say this as a non-prude, someone who doesn't care that places like Hooters--or even <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Colbert-lap-dances-and-art-4022012.php" target="_blank">Nite Moves</a>--exist and are popular. I may not frequent such places, but unless a place is bringing real problems to an area, I don't see a reason for the government to step in and stop it from opening or shut it down. The problem is that the name and logo for Jugs and Mugs don't seem to jibe with the type of restaurant Hawksley is going for. In one fell swoop, the restaurant has effectively eliminated a significant portion of their potential clientele. And that just seems like bad business to me.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Now, I have no experience running a restaurant (though that hasn't stopped me from <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2013/05/unsolicited-advice-for-japanica-grill.html" target="_blank">giving advice</a> in the past), but I do have experience dining at many, and I know that especially in our current economy--and in a place like Albany, where it seems particularly difficult for new restaurants to succeed--the last thing a restaurant owner needs to do is turn away potential diners before even opening the doors.<br />
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Take a look at the poll listed on the Table Hopping blog: in this survey, 32% of respondents checked the box for "Both the name and logo are tacky and suggest it's a place that's not for me." <br />
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You hear that thud? That's a huge door closing--before it's even been opened. I don't want to say that this Table Hopping poll is scientifically accurate or anything, but with nearly 800 respondents as of Tuesday morning, I think it's safe to say this is a harbinger of a problem for Jugs and Mugs. (Not to mention, an additional 22% said, "I don't like [the name and logo], but I'd try it at least once if I heard good things about the food.")<br />
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I can't say for sure--though it sure seems likely--that the female servers at Jugs and Mugs are going to be dressed in Hooters-style clothing (the logo suggests as much--not to mention, it appears the cartoon waitress there might not have anything on <i>below</i> the waist). But I know there are a lot of adults, both male and female, who would be really hesitant to step foot in the place without knowing the whole story. A lot might be embarrassed to return from their lunch break and say, "Just stopped by Jugs and Mugs," knowing that most others might only know of the name and/or logo and the connotations associated with both.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fl94eMiDWFY/UhOnDAZcuHI/AAAAAAAABF4/U_f7yXRQDf8/s1600/Wandering+Dago+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fl94eMiDWFY/UhOnDAZcuHI/AAAAAAAABF4/U_f7yXRQDf8/s1600/Wandering+Dago+logo.jpg" height="320" width="293" /></a>And in saying that, I'm not exactly reaching. There's a <a href="http://www.mugstogo.com/" target="_blank">Mugs 'n' Jugs</a> restaurant chain in Florida, it appears, which seems fully rooted in the Hooters style (they even have their own "Mugs girls"). Maybe it is a bit prudish for people to avoid places based on such factors, but hey, that's the world we live in. Who wants to risk offending co-workers, bosses, parents, in-laws, friends?<br />
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It reminds me of the recent <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2013/08/08/wandering-dago-food-truck-keeping-its-name" target="_blank">Wandering Dago controversy</a>, in which the local food truck was unceremoniously booted from the Saratoga track because of the old-timey ethnic slur in their name. Sure, maybe the folks at the track shouldn't have let it get to that point, but I also think it's crazy for a business to just toss a word in their name that <i>may</i> offend people, even if that's a small group of people in 2013. And not only that, but to then have items on their menu called "The Mick and Cheese" and "The Polack." Yes, it's 2013, and we're all grown-ups here, but the last thing a business needs to do is risk turning off patrons and draw negative attention to themselves.<br />
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I come at this issue from the perspective of someone who teaches writing at the college level and is constantly challenging students to think about the ways in which language is important in all the ways it's used. Context and connotation must always be considered. These are not private clubs in which a limited subset of customers need to visit for the place to be successful; they're establishments that have to open themselves to as many possible customers as they can. <br />
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Some people will always fall back on the "politically correct" card as something holding back freedom of speech/expression. Look, if you knew some of my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangers_with_Candy" target="_blank">favorite TV shows</a> over the years, you'd know I'm not one who believes in political correctness. But again, it comes back to context; if a show is airing on Comedy Central, for example, it only needs so many eyeballs to be successful. If it's on primetime network TV, the network has to look for a wider audience (which is why we end up with some popular, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_and_a_Half_Men" target="_blank">yet broad</a>, comedies--typically on CBS). I just think that when you're opening a new business, one seemingly targeting the general populace, the last thing you want to do is risk offending (and turning off) some of those potential patrons.<br />
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That's clearly what Jugs and Mugs has done, all before even opening. If they truly don't fashion the restaurant as a Hooters-type place, then I'd say it's not too late to change the name and logo and any other materials they've had printed up. The cost to make those changes--and then get a whole new batch of publicity--will be worth it in the long run, I bet.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-37588806754113964392013-08-09T14:35:00.001-04:002013-08-09T14:35:41.820-04:00A West Coast Beer Sampling, featuring Deschutes Obsidian Stout, Port Brewing Mongo IPA, and Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-03iA_-PRuw4/UgNKMDkX6OI/AAAAAAAABFA/XeQy1apf5Rw/s1600/Deschutes,+Port,+and+Stone+bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-03iA_-PRuw4/UgNKMDkX6OI/AAAAAAAABFA/XeQy1apf5Rw/s1600/Deschutes,+Port,+and+Stone+bottles.jpg" height="263" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I go through everything I meant to write over the past two months but didn't find the time for, here's a post highlighting some of the best stuff that came back with me after a quick trip to the west coast earlier this summer: the beer.<br />
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It's kind of sad to think that, as a California boy, I didn't really get into craft beer until I was long gone from the state, and I've since discovered that there are some really great west coast beers that <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2013/02/27/the-beer-you-wish-you-could-get-here----but-cant" target="_blank">we don't have access to</a> on the east coast. I would have liked to have gotten my hands on some Pliny, but there wasn't any available in the areas I traversed--except for the <a href="http://www.davisbeerfest.org/" target="_blank">Davis Beer Festival</a>, where Russian River had a tent and was pouring out some <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/863/7971" target="_blank">Pliny the Elder</a>. I got a small taste, and yeah, it was very good, but I'd need a bottle to savor at home to really get a sense of how it compares to so many other great double IPAs out there.<br />
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But I can't really complain. I got to try a ton of great beers at the festival, and the beers I was able to try while there--and bring back with me to New York--were varied and all quite good. I can't talk about them all here (and I'll have a post coming soon highlighting a variety of just Sierra Nevada beers and another on saisons), so I'll pick the three that stood out to me the most.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><a href="http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/obsidian-stout" target="_blank">Deschutes Obsidian Stout</a></b><br />
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This may have been second on my list of stouts from Deschutes, behind <a href="http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew/the-abyss" target="_blank">The Abyss</a> (which wasn't available), but it turns out that the Obsidian Stout was a great concession prize from the Oregon brewery. Honestly, there are very few stouts I can think of that I've enjoyed as much as this one--maybe Bell's Expedition Stout and Left Hand's Milk Stout.<br />
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I don't think that's an exaggeration, either--which is an easy trap to fall into with the whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" syndrome that I think can come with beers that you know you can't get your paws on regularly. So I'm trying to avoid that here. <br />
