Short and Sweet: Chocolate Chunk Cookies at Sweet Sue's

I have an insatiable sweet tooth so I want to write about, if not the best, then certainly the most awesome cookie I've ever eaten. 

It came from Sweet Sue's, a small and beautiful little cafe in downtown Troy.  I believe R has filled everyone in on the great food there, so I'm going to devote a paragraph to describing this fantastic little cookie.

These little guys are just fun to look at and imagine in your mouth.  They're a lovely golden brown and stacked with massive chunks of all different sorts of chocolate just piled up in the center.  Looking at it, you are struck by how many lovely shades of brown there can be in one bite.  That first bite doesn't disappoint; the cookie is soft,  buttery, chewy, and the pile of chocolate turns to to a delicious gob of slush in your mouth.  It is so beyond normal cookies, I would love to know what kind of chocolates she uses, but I'm afraid it would spoil the magic.

Anyway, thanks for the amazing cookie Sue. 

Sweet Sue's

The brunch fairies have smiled down upon us again. A trip to Sweet Sue's was a bit of a redemption trip for J and I. We once stopped by for a cupcake and macarons but the texture of the treats were a bit off. Every place has an off day, we get it. But the more I looked on Facebook, the more I was tempted by the playful menu and brunch combos. I convinced J to check out brunch at Sweet Sue's in Troy and we couldn't have been more blown away. 

Sweet Sue's plays around with lots of global flavors, even Vietnamese pho and banh xeo from what I've seen. The day's soup of the day was a Thai Tom Kha and we had to start our meals with a taste. It was a light red curry broth that wasn't the usual blow your head off spicy . For once I didn't miss the heat and enjoyed the balance of sweet and sour flavors. It wasn't too heavy on the coconut milk either and fragrant aromas of lemongrass balanced the sweetness well. It was the perfect soup to start off a beautiful spring day meal.

Get there early because brunch specials run out fast. I had my eye on the arepas from an earlier Facebook post but since they ran out, I opted for a breakfast sandwich with homefries. It wasn't just an ordinary breakfast sandwich. This one was made with Heritage Farms hickory smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, brie, and a schmear of fig jam on an Our Daily Bread croissant.

I loved the salty and sweet combo; the fig jam paired very well with the creaminess of brie and of course everything is better with bacon, especially thick-cut quality bacon. I also love when places opt for the peppery bite of arugula instead of lettuce on their sandwiches. The side of homefries were perfectly crispy but needed a bit more seasoning; just ask for ketchup and sriracha and you'll be all set. Sandwich aside, I was actually just as impressed with the side salad of arugula and house-grown organic sprouts. The greens were brightly dressed with a light vinaigrette and something so simple tasted so fresh and delicious. Locally-sourced and quality, fresh ingredients really do make a difference.
J was just as impressed with his Sooie Sandwich: Heritage Farm pork confit with slaw, pickled onions, and horseradish cream on ciabatta. The pork confit was packed with flavor but not greasy at all. The meat was heavy on cumin which was unexpected but in a good way. The slaw added a good, fresh crunch and horseradish added a good kick. J wolfed down this sandwich in no time. 

Of course a trip to Sweet Sue's wouldn't be complete without a cupcake or two, plus one more for the road. We chose a duo of Lemon Chai and Triple Chocolate cupcakes. This tasted much better than our first time around. Although the frosting was still hard from the fridge case, we didn't mind it all since it was so flavorful. It's a very buttery frosting, richer than your typical cupcake. It's butter alright. The cake part was fluffy and J couldn't get enough of the pudding filling in the chai cupcake. Plus it was so refreshing to see and taste real lemon zest in the cake. As for the chocolate cupcake, definitely plenty of chocolate flavor. What a sweet ending to an awesome brunch. It pays to have a leap of faith and give a place another go. 

TC Paris Bakery

You know what makes the best Christmas presents? The edible and delicious kind. We've told you how much we love TC Paris Bakery but let us tell you how much we love it even more. Now that TC has its very own storefront and kitchens, they're offering more specialty confections. For the procrastinators out there, these local treats are the perfect last minute gifts or a great addition to your holiday dessert spread. 

