The City Beer Hall

I take lunch pretty seriously, especially since I work in Downtown Albany. In looking back at my favorite Downtown Albany lunch spots, I can't believe I totally neglected to mention The City Beer Hall! Sure CBH is great for happy hour and dinner, but it's much quieter and less crowded during the day. With a gorgeous patio space out back, it's a perfect lunchtime getaway break in the summer. 

The lunch menu has evolved into a a lighter, fresher one using seasonal ingredients and it's been a nice alternative to days when I've had a 518 burger and felt too stuffed to work the rest of the afternoon. To be fair, it is probably the best burger I've had in Capital Region. Can't go wrong with quality grass fed beef cooked to a perfectly juicy medium rare. Other go to comfort foods that have stayed on the menu (and that I've obviously had more than once) are variations of delicious, cheezy things: truffled mac 'n cheese; gourmet grilled cheese with aged cheddar, pear, and jalapeno jam on sourdough; and the fried chicken sandwich with cranberry goat cheese and arugula. So when I came across the Heirloom Tomato and

Watermelon Salad, it was a nice break from the comforting carbs and for days when I try to eat more vegetables. I've been loving watermelon salads lately and the panko-crusted goat cheese medallion that accompanied the salad was a nice creamy, tangy element to the mix and the basil-mint vinaigrette rounded the dish well. It was the perfect light salad on a warm summer day. My only gripe was that the portion needed to be bigger but I guess it would be a great duo to balance the mac 'n cheese, which is now a smaller portion as well.

The inner french-Canadian in me squealed when I saw poutine on the menu. We all know that I have high standards for poutine. Since I got J hooked on poutine since we started dating, I couldn't have a bite without my partner in crime. We stopped in for a snack today and went all out: poutine with the pulled short rib. I've come to the conclusion that cheese curd here will never taste the same or squeak the same as the ones in Canada, with the exception of the local Montreal Poutine Truck. I'm always disappointed when the curds come melted but alas, this version was pretty tasty nonetheless. The short ribs were super tender and the beef gravy was made with beer which gave the dish another interesting dimension. The fries could have been more crispy but props for using hand cut fries. 

Since J and I thought ordering two orders of poutine would be overkill, we got a side of the fish tacos instead, which turned out to be an awesome decision. This taco has an asian flair: pan-seared rare tuna on a corn tortilla with ginger-soy slaw and drizzle of wasabi mayo and pickled pineapple. We love sushi and this dish was right up our alley. Good thing we ordered this dish because it was a light refreshing bite compared to the heavy greasy goodness of poutine. We've been big fans of Chef Menagias since his days at the now defunct Wine 'n Diner and even more so now since HopChef. Still dreaming of those HopChef hanger steak and eggs chef ;)  We're happy to see him back on the culinary scene here at the City Beer Hall. 

NY Farm 2 Door Food Truck

Oh man do I love seeing a new food truck on the culinary scene, especially when it's on my lunch break. I am blessed with awesome lunch spots in Downtown Albany and that includes the outdoor Farmer's Market at the Empire State Plaza on Wednesdays and Fridays. My go to trucks on Farmer's Market days are usually Slidin' Dirty and Capital Q Smokehouse. It was refreshing to see some newcomers on the Plaza including DeFazio's Pizza, Empanada Llama, and 'Merican Food Truck. 

I'm looking forward to expanding my lunch choices but my eye, and stomach, was on the NY Farm 2 Door Food Truck. Not that that a burger was a healthy choice, but the fact that it was made with locally sourced and farm-raised beef made me feel better about my

food choices. I'm loving seeing more restaurants and now food trucks in Albany committed to using sustainable and seasonal ingredients from our local NYS farms. It just makes me feel better knowing where my food comes from. Back to the burger; NYF2D uses 100% grassfed beef that is dry aged for 40 days. At $6.50, it was very reasonably priced for the quality of the product. While on the smaller side, compared to the ginormous ones at CityBeer Hall, this burger was just the right portion for lunch and satisfying. It had a nice charred crust and was well-seasoned. I opted for maple-pickled jalapenos which gave the burger just the right kick. My only gripe is that I like my burger towards the medium-rare side. 

I can't wait to try the maple dusted doughnut holes, they're fried in pork fat! I'm sure a nice healthy salad with organic greens will balance those calories out.  The lunch chronicles to be continued as I hit up the rest of food trucks and vendors at the Empire State Plaza this summer. 

What's For Lunch?

Working in Downtown Albany is dangerous--dangerously delicious! I'm surrounded by too many options for lunch, not that it's a problem. I'm terrible at eating the leftovers that I bring for lunch and more than often opt to eat out, especially when it's beautiful outside so I can walk to lunch and walk off those calories from lunch. I'm mostly broke because I don't like to sit at my desk and I'd rather spend my precious lunch hour with a slider than staring at my computer screen. Plus office gossip time and wedding planning with my friend and colleague is worth that $10 expense. 

My lunch criteria are quick, tasty bites in the $10 range. Here are a few (ok, more than a few) of my favorite Downtown Albany lunch spots: