Where to get latkes?
Xina emails with a seasonal question:
Where can I get some excellent latkes in the Capital region? I have had no luck making good ones on my own, but I would love to eat some. :)
We get the sense that latkes tend to fall into the category of "foods people usually make and eat at home" -- in part because it's a holiday thing for a lot of people. But there's gotta be a place in the Capital Region that Xina get score some good not-made-at-home latkes. Or maybe you can share some advice on how she can make good ones at home.
Got a suggestion? Please share!
photo: Flickr user Sarah and Jason (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Comments
Nosh.
... said Cori on Dec 18, 2014 at 11:04 AM | link
Try Gershon's in Schenectady, Saatti in Newton Plaza, or I -Hop.
... said mg on Dec 18, 2014 at 11:12 AM | link
I agree with mg on trying Gershon's and Saati, but you might also try Ben and Bill's deli in some of the Price Choppers (excuse me - Market 32 or whatever it's called now)
... said Amy on Dec 18, 2014 at 11:25 AM | link
I come from a German family that ate potato pancakes regularly. Making great ones aren't all that easy (especially if you don't have experience frying, which many of us don't do anymore). However, I just saw a Cook's Illustrated show on t.v. that showed a foolproof way to make really good latkes. The trick is to squeeze out as much excess water from the shredded raw potato as possible. (As with all Cooks Illustrated recipes, there is a lot of science to their methods.)
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/7214-crispy-potato-latkes?extcode=MKSCZ00L0
... said chrisck on Dec 18, 2014 at 11:35 AM | link
Troy, of course: http://muzaeuropeanfood.com/menu/
... said Doug Bartow on Dec 18, 2014 at 11:41 AM | link
If you don't mind re-heating, I am pretty sure that I recently saw some in the pre-boxed prepared foods section in Whole Foods. Didn't indulge myself, but the prepared foods section usually churns out pretty tasty items.
... said N on Dec 18, 2014 at 12:38 PM | link
Unfortunatly I think that Nosh is closed. Muza's in Troy has great potato pancakes.
... said Kate on Dec 18, 2014 at 12:49 PM | link
Park Side Eatery in Saratoga has a few different varieties
... said David on Dec 18, 2014 at 1:05 PM | link
I've just got latkes from Whole Foods. They were pretty good.
... said s on Dec 18, 2014 at 2:05 PM | link
Latkefest is an annual tradition in my family so every year we make a lot of latkes. We have really improved our latke making skills over the past few years since we found the recipe below. Two tips-- make sure the oil is hot enough and as mentioned above, get the water out of the shredded potatoes. I use dishtowels to squeeze mine in. We save the liquid and wait for the starch to settle and mix it back in so they hold together better.
It's definitely more work than what we used to make, but the results are outstanding!
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Latkes
... said E on Dec 18, 2014 at 5:04 PM | link
Thanks! Gershon's is advertising they've got latkes, so I'm going to give them a try.
... said xina on Dec 19, 2014 at 1:10 AM | link
Daniel B. of fussylittleblog.com reported finding "pretty good" frozen Latkes at Trader Joe's: http://fussylittleblog.com/2014/12/17/late-for-latkes/
... said Eric Scheirer Stott on Dec 19, 2014 at 8:15 AM | link
Kosher Chopper (near 155/5 in Colonie) has them in their deli. I'd expect the turnover to be good at that location.
I've heard good things about the frozen ones from TJs.
Making them isn't super hard, but require some patience. Squeeze the extra liquid out of the potatoes before you mix with egg and a binder like flour, matzo meal or even corn starch if you are GF. Add salt to the "batter" before cooking. And keep open eye on the temperature of your oil. Overloading a pot will drop the temp rapidly and you will have tiny shreds floating around like a snow storm. Tasty, but a mess.
... said abby on Dec 19, 2014 at 1:22 PM | link
If you dont want to deal with grating and draining the potatoes, buy the shredded potatoes that come frozen in a bag. Follow the above recipe; if you don't have matzo meal, use flour and I used chopped argula in place of chives.
... said Susan Anthony Brownell on Dec 19, 2014 at 3:14 PM | link
The ones I got from Gershon's were very good. I enjoyed them immensely and appreciated not having to make them.
... said xina on Dec 20, 2014 at 10:34 PM | link
Wolff's Biergarten in Albany has potato pancakes on the menu and they're pretty darn good. I'm guessing the Schenectady one has a similar menu, too.
... said Danielle Sanzone on Dec 30, 2014 at 11:25 AM | link