All Over Albany

Death Wish Coffee has its eye on Albany

Death Wish Coffee is eyeing a spot on Livingston Ave in Albany for its first cafe.

The location -- 71 Livingston -- is currently an empty lot right next to Albany Distilling's bar and bottle shop. The coffee company would build a two-story building that would include a cafe, retail store, and tasting room.

"One of our most valued business partners is Albany Distilling, so the opportunity to be right next to them and be down south in Albany is great," said Shannon Sweeney, Death Wish's content manager.

The company currently produces a coffee-flavored vodka with Albany Distilling.

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Not-so-wild salmon, and other supermarket fish stories as detailed by the state Attorney General

More than one-in-four fish samples from supermarket chains around the state that were collected in a state Attorney General's office investigation tested as a variety of fish different from what they were being marketed as. That's from a report that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) released Friday titled... "Fishy Business."

(Go on, insert your own fish pun or dad joke here.)

Investigators bought fish from 29 supermarket brands (155 locations) around the state and had it DNA tested. From the findings:

While mislabeling affected virtually every tested seafood category, there was rampant mislabeling of certain species. The results suggest that consumers who buy lemon sole, red snapper, and grouper are more likely to receive an entirely different fish. Similarly, consumers who bought what was advertised as "wild" salmon often actually received farm-raised salmon instead. Such consumers had often paid more money--on average 34% more--to avoid farm raised fish.

The substitutes were typically cheaper, less desirable species than the desired species. Snappers sold as red snapper, for example, tended to sell for half as much when properly labeled as another type of snapper. Some substitutes (e.g., lane snapper), had higher mercury levels or came from less sustainable fisheries than the desired species, raising consumer safety and environmental sustainability issues.

Environmental groups and advocacy orgs have been raising this issue going back five years or more. OAG says it believes this is the "first major government investigation in the U.S. to target seafood fraud at retail supermarket chains."

The report highlights that a large majority of the samples that tested as mis-labeled were bought at supermarkets downstate. And it provides a listing of all the supermarkets from which samples were purchased.

Here in the immediate Capital Region, the investigation included 32 samples from six chains: Fresh Market, Hannaford, Price Chopper/Market 32, Price Rite, and Walmart. None of those samples tested as mis-labeled. And the report singles out Hannaford for following some of the best practices in ensuring that the fish being sold is actually the fish being sold (pdf p. 25).

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The new Zaitoon Kitchen location is open

The new Zaitoon Kitchen at Crossgates Commons in Albany opens today. It's in the former Noodles & Co. spot near the McDonald's.

This is the second local Zaitoon location -- the first opened near the Latham Circle last year. Its menu includes a lineup of dishes inspired by Afghan and Middle Eastern cuisine: kabobs, kofta, falafel, salads, hummus, naan wraps, and a bunch of interesting small plate/side options. Zaitoon touts its food as "cage-free, veggie-fed, halal."

As Deanna suggested last year, it's worth going with a group so you can try a bunch of different things. We've been a handful of times and the food has been good each time. Prices are about what you'd pay at Chipotle or a similar fast-casual place.

We popped into the new location Sunday during a soft opening. The new place is bigger than the Latham location, and the design is modern.

The hours are Sunday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am-10 pm.

The Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market is looking for feedback about its future, including a new permanent home

By the way: The market moves indoors to The Atrium for the season this Saturday.

The Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market has a public meeting lined up for November 7 at the Franklin Plaza Ballroom to talk about its future and gather feedback. It's hired Project for Public Spaces -- a NYC-based placemaking consultancy -- to lead the process. Press release blurbage (emphasis added):

The market wants to hear what people feel about the market and how it might evolve. The workshop will also provide the community with a chance to hear about the success stories from public markets across the country.

"The market has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years," said Zack Metzger, president of the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market. "We are really excited about that growth, but we need to address some of the issues we are facing, such as the need for a permanent home for the market in a space that's big enough to grow. When we consider what that means for Troy and for farmers in our area, we see a lot of potential." ...