Behold the Winter Cookie: a buttery shortbread cookie topped with crunchy toasted almonds, a chewy honey caramel, and orange zest dipped in Valrhona dark chocolate.  This cookie is a delightful combination of textures and the floral notes from the orange blossom honey is so unique. We're planning on bringing a 1lb tin to Christmas dinner, minus maybe a few cookies because yours truly couldn't wait to share. You might want to hurry up to get these Winter Cookies. In true Alsace French tradition, TC Paris is only making these cookies up until January 2nd and then they are gone until next year! It's a one of kind cookie! 

Just in time for the holidays are jars of French brandied cherries. We got a special taste of this holiday item and it was lick-the-spoon-clean good. Tart sour cherries imported from France are infused with brandy, cloves, and cinnamon. Chef tells us they would be a great addition to the bottom of a champagne glass. That's something we could toast to and so would your guests! 

There are also a variety of chocolate dipped fruits and confectionaries but you can't go wrong with a sleeve of TC Bakery's signature French macarons.  We're avid fans of flavors like salted caramel and earl grey but new flavors like the chocolate dipped strawberry macarons are quickly rising to the top of our favorites. A flavorful and creamy strawberry buttercream with a dollop of chocolate ganache is sandwiched between delicate crisp and chewy almond shells. These macarons would be a great gift alongside its fresh chocolate-dipped strawberry counterparts. 

Be sure to make TC Paris Bakery part of your holiday. It's well worth a trip to Saratoga Springs. These are beautiful, quality handmade items made from the best ingredients and crafted by talented bakers. Your guests will be in awe and don't forget to get a little something for yourself too (or a lot!). You deserve it :) 

dreamPuff Sweet Shop

I'm surprised neither J nor I have more cavities. Let's just say that 1lb bar of Trader Joe's chocolate doesn't last very long in our household. We have a MAJOR sweet tooth and are so lucky to be surrounded by talented local bakeries. Our most recent discovery took us to Brunswick. If you are a regular at the Troy Farmer's Market you must already be familiar with dreamPuff Marshmallows and their unique take on the s'mores staple with flavors like chai and cardamom. Lucky for us, we didn't have to wait until Saturday to satisfy our need for a sugar rush. 

We've been meaning to check out the shop for a long time now ever since trying the ice cream sandwiches from the summer Farmer's Market. Brunswick really isn't that much of a trek. dreamPuff Sweet Shop is located just beyond the border of Troy in a strip mall. Don't let the location fool you. Step inside and it's like the Willy Wonka of all delicious sugary things. Our eyes lit up by the sight of truffles, cheesecakes, pies, and cupcakes. J and I were overwhelmed as we were greeted by a vast display case of handmade chocolates and baked goods but Ginny, head dreamPuff maker, was happy to give us a tour of the confectionary. 

She had us at "I like to make things with booze," and "There's real rum and lots of it," in the rum cupcake with banana buttercream and toasted coconut. Ginny, we like to eat the treats that you make with lots of booze. Of course we couldn't just get one cupcake especially when they are so pretty. I swear J loves chocolate more than I do and we couldn't pass on the chocolate cupcake, the raspberry truffle cupcake, and tis the season for all things pumpkin so we added a pumpkin cupcake too. I hope you're ready for a treat. These are no regular fluffy cupcakes. Holy butter. The frostings are creamy and buttery and almost as dense as the cakes themselves. The banana frosting on the rum cake was my favorite. None of that artificial flavoring, it was like eating banana bread in buttercream frosting form. We left a few flavors behind to make room for more goodies. After all, the first thing you see when you walk into the shop are the words "Treat Yourself" in giant letters, so of course that's what we did. 

For good measure we added a couple of beer truffles made with Dogfish Chicory Stout. Yup, dreamPuff even makes sweets with beer and the selection alternates from week to week. The beer filling wasn't as strong as I was expecting but it was a delicate malty flavor that paired well with chocolate. Two just wasn't enough and we highly advise getting more. Before we went into diabetic shock, we just couldn't leave without the signature marshmallows. To round out our tour de boozy treats, we got a pack of the blackberry cabernet marshmallow. These handmade marshmallows are nothing like the store-bought version. dreamPuffs are light, fluffy, not overly sweet, and packed with flavor. The cabernet wine flavor really comes through! Did we mention there are boozy caramels too? Our only regret was not getting a few of the eggnog caramels made with Maker's Mark. Gives us something to come back to along with slices of pie.  Ginny assured us that she makes a mean pecan pie. She is from the South after all.

