Lunch at Namu Korean BBQ

Need an excuse to play hookie? How about lunch at Namu Korean BBQ. The special menu is only available Monday-Friday from 11am to 3pm and many dishes you won't find on the dinner menu. 

Kimchi Taco: It's Korea by way of Mexico in one tasty bite. Your choice of marinated meat, kimchi, sprouts, and a tangy and spicy sauce is mixed with a fresh tomato salsa wrapped up in a tortilla. The bulgogi beef and spicy pork are highly recommended. Sweet and salty meat meets the fresh bite and crunch of fresh veggies. It's a fusion of flavors and textures that works really well. 

Kimbop: Looks like sushi but with delicious meat! A generously filled rice roll is stuffed with your choice of meat (we chose bulgogi beef) along with carrots, cucumber, and pickled radish and rolled up in seaweed. It's the perfect lunch in a bite-sized slice. Plus that potent sweet and spicy mustard sauce really kicks things up a notch.

Spicy pork and squid: Marinated slices of juicy pork and tender squid come sizzling on a hot plate and served with a bowl of rice. You'll find a non-spicy version of just the squid on the dinner menu but this lunch plate packs a lot more flavor plus you get pork with this one. 

The best part of lunch? You still get free banchan side dishes including J's favorite soy eggs and my favorite chap chae noodles. If you're going to play hookie, just plan for a post-lunch nap after this meal.

Savory Delicatessen

This past weekend, we hit up the food truck scene in Hudson as the craving for donuts from Gracie's grew stronger by the day. But this time, we also checked out their neighboring food truck, Savory Delicatessen. The truck is committed to scratch cooking, from curing and roasting its own meat to handcrafted sodas, translating to well-made and cared for classics.

Hot Pastrami: If you're looking for a fatty, melt-in-your-mouth pastrami look no further. More often than not, deli pastrami is flavorless but Savory Delicatessen packs a punch. The meat is not just brined but expertly smoked, like it should be, adding that beloved flavor. The pastrami is beautifully sandwiched between perfectly toasted marbled rye with caramelized shallots, a smear of spicy mustard, and melty emmental cheese. All the flavors complement each other very well, making each bite as delightful as the next, especially when you pull away with a melty, cheezy bite. 

Fried Risotto Bites: These were so comforting; crispy on the outside and deliciously creamy and cheesy on the inside. The pomodoro dipping sauce is a delightfully bright tomato sauce, simple and well-made. 

The Cuban: This was a daily special made with the house-made porchetta. If you're going to make a Cuban, the pork has to be the star and this interpretation did not disappoint. Juicy roasted pork brought back fond memories of the pig roast at our wedding and each bite reminded us how much we love Cubans too! You can taste how much love and care is put into the meats at Savory and it's heaven for us carnivores.

Don't forget about the house-made sodas. You'll find unique flavors like spiced cherry with hints of clove and ginger lemon but the cream and cardamom is unforgettable. This little part of Hudson just gets tastier with every visit. With food trucks like Savory Delicatessen and Gracie's, Hudson is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to visit and eat. 

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. 

Creo Restaurant

Do our eyes deceive us? Banh mi AND poutine under one roof? The two dishes we live and die for were both on the lunch menu at Creo Restaurant. It's like they were meant just for us. I was always intimidated by Creo, thinking it was too stuffy to be part of our dining scene.  We frequent Mr. Fuji Sushi and The Meat House on a regular basis but for for some reason or another, we always bypassed Creo at Stuvesant Plaza. Setting our prejudices aside, we set off for to try a new experience. The menu had our names written all over it; how could we pass up on two of our favorite meals?