"The community has supported the market in a huge way, which has enabled us to create a first rate marketplace. Now it's time for us all to consider creating a first rate Market Hall and discussing what that would look like and how our programs could expand, and what it would mean for the city of Troy and the Capital Region as a whole."

You probably remember that a 2014 proposal for the 1 Monument Square redevelopment prominently featured, at one point, a permanent space for the farmers' market. But the idea later washed out of the plan in 2015, and in 2016 the overall plan crashed.

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Fresh Neighborhood Market

The Fresh Neighborhood Market -- a new corner grocery that's aiming to offer healthier options in Albany's West Hill neighborhood -- is now open on Judson Street near Clinton Ave.

Said owner Dileep Rathore when we stopped by this week to talk about the new store: "Come in, enjoy, and I hope I got it. And if I don't, I'll get it for you. I want to be a neighborhood deli."

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A handful of upcoming cooking classes to get tuned up for Thanksgiving

It's apple pie season. / photo: Deanna Fox

This time of year is a good time to take a cooking class.

It's cozy to gather around a kitchen as the weather turns cold. A class can be fun to take with a friend. And, of course, the winter holidays are big cooking months for many people.

So here are a handful of upcoming cooking classes around the area -- to maybe learn something new or just get tuned up for Thanksgiving...

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Apples, branded and trademarked

The Vox video embedded above tracks the rise of the branded apples that have been popping up in supermarkets over the last decade or so -- you know, SweeTango, Zestar, Kanzi, even Pink Lady (which is a branded version of an old apple called Cripps Pink).

Two of these sorts of new-school apples were developed by Cornell: the SnapDragon and Ruby Frost.

These new branded varieties are also known as "club" apples and they're production and marketing is usually licensed by a single entity, which an NPR story looked a few years ago, raises some issues for apple growers.

One of the important threads of this story that the Vox video doesn't really touch on is that the universe of apple varieties is huge -- there have been literally thousands of varieties of apples. It's just that many varieties fell out of favor because they didn't fit into the modern supermarket system because of the way they look, or they way they keep, or some other issue with standardization. (The inverse of that: the dreaded Red Delicious, which fits a lot of the modern requirements but generally tastes bad.)

We're lucky to have a bunch of apple orchards in this region. And many of those orchards grow a large variety of apples, both old-school varieties and some of the newer varieties. Examples: Bowman in Rexford grows almost 50 different varieties and Samascott in Kinderhook grows something like 80 varieties (we've seen the spreadsheet).

So it's worth stopping by these orchards and asking for something different or unusual. Not all of the old or unusual apples are great, but some of them are interesting and you might find a new favorite.

Step away from the Honeycrisp
This is our annual reminder that Honeycrisp are overrated. Get yourself an apple like one of those SnapDragons from Cornell -- still has the crunchy texture, but it actually tastes like something more than water.

Earlier
+ Beyond boring apples
+ Growing a wider variety of flavors for cider
+ Lost and found apples

Cider donuts, quietly

Autumnal cooking zen: Take a moment to watch as Cooper Nelson quietly makes cider donuts in his Delmar kitchen for his Silently Cooking YouTube channel.

See also this profile of Nelson from last year by Deanna Fox.

Debbie's Kitchen has returned

Important lunch news update: Debbie's Kitchen re-opened Monday. (We've included a menu and a few pics.)

Debbie Klauber announced back in August that she was working toward re-opening the longtime local favorite at its old spot, 456 Madison Avenue near Lark Street in Albany. She had sold the business back in 2010 to travel and try new things. She spent time in Belize. She did some catering. She worked summers at Siro's in Saratoga.

And Monday morning she was welcoming people back in to the shop.

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A look around Bard & Baker, the new board game cafe in downtown Troy

The board game cafe Bard & Baker is now officially open in Troy. It's in the street-level retail space at the corner of Broadway and 5th Ave in The News, the redeveloped old Troy Record building.