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The Obsidian Stout was thick and creamy--you can see it in the picture here, the head reminding me of a mini version of what you get from the Milk Stout Nitro--and the flavor strong but still balanced. It covers ground we're used to with the average stout, but amps up those flavors; you've got the chocolate, the maltiness, the hints of coffee, maybe a bit of smokiness. Very good. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.portbrewing.com/our-beers/mongo-double-ipa/" target="_blank">Port Brewing Mongo Double IPA</a></b><br />
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I'd heard a lot of good things about Port Brewing, one of the many top-flight San Diego breweries, over the years, so I was excited to find their Mongo Double IPA on the shelves at Total Wine. Couple that with the great label on the Mongo bottle--featuring a cartoon version of the brewery's late cat, Mongo, riding a huge wave--and I was sold.<br />
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I've tried a lot of double IPAs this year, and I'd put Mongo in a very good second tier, just behind Lagunitas Sucks, Firestone Walker's Double Jack, and Ithaca's Flower Power. Mongo comes in at a strong-enough 8.5% ABV, and it's well-hopped, that's for sure, with a lingering bitterness that's a bit stronger, I think, than those three I just mentioned. Maybe that's the key for me with double IPAs--enough balance to make it so the bitterness isn't overpowering.<br />
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I thought the Mongo fell just short on that front, but still brought a lot of great flavor--some of that classic double IPA grapefruit, plus a decent piney taste. Maybe it could use a little more balance from the malts. But I'm being a tough critic here--this is a really enjoyable beer that should definitely be tried if the opportunity arises.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.stonebrewing.com/og/" target="_blank">Stone Oak-Smoked Old Guardian Barley Wine</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-am6z2iCg4DM/UgNL7x5HUSI/AAAAAAAABFc/0QuYU9zz1Iw/s1600/Stone+Old+Guardian+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-am6z2iCg4DM/UgNL7x5HUSI/AAAAAAAABFc/0QuYU9zz1Iw/s1600/Stone+Old+Guardian+2.jpg" height="320" width="287" /></a></div>
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Here's the thing I love about Stone, one of the great west coast breweries, also based out of San Diego: they have such a strong base operation, with wildly popular classic styles, that they're not afraid to experiment frequently. Instead of just rolling along with what I'm sure is a good barley wine (their regular Old Guardian), they're taking the opportunity to put a very effective spin on it this year. From the website:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Our 'Odd Beers for Odd Years' program has afforded us the happy opportunity to experiment beyond our customary annual recipe tweaks and unleash a second version of this tasty brew in tandem with the classic release. We added a substantial dose of German oak-smoked malt to this year's odd year brew, enveloping it in a generous smokiness that complements its rich malt character and slightly dry finish without diminishing the vivid hop flavors and bitterness."</blockquote>
I've always fairly enjoyed the barley wine style beers I've tasted in the past, but I doubt I would have picked this one up and brought it back to New York with me if it weren't for the oak-smoked part. I'm glad I did, for you won't often find beers that employ smoky flavor as effectively as this version of the Old Guardian did. <br />
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Being a barley wine, this is a rather boozy beer, at 11.4% ABV, and you sure can taste it. But it blends well with the smoke flavor. The other flavors, such as the bitterness provided by the hops, are fairly smothered by all that smokiness, however, so while I enjoyed this beer, I'll admit it doesn't come across as the most complex tasting of beers.<br />
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It is a rather unique beer, and it helps to show why it's great to be able to try beers from all parts of the country that you might not be able to find at home. But as much as I enjoyed these beers, I'm also reminded once again of the great variety we have available to us here in upstate New York. We can get a lot of great beers from the west coast, and sometimes, whether in beer or literature, like in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's <i>Love in the Time of Cholera</i>, unrequited love can make for a good story.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-85978225660839800882013-08-07T16:02:00.000-04:002013-08-07T16:02:38.888-04:00Good Granola from Gatherer's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0-rBrT3bfK8/UgHTrH003hI/AAAAAAAABEY/SfoSTKy4-tk/s1600/Gatherer's+Granola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0-rBrT3bfK8/UgHTrH003hI/AAAAAAAABEY/SfoSTKy4-tk/s1600/Gatherer's+Granola.jpg" height="173" width="400" /></a></div>
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While I was up to my knees in papers (this seriously isn't much of an exaggeration) over the past month for a summer program I was teaching for at UAlbany, there was a campaign afoot that I nearly missed out on publicizing--the <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sandrogerbini/gluten-free-granola-for-people-with-taste-buds" target="_blank">Kickstarter fund</a> for <a href="http://gatherersgranola.com/" target="_blank">Gatherer's Granola</a> baked locally in Schenectady.<br />
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I learned about Gatherer's earlier this summer when they found my little blog and asked if I'd be willing to review their three granolas. An offer for free granola? That was an easy answer. I'm a sucker for granola, though usually it comes from Trader Joe's or Target (on their Archer Farms label). Or, if I'm especially lucky, homemade and neatly packaged as a Christmas gift from K.<br />
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I'll admit I like all those mentioned above, and K's still reigns as my favorite, but Gatherer's three different varieties--Chipmunk's Choice, Squirrel Bait, and Fox's Fancy--are creative and tasty, all while featuring high-quality ingredients. And that's something I'd be willing to say even if Gatherer's hadn't sent me those three bags.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><a href="http://gatherersgranola.com/products/chipmunks-choice/" target="_blank">Chipmunk's Choice</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzhhpnblHPo/UgHT992wnQI/AAAAAAAABEg/fuPCVwse-Ns/s1600/Gatherer's+Chipmunk's+Choice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzhhpnblHPo/UgHT992wnQI/AAAAAAAABEg/fuPCVwse-Ns/s1600/Gatherer's+Chipmunk's+Choice.jpg" height="279" width="320" /></a>Besides being a sucker for granola, I'm also an unabashed lover of peanut butter, so at first glance, this was the granola that stood out to me most among the three. And it didn't disappoint.<br />
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The peanut butter flavor is predominant, and it blends well with the almonds that are scattered liberally throughout the bag. You know, Gatherer's Granola isn't exactly cheap--I've seen it in ShopRite and Hannaford for around $5 for a 12 oz. bag--which is the main reason why I'd be reluctant to try it for the first time. But the almonds serve as a good example of why this shouldn't feel like too high a cost for granola. <br />
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Gatherer's doesn't skimp when it comes to ingredients that cost them more, like almonds. And the other ingredients are all top-notch--organic, like the rolled oats, shredded coconut, and sugar; and local, like the peanut butter and maple syrup. <br />
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But none of that matters if it doesn't also taste really good. Like I said before, the Chipmunk's Choice succeeds on that level. The peanut butter and almonds mesh together well, and the sweetness provided by the sugar and maple syrup makes it so the granola could work well as a treat. That's not to say it doesn't work well for breakfast, too; put it in some milk or yogurt, and you're set.<br />
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<b><a href="http://gatherersgranola.com/products/squirrel-bait/" target="_blank">Squirrel Bait</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RMkX6MyuJF8/UgHUXsQ4ObI/AAAAAAAABEo/OwRJQ-ZXwRI/s1600/Gatherer's+Squirrel+Bait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RMkX6MyuJF8/UgHUXsQ4ObI/AAAAAAAABEo/OwRJQ-ZXwRI/s1600/Gatherer's+Squirrel+Bait.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a>As good as the Chipmunk's Choice was, I think my favorite of Gatherer's granolas might be Squirrel Bait. Loaded with pecans and shredded coconut, those flavors are brought together very well by the maple syrup. <br />
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I had the Squirrel Bait with the a whole milk yogurt. The slight sourness of plain yogurt was a perfect match for the sweet, oaty flavor of the granola, while the crispy, crunchy texture of the granola--highlighted by the shredded coconut pieces and pecans--held up really well in both yogurt and milk.<br />
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But start picking the pieces of this granola out of the bag on its own and you're not going to be disappointed. The flavors hold up; just make sure you get a nice little strip of coconut to go along with your cluster of oats.<br />
