Maybelle's Breakfast Egg Sandwich

It's 20 something days and counting until our wedding and I've been running back and forth from Hudson firming up plans. My stomach was rumbling after my hair appointment so I decided to treat myself to brunch. As I asked around while antique shopping in Catskill, locals were praising this new farm-to-table establishment called Maybelle's. Can't beat local advice!

The culinary compass usually points toward Hudson but don't underestimate Catskill. The sleepy stretch of Main Street may not standout as a gourmet destination but Maybelle's lays the foundation for an exciting menu worth coming to Catskill for. At first glance, I was mesmerized by the menu and its offerings: pan-seared duck sandwich, caramelized brussel sprouts with pickled okra, lamb merguez, among a bevy of tantalizing dishes. Sadly I was by myself and restrained myself to a simple breakfast sandwich accompanied by a sip of homemade lavender soda. 

As simple as a breakfast sandwich can be, the right elements can elevate this breakfast staple to a whole new level. At Maybelle's, two over easy eggs are sandwiched between the most tender and fluffy homemade buttermilk biscuit, schmeared on both sides with a generous amount of tangy goat cheese, and topped with your choice of local Catskills bacon or sausage. Add a swirl of sriracha and I was in breakfast bliss. Forget all the other frozen microwaveable breakfast sandwiches. The stars are the fresh ingredients but that goat cheese added an extra creaminess that made this little 'ole sandwich so decadent. I might very well start putting goat cheese on all my breakfast sandwiches from now on. But first I gotta bring J with me on a return visit, most likely as husband and wife the next time around!

Good Morning Breakfast Cafe

Some breakfasts are worth getting up early and driving 30 miles for. While its alter-ego Good Night Noodle is on summer vacation, Ballston Spa's Good Morning Breakfast Cafe is open six days a week to satisfy a hearty breakfast and brunch craving. GMC and GNN both pride themselves in sourcing organic, local foods and humanely raised and minimally processed ingredients.

That means pasture-raised farm eggs in our delicious breakfast wrap and eggs benedict that you can taste the difference in. When I broke into the poached eggs from my Dave's Un-Benedict dish, I could see that the egg yolks were creamier and brighter. The eggs just tasted like they came from happy chickens. Eggs benedict are my go to brunch staple; there's just something about a rich hollandaise sauce mixed with a luxurious egg yolk. I was a little skeptical when I read that this take on the breakfast classic substituted the rich butter-laden sauce with its own "un-hollandaise" version. But this tangy substitute was just as delicious as its calories-ridden counterpart. Made with yogurt, turmeric, and cumin, this sauce was super tangy and creamy without being heavy. It worked really well with the season's sauteed greens which today was kale, grilled ham steak, and toasted slice of sourdough. It's a healthier take on eggs benedict that tastes just as good, if not better, than the classic and better for you! 

Sure you'll find healthy options at Good Morning like homemade granola, unsweetened applesauce, and tofu scramble but you can indulge a bit too. We were treated to a slice of baked french toast with warm maple syrup and whipped cream. Best eaten warm, it was essentially eating a custardy piece of bread pudding with just the right amount of sweetness. As much as we like our sweets, we like a savory brunch which meant bacon! J's eyes were immediately drawn to the red pepper bacon aioli from the Bacon Lover breakfast wrap. This smoky and spicy sriracha-laden mayo was addicting and the perfect condiment to the wrap filled with a generous portion of fluffly scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheddar. Spicy, cheesy, creamy, and greasy; this wrap really is meant for bacon lovers like us.  As if that wasn't indulgent enough, J and I shared a side of smoked spuds--homefries loaded with cheddar, crumbled bacon, scallions and a dollop of sour cream. It's as delicious as it sounds. The homefries were chunky and crispy and the texture stood up to all the toppings. 

Just like Good Night Noodle, not one single item was a disappointment at Good Morning Cafe. So much thought and care is put into the creation of this menu, from the sourcing of ingredients to the execution of dishes. It's a gem of a breakfast spot and you'll leave feeling full, satisfied, and good knowing where your meal came from. 

Poutine La Banquise

Squeaky cheese curds. Thick, salty gravy. Fresh, crispy fries. It's so magical when all these elements come together in harmony. During a recent trip up north, we found the mecca of all poutines at La Banquise in Montreal. We've always stuck to basic poutine at La Belle Province, a run-of-the-mill chain by my folks' place, but J and I decided to venture out on our own this time. After repeatedly seeing La Banquise featured on Cooking Channel's Unique Eats, it was time to stop salivating and experience this much hyped-about poutinerie. 