The cafe has more than 400 games board games that you can play all day for as long as you like for a $5 cover. (You can even leave and come back the same day.) There's also a menu that includes all sorts of beverages (coffee, teas, soda, juice, beer, wine, cocktails), along with sandwiches, snacks, and pastries.

Here's a look around the new place...

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Where to buy Mexican-style chorizo?

A chorizo taco at La Mexicana. / photo: Daniel B.

Sean emails:

Do any of your readers know where I can find any of that good chorizo that crumbles when you remove the casing? Price Chopper used to carry some, but I haven't seen it in quite a while. I've been left having to use "hot-dog chorizo," which is nothing like the good oily, crumbly stuff. Please help!

As Sean mentions, there are two general types of chorizo: the Spanish or Portuguese style that slices up like a sausage, and the Mexican style that crumbles. The Mexican style is excellent in a taco with potatoes or mixed up with eggs (you can get it like that at Viva Cinco de Mayo in Albany).

Our first thought when we saw Sean's question was the Mexican Market on Central Ave, so we called over there and it sounds like they don't have it available for retail. (We wouldn't be surprised if you get it as a taco there, though.)

So then we called over to La Mexicana on State Street in Schenectady. And success -- the person on the phone said they do sell chorizo in the grocery there. (Also: You pretty much have to stop for a few tacos if you go to La Mexicana.)

Got other suggestions for Sean in his search for chorizo? Please share!

All the current Stewart's seasonal summer ice cream flavors, ranked

We're already into mid August and that raises a very important fact: Summer ice cream eating season will soon be gone.*

But fear not! To help guide your end-of-season ice cream eating -- which is serious business -- we recently took on the task of trying each of the limited-time seasonal summer flavors at Stewart's. Then we ranked 'em, so you can make the most of this ice cream prime time.

Let's dig in...

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Debbie's Kitchen is returning (with Debbie)

Debbie's reopening the kitchen.

There's wondrous sandwich news in Albany: Debbie's Kitchen is planning to return to its old location on Madison Avenue in Albany -- with Debbie herself at the helm.

Debbie, of course, is Debbie Klauber, whose soups, sandwiches, and desserts were Albany famous for 25 years.

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Follow up: The Dutch Udder

AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year (or so).

Kehmally Karl and Jeff McCauley started making ice cream as a side project -- creating fun flavors for family and friends. Slowly and methodically, they've turned a hobby, and an incredible talent for creating inventive flavors, into a successful small business: The Dutch Udder.

Flavors found on their ever-changing menu include Nine Pin Cider Sorbet, Grasshopper, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Rice Crispy Treat ice cream.

At first, they sold ice cream from a cart at markets and festivals and special events. And three years ago the then-fledgling business was also finalist in the AOA Startup Grant contest. Since then, Jeff and Kehmally have opened a storefront on River Street in downtown Troy and they've captured awards for their Philly Vanilla and for their other inventive flavors.

Jeff talked with us about their experience in the ice cream biz so far.

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Brewtus Roasting Co.

We got a chance to stop by Brewtus Roasting Co. in Delmar on Wednesday, a relatively new coffee spot tucked into a space between Delaware Ave and the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail near the Four Corners.

Brewtus was formerly called Barkeater and based in East Greenbush. Owner and roaster Stephen Pivonka changed the name last fall, and opened the Delmar space this past April.

He'd already been selling his products at the Delmar Farmers Market and said he was getting requests for a spot in the hamlet. The town of Bethlehem also chipped in a grant to help the move.

The other draw: Brewtus is in the same building with the Real McCoy Beer Co. and the Royal Meadery.

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Beer (and cider) ice cream is now legal to be sold in New York

Wine ice creams, like this one, have been allowed to be sold for the past decade.

Noted: Beer and hard cider ice creams are now legal to be sold in New York State.