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<b><a href="http://gatherersgranola.com/products/foxs-fancy/" target="_blank">Fox's Fancy</a></b><br />
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I tried this granola last out of the bunch, but in the heart of fall this might be the granola I reach for first.<br />
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You've got a considerable serving of dried apple pieces, along with seasoning from allspice and cinnamon--these are the flavors of autumn, and Gatherer's isn't shy about showing that boldly. Sometimes I don't love the texture of dried apples--they can be pretty chewy--but that's a personal issue, and only relevant here because Gatherer's is so generous with those apple pieces. <br />
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Taste-wise, the amount of apple pieces is a boon; I don't know if it's a matter of freshness, but the apple flavor is strong and real, just like what you'd get if you dehydrate some apple slices at home. With the other spices involved, it all comes together really harmoniously, only enhanced by the sweetness that comes from both maple syrup and local wildflower honey.<br />
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***<br />
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So, just a couple days remain in Gatherer's Kickstarter campaign. The good news? They've already met their goal of $15,000. But as a small local business using quality ingredients, they could still use some support, because yes, this granola is good.<br />
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So whether or not you help the company by donating, I recommend checking out their product. Quality ingredients, inventive styles--the folks at Gatherer's definitely know what they're doing, and here's to their business flourishing and growing in the coming years.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-77037715384098506292013-06-25T01:56:00.000-04:002013-06-25T12:43:15.690-04:00Going Local: Sampling the Fare at Ted's Fish Fry and Gus's Hot Dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3a6YjH0z80M/UcksvRBs8ZI/AAAAAAAABDc/KZBFJ-CQQYQ/s1600/Gus%27s+and+Ted%27s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3a6YjH0z80M/UcksvRBs8ZI/AAAAAAAABDc/KZBFJ-CQQYQ/s1600/Gus's+and+Ted's.jpg" height="172" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've mentioned before that we've lived in a lot of places over the past decade. There are a lot of drawbacks to doing all that moving, but one of the fun aspects is getting a sense of local cuisine in several cities and towns.<br />
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Some of these are obvious: Pittsburgh's known for a number of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Pittsburgh#Foods_and_drinks" target="_blank">local specialties</a>, with the loaded sandwiches of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primanti_Brothers_Restaurant" target="_blank">Primanti Brothers</a> being at the top of that list. Of course we tried their sandwiches loaded with fries and coleslaw--and yeah, they were good, though I'd still prefer my fries on the side (and no coleslaw at all, sorry). But some local traditions, like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipped_Ham" target="_blank">chipped ham</a>, I don't think we ever sampled. Probably not the biggest loss. <br />
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In Ohio, we sought out some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barberton_chicken" target="_blank">slightly interesting</a> and <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=707254" target="_blank">disgusting</a> nearby food institutions, and in Boone, NC, probably the most interesting regional "food" we found was the very popular "<a href="http://makotos-boone.com/makotocart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7" target="_blank">shrimp sauce</a>" served and bottled at local hibachi restaurants. Mayo-based and not at all shrimpy, I think it might have been an annoying import from Florida, not unlike the terrible-driving summer tourists heading to the mountains.<br />
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So after spending several months here in New York's Capital Region, I was pleased to find that there were some local delights we could try--specifically the area's unique take on fish fry and the Watervliet/Troy mini hot dogs. We headed to these two places not only to sample some unique area specialties, but to get a brief glimpse into a city's or neighborhood's past, a look into restaurants that, for whatever reason, have been able to persist and succeed over the course of several generations when most of their peers fell off the landscape.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Ted's Fish Fry</b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ENU1eoo8p0/UcktkZjKOoI/AAAAAAAABDk/rI_ANe9KcqQ/s1600/Ted%27s+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ENU1eoo8p0/UcktkZjKOoI/AAAAAAAABDk/rI_ANe9KcqQ/s1600/Ted's+4.jpg" /></a></div>
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There are not only several Ted's locations around the Albany area, but several other places that serve the same regional take on the fish fry. We chose the Ted's outpost in Latham for its proximity, but Bob and Ron's excites me because of <a href="http://www.petedz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Bob-and-Rons-Fish-Fry-Albany-NY.jpg" target="_blank">their fabulous neon sign</a>. I'm a pretty low-key guy, but I really do love old, gaudy <a href="http://projectneon.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">neon signs</a>.<br />
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Something else I love? Fried fish. Preferably paired with a nice ale, but still good without. So a visit to one of Albany's fish fries (frys?) was inevitable. That said, we didn't really know what to expect that would make this fish fry unique; we've of course had fried fish all over the country, and for the most part it's pretty much the same--you're just thinking of the fish's size, how well it's drained, and the type of batter used.<br />
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Well, I don't need to tell any locals: the fish served out here certainly is different. We found the long, skinny fried fish served in hot dog buns at Ted's to be strange and not exactly in line with our fried fish sandwich preferences. And maybe Ted's isn't the best area representation of fish fry, but we got the idea. I can see how the long, thin nature could work for some--you get a lot more of the fried breading in proportion to the white fish interior than with any other fried fish out there. But I guess we found that's not what we like. We were both left longing for the plump fried fish sandwiches you can find at pubs anywhere (they serve some <a href="http://www.wpxi.com/gallery/entertainment/photos-pittsburghs-best-fish-sandwich/gFgL/#459722" target="_blank">great, cheap ones in Pittsburgh</a>, where they pile on multiple pieces of fish that fall off the buns)--I guess it's just a preference for more of that flaky fish interior.<br />
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And while I certainly am not about to question people's long-standing devotion to area institutions, I have to admit I really do not get the chili sauce served optionally with the fish fries in Albany. I'm usually a fan of tartar sauce on fried fish, but figured I'd try the chili sauce out of curiosity. Never again! First off, it was slathered on in such excessive quantity that it overtook the whole sandwich until I started shoveling it off. And though I tried to keep an open mind, I was repulsed (K even more so) by the taste of this sauce; it seems like a combination of ketchup and sweet relish. I've always had a serious dislike for relish, so I guess my reaction makes sense.<br />
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The clam chowder at Ted's wasn't bad--there were several nice chunks of clam present, and the consistency was pretty solid: not too thick, not too watery. But with many other preferable ways to have a massive caloric blowout, I'm not sure we'll be going back to Ted's any time soon. <br />
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<b>Gus's Hot Dogs</b><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N__feTbTpog/UckuO9vChjI/AAAAAAAABD0/B24EKlC-Tlc/s1600/Gus%27s+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N__feTbTpog/UckuO9vChjI/AAAAAAAABD0/B24EKlC-Tlc/s1600/Gus's+2.jpg" /></a><br />
It's not every day you get an email that reads, "Do you want to get mini wieners after you get home? I am drinking a smoothie now." A green smoothie, I should add. This kind of email--among many other reasons--is why I'm very pleased to be working on arrangements to finally tie the knot.<br />
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In the interest of full disclosure, I should add two points: 1) I had not been drinking a green smoothie that day, and 2) I was the one who had been pushing for a trip to Gus's for some time. So it didn't exactly take arm-twisting to get me to head down the hill on Troy Schenectady Road to Gus's.<br />
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These mini hot dogs have been written about on both the <a href="http://fussylittleblog.com/2010/12/22/small-hot-dogs-big-differences/" target="_blank">local</a> and <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/troy-albany-new-york-mini-dogs-albany-troy.html" target="_blank">national</a> levels, so while I may not be breaking any ground in talking about how great they are, we certainly felt like we'd unearthed a little treasure in the heart of Watervliet. <br />