Our search for poutine in the Capital Region has led us to various interpretations, from The City Beer Hall to Capital City Gastropub, with little success in replicating the flavors and squeakiness of this French Canadian delicacy. They both deserve honorable mentions for use of quality ingredients but the magic is in a certain cheese curd and execution of the dish. It's hard to impress this Canadian-Vietnamese. Thus far, the only place that has been able to perfect the ratio of unmelted cheese curd to crispy fries and gravy has been The Montreal Poutine food truck. The cheese curd I look for has a particular flavor and texture that local cheddar curds here just don't have. Oddly enough, Montreal Poutine truck aside, the only other cheese curd with the exact flavor profile can be found frozen in Trader Joe's version of poutine but the fries and gravy that come with it are atrocious. It's difficult to describe what I'm looking for exactly in terms of flavor but it's almost a cross between mozzarella and cheddar and the texture and squeak of halloumi. So how does Creo's poutine fare? 

La Mexicana Grocery & Restaurant

Between all the buzz around Lettucegate and the Times Union review, how could we not check out La Mexicana Grocery & Restaurant. Lettuce aside, what was really on our radar were the beef tongue tacos. J has become a pretty adventurous eater with recent introductions to chicken livers, pigs feet, and balut. I on the other hand am no stranger to offals; it's always been part of my culture growing up and it's fun sharing these experiences with J now. 

For the most part, a lot of our Mexican dining experiences take place at the family restaurant at Leon's up in Saratoga Springs. But not all Mexican dishes are made the same so our lunch trip didn't quite seem like we were cheating on Leon's. Don't expect a fine dining experience at La Mexicana; it's a run-of-the-mill joint in appearance but with down-home authentic Mexican flavors. The menu is small and simple and remarkably affordable. How can you pass up on $2 tacos?! At such a steal, J and I decided to go for a flight of six tacos--one of each kind--with a pork tamale for good measure (another steal at $2.50) accompanied by a glass each of horchata and tamarindo agua fresca (also $2 each!). Horchata is a specialty drink made with rice, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla; think iced chai latte. Tamarindo is made with tamarind (a pod-like fruit also used in Asian cuisine and a very familiar flavor to me). This light, refreshing sweet and sour drink was the perfect accompaniment to our tacos. I'd come back just to have a gallon of this stuff. 

Leon's Mexican Restaurant

Did you know Leon's Mexican Restaurant was a Rachael Ray's $40 a Day stop in Saratoga Springs? That's right, home of the Burro Ranchero with Rachael's seal of approval. I am obsessed with anything Food Network-related and religiously watched $40 a Day back in its early years. I couldn't believe that J had a special connection to the restaurant when we were first dating. Turns out Leon's was an extended family affair. Consider this our official disclaimer. Yes we are greeted by familiar faces when we walk through the door but having had my share of Mexican food around the Capital Region and San Diego, this is truly a gem that has gotten better within the past few years, even months. 

A change in decor and atmosphere in addition to changes in plating and presentation has improved the overall experience at Leon's. The restaurant has started using seasonal and fresh ingredients, which makes a huge difference in taste. On a recent visit J and I were quite impressed by said recent changes.  A new paint job and open seating with brighter lights made the dining room much more inviting. If you opt for bar seating, Uncle Jimbo the weekend bartender, will gladly make you a killer house margarita. 

Casa Dominicana

I find lots of inspiration from fellow local food bloggers to try new and exciting places, mostly because I am salivating as I browse through their posts and pictures. My most recent adventure was inspired by Masticating Monkey's visit to Casa Dominicana for mofongo de chicharron on All Over Albany. 

One of my best friends was in town and we both have a love for all things culinary and food related. D is half Puerto Rican and knows her Latin food. Her Grandma makes a mean alcapurria and I can vouch for it. For the longest time we've been talking about getting mofongo but never knew where to find a good place for it in Albany. Lucky for us, AOA pointed us in the right direction for a lunch feast. 

Central Avenue never fails when it comes to getting authentic ethnic eats. No frills, no fusion-- just simple, good regional native food and that's what we found at Casa Dominicana. D, accompanied by her fiance J, were so excited to be greeted by a menu full of her childhood favorites. Casa Dominicana is a Dominican establishment but carries an array of Latin foods with Puerto Rican and Cuban favorites. I also have to mention how nice and accommodating the owner was. We were initially awestruck by the menu but he was very friendly, introducing each item in the hot trays and highlighting the specialties of the house.