Items tagged with 'food'
Free Wine and Food Festival tickets
Next week is the last event of the season at SPAC-- the big Wine, Food and Ferrari Festival.
And the central event is the Grand Tasting on Saturday, September 11th from 1 to 5:30. More that 100 Italian and international wines will be available for sampling, there will be wine and cheese seminars, delicacies from local chefs and lots of Ferraris and other beautiful cars. Not a bad way to kill an afternoon.
Over 35 importers of Italian wines and food products will be offering tastings. Tickets to the Grand Tasting are $75 a piece -- but we've got 4 pair to give away.
Gourmet food, fine wine and fancy cars had us daydreaming about living like the other half does. Which brings us to the question we'd like you to answer to enter the drawing:
How do you "live rich" in the Capital Region?
Maybe it's where you go to splurge or treat yourself when you've got a few extra dollars. Maybe it doesn't cost anything at all but makes you feel like a million bucks. Anyway, tell us what it is and we'll enter you into the drawing. And of course, let us know what's so great about it in case we want to try it too. That part's not a requirement, but it's more fun to share.
The deadline to enter is Friday, September 3rd at 8PM.
Very, very important: One entry per person. You must answer the question to be eligible. You must post your comment by 8 pm on Friday, September 3rd, 2010. You must include a working email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winners will be notified by email by noon on Saturday-- and must respond by 5PM Tuesday, September 7th.
Good places to eat on Sunday?
Skye emails:
Sunday's the day my husband & I have a meal with his dad, and whenever I run through the checklist in my head of places I would love to go, I find most of them are closed (esp. in Troy, it seems).
So Skye's looking for some suggestions about good places to eat on Sunday -- and, we'll add, dinner especially (a lot of places are open for brunch).
One suggestion to start things off: we've had some nice Sunday evening meals at Chez Mike in East Greenbush -- it's open 5-9 pm on Sundays.
Have suggestions for Skye? Please share!
Chipotle at Stuyvesant Plaza opens Tuesday
Between Trustco and Peaches near the Fuller Road end of the plaza.
Updated Monday evening with porky details.
The Capital Region's fourth Chipotle opens in Stuyvesant Plaza on Tuesday. We stopped by today to check it out -- and in the five or so minutes we there, six people were turned away from the not-quite-open-yet location. (Exclaimed one girl into her mobile right after, "Tomorrow!?!?!")
There's no opening day free food this time around. The friendly guy we talked with today said the crowds on previous free burrito days had been overwhelming.
He did let us in for a quick peek. A handful of photos for the curious are after the jump.
The Radix Ecological Sustainability Center
Scott Kellogg and his daughter on the site of the future Radix Center.
Scott Kellogg wants to teach you to live greener and be more self-sustaining -- you know, grow your own food, raise a little livestock.
Hey, city dwellers -- this means you.
Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew are the founders of the Rhizome Collective, a center for community organizing and urban sustainability in Austin Texas, and the authors of The Toolbox for Sustainable City Living.
Now they live in Albany, and they're building a space called The Radix Center to teach city dwellers and suburbanites alike to do everything from compost with worms and grow porch mushrooms, to collect rainwater and raise their own fish.
Scott says not only is this possible, you're actually going to enjoy it.
Where to get whole sardines?
Apparently there's a bit of a neo-sardine movement because the fish are considered both healthy and sustainable.
Shadi and Jason:
"Where can we find fresh, whole sardines?"
Our first thought was to check with The Original Two Cousins fish market. So we called up the Newton Plaza location in Latham this morning. The helpful people there said they don't have fresh sardines -- but they do have frozen. A two pound bag is $7.95.
Anyone have other suggestions for Shadi and Jason? Maybe you've seen whole sardines in one of the supermarket seafood sections. Please share!
photo: Flickr user FotoosVonRobin
Shuffle of Indian restaurants on Lark
One's out, one's in?
Update: MattW checks back in to say that Tandoor Palace was back open when he went by Thursday evening.
___
MattW sends along word that it appears Tandoor Palace at Lark and Madison in Albany has been seized by the state Department of Taxation and Finance for "nonpayment of taxes." (more photos after the jump)
At the other end of Lark, it's look like another Indian place is sprouting: a sign in one of the spaces by the still-closed Al Baraki says a restaurant called Jewel of Indian is coming soon. There's a website mentioned, but the domain is currently parked.
Of course, that neighborhood is still not without Indian options: LaZeez is at 35 Central and Aashiana is at 31 Central and Gandhi is at 1 Central.
Also: As of earlier this month, a Taste of Greece was for sale -- $55,000 was the asking price.
The state always gets its cut
From the "Oy, New York!" file: WSJ's Jacob Gershman reports today that the state Department of Taxation and Finance has cracked down on a group of Bruegger's stores for, among other things, not collecting tax on sliced bagels.
In the taxation department's interpretation of the state tax code, sliced bagels are subject to sales tax -- but whole (unsliced) bagels are exempt. But get this: a sliced loaf of bread -- not taxed.
