Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

2014 was another tasty year. Sadly, a handful of our favorite eateries won't be making it past the New Year, some have already shuttered their doors and others closing its storefront soon.

Here's a recap of some 2014 bites that we'll miss dearly:

Good Night Noodle: This short-lived alter ego of Good Morning Cafe offered the Capital Region a unique take on Vietnamese food. For the first time in my life, pho went organic, healthy, and locally sourced. It was a welcomed alternative to our rotation and we'll miss its concept. (Closed November 2014; Good Morning Cafe still open for delicious breakfast!)

Shwe Mandalay:  Even more short-lived was this quaint Burmese joint. Global flavors like this type of cuisine is what I crave. It wasn't mainstream but packed so much flavor. This particular soup, moh hnn kahr, was pungeant and aromatic and just so different. What I'll miss the most is the fried, salted fish. (Closed October 2014)

Crisan: I'm kicking myself for not stopping here more often. Desserts were pieces of edible art with the kind of unique flavor combinations right up my alley. Summers won't be the same without the $2 scoop of gelato in flavors like honey bergamot and lavender. (Storefront closing Jan. 1; open for custom orders.)

The Crisp Cannoli: We said ciao to the only place that made cronuts aka crodos. The Dunkin Donuts monstrosity doesn't count. Sadly they were all sold out of the croissant doughnut hybrid but we indulged in one last sweet bite of hot, fresh-out-of-the-fryer crodoli--a cannoli croissant concoction filled with cannoli cream. (Storefront closing December 24; wholesale and mobile catering to continue.)

Tavern Noodle: Honorable mention goes to this pop-up ramen shop. The flavors didn't quite live up to our expectations (we've been spoiled by Pai Men Miyake) but kudos to Lucas Confectionary for bringing a taste of ramen to the area, even for a couple of nights.

Food Truck Showcase #2

We were pretty excited to check out the first Food Truck Showcase and lucky for us it's been a series of them all summer-long with variations of our beloved mobiles eateries. Our second trip to the showcase at Shmaltz Brewing Company was anchored by our favorites Slidin Dirty and Eat Good Food with appearances by The Hungry Traveler and The Crisp Cannoli.

We started out with a Dirty Double of Avocado Bleu (blue cheese, arugula, avocado, crisp onions, and horseradish cream) and the Old Faithful (cheddar, tomato, pickles, arugula, tomato, ketchup, and red onions) from Slidin Dirty. Can't go wrong with these little sliders; always packed with bold flavors. 

New to the food truck scene is The Hungry Traveler. They specialize in American classics like hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches made with a fresh and exciting take like the tarragon chicken salad and gorgonzola burger with chipotle onions. I was most psyched about the Michigan chili dog and one bite took me back to my other roots in the North Country. Dare I say this Capital Region version could very well rival Plattsburgh's. J couldn't stop raving about his cheesesteak and how flavorful and well-seasoned the meat was. His only wish was to swap out the American cheese for provolone or cheese whiz. 

Even though we often indulge in too much, leave it to Eat Good Food to give us a fresh, healthy, and tasty side of greens to go with our buffalo chicken and angus beef tacos. Loved the sweet, summery bite of peaches in our salad! 

As stuffed as we were, we couldn't leave without dessert! We're no strangers to The Crisp Cannoli since discovering the crodos at the storefront and were excited to encounter the food truck. Sadly the croissant doughnuts were sold out by the time we hit it up and settled for an eclair. Put chocolate anything in front of J and he's a happy camper. 

We were treated to one very last bite from Eat Good Food with a sample of their brownie ice cream sandwich. I don't even like walnuts but I'd happily eat more if it was jammed packed in this brownie. It's a chewy brownie with plenty of chocolate flavor and the perfect vehicle for everyone's favorite summer treat. 

Lucky for us, we've got at least two more "Hump Day Happy Hour" Food Truck Showcase dates to look forward to including one this week! Stop by Shmaltz Brewing Company for a few bites and flight of brews on Wednesday, August 20 and Wednesday, August 27 from 5pm to 8pm and share with us your favorites!

currently snacking on...

...this Boston Cream Crodo from The Crisp Cannoli:

delicious deep-fried, flaky croissant donut rolled in sugar, filled
with vanilla custard and topped with a giant swirl of chocolate frosting.

The Crisp Cannoli

All Over Albany's blog post inspired me to try the cronut craze that has plagued NYC. Fans wait hours in line for the original version at Dominique Ansel's in the city. I was overjoyed to find this half-doughnut, half-croissant concoction at The Crisp Cannoli in East Greenbush, and no crazy long lines around the block...yet. I forget whose Twittter feed I saw this amazing news on but once you bite into one of these puppies, you'll understand the hype.  

It took us three drive-bys to finally locate The Crisp Cannoli. It's located on the corner of a very unassuming building but inside are cases of wonderful pastries and sweets including the coveted cronuts. J and I hold very high standards when it comes to a good croissant. We use to get these amazing chocolate ones from TC Bakery when they were on Colvin Ave (now relocated to Saratoga) and haven't had a great croissant since until now. I can't compare this cronut to other cronuts, or crodo as it's called here since "cronut" seems to have been trademarked, but the magic is in the croissant dough. It's got to be buttery, flaky, and crispy on the outside yet chewy on the inside and this crodo hits all the above. It's as much fun taking a whole bite out of a crodo as

it is to pick apart those beautiful layers of sugared dough. It's no dainty pastry, be ready to be covered in lots of sugar. The Crisp Cannoli makes three wonderful versions of the crodo: glazed, vanilla custard-filled, and nutella filled. Try all three, you won't be disappointed; but I gotta say my favorite was the nutella filled one. 

The filled-to-order cannolis looked pretty damn good too but the lovely woman at the counter talked us into trying their other croissant invention: The Crodoli. Made to order, we were sold at freshly fried croissant dough filled with their homemade cannoli cream, dusted with sugar and drizzled with chocolate for good measure. This was best enjoyed right out of the fryer and boy did we enjoy it. I was expecting the crodo and crodoli to be heavy and greasy, but both versions were surprising light and crispy. With a name like Crisp Cannoli, the cannoli cream in the crodoli definitely lived up to its name; not too sweet and melt in your mouth creamy. We can't wait to come back for more crodos, crodolis, and of course cannolis. -R