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Part of the genius of the mini hot dog, Troy/Watervliet style, is that these are locally-made wieners on custom-made mini buns from area bakeries. That right there is basically the definition of local institution.<br />
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And I imagine these are made just like they used to be, nearly a century ago when it all started up with a Greek immigrant serving up mini hot dogs featuring a spiced meat sauce not entirely unlike an Ohio food institution--the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_chili" target="_blank">Cincinnati-based chili sauce</a> served at places like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_Chili" target="_blank">Skyline</a>. At places like Gus's, as opposed to Cincinnati style where it's more seasoned with cinnamon, you have a chili sauce that's most notably spiced with paprika. It comes off as a little bitter (maybe, as Daniel B. has suggested, a result of the spices not being cooked), but ultimately works well, I think, when paired with the strong meatiness of the dog and the sour tang of yellow mustard.<br />
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The dog is full of snap and the kind of flavor you want in a full-fat hot dog. These little dogs do go down quickly, but you can fill up on a load of them for a very reasonable 75 cents each.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greek Burger interior</td></tr>
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I also decided to go crazy and get myself a Greek Burger--simply a hamburger with onions and meat sauce--for just $1.50. This isn't some thin, lame little burger, despite the bargain price. The beef patty must be around six ounces, and while I also added mustard to offset the bite and spice of the meat sauce on the burger, I found it to be quite a satisfying addition to our meal. <br />
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Gus's opened in 1954 and operates out of basically a tiny little shack in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Watervliet. The ambiance might not be for all, but I think it fits perfectly as an example of long-standing, traditional local food. There's no seating inside, just a handful of benches and tables next to the building. And this absolutely feels like food you should be eating in that setting. <br />
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I don't know what it says about the Capital Region that these are the two major food institutions that have persisted over the course of the past century, but I'm glad they have hung around, no matter if I had some issues with the local fish fry. Just like those old neon signs, I know not everyone loves them--but they do provide a unique glimpse into the past, and it's a shame when they're <a href="http://www.neonmuseum.org/" target="_blank">sent out to pasture</a>. Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-60845554225498817972013-06-18T13:10:00.000-04:002013-06-18T13:10:06.357-04:00Ala Shanghai, Latham's Gem; Red & Blue, Still a Ways to Go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rbgFjXYx65I/Ub5DyA1kyOI/AAAAAAAABCE/e3y7DD3e4y0/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rbgFjXYx65I/Ub5DyA1kyOI/AAAAAAAABCE/e3y7DD3e4y0/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+soup.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've had this post in the hopper for a while, but seeing the results of the <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/bestof2013/category/dining/" target="_blank">Times Union's Best of 2013</a> poll, I was inspired to come back to it from a different angle.<br />
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You see, I was initially just going to write about how we tried out <a href="http://www.redandbluetroy.com/" target="_blank">Red & Blue</a>, the new Asian restaurant in Troy, and, like so many of our dining experiences in the area, were left underwhelmed. But then I saw the Times Union poll results and realized that despite <a href="http://albanyeats.net/2011/03/29/ala-shanghai-for-dim-sum/" target="_blank">the good things</a> <a href="http://fussylittleblog.com/2011/07/05/fussy-little-dinners-ala-shanghai/" target="_blank">people have written</a> about <a href="http://www.alashanghai.net/" target="_blank">Ala Shanghai</a>, the excellent Chinese restaurant in Latham and my write-in vote for best restaurant, it clearly is still under the radar of many folks in the Capital Region.<br />
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It's not like Ala Shanghai really needs my praise or any poll victories; the place is consistently packed, and with the wasteland of restaurants that I'm surrounded by in the Latham/Watervliet area, we don't really need to be increase the fight for seats at one of the few decent-or-better restaurants in the area.<br />
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But before I get to that, and look at how Red & Blue stacked up to Ala Shanghai on our first visit, a few thoughts on the ridiculous <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/bestof2013/best-chinesejapanesekorean-restaurant-single-location/310/" target="_blank">Chinese/Japanese/Korean category</a> in the Times Union's poll.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4hlZukuPhfY/Ub5G63tAOTI/AAAAAAAABCU/pRccoThCNjs/s1600/Times+Union+Best+Of+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4hlZukuPhfY/Ub5G63tAOTI/AAAAAAAABCU/pRccoThCNjs/s1600/Times+Union+Best+Of+13.jpg" /></a>There are so many Chinese restaurants in the Capital Region--some little takeout joints, some more extensive sit-down places--and so many Japanese restaurants--most of the sushi or hibachi variety--that it feels insulting and ignorant to me that the region's major newspaper can't bother to give them their own category in the biggest annual poll in the area.<br />
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Is it a matter of space? Then cut some other category. Is it a matter of ignorance--the idea that all these Asian cuisines are pretty much the same? I may not agree with some of Cheryl Clark's or Steve Barnes's reviews for the paper, but with their presence at the paper, I would hope this line of thinking isn't widespread throughout the Times Union's editorial staff.<br />
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Because when it comes down to it, it's pretty insulting to Capital Region diners on the level of their culinary acumen. Maybe it's nothing more than the idea that residents of this area don't know any better--and part of that is because so many restaurants out here that serve Asian cuisine attempt to serve multiple kinds. I don't know what the Times Union should do with the Korean category--<a href="http://metroland.net/2013/05/29/korean-bridge/" target="_blank">until very recently</a>, there wasn't a single dedicated Korean restaurant in the area. <br />
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Many area Thai restaurants also throw in some sushi; hell, some, <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2012/09/home-and-away-splendid-tables-yam.html" target="_blank">like Shanghai Grill</a>, try to do just about all of it--and end up doing much, if not all, poorly. This also might lead to a lot of folks out here not realizing just how different the many cuisines from Asia can--and should--be. And the Times Union is only adding to that confusion.<br />
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<b>Ala Shanghai</b><br />
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I can't speak to the three winners of the Times Union's Chinese/Japanese/Korean category, since I've yet to try a single one of them. Maybe they are good. But I have eaten at Ala Shanghai on several occasions now, and it really does stand out from most other restaurants in the region. It's authentic, yes, but more importantly it's really consistently good across the board.<br />
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I don't say this just based on K's and my experiences there. We've had the opportunity, on several occasions, to dine there with a number of her family members, people who know Chinese food, including the specific <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_cuisine" target="_blank">cuisine of Shanghai</a>. They've all been impressed not only by the xiao long bao (soup dumplings), but much of what was offered at Ala Shanghai.<br />
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And so we keep taking visitors there, and stop by sometimes when it's just the two of us, never getting tired of the food. That's partly because <a href="http://www.alashanghai.net/PDF/EnglishMenu.pdf" target="_blank">the menu</a> is not only extensive, but changes seasonally to feature vegetable dishes that are in-season. <br />
