Comfort Kitchen

C'mon. Give me some of your tots. These crispy, golden nuggets of deep fried potato bits can be found at Comfort Kitchen in Saratoga Springs. But these aren't just any ordinary tater tots; they're house-made and worth every delicious greasy bite. The interior is moist and fluffy while the outside has the perfect crunch. Talk about comfort eats. Ask for a side of "Awesome Sauce"--a creamy slightly spicy mystery dip--to complete the tater tot experience. Good luck sharing.

Comfort Kitchen prides itself in using local and seasonal produce, house made ingredients, and sources from local farms. This means quality meats like this slow-roasted pork with house-smoked ham and house-made pickles for a delectable Cuban sandwich. It wasn't exactly an authentic Cuban with Gruyere cheese, but it was a mighty tasty pork sandwich. The bread was pressed perfectly creating a crispy and compact vehicle for all the filling. 

Avocados aren't local but how can you turn down fried avocado?! My favorite local food truck staple are transformed by Comfort Kitchen into these veggie tacos. It's chockfull of textures and flavors--the creaminess of sweet roasted butternut squash, black bean salsa, and of course avocados are mixed with the crunch of the fried breadcrumbs, crisp peppery radish, fresh lettuce, and corn tortillas (albeit a bit stale). A squeeze of lime and the zesty chipotle mayo added that extra zip of flavor. If fried things and pork products are your vices, rest assured, Comfort Kitchen can make your dreams come true. We're eyeing the pork belly tacos and pulled pork mac 'n cheese next. 

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.