Another year down on the books as a delicious one. 2016 was filled with more eating than writing. A look back of our favorite local bite of the year on All Over Albany also brought back delicious memories from this past year, including some from our travels:
Eat Drink SF: A trip to San Francisco this past summer included a stop at the Bay Area's premier food, wine, beer and spirits festival. The best of SF's restauranteurs gathered for an epic tasting and the highlight of it all was this heavenly bite from Brasserie S&P. A dollop of creamed corn brought out the sweetness of the fresh, briny raw scallop and a pop of pickled blueberries brought it all together. I selfishly went it for seconds, it was that good.
Duartes Tavern: Our West Coast trip brought us to the quaint little town of Pescadero, home of the iconic artichoke soup. It's California in a comforting, creamy bowl. The earthiness of the fresh artichokes in this soup is unlike anything we've had before. Asking for a swirl of spicy cream of green chile (an off the menu tip from Yelpers) further enhanced the flavors.
Maharaja: Our favorite Indian restaurant has a mean weekend brunch buffet. What's unique about Maharaja's is that they include their Indo-Chinese fusion fare plus these diy pani puri!
Troy Kitchen: We love the choices at Troy Kitchen! Fell head over heels in love with the fried chicken from Allie B's Cozy Kitchen and couldn't get enough of the crepes at La Petite Crepe. Now there's Hoist Sandwiches with a pork belly banh mi that's calling our names!
Chester's Smokehouse: There are too many delicious things from this place. We're big fans of the bacon ribs, liverwurst, and slim chesters (their own better version of a slim jim). Their homemade pierogies makes a frequent appearance at our dinner table, but it's the smoked chicken bacon potato ones that we can't stop thinking about. It's so good!
From Mexican to French and Korean, Troy Kitchen's ever expanding list of eateries is an international feast of flavors waiting to be savored. The food court boasts eight shops, each with its own tantalizing specialties:
Troy Lobster: Our No. 1 spot goes to Troy Lobster. Save a trip to Maine and get yourself to Troy. The seafood here is as fresh as it gets from the coast and flavors are on point. The chowder and lobster rolls are good but it's The Kracken that lures us to this side of the river. Look how drool-worthy that sandwich is! It's everything you ever wanted: lobster, applewood smoked bacon, guacamole, and egg with chipotle cream. It's a magical moment when the egg yolk breaks and coats everything.
Allie B's Cozy Kitchen: It was love at first, crispy bite. Allie B's fried chicken belongs in the the Capital Region's top picks. It's seasoned just right and fried to perfection. Plus what's better than a classic chicken and waffle combo? One with sweet potato waffles, it's a game changer.
La Petite Crepe: It's a taste of Paris in Troy! For authentic French crepes and savory galettes, say oui to La Petite Crepe. We've yet to taste the savory side of the menu but the sweet crepes are heavenly. The batter is slightly sweet lending a beautiful canvas to fresh fruit filings like nectarines with berry coulis, apples with housemade caramel, and my favorite to date, The Suzette with oranges and a buttery sauce. All topped with homemade whipped cream of course.