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I've tried so many dishes at Ala Shanghai that it would be a fool's errand to attempt to review them all here. So instead I'll just mention some of my favorites, and after I click the Publish button, remember others and regret not mentioning them, too.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQvyARCFH_c/Ub5H-AcxWDI/AAAAAAAABCs/yL-zQj0x0jo/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+xiao+long+bao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQvyARCFH_c/Ub5H-AcxWDI/AAAAAAAABCs/yL-zQj0x0jo/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+xiao+long+bao.jpg" height="303" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xiao long bao</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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- <u>Xiao Long Bao</u>: Here's what I said about them for All Over Albany's <a href="http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2012/12/26/favorite-local-foods-2012" target="_blank">favorite local foods</a> of 2012 survey: "I love the balancing act of holding a soup dumpling on the spoon, a
little vinegar surrounding it, and trying to capture that perfect bite
without having the soup spill. The interior is rich and the skin
delightfully chewy. I've had visitors, originally from Shanghai, praise
these for their authenticity." Nothing more to add now, except I think the skin might be getting a little thinner, which is even better.<br />
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- <u>Lion's Head Meatballs</u>: There are <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/lions_head_meatballs.html" target="_blank">variations on this dish</a> depending on where you are in China, but the Shanghai style features pork meatballs with a sweet and sour brown sauce. These are tender and rich and a nice change-up, flavor-wise, from a lot of my other favorites from Ala Shanghai.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Iiv2uazcqg/Ub5JeHgoXkI/AAAAAAAABC8/E98Zrn3pabE/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+spicy+wontons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Iiv2uazcqg/Ub5JeHgoXkI/AAAAAAAABC8/E98Zrn3pabE/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+spicy+wontons.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wontons in spicy flavor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
- <u>Cold Sesame Noodles</u>: K will sometimes make these at home, and those are the best, but the ones at Ala Shanghai are certainly good, too. You've got to make sure to really stir those noodles so they pick up the sauce, which has lots of sesame and peanut flavor and can get messy because you just want to slurp the noodles all up.<br />
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- <u>Wontons in Spicy Flavor</u>: Pretty standard (good) steamed wontons, the star here is the sauce. It's not overly spicy--there's a nice note of heat on the back end of each taste--but I love the peanut flavor to the sauce. Surprising and successful.<br />
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- <u>Sauteed Shrimp</u>: These, I have been told, are a good standard by which to measure the expertise of the kitchen staff. They may look like simple shrimp in a white sauce, but it takes real skill to cook them to the perfect level of crispness. Ala Shanghai knows how to do so.<br />
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- <u>Eggplant with Garlic Sauce</u>: So many strong little touches elevate this dish. The eggplant is sauteed to a melt-in-your-mouth level, the tiny bits of pork create nice textural and flavor contrasts, and the sauce is garlicky and not your run-of-the-mill goopy brown sauce.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CKXoekVSWDc/Ub5HMZ6HBYI/AAAAAAAABCc/cYPLozLNoE8/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+eggplant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CKXoekVSWDc/Ub5HMZ6HBYI/AAAAAAAABCc/cYPLozLNoE8/s1600/Ala+Shanghai+eggplant.jpg" height="216" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggplant with garlic sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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- <u>Rice Cake with Pork and Capsella</u>: I'll admit, I'm a sucker for <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2013/03/lunch-at-mingle-reevaluating-korean.html" target="_blank">a well-cooked rice cake</a>. These are good as presented, but excellent when eaten with some of Ala Shanghai's hot sauce.<br />
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Okay, I think I'll stop there. There's so much to choose from; the best is when you're with a large group and can order and try a bunch of different dishes. When it's just two of us, the hardest thing is just deciding on a few.<br />
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<b>Red & Blue</b><br />
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We've only visited Red & Blue, which just opened this past winter on 15th Street in Troy, on one occasion so far. That's certainly a small sample size, but I can't say we were all that impressed. Maybe we could have ordered better, but we ordered two items off the menu that stood as good opportunities to measure Red & Blue's food against Ala Shanghai's, and they came up clearly short.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k2Hs5UxoM2M/Ub5Ntnj0aHI/AAAAAAAABDM/Z8TFptnGBZo/s1600/Red+and+Blue+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k2Hs5UxoM2M/Ub5Ntnj0aHI/AAAAAAAABDM/Z8TFptnGBZo/s1600/Red+and+Blue+logo.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a>The first thing we tried at Red & Blue was their <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/01/chichis-chinese-west-lake-soup.html" target="_blank">West Lake Soup</a>. This was a soup unfamiliar to both of us, even though K ate at Chinese restaurants throughout New Jersey and New York City growing up. It's not the most exciting soup--a variation on egg drop--but it's interesting because it features cilantro so prominently. It's supposed to include small pieces of beef, too, though at Red & Blue it instead included mostly bits of ham.<br />
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In a later visit to Ala Shanghai, we got the West Lake Soup for comparison there and didn't love it, either. More balanced, and featuring more beef and no ham, it was fine, but I doubt we'll be seeking out this soup in the future. Still, it wasn't the best effort from Red & Blue--their version felt like something you might call a clean up the kitchen soup, or something along those lines.<br />
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We also tried the Pork with Eggplant in Garlic Sauce--basically the same dish as one of those mentioned above from Ala Shanghai. The version from Red & Blue really couldn't compare; the sauce was goopy, overpowering, and too sweet, and the bits of pork were even less noticeable. This felt like something more suited for a Chinese take-out joint; Red & Blue presents themselves as more, even though they do offer takeout (a quart of this dish--the dinner serving, I believe, in the restaurant--is $12, compared to $11 at Ala Shanghai).<br />
<br />
Maybe we'll try Red & Blue another one of these days, but it's hard when you have a place like Ala Shanghai nearby that's so clearly better. Red & Blue is a different beast, though--they have more of a bar scene, with karaoke and such, which might appeal to the local RPI students. They also are another of these area "Asian fusion" restaurants (even though I don't like using that term for these purposes; when I think of Asian fusion I think of the intermingling of two cuisines--not a restaurant that simply serves multiple Asian cuisines)--besides the Chinese, some of it pretty authentic and not all "Chinese-American," there's a very extensive sushi menu at Red & Blue.<br />
<br />
So, thinking back to that Times Union poll, I can't help but wonder where the blame really falls: on the media, the restaurants pushing the multiple Asian cuisines, or the public that goes along with it as if they were from some small, rural town with no real Chinese or Japanese options? Probably a combination, and ultimately it only matters so much: as long as you have a place like Ala Shanghai around that turns out consistently tasty, authentic, and affordable cuisine, you can forget for a while where you are.<br />
<br />
<i>Ala Shanghai Chinese Cuisine is located at 468 Troy Schenectady Road in Latham</i><br />
<br />
<i>Red & Blue Asian Grill and Bar is located at 2312 15th Street in Troy </i><br />
<br />
<i>All photos courtesy of Lucy Chen</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-42282084779107065852013-06-16T13:30:00.000-04:002013-06-16T13:30:16.412-04:00Bad Role Models<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kjIPd4Id53Y/Ubgb6KV-GVI/AAAAAAAABAA/mBKdZrgKQQ4/s1600/Pablo+Sandoval+belly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kjIPd4Id53Y/Ubgb6KV-GVI/AAAAAAAABAA/mBKdZrgKQQ4/s1600/Pablo+Sandoval+belly.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the hazards of doing a food and beer blog is that, through
eating and thinking about food and beer all the time, it's kind of easy
to develop a bit of pooch around the waist. I know it's not good for
me, and it's something I need to work on eradicating, but it sort of
comes with the territory.<br />
<br />
On the flip side, I also like
to spend some of my free time watching sports. Now, sitting to watch
isn't exactly good for my waistline, but you'd think that watching
athletes in prime physical condition run and skate across my TV screen
would serve as visible motivation for me to get in better shape. These
guys could be considered role models, in a way.<br />
<br />
I was a 13-year-old sports obsessed kid who read <i>Sports Illustrated</i>
but didn't have cable TV when Charles Barkley made his famous role
models remarks: "I'm not paid to be a role model. I'm paid to wreak
havoc on the basketball court." I might have been naive or uninformed