The DTF tells CBS6 that it will be stepping up enforcement of such food-related tax quirks.
The Bruegger's group tagged by the state has more than 30 stores across upstate -- including here in the Albany area. The stores have been posting signs telling people about the change. [Biz Journals] [WNYT]
Another thing about Kenneth Greene, the guy who owns the Bruegger's group -- his company baked the world's largest bagel (more than 800 pounds) at the New York State Fair in 2005. [Bigger Impact] [SuperSized Meals]
Tournament of Pizza 2010 nominations
It's almost time!
That most august tradition -- the Tournament of Pizza -- will soon return. That means we have some brackets to fill out. And we need your help.
For the first time, this year's tournament field will be selected in part by a vote from the crowd. So, we need nominations.
Got a good pizza place in mind? Just post a comment with the name of the place and the town where it's located. We'll gather up the nominations for a vote next week.
The Pig Pit BBQ
Hmmm... do we smell a BBQ smackdown?
While driving around Cohoes , I couldn't help but giggle at this "Pig Pit vs. Dinosaurs: Bring it on!" sign. Clearly I had to check that out.
So, my look at Cohoes continues with, The Pig Pit.
A first look at Fresh Market
Daniel B. Braved the opening day crowds at the new Fresh Market
You would have thought they were giving away shopping bags full of diamonds. Yesterday's grand opening of the region's first Fresh Market was a seething mass of humanity.
Traffic was snarled up for blocks at the intersection of routes 9 and 155, and their jumbo-sized parking lot was filled beyond capacity. There wasn't even a shopping cart to be found.
On one hand that was probably a good thing, since all of the people inside made it difficult to move around, and the checkout queues stretched all the way across the store. But on the other hand, The Fresh Market shopping carts seem to be a key part of the experience.
Harmony House Marketplace & the Wine Seller
They love NY wines.
Okay, okay, I'll admit it - I don't think of New York when it comes to choosing a wine. And I'm definitely not alone in that thinking.
The folks at Harmony House Marketplace's The Wine Seller are hoping to change that.
At the Plaza Food Festival
Updated with a sampling of vendors
Here's something that might be worth checking out on Wednesday: the annual At the Plaza Food Festival will be set up on the ESP from 11 am - 9 pm.
The event blurb says there will be 50 food vendors, which might make for a fun lunch stop. A sample of the vendors is after the jump.
And there's music, too. Among the lineup: locals Super 400 will be playing at 6:15 (that's them on the right, at the ESP even). And the Smithereens (yep, those Smithereens) will be playing at 7:45.
(Thanks, Glenna!)
photo via OGS
Waffle Week at Brown's
This sounds fun (and potentially yummy): next week is "Waffle Week" at Brown's Brewing in Troy. From the press release:
For on August 24, 1869, one Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York was awarded the very first patent for the Waffle Iron. From that day forward, waffle enthusiasts the world over rejoiced, and the making of those fried battery delights would never be the same.
To commemorate this erroneously overlooked moment in history, Brown's Brewing Company is hosting its first ever "Waffle Week - A Glorious Celebration in Praise of The Waffle Iron." Beginning on Monday, August 23, Brown's will offer a different waffle each day - all made with one of Brown's Dependable Ales & Lagers. And to truly celebrate the occasion, Brown's is featuring a famous Waffler in history to represent the dish of the day.
The waffle-by-waffle schedule is after the jump. It includes a "a snappy Cajun Creole Waffle" and a "rich Oatmeal Stout Dark Chocolate Waffle."
Sadly, there's no offal falafel waffle...
Mushrooming knowledge
From the "hey, I never really thought about doing that at home until now" file -- there's a class at The Furnace space in Albany this Thursday evening on growing your own mushrooms. From the event blurb:
We will be mixing the Tree Oyster (pleurotus ostreatus) mushroom spawn with sterilized straw and spent coffee grounds, some of which you will be able to take home to watch grow. Bring your own large food grade container, such as a gallon size jar or bucket, no top necessary.
The class will be taught by Scott Kellogg, one of the authors of the book Toolbox for Sustainable City Living. It starts at 7 pm. There's a $5 suggested donation.
(Thanks, Jess!)
photo: Shawn Baker via Wikipedia
The Epicurean to manage EMPAC cafe
News to us: the well-regarded French cafe The Epicurean has taken over management of Evelyn's Cafe at EMPAC (the restaurant mentioned this on their Facebook page a few weeks back). The arts center says the cafe will now be open even when there aren't performances.
The Epicurean already has a location on Route 7 in Rensselaer County. And it took over the former Vin Santo in Latham earlier this year.
Yep, EMPAC advertises on AOA.
Price Chopper to sell "sustainable 'locally grown' seafood"
Price Chopper announced today that it will be selling fish raised by Local Ocean, the indoor aquaculture company near Hudson. It's touting the fish -- sea bream -- as locally-raised and sustainable.
Local Ocean is an interesting operation. It's a huge warehouse space filled with tanks for raising fish. The setup is a mostly closed system that recycles its water supply with a filtration system that uses bacteria. The plant/farm/fish bowls reportedly cost more than $10 million to build. The company says the system should be flexible enough to raise a range of fish, both saltwater and fresh water. (There's a short video clip of Local Ocean officials talking about the concept embedded after the jump.)
Seafood stocks all around the world are under pressure from overfishing. Traditional fish farms have stepped up production to meet demand, but they've come under criticism for their environmental impact. That has some people hoping that indoor fish farms will provide a viable -- and more sustainable -- alternative.
Price Chopper says the Local Ocean fish will be available in six stores Hudson, Shoppers World in Clifton Park, Loudon Plaza in Latham, Bethlehem, Niskayuna and Saratoga Springs (Route 50). It'll be $9.99 a pound.
Earlier on AOA: Hannaford to sell only sustainably-sourced seafood
photo: Price Chopper
"Food is necessary to the total experience"
NYT's Glenn Collins examines Saratoga's "contradictions" by looking at its food (well, Siro's and the backstretch... mostly Siro's):
At Siro's restaurant, the 72-year-old hub of haute revelry here, men in blazers the hue of Easter eggs and women in prodigious hats addressed their $48 Cassel Farms rack of lamb. Only five minutes and an immeasurable universe away, 942 itinerant workers in T-shirts ate free stir-fried Sichuan chicken under a white party tent at the Saratoga Race Course.
There's also a slideshow and "where to eat" guide.
Peachy
Tastes like summer.
Before the taco this weekend, we stopped at Golden Harvest in Valatie for some peaches. They were great -- juicy and sweet, not like the peach-like objects we often find in the supermarket. (Say all you want about the advantages of local food, sometimes the best selling point is that it just plain tastes better.) We're looking forward to scoring some more peaches this weekend at the farmers market.
We would normally be right in the middle of peach season, but it -- like a lot of crops -- is about two weeks early this summer. So don't sleep on the peaches.
The early warm weather this year has also apparently moved the apple crop along, too. The New York Apple Association reports that some early season apples should be ready by mid-August (so, maybe this weekend). And all the sunny weather should result in sweeter apples.
It has us thinking about apple picking...
Tortillaville in Hudson
Taco time.
We were strolling along Warren Street in Hudson this past weekend when we came upon this happy sight.
Generally speaking, we hold that taco trucks = good idea. But this stand -- all shiny and parked among the picnic tables -- gave off an especially happy vibe.
Had we already eaten dinner? Yes. Would this stop us from having a taco? No.
Olde Polish Deli in Watervliet
You know they have kielbasa.
On a recent trip through Watervliet (okay, okay, actually I was lost), I stumbled upon The Olde Polish Deli. And well, finding a cool little ethnic shop I've never been to is one of the best ways to get lost, in my humble opinion.
After my first trip, I was enthralled.
Pick-your-own vegetables?
Brian emails:
Any suggestions on pick your own veggies? My garden sort of pooped out this year and I want tomatoes, cukes, zukes, beans...
Hmm... there are a bunch a pick-your-own fruit places, but we're not sure about PYO vegetables.
Your best bet is probably to just hit up a farmers' market or a farm stand. Of course, that doesn't give you twisting-off-the-vine experience.
So, anyone have suggestions for Brian? We'll expand this a bit to include good farm stands (quality, selection). Please share!
Behind the scenes with Chopped champ Ric Orlando
After New World chef Ric Orlando emerged victorious on last week's episode of the Food Network show Chopped, we thought it would be fun to get the backstory on how all it went down.
Among the bits that came up during the conversation: his zen approach to the challenges, being judged, editing, celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli's seemingly snippy comments -- and what he did with the prize money.
Did Ric Orlando get Chopped?
Local chef Ric Orlando (New World Home Cooking in Saugerties, New World Bistro Bar in Albany) was on the Food Network show Chopped Tuesday night.
We've watched this show a bunch of times and it looks like it can be brutal -- odd mystery ingredients, serious time pressure and picky judges. A lot of professional chefs have melted in the heat of competition.
So, how'd Ric do?
Lauren's House of Dogs
Wiener.
The fact of the matter is that if a place is called "Lauren's House of Dogs," we're going to stop in eventually -- whether they have dog dogs or hot dogs.
In Lauren's case, it's hot dogs. So we stopped in for lunch today.
Here's a quick take...
Public preview at new Troy food co-op
The Pioneer Food Market co-op reports that it's nearing completion on construction and is aiming for a soft opening in late September.
If you want to check out how things are coming along at the new market in downtown Troy, there's a public preview Friday at 10 am, and then later on during Troy Night Out from 5-9 pm.
The co-op reports that 760 people have invested in the project -- and it's continuing to look for more loans from individuals.
... said Anonymous about The Albany metro area is "brainy"