The state has allowed wine ice cream for the past 10 years, and this week the governor signed a bill that also allows for beer and cider ice cream or other frozen desserts. From the memo for the bill, which was sponsored by James Seward in the Senate and William Magee in the Assembly:

Ice cream made with wine is a food product manufactured in New York State that has been safely sold and regulated in a manner similar to confectionary that contains alcohol since 2008. This bill seeks to approve similar products made with beer and hard cider. As with wine, this bill would, limit the percentage of alcohol in ice cream to not more than 5% of alcohol by volume, prohibit its sale to persons under twenty-one years of age and require the same product labeling and warning statements similar to wine and confectionary that contains alcohol. This bill will help New York dairy farmers, craft beer and cider producers, dairy processors and manufacturers, and food retailers and restaurants meet the increasing consumer demand for these new and innovative products.

Five percent alcohol by volume is right around the alcohol content of many beers.

To go along with the beer and hard cider ice cream bill, the governor also signed another bill this week that allows wine frozen desserts to be sold in packages of less than one pint. (The original intent of the minimum package size was an effort to keep the products away from kids.) From the bill memo: "The sale of wine ice cream was enacted into law in 2008. Since that time, the demand for smaller packaging for weddings, fundraisers, recreational tours and other events has increased. This bill would lift the minimum requirements that are currently in law to accommodate this demand for smaller packaging sizes."

Both bills take effect immediately.

Earlier: Here's a map of every brewery in New York State

Pick-your-own blueberry season 2018

Mid summer is here, which means it's blueberry season around the greater Capital Region. And there are a bunch of places where you can pick your own.

Blueberries are are easy to pick (on bushes about waist high), relatively cheap (usually about $3 per pound), and they freeze beautifully, so you can stock up for later in the year. Picking them on a beautiful summer morning is almost meditative.

Here's a list of farms around the region for PYO blueberries, along with a few details.

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New York continues to produce more and more maple syrup

New York State produced more than 800,000 gallons of maple syrup during this year's season. That's the highest total in 74 years, according to the Cuomo admin.

The Empire State was able to hold off Maine (539,000 gallons) for the #2 spot. Vermont continues to look across the border and congratulate New York on its hobby -- the Green Mountain State produced 1.94 million gallons last year. (But its production has more or less than been flat the last few years and New York is gaining...)

Here's the national production table from the USDA (pdf p. 9). And we rolled together a tree map of the numbers. (It's kind of like a square pie chart.)

The maple syrup production of both Vermont and New York State has been on an upswing since the start of this century. And in just the past five years their running three-year averages are up 50 percent.

One of the reasons: There have been major shifts in technology, as producers have switched over to use miles of tubing and vacuums to collect sap, and then reverse osmosis to remove some of the water before boiling.

Here's an interesting Washington Post article from this past spring about the way the industry is changing, and how the growth is attracting the interest of private equity and companies looking to scale.

Maybe the biggest question, though: Is New York's pancake industry ready to step up to the challenge?

How a strawberry grown from a "wasteland" in Albany helped spread a national strawberry craze

At the corner of Morris and Knox next to a small neighborhood park stands a two-story brick building, its front bearing a worn coat of paint. Built in 1838 in the Federal Style, it's the oldest still-standing building in Albany's Park South neighborhood.

But maybe more notable than its age is the fact that home and the land around it played a vital role in the growth of the strawberry trade in the United States, helping to set off a "strawberry fever."

This is the story of 74 Morris Street and The Wilson's Albany strawberry.

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Take-along food ideas for Tanglewood?

Speaking of Tanglewood... Sean emails:

We're taking some friends from out of town to a show at Tanglewood this weekend on our way out to Boston. Our plan was to grab some takeout to bring with us to the show. I was wondering if any of your readers could recommend some good options, either local to us or to Tanglewood itself (Subway our last resort). Our usual smorgasbord of meats, cheeses, etc won't work this time since our final destination is a hotel (no fridge). We're coming from Albany and will have kids with us, but they shouldn't be overly limiting.

There are no doubt a handful of places either here in/around Albany or across the border closer to Tanglewood. (Making picnic baskets for Tanglewood is probably a whole mini-industry in the Berkshires.)

So, got a suggestion or two for Sean? Please share!