We love the creativity and adventurous flavors coming out of dreamPuff Sweet Shop. There will always be the classic flavors but think and eat outside the box. You'll be surprised how fun it is to try new things. 

TC Paris Bakery Preview

J and I have been avid fans of TC Paris Bakery since their early days inside The Chocolate Gecko in Albany. We would stop by every other weekend for fresh flaky and buttery chocolate croissants and boxes of french macarons, not to mention the best creme brulee (torched to order!) and lemon tarts too. Safe to say we were regulars but how could we resist all made from scratch treats. Being in walking distance was dangerously delicious. It would be an understatement to say that we were devastated to find out that TC Paris was losing their space back in March and had to relocate. We were in withdrawals throughout the summer and while TC temporarily found a home at Fluffalicious, it just wasn't the same not being greeted by Chef Paul and crew. 

We're so happy to report that TC Paris has found a permanent new home in Saratoga on Henry Street. It's a bit more of a hike for us to get our fill of treats, but it's one we're happy to make. We were honored to be invited to a preview of the new shoppe and every morsel we sampled was just as good as we remembered, if not better. TC takes pride in quality from ingredients to execution. The stars of TC Paris are the French macarons: delicate almond meringue cookies filled with light buttercream or chocolate ganache. These macarons have a light and crisp shell yet chewy center as you bite into the cookie and filling. They are delightful fun little morsels of textures and flavors ranging from chocolate made with Valrhona chocolate, salted caramel, and lemon to unique flavors like chocolate earl grey, chocolate rose, and ube purple yam. 

Did we mention how good Valrhona chocolate is? TC uses the same quality chocolate in their croissants and no other croissants have lived up to TC's since. We're also happy to report that TC started making chocolate-dipped pretzels with the same Valrhona chocolate. If you need more of a chocolate fix, TC is now carrying a line of Neuhaus Belgian chocolates and truffles, and we can vouch for those too but the in-house scratch-made confections are what you really want to go for. Duchilly hazelnut pralines are also back and we can't wait to see the return of our old favorites and new favorites to come! Congrats TC Paris Bakery! The new space and renovations are beautiful. It's great to see TC in their own space. We'll be back in two weeks for the official opening! - J&R

Fuel Maine

Do you know where Buckfield, Maine is? Middle of nowhere, as in the nearest grocery store is a 30 min hike. But because we love our family and little nieces, our Maine vacation also included some quality uncle/aunty time. Lucky for us, Buckfield is only 1hr away from Portland (which meant we could go back and try Duckfat) and near the metropolis of Lewiston which surprisingly, has a few great hidden gems, including a Chef's Tasting Menu called "Feed Me". How could we not try it?!

After a beer stop at Baxter Brewing Co., we put our faith in Yelp to help us find another hidden gem for lunch. It lead us to a quirky little lunch spot called She Doesn't Like Guthrie's. Long name, tasty place, and certified "Green Restaurant" by Maine! To give our cholesterol a break, we went a healthier route. J got a bbq chicken sandwich while I tried a combo of sweet potato quesadilla and grilled kale salad with avocado, beans, and brown rice and side of really delicious and bright cilantro lime dressing. Everything tasted fresh, clean, and was healthy (I think). It was probably one of the few places where we got a healthy serving of veggies in. Fried fiddleheads count as a healthy vegetable too, right? 

We were obsessed with trying fiddleheads, a seasonal fern of sorts that we saw everywhere on the road stands. I've never seen these greens in New York and stopped by a quaint local stand to pick some up. The kind of stand that someone's neighbor set-up with a fisher price chalkboard; kind of sketchy but it's your local, friendly neighborhood supplier. J's bro is a great cook and prepared the fiddleheads two ways: tempura and sauteed in butter. Delicious! Funky looking but also tasted familiar, like a cross between a string bean and bok choy. 

It must have been fate, because fiddleheads made another appearance the next night when we went out for dinner. J's bro and sister in law had been raving about a restaurant in nearby Lewiston that does a chef's tasting menu. Basically, every dish is up to the chef and is a surprise four-course meal. You just tell him your dislikes, and your meal is at the mercy of his knife. Our inner foodies couldn't resist and off to Fuel we went. 

There's no holding back when it comes to the Feed Me Menu. We decided to be a bit more adventurous and the only exceptions we made were no eggplant for me and no mushrooms for J. It was only fitting that we were dining at the bar as Iron Chef America was playing on the flatscreen overlooking us.