about a lot of things in my middle school days, but I'd heard the
stories about Barkley--the <a href="http://articles.philly.com/1991-12-23/sports/25810126_1_rosie-s-water-works-charles-barkley-milwaukee-man" target="_blank">bar fights</a>, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/29/sports/pro-basketball-barkley-fined-and-suspended.html" target="_blank">spitting incident</a>, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb-jDr6Moko" target="_blank">on-court</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoMKqevrI18" target="_blank">fights</a>
(those were the best; I was really just a future hockey fan, as it
turns out). So his comments gave me something to think about.<br />
<br />
Now,
as an appropriately-jaded adult, I don't really have any delusions
about athletes being role models--not for their off-the-playing-surface
behavior. But on-field, it's hard not to be impressed. The current
athlete is in better shape than ever before in sporting history: lean
and muscular, ripped and toned, fast and strong. But then I look at my baseball team, the San Francisco Giants, winners of two of the last three World Series, and what do I see?<br />
<br />
Bellies. Big, round, bouncy bellies. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><u>Exhibit A: <a href="http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=467055#gameType=%27R%27" target="_blank">Pablo Sandoval</a></u><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NiS8YHU6QmM/UbgizzXsYgI/AAAAAAAABAM/ltHvpqLMAP0/s1600/Pablo+Sandoval+gnome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NiS8YHU6QmM/UbgizzXsYgI/AAAAAAAABAM/ltHvpqLMAP0/s1600/Pablo+Sandoval+gnome.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best baseball game giveaway ever?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Also known as the <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Sports/2012/1025/Pablo-Sandoval-Where-the-Giants-got-Kung-Fu-Panda-and-other-nicknames" target="_blank">Kung Fu Panda</a>, this is where you have to start with the Giants. Sandoval won the World Series MVP last fall, hitting three home runs in Game 1 of the Series against the Tigers and ace Justin Verlander. Sandoval is round and jovial and an amazing athlete; the team has sold tons of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Francisco-Giants-Pablo-Sandoval-PANDA/dp/B004RCDHNO" target="_blank">Panda hats</a> over the past few years. Yet the team has also now coined the term "<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Operation-Panda-2-Giants-Sandoval-tries-to-sli?urn=mlb-305902" target="_blank">Operation Panda</a>" for the offseason workout program to help get Sandoval to shed those many excess pounds.<br />
<br />
It hasn't really worked. Sometimes injuries get in the way, as do his offseason visits to Venezuela to have too much of his mother's clearly-delicious home cooking. He might be at his biggest now. And yet he's had <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=5409&position=3B" target="_blank">a really good season</a>. Leads the National League in All-Star votes for a third baseman. Clearly, he is a terrible role model.<br />
<br />
And not just for me, but for my cat. I sometimes call my cat, Peanut, "Kung Fu PandaNut" in honor of his similarities to Sandoval. They sort of look the same--orange and white (fur and uniform), big bellies jiggling, and incredible athleticism. We've had our own Operation Peanuts over the years, to no avail, and were just told by a vet about a special new metabolic diet food for him. We'll see about that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvRFxFF_m4Q/Ubgnac4qU6I/AAAAAAAABAk/hiX-qqQpei0/s1600/Photo+on+2011-04-23+at+03.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvRFxFF_m4Q/Ubgnac4qU6I/AAAAAAAABAk/hiX-qqQpei0/s1600/Photo+on+2011-04-23+at+03.26.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<u>Exhibit B: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/q/quirogu01.shtml" target="_blank">Guillermo Quiroz</a></u><br />
<br />
It may not be fair to pick on Quiroz, a career minor leaguer who has stuck around to become the Giants' backup catcher this year at 31. When your starting catcher is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1TVP5OsqZk" target="_blank">real American hero</a>, it's hard to care much about the backup. But Quiroz has provided the fireworks of a game-winning home run against the Dodgers, so he's already won me over for the year.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0LuQccZnETA/UbgppnGPnSI/AAAAAAAABA0/VH9uucNzdJk/s1600/Guillermo+Quiroz+belly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0LuQccZnETA/UbgppnGPnSI/AAAAAAAABA0/VH9uucNzdJk/s1600/Guillermo+Quiroz+belly.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>And look--not a bad belly! This guy's played in just over 120 big league games over the past decade, so it's not like he's living big. It's a funny thing about catchers--their position might be the most physically demanding, what with all the squatting, but they also seem to end up the thickest of any position player (pitchers are another story). Why? I'd think the belly thickness would only make it harder to squat.<br />
<br />
Maybe it's just a trend with the Giants, though. Sandoval started his career as a catcher, in fact. And here's a shot <a href="http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/51/e512d9a1-34e1-5f91-b30f-ad3863f89923/50d7fc110c510.preview-620.jpg" target="_blank">of Bengie Molina</a>, who began 2010 as their starting catcher until Buster Posey supplanted him.<br />
<br />
<u>Exhibits C & D: <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/machije01.shtml" target="_blank">Jean Machi</a> and <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mijarjo01.shtml" target="_blank">Jose Mijares</a></u><br />
<br />
I'm grouping these two together because they're a pair of relievers who have partnered for one of the more random sights to come from a baseball game this season. How do I politely describe it? Well:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Z2S5BC3K8A/Ubgr8DDQhOI/AAAAAAAABBE/Nq-PQB14wvw/s1600/jean+machi+fart.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Z2S5BC3K8A/Ubgr8DDQhOI/AAAAAAAABBE/Nq-PQB14wvw/s1600/jean+machi+fart.gif" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machi (left, passing gas) and Mijares (center, smelling it)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anyway, it's unlikely that many kids grow up saying they want to one day be a middle reliever, so it's a reach to call Machi and Mijares role models in any way. And hey, Machi is like Quiroz, a career minor leaguer who just made the majors last year at 30. So good on him for making it and even contributing, though the excessive flatulence can't be helping his cause in staying in the majors.<br />
<br />
Mijares? Solid lefty out of the pen. And while he doesn't have the biggest belly on the club, it's his double chin that's most impressive. Hey, I'm not going to say anything--but is that chin-strap beard <i>really</i> the best look under the circumstances?<br />
<br />
It's all good. The man has gotten to ride through the streets of San Francisco alongside his wife in a World Series parade. There are a whole lot of people who can't say that.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PKbFgGxsKJg/UbgsyetOIgI/AAAAAAAABBc/BR7ObVUr_gI/s1600/Jose+Mijares+parade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PKbFgGxsKJg/UbgsyetOIgI/AAAAAAAABBc/BR7ObVUr_gI/s1600/Jose+Mijares+parade.jpg" height="272" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So there you go: role models, the whole lot of them. Keep it up, boys. As long as you keep winning, of course.<br />
<br />
**Sad Panda Addendum**<br />
<br />
As I dragged my feet in posting this, some unfortunate injury news for Sandoval: he has a foot strain and hairline fracture, though he's played through the latter for several years, and is now headed to the disabled list. <a href="http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2013/6/11/4419886/pablo-sandoval-dl-foot-injury-malk" target="_blank">Is it weight related?</a> Who knows. But it opens the door for a temporary, in-season <a href="http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2013/06/11/pregame-notes-giants-make-weight-loss-a-priority-for-sandoval-as-he-hits-d-l/" target="_blank">Mini Camp Panda</a>.<br />
<br />
Does this mean I have to learn a lesson from all of this? Well, sure, I could afford to drop a few pounds myself this summer. Maybe the sight of a lean, mean, Panda machine will inspire me. If only I had an entire training staff to kick my ass into gear and the money for a private chef. Alas, I'll have to do it another way--green smoothies and lots of simple chicken and fish and salad dinners.<br />
<br />
Check back in in a couple months and we'll see where everyone stands, cat included.Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-34090301718105232942013-05-15T01:30:00.000-04:002013-05-15T15:08:25.541-04:00Unsolicited Advice for Japanica Grill in Troy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e5nKMztNTuA/UZMPU8IOErI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/hCMnLw3-2Rk/s1600/Japanica+ramen+and+sushi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e5nKMztNTuA/UZMPU8IOErI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/hCMnLw3-2Rk/s1600/Japanica+ramen+and+sushi.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Hearing last week that the new <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/japanica-grill-troy" target="_blank">Japanica Grill</a> in Troy was serving actual ramen, K and I didn't want to wait around and see what others had to say about this place--we wanted to just get in there and try it for ourselves.<br />