South End Healthy Market

The South End Healthy Market opens its 2018 season Saturday, June 30 from 10 am to 3 pm at a new location, the the lawn of the Capital South Campus Center.

Opening day will feature live music, kids activities, free Zumba and meditation classes, chair messages, and other activities.

The market sells produce from local and community vendors. It accepts all federal food assistance benefit cards, as well as Healthy Market coupons.

It's organized by AVillage, The Radix Center, and Trinity Alliance. If you're interested in being a vendor or volunteer: southendhealthymarket at gmail dot com.

The Capital South Campus Center is at 20 Warren Street in Albany, on the eastern end of Lincoln Park.

Checking in with Bard & Baker, the board game cafe planned for Troy

The cafe will be in the street-level corner space of the old Record building.

The new board game cafe that's been in the works for downtown Troy -- Bard & Baker -- now has a location.

The developers behind the new News Apartments announced this week that Bard & Baker will be taking one of the retail spaces in the old Troy Record building at Broadway and 5th Ave.

The cafe's owner is Charlotte Guyton, who was a key member of the team at Clark House Hospitality (Peck's Arcade, The Confectionery). And Bryan Connor, who was a pastry chef at Peck's Arcade, will be the cafe's kitchen manager.

Guyton first publicly announced the plan for the cafe during last year's AOA Startup Grant content, in which she was finalist. Even though she didn't win, the judges were very impressed by both her and her methodical approach. And Guyton got a boost last month when she won a $1,500 grant in the business plan competition for the Capital Region Chamber's Entrepreneur Boot Camp. She's aiming to open in September.

So we're curious to hear about how thing are coming along, and what to expect when the cafe opens this fall. And we figured you might be, too...

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Pick-your-own strawberry season 2018

Strawberry season is here! A few farms opened their pick-your-own strawberry fields this past week, and a bunch of others will be doing so this week or next.

It seems like this year's season is more or less on schedule, though a few farms have noted that some cold and wet weather earlier this year delayed things a little bit.

A typical strawberry season at many farms in this area only lasts a few weeks, though some farms have strawberries for longer stretches -- even most of the summer -- because their fields include a range of varieties that produce at different times. When you're at the farm stand, ask about the varieties the farms are growing. In our experience people are happy to talk about what's available, for how long, and why. It's also a good idea to call ahead or check the website before heading out.

Here are a handful of places in the greater Capital Region that you can pick your own strawberries. Know of a good place not on this list? Please share!

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"My name is Sean Rowe, and I know I got a really low voice, but if you're stuck with me you're going to eat a tree, you won't have much of a choice..."

Check it out: Sean Rowe has a new Youtube series in which he talks about foraging for wild edibles and then heads back to the kitchen to cook them up. It is called, appropriately: Can I Eat This.

The first ep is embedded above. And the second posted today.

Of course, Rowe is famous as a musician. But he's also an avid naturalist, and he's taught foraging classes around here. So this series isn't a surprise. And his endearing, nerdy enthusiasm for the topic comes through in the videos. About the series, from his Facebook page:

You're gonna get an earfull and an eyefull of my passion for wild food and living off of the land. I'll be taking you through some of my favorite foraging spots througout the Northeast, showing you what I harvest directly from the wild and exactly what i do with it when i get back to the kitchen! I'll also be encorporating guest spots on the show with touring musicians, local chefs and hmmmm...who knows where this could go?!?!

The episodes look great thanks to Troy-based Chromoscope Pictures, which is producing the series. Over at The Alt, Katie Cusack Cusick recently talked with Rowe and Chromoscope's Nick Spadaro about what's cooking.

Dim sum at Tea Plus

I've written about breakfast a lot lately, but not intentionally. It just happens that what Capital Region-ers consider breakfast food is expanding. What kind of food writer would I be if I didn't explore that?

Dim sum -- the traditional Chinese course of food that involves small plates of dumplings, buns, and meats -- was traditionally served as a breakfast or brunch-like option.

And after having a few dim sum options at Tea Plus in Clifton Park, I'm thoroughly convinced breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

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