We were starving from a not-so-great wedding buffet and really needed a late night snack to cure some hangry grumps. Lucky for us La Banquise is open 24hrs a day. Now that's dedication to poutine. You know the food will be good when you have to wait in a long line. We opted for the takeout line for a shorter wait. La Banquise takes its poutine very seriously. Here you'll find 30 different kinds of poutine. You read that right. The Canadian delicacy ranges from a classic version to a Montreal favorite with smoked meat and even takes on Mexican flavors with guacamole and tomatoes. For us gluttons, "La Trois Viandes" was calling our names. 

Meet a mess of deliciousness in all its meaty glory. It's not pretty but man did it hit the spot. The ground beef had some crispy bits mixed in with bacon and the hot dogs were brilliantly cut to match the size of the french fries so every forkful had a bit of everything. This poutine had everything we wanted and more. The cheese curds squeaked so much it almost brought us to tears. We're always so disappointed whenever we come across a 518 poutine swimming in a thin gravy or melted curds. We've never gotten the whole trifecta with the exception of The Montreal Poutine Truck and Creo. The Canadians really have mastered the art of assembly. The gravy was just hot enough to coat the fries but not turn them into complete mush or melt the cheese. Even the fries tasted amazing, retaining some crisp despite the mound of toppings and gravy. How did we know it was the best poutine we ever had? The next day, we had it cold for breakfast and the flavors still held up. Looks like we'll be taking more road trips up north this summer. 

Carmen's Cafe

Since R and I met, poor service has kind of become our thing. The first time I ever saw her was at a friend's birthday party at Brown's in Troy, where I ordered a soda three or four times and somehow never got it.  Since then, almost every place we've gone has featured long wait times, being completely ignored by waitstaff, kitchen errors, and stale/unseasoned food.  It isn't consistent, but it is unusually regular.  I suspect this is the reason we like to search out the little known, uncharted places in the area.  For one we both have pretty adventurous tastes, but also with this curse hanging over us, if we have a good experience then we know it's a genuinely great place.

Unfortunately, Carmen's Cafe fell completely flat on all the above issues.  It started well enough, we sat and were seen immediately for food and drink orders (although, oddly, by different waitresses).  The decor and floor were also nice, though my chair was set at the corner of the fireplace, forcing me to sit at a slight angle to the table.  Just enough to be annoyed but not enough to say anything or move once we had sat. 

The wait for our food was a good half hour for eggs. EGGS!  It was probably worse for R because it was her first meal that day (I take early classes on weekends), but regardless it's kind of long for breakfast in a dining room that's only half full.  Service fell down a bit here, as we finally had to ask what was going on with our food at the half hour mark (nobody had let us know the kitchen was backed up or checked on us in that time, though our water glasses were kept full which I appreciate).  Fortunately, at that point it was in the window anyway.

The Ugly Rooster Cafe

Sometimes we cheat on the New World Bistro Bar brunch. When up at the summer camp in Schuylerville, in addition to ice cream stops at The Ice Cream Man, we like to grab brunch at The Ugly Rooster Cafe in Mechanicville. 

Small and quaint, it's the perfect spot to grab comfort foods with a southern twist. There's a lunch menu too but the breakfast menu is where it's at. My go to dish is the Southern Style Breakfast sandwich, which is more of a heart cloggingly-delicious fork and knife dish. Biscuits and gravy with fried eggs, cheddar, bacon, and fried green tomatoes. The fried green tomatoes are a must try--tart pickled green tomatoes in a super crispy corn meal batter--and even better smothered with white sausage gravy. This feast also comes with a side of homefries; breakfast wouldn't be complete without them.

Other go to breakfast comforts are the pancakes. On this particular day, J was extra adventurous and decided to take on the Colossal PancakeChallenge. That's 5lbs of pancakes with whipped topping, fresh fruit, and scoops of butter (um yeah, those are NOT scoops of ice cream, much to J's dismay) with syrup that must be consumed in 30mins plus 5 mins without upchucking. If you're crazy enough to tackle this Man vs. Food challenge, give yourself at least 45mins because that's how long it takes to bake these monsters. If you miraculously win this challenge, you get your meal for free along with an Ugly Rooster Tshirt and major bragging rights. Needless to say, there has only been one winner and J will be gracing the Wall of Shame and we're down $15. On the up side, J actually enjoyed the first few bites of his pancakes; they were actually tasty, fluffy, and the fresh strawberries made the challenge a bit more pleasant. J is still in recovery mode and I think he's gonna stay away from pancakes for awhile. Meanwhile, I'd definitely go back for the fried green tomatoes.