<br />
Here's a not-so-secret bit of information: we both really like ramen. Many people may associate ramen with poor students living off their pocket change packages of Top Ramen. But real ramen can be a delicious treat, the varieties of broth capturing a wide range of flavors, the noodles at once both delicate and chewy. We've tried some of the <a href="http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/09/the-best-ramen-in-new-york-city-nyc-japanese-ramen-ya-east-village-midtown-manhattan-japanese-noodles.html" target="_blank">great ramen available</a> in little <a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/03/the-8-best-ramen-shops-in-nyc.html" target="_blank">shops in New York City</a>, and can even attest to the quality of <a href="http://www.theramenrater.com/tag/shin-ramyun-black/" target="_blank">some packaged ramen</a> available in Asian groceries and even some supermarkets.<br />
<br />
So the ramen is what drew us into Japanica Grill. We expected others to be checking out the new restaurant, but when we visited last week for dinner, there were no other diners present (another pair came in while we ate). The location is tucked away on 6th Avenue on the ground level of the new City Station multi-development project, which has a few additional storefronts but mostly will serve as graduate housing for RPI students.<br />
<br />
Maybe the construction on 6th Ave. is hurting business for now at Japanica, but I'm afraid that's not the only problem we noticed on our initial visit. While they are doing a few things well, there are problems we encountered that make our return doubtful, and, I think, the overall success of the restaurant questionable.<br />
<br />
I may have no business dispensing advice on how to make a restaurant successful, but I can't help it: a place like Japanica Grill has so much potential, but I'm afraid it's all going to be squandered. So here are some thoughts we had after our initial meal there and how things can be improved.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>1. Make enough ramen to last the night</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQHgWSZCOyU/UZMVu91sIuI/AAAAAAAAA-o/eoyR2xAv0Q4/s1600/Japanica+ramen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQHgWSZCOyU/UZMVu91sIuI/AAAAAAAAA-o/eoyR2xAv0Q4/s1600/Japanica+ramen.jpg" height="258" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now featuring pictures from K's new iPod Touch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
When we arrived, it wasn't even six, and the place was empty. After we placed our order for two different ramens--there are four available on the menu--we were soon after informed that there was only enough for one bowl.<br />
<br />
We'd already figured out our order, building it around the reasonably-priced bowls of ramen ($9.50, I believe); we also decided to try an order of shrimp and vegetable tempura and the sashimi appetizer. Most dishes on the menu were in the $18-$25 range, and we weren't prepared to spend that much in addition to what we'd already ordered. Still in the mood for noodles, we went with a plate of the spicy chicken noodles for under $10 (or something like that--we found no takeout menus, and there's no information available online about the restaurant, so I can't confirm the names/prices of dishes) instead of the second bowl of ramen.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jDMaYc7amQ/UZMXTknSihI/AAAAAAAAA-4/mXB_iv7T9rU/s1600/Japanica+interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jDMaYc7amQ/UZMXTknSihI/AAAAAAAAA-4/mXB_iv7T9rU/s1600/Japanica+interior.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a>The two other diners who arrived during our visit inquired about the ramen, too, but were told that Japanica was all out of it--so there were at least three sad patrons in the restaurant that night. Maybe the chef didn't expect the ramen to be so popular--he was smart to put it on the menu, considering it's not available, to my knowledge, anywhere else in the region--but the last thing you want to do is run out of a featured item on what's the first visit for many of your customers.<br />
<br />
How was the ramen? It was good, but not exactly special. The one we got was pork-based, though the pork in the broth was clearly just a piece of ham. There was a nice amount of toppings to mix in, including some thick slices of shiitake mushrooms. The broth had some depth of flavor, but we mostly tasted the strong notes of star anise. It was reminiscent, in fact, of <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/saveur-100-tea-eggs" target="_blank">Chinese tea eggs</a>. We're fond of these, but K didn't love the way the star anise, cinnamon, and clove flavors took over the ramen broth.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Cater the menu more to the local student population</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlgVofEnp4E/UZMY1X_dASI/AAAAAAAAA_I/nxRHRL7-yLQ/s1600/Japanica+sushi+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WlgVofEnp4E/UZMY1X_dASI/AAAAAAAAA_I/nxRHRL7-yLQ/s1600/Japanica+sushi+2.jpg" height="362" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sashimi appetizer at Japanica Grill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Considering Japanica is part of the City Station complex, you could say that they literally share space with the RPI campus. And with the student population at approximately 7,000, there's a serious market to tap into there. But the menu at Japanica Grill simply does not fit the financial situation of most students, undergraduate or graduate.<br />
<br />
I can speak to this from experience, having attended grad school at the University of Pittsburgh. Carnegie Mellon was right down the road from us; both are urban campuses similar to RPI. There were a few Asian restaurants that were frequented by many students from both colleges, and these restaurants all made a concerted effort to have lower cost items on their menus while not sacrificing quality.<br />
<br />
The restaurants I'm thinking of include <a href="http://oishiibento.com/" target="_blank">Oishii Bento</a>, <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/271003/restaurant/Oakland/Lulus-Noodles-Pittsburgh" target="_blank">Lulu's Noodles</a>, and <a href="http://www.allmenus.com/pa/pittsburgh/270890-orient-express/menu/" target="_blank">Orient Express</a>. These places weren't all great--Oishii Bento was quite good, but the others just pretty good--but check out the menus available on those links. There's a ton of variety, and there are so many options for under $10. All of these places were consistently packed, and while there are more students in that part of Pittsburgh than in Troy, I don't doubt that you could get a lot of RPI students and other young locals into one of the aforementioned joints if you dropped them into Japanica Grill's location in the Collar City.<br />
<br />
I don't think this means Japanica would have to scrap their whole menu for more casual; you can still have sushi, but maybe price it a bit lower or offer more quantity. The sashimi appetizer ($10) was quite good. I was impressed by the texture and flavor of the fish--a sampling of two small slices each of salmon, tuna, red snapper, and white tuna. They were just the right temperature to really bring out the flavor on the palate; you can tell the chef knows what he's doing. Oishii Bento has sushi on their menu, too, but in addition to that they have a variety of bento boxes and bowls that span both Japanese and Korean cuisines effectively, all at prices easily affordable even for students. <br />
<br />
<b>3. Do a better job with the menu items beyond sushi and ramen</b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-cMdSOP1_Q/UZMa_n4l7zI/AAAAAAAAA_s/q8PwAfjFUSo/s1600/Japanica+spicy+noodles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-cMdSOP1_Q/UZMa_n4l7zI/AAAAAAAAA_s/q8PwAfjFUSo/s1600/Japanica+spicy+noodles.jpg" height="287" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spicy chicken noodles at Japanica Grill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We're not speaking from a lot of experience here, but the spicy chicken noodles we had at Japanica were not good. They were really oily--that was the predominant flavor--and the small chunks of chicken were cooked to the consistency of tire rubber. For $9 or any price, this isn't the kind of dish that's going to inspire diners to return.<br />
<br />
The shrimp and vegetable tempura was pretty good, but a few days later we went to <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2012/09/lunch-box-special-sushi-tei-in.html" target="_blank">Sushi Tei in Guilderland</a> and got a much more exciting haul. For $8, Japanica offered two shrimp (with the vein still in at least one), a small slice of zucchini, a slice of carrot, and a piece of broccoli. Sushi Tei offered three shrimp, a slice of sweet potato, a piece of eggplant, and a slice of squash for $7. There wasn't much difference in how they were cooked--all were nicely breaded with panko and lightly fried. But Sushi Tei takes the battle in terms of value and the simple use of better vessels for tempura. A carrot isn't the ideal texture (compared to a sweet potato), as it's pretty hard, and broccoli is just a weird vegetable to be fried up that way.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJNlK3v7ksk/UZMZPStTFtI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/pKFUpmEsmIs/s1600/Japanica+and+Sushi+Tei+tempura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJNlK3v7ksk/UZMZPStTFtI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/pKFUpmEsmIs/s1600/Japanica+and+Sushi+Tei+tempura.jpg" height="203" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tempura at Japanica (left) and Sushi Tei (right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We also couldn't help but take offense to the hot sauce offered to us at Japanica when we asked for some to help give some additional flavor to those noodles. Take a look:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lnKMCWEbmAs/UZMaBc9lXiI/AAAAAAAAA_c/3cLGTsLvWkU/s1600/Japanica+hot+sauce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lnKMCWEbmAs/UZMaBc9lXiI/AAAAAAAAA_c/3cLGTsLvWkU/s1600/Japanica+hot+sauce.jpg" height="320" width="290" /></a></div>
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Compare this to the hot sauce provided at Ala Shanghai--a spicy and tasty blend of oil and chili peppers that seems to be made in house. This stuff from Japanica was goopy--it had the texture of duck sauce and no flavor, really, just a little heat. Maybe this was just a one-time, just-opened thing, but when presenting yourself as a pretty nice restaurant (with prices to match), serving these packets is kind of embarrassing.<br />
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<b>4. Get your name out there</b><br />
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Like I said before, I can't confirm all the dishes on the menu--or discuss it in more detail--because there was no takeout menu and there's no online presence yet for Japanica. The link to a website under their name is dead.<br />
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In this day and age, it really does help to have that footprint on the web--a website including the menu, a Facebook page, even a Twitter account. And advertise a little more; I see they've advertised in the <i>Troy Record</i>, but that has a limited reach. Cast a wider net online, run some special deals. It's a little bit of a tough location right now, but they have a parking lot on the back side of the restaurant (entrance along Rt. 2/Ferry St.) and I think a lot of people out here are always looking for something new and interesting.<br />
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The bottom line is that we want to like a place like this. The folks working there seemed nice and friendly. They serve decent ramen and good sushi. But what incentive do we really have to go back, other than the location being a little more convenient than Sushi Tei or Mizu Sushi?<br />
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I can't imagine how hard it is to open a new restaurant, all the challenges, both foreseeable and unexpected. But I do know that, from a diner's perspective, there has to be something to draw in customers, whether it's quality, value, filling a niche, or some combination of factors. And right now, I don't think Japanica is set up in a way to take advantage of their present situation in Troy.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/japanica-grill-open-at-troy-s-city-station" target="_blank">Japanica Grill</a> is located at 1521 6th Avenue in Troy</i>Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5739744319331098388.post-1450244065934032432013-05-10T13:49:00.003-04:002013-05-10T13:49:50.061-04:00Trader Joe's Snack Attack: Dried Kimchi and Inner Peas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OIo_SR63wVQ/UYqShcCdskI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/Op7QgTXQ9go/s1600/Trader+Joe%27s+Dried+Kimchi+and+Inner+Peas_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OIo_SR63wVQ/UYqShcCdskI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/Op7QgTXQ9go/s1600/Trader+Joe's+Dried+Kimchi+and+Inner+Peas_edited-1.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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Considering <a href="http://masticatingmonkey.blogspot.com/2012/10/this-is-good-stuff-trader-joes-kale.html" target="_blank">my post on the Kale Chips</a> from Trader Joe's has--by far--brought the most hits to my blog, I figured I should do a few more of these posts. Not that I need to be gorging on snacks all the time, but I do like that TJ's comes out with some new, interesting items every once in a while, and these snacks aren't always <i>that</i> bad for you.<br />
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But can these snacks be the complete package, with good flavor and good value on top of the not-terrible nutritional content?<br />
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I tried Trader Joe's Dried Kimchi and their "Trader Joe's Contemplates Inner Peas" to find out--and came to the conclusion that one of these snacks satisfies more than the other.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dried Kimchi</b></span><br />
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<u>Value</u>: $2.99 for a 0.7 ounce bag<b> </b><br />
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<u>Nutrition</u>: Cabbage is good for you, right? Also kind of salty.<br />
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<u>Flavor and Texture</u>: This is where things get interesting. And weird.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XuBuVQAN3sg/UYsqE9TPIxI/AAAAAAAAA9g/fiXdI_ElO1M/s1600/Trader+Joe%27s+Dried+Kimchi+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XuBuVQAN3sg/UYsqE9TPIxI/AAAAAAAAA9g/fiXdI_ElO1M/s1600/Trader+Joe's+Dried+Kimchi+2.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a>Do you like regular kimchi? Seems like the place to start when figuring out if you might enjoy TJ's Dried Kimchi. But I'm not sure that matters with this product. You might want to try it out of curiosity, but then go back and pick up the kimchi from the refrigerated section of Trader Joe's (or your local Asian market).<br />
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While I love the flavor of kimchi, the chili spiciness, the saltiness, the sour backbone--not to mention the crunch that you sometimes get from parts of the cabbage--this doesn't translate so well to a dried product. The ingredients here are good: the cabbage and chili, of course, plus garlic, ginger, salt, onion, and radish. Yet somehow these flavors come together in a weird and fairly unpleasant way--with a fishy pungency that's unlike anything I've ever tasted. It's unbalanced, too; the spicy and sour flavors really don't come together well in this form.<br />
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The texture also leaves something to be desired. While there are a few pieces that retain some crunch, I also found a lot of bits that were somewhat chewy. <br />
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Now, the one saving grace for the Dried Kimchi might be that it is not just a snack, but also a condiment. I haven't tried it in that form, but I suppose it could work better as a flavor enhancer. Also, while $2.99 for 0.7 ounces might not seem like a good deal, if this is to be eaten as a condiment, it'll go a long way, so it's fair enough in that regard.<br />
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That said, I'm pretty sure I won't be picking this up again for any reason.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Trader Joe's Contemplates . . . Inner Peas</b></span><br />
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<u>Value</u>: $1.49 for a 3.3 ounce bag<br />
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<u>Nutrition</u>: Described on the front of the bag as a "multigrain snack," they aren't necessarily bad for you--each package contains three servings, each 150 calories, 6g of fat (1g saturated), but cornmeal is the first ingredient, not peas, so you're not exactly getting the goodness of green peas from this bag.<br />
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<u>Flavor and Texture</u>: As I said, the first ingredient is cornmeal. The others? Sunflower oil, air-dried green garden peas, rice flour, sea salt, and water. I don't know that there's one predominant flavor; I readily taste the cornmeal and rice flour, but the Inner Peas are slightly oily and I do like the noticeable touch of salt. Oh, and there is a hint of pea flavor that does shine through. It feels like a little bonus surrounded by all those other, typical snacky qualities.<br />
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I do find myself enjoying these, maybe more than I should, because ultimately they're not that exciting flavor-wise; I think part of the fun of eating these might be in their texture. The Inner Peas are crunchy, but I would call it more of a crunchy fluff. I think that's a byproduct of the rice flour, and it works.<br />
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These certainly aren't the most exciting snack, but they're also not that bad for you, so I suppose they could be a reasonably-priced alternative to other snacks. I'd be interested in trying them as a vessel for some hummus; that might be where they could really shine thanks to the texture. <br />
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And what does Mr. P think of these two snacks?<br />
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"Seriously? Uh, no thanks."Masticating Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586980632713973459noreply@blogger.com6