Hump Day Happy Hour!

The food truck scene in the Capital Region has grown quite a bit within the past few years with a loyal fan base. I remember when Slidin' Dirty was just starting on the scene. Now their avocado fries have taken them all the way to Live with Kelly and Michael and lines have gotten longer, making the wait even sweeter. Not too long ago, we had missed the Food Truck Showcase at the Saratoga Eagle's Club and were pretty bummed out.  Lo and behold the kickoff of the Food Truck Showcase of Upstate New York's Hump Day Happy Hour at Shmaltz Brewing Company last Wednesday. It was the first warm and beautiful day of the summer, perfect for enjoying a few cold brews alongside our favorite food trucks.  

Naturally, our first stop was for beer. We were at Shmaltz Brewing Co. after all. $10 will get you a flight of 5 beers plus a souvernir tasting glass, even when the food trucks aren't around. Armed with a cold one, we were ready to hit the food trucks. J's been waiting to hit Slidin' Dirty since last summer. Sadly avocado fries weren't on the menu but we gladly substituted for jalapeno beef cheddar egg rolls. It's a fun twist on a favorite appetizer and tastes even better with chipotle cream dipping sauce. The beer, in this case a hoppy rye lager (David's Slingshot), paired great with the salty, crispy, and greasy eggrolls. We also shared a duo of sliders: The Dirty Soprano (beef slider with fresh mozzarella, pesto, balsamic glaze, and fried tomato) and The Avocado Bleu (opting for a fried tomato veggie substitute with blue cheese, arugula, crispy onions, and horseradish cream). As always, these are little bites packed with flavor. It might seem like a lot of ingredients for a little bun but it all comes together so well.

Brewery Ommegang & Cafe

J and I decided to venture out to Cooperstown during our staycation. Our goal was to finally visit Brewery Ommegang after unsuccessfully trying to squeeze in a tour and tasting this past summer. The brewery was way too hectic and overcrowded on a July weekend and now that it's fall season, it's the perfect time to visit. Plus the scenic route along Route 20 is perfect for leaf peeping this time of year. 

We got to Ommegang just as a tasting was starting and opted to jump in. Ommegang beers are on the stronger, alcoholic side. Needless to say a 6-mini flight tasting on an empty stomach wasn't exactly the best idea but it's quality beer! Ommegang prides itself on Belgian-style beer and at $3 per tasting plus a souvenir shot glass, it's a steal. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and no, there was no Game of Thrones beer samples but you get the classic six: Witte, Rare Vos, Hennepin, Abbey Ale, Three Philosophers and a fall brew called Scythe & Sickle in honor of the harvest season akin to the pumpkin beers of the season without the spices. 

Cooper's Cave Ale Company

We've been on a brew pub kick lately especially after the HopChef dinner and stops by Ommegang Brewery and Council Rock Brewery in Cooperstown. J and I decided to stop by Cooper's Cave Ale Company on our way to to Montreal this past weekend. Our first encounter with CCAC was actually at Council Rock Brewery where they carry CCAC's line of handcrafted sodas. My inner Harry Potter geek was intrigued by the Butterbeer (a butterscotch cream soda) complete with that trademark lightning bolt. After finding out that it was made in Glens Falls, a road trip was in order. 

It's the best of all worlds at the Cooper's Cave Ale Company flagship: handcrafted soda, homemade ice cream, great food, and craft beers. The menu is great mix of bar food with a gourmet twist, all homemade said the owner as she greeted us. Of course J started with a flight of beer but to be honest, the only memorable ones were the blueberry ale and abbey ale . Maybe the ones we had just lacked body and flavor, but we thought the beer was better utilized incorporated into the food. 

The pub menu has a number of typical comfort bar foods but with unique twists. Who doesn't love crack dip aka buffalo chicken dip? CCAC's version comes stuffed in fried wontons. This appetizer was one of the best munchies we've come across in awhile. Spicy, crispy, and paired with homemade blue cheese dip, it's something we could easily have had seconds of. We'd come back to Glens Falls just for these buffalo chicken wontons.  

J's go to dish at new places besides reubens are nachos, despite traumatizing experiences in the past that have involved Doritos chips instead of tortilla chips and rubbery ground beef at unnamed locations. CCAC's version comes with beer-b-que pulled pork. J likes to make homemade bbq sauce and he was happy enough with this beer version. I on the other hand went with the duck sliders. These sliders were infused with CCAC's ginger beer (which I had on the side and has a spicy kick!) and topped with goat cheese and apricot mustard. All of my favorite flavors on a tiny bun. I was afraid all these flavors would clash since duck and goat cheese tend to be heavy and strong, but it worked very well together here. The duck was  a very flavorful and well-seasoned sausage patty and the creaminess and the tanginess of goat cheese paired well with the gaminess of duck. 

After a full meal, how could we pass up on homemade ice cream too? For a full summer ice cream experience, order an ice cream cone at the window outside and enjoy the beautiful summer weather at the picnic tables. Armed with a cone each of vanilla honey and chocolate peanut cups, J and I were happy stuffed campers ready to tackle the rest of our trip up North. If you find yourself up in Glens Falls, make a point to stop here for food, beer, soda, or ice cream or all of the above like we did. -R

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: