Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen

Troy's Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen is a charming mix of fast-casual Korean eats and mini-mart all in one. It's hard to pay attention to the menu while a wall of unique Korean snacks is staring at you. Step away from all the temptations and pay attention to the bevy of dishes waiting to be devoured. From bulgogi to bibimbap and japchae, one of each of these classic Korean dishes is a good start to exploring the menu. 

My love of Korean food began with bbq and quickly grew with each bite of bibimbap. It's a comforting bowl of rice mixed with a delicious blend of sauteed vegetables, sweet and savory bulgogi beef, and the signature gochuchang pepper paste for added kick. At Sunhee's, this Korean classic gets a fresh makeover with a swap of black rice, turning my love of this dish into an obsession. The dark purple color not only adds a pop of color to this rainbow of flavors but an added texture that is pleasantly chewy and nutty. Aside from the black rice, my favorite component of the bibimbap is the addition of gosari, a wild fern/fiddlehead that adds an amazing earthy flavor. The rice bowl is also refreshingly chockfull of veggies.

Although lacking the usual spread of free banchan side dishes, you'll find a complimentary side of kimchi with the rice bowls. The quintessential Korean pickled cabbage had the perfect balance of spice to fermented funk. Plus my favorite banchan of japchae was available as an appetizer. It's a dish of sweet potato glass noodles with stir-fried veggies tossed in soy sauce.

My only disappointment was the pajeon. The flavors of this seafood pancake were there but it lacked the satisfying crisp texture that I enjoy the most from this dish. As for the mochiko cake, I liked that it wasn't too sweet and the chewy texture reminds me of some of my favorite Vietnamese desserts but alas, I've never liked walnuts in my dessert. 

I'm looking forward to returning to Sunhee's and adding the kimbap rolls and tofu stew to my lists of things to try. Hopefully the bar area will soon be opened too; the "coming soon" sign had me intrigued.

Peck's Arcade

The days of summer are long gone but the memory of a delectable meal from Peck's Arcade lingers:

Sipping a sloe gin fizz on a perfect sunny day. So smooth as it went down the hatch.

Devouring creamy bites of this 23-Layer Potato [gruyere frico, salsa verde, merlot jam]. Thinly sliced potatoes are intricately layered and seared until a golden crust forms. The crispy wafer of nutty, salty cheese was the cherry on top.

Marveling at the rainbow of colors and flavors of this duck with chow chow, frise, and hazelnuts. It was an unexpected blend of familiar Asian notes with a Southern slaw, but its complexity was a welcomed flavor profile. 

Carb-loading on homemade tagtiatelle with lamb bolognese, peas, and ricotta. There's nothing better than fresh pasta with a rich, comforting meat sauce. The only drawback was that the pasta could've used a bit more cooking time.

Indulging in not one but two desserts: a decadent chocolate brownie with homemade vanilla ice cream and a creamy and tangy chevre goat cheesecake that was not only a piece of art but as good as it looked. From the friendly service to plating of the dishes, Peck's Arcade attention to detail was impeccable. As much as we miss summer, we're looking forward to what the team will bring in the coming winter months. Their creativity is endless.

Ok...don't judge us too hard but we also indulged in a third dessert next door at The Grocery. The maple soft-serve topped with feuilletine flakes was irresistible. Hopefully its reincarnation as Little Pecks will bring back the ice cream machine. 

The Grocery Soft Serve

It's been the summer of soft-serve and we've probably eaten more than our weight in ice cream. Now that The Grocery started making their own soft-serve, plan to gain at least 10 more pounds. With tantalizing flavors like green tea, barley & rye, and bourbon vanilla, it was too good to resist a trip to Troy. Unique flavors rotate daily; we sampled chocolate cardamom and burnt honey orange on our visit. The quality of the ice cream is leaps and bounds better than most places around here but it's the adventurous flavors and equally unique toppings that really spoke to us. Chocolate ice cream is delightful on its own but the addition of cardamom adds so much warmth and complexity to a classic flavor. As for the honey ice cream, vanilla beans are speckled throughout a mashmallow-like concoction with subtle citrus notes. It was delightful, enough to turn a chocoholic into a believer. 

Ingredients are elevated to a new level, with playful toppings like caramelized rice crispy and sbrisolona citrus cornmeal crumble, each complementing the flavors of our soft-serve without taking away from the flavor profiles. The Grocery has taken soft-serve to a sophisticated level without being too pretentious; it's ice cream after all. Summer needs to last just a bit longer so we can squeeze in a few more trips. 

Local Forage Dinner

After the whirlwind of our wedding, it was nice to enjoy a nice sit down dinner at Sweet Sue's in Troy. This past weekend, J and I were lucky enough to attend Chef Josh Coletto's special Local Foraged Dinner as Chef Susan Dunckel's guests. Sweet Sue and her team catered our dream wedding meal with four different flavored pig roasts! You may know Josh from Rock N Roll Brunch at The Low Beat . This dinner was a whole new out-of-the-box experience for us, considering our only encounter with wild greens have been with ramps and fiddleheads. 

The six-course tasting menu featured local foraged ingredients with wine pairings. Wilderness educator Cait Denny was on hand to answer the five million questions we had about all the greens.

We were greeted with a glass of prosecco sweetened with honeyed angelica syrup and started the meal with this beauty:

First Course: Soft Duck Egg [Cranberry Beans, Dame's Rocket, White Pine Vinegar, Yogurt Dressing] :: Wine Pairing [Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Risling Kabinett Halbtrocken, Mosel, Germany 2012]

That soft yolk...enough said. The creamy beans were delicious but I was more drawn to the sour and bitterness of the dame's rocket, which we learned was from the mustard family.Second Course: Burdock Root Puree [Wild Thyme Aioli] :: Wine Pairing [Naked Flock Apple Cider, Hudson Valley, New York]

I have childhood nightmares of prickly burrs tangled in my hair as we played in the woods at recess but in edible root form, it lends a nice starchy texture to soup. Think potato leek soup but elevated. The aioli added a lovely tang. 

Third Course: Stinging Nettle and Ricotta Dumpling [Ostrich Fern Fiddlehead, Sauteed Wild Ramps with Slow-Roasted Ramp Bulb, Smoked Trout, Chive Blossom, White Wine Sauce] :: Wine Pairing [Clos Cibonne Tibouren Rose, Cotes du Provence, France, 2012] 

Nibble Inc.

It was love at first bite when we discovered potato doughnuts at The Holy Donut in Portland. So when we heard Troy's Nibble Inc. was inspired by Maine's unique take on a beloved staple, we were super excited. Our expectations were pretty high especially after being greeted by this massive sign of adventurous flavors.  

Doughnuts are made to order, which means fresh fillings and glazes, so prepare for long wait lines. Love that Nibble Inc. incorporates local ingredients and partners into its products, including Rare Form Brewery, Brown's, and Sweet Sue's. 

The lemon fruit tarts at Sweet Sue's are stellar. In doughnut form, the Local Lemon curd filling had the same sweet and tart flavor that we love but the consistency of the filling was a bit runny, most likely because we got a fresh-out-of-the-fryer doughnut.

In addition to classic flavors, you'll find playful ones like maple bacon and cocktail-inspired ones like the Upstate Sour made with whiskey glaze, lemon-lime icing, and blackberry cassis filling. As much as we wanted to love the booze-inspired glazes, the filling far outshined its counterpart.

There's no doubt that tasty, high quality ingredients are being used but sadly the star of the show kind of fell flat. The potato doughnuts we've had in Portland were moist and crumbly but these were so heavy, dense, and tough. We came in during a pretty high volume morning so I wonder whether the doughnuts spent too much time in the fryer, or perhaps the recipe needs a bit more tweaking; it's only been two weeks since Nibble has opened its doors.

The one doughnut J and I both agreed was the best out of the four we got was the dark chocolate sea salt. This one had the soft(er) crumb that we were looking for. Plus the chocolate flavor really came through, especially with the touch of saltiness and honey glaze.

The flavors are there and with a bit more room for improvement, I can see us coming here more often. It's the kind of shop that's right up our alley so we've got high hopes for Nibble Inc. in the coming months. The Capital Region needs more places that think out of the (doughnut) box. 

DeFazio's Pizza

We've seen the light at the end of the Italian food tunnel and it's called DeFazio's Pizza. J and I have never really been satisfied in our choices of pizza and pasta in the 518, even turning to a certain restaurant chain (NOT of the unlimited breadsticks kind) just to satisfy a quick hankering for carbs, cheese, and sauce. Lucky for me, I started a new job that introduced me to DeFazio's. I've long heard about this gem of place but never made the effort to go in person until I had a bite of the wood-fired stromboli and pizza from the Empire State Plaza Farmer's Market. The magic was in the crust, even from a mini portable oven. One crackly bite later, I knew J and I had to hit up the small Troy storefront. 

Upon sitting down at a cozy corner, a loyal customer couldn't help but brag about the hand-grated jars of parmesan, scratch-made pasta, and even hand-ground meats for the meatballs. I had tried the meatballs in the stromboli and had no doubt that the food was made with care and passion. I had a massive pasta craving and ordered the linguini with red clam sauce. This bowl of wonderfulness was more than satisfying. Fresh pasta made all the difference. The texture of the linguini was perfectly al dente. The clams were thankfully not overcooked and brought the dish a delightful briny seafood flavor while the light, bright tomato sauce just brought everything together. It was hard to share even one bite. I'm still drooling over the dish, particularly the pasta. Lucky for me I can find fresh DeFazio's pasta to take home from the farmer's market. I made the best chicken alfredo thanks to some fresh fettuccine and usually this Asian can't cook Italian well.

As intriguing as the General Tso's pizza was (Mozzarella Cheese, Italian Herb Chicken, Fresh Broccoli, Topped with General Tso Sauce and Spices), J went with a Brown's beer crust pizza topped with prosciutto. Good pizza needs a good foundation and DeFazio's delivered. The magic really was in the dough. The crust was delightfully crisp and charred from the wood-fired oven yet still chewy, tender and very flavorful.The ratio of sauce to cheese was just right and how could you go wrong with crispy prosciutto. It was a good balance of toppings to crust and just plain tasty overall. Now we know why DeFazio's Pizza was AOA's Tournament of Pizza champion. Can't believe it took us this long to stop by!

Short and Sweet: Chocolate Chunk Cookies at Sweet Sue's

I have an insatiable sweet tooth so I want to write about, if not the best, then certainly the most awesome cookie I've ever eaten. 

It came from Sweet Sue's, a small and beautiful little cafe in downtown Troy.  I believe R has filled everyone in on the great food there, so I'm going to devote a paragraph to describing this fantastic little cookie.

These little guys are just fun to look at and imagine in your mouth.  They're a lovely golden brown and stacked with massive chunks of all different sorts of chocolate just piled up in the center.  Looking at it, you are struck by how many lovely shades of brown there can be in one bite.  That first bite doesn't disappoint; the cookie is soft,  buttery, chewy, and the pile of chocolate turns to to a delicious gob of slush in your mouth.  It is so beyond normal cookies, I would love to know what kind of chocolates she uses, but I'm afraid it would spoil the magic.

Anyway, thanks for the amazing cookie Sue. 

Sweet Sue's

The brunch fairies have smiled down upon us again. A trip to Sweet Sue's was a bit of a redemption trip for J and I. We once stopped by for a cupcake and macarons but the texture of the treats were a bit off. Every place has an off day, we get it. But the more I looked on Facebook, the more I was tempted by the playful menu and brunch combos. I convinced J to check out brunch at Sweet Sue's in Troy and we couldn't have been more blown away. 

Sweet Sue's plays around with lots of global flavors, even Vietnamese pho and banh xeo from what I've seen. The day's soup of the day was a Thai Tom Kha and we had to start our meals with a taste. It was a light red curry broth that wasn't the usual blow your head off spicy . For once I didn't miss the heat and enjoyed the balance of sweet and sour flavors. It wasn't too heavy on the coconut milk either and fragrant aromas of lemongrass balanced the sweetness well. It was the perfect soup to start off a beautiful spring day meal.

Get there early because brunch specials run out fast. I had my eye on the arepas from an earlier Facebook post but since they ran out, I opted for a breakfast sandwich with homefries. It wasn't just an ordinary breakfast sandwich. This one was made with Heritage Farms hickory smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, brie, and a schmear of fig jam on an Our Daily Bread croissant.

I loved the salty and sweet combo; the fig jam paired very well with the creaminess of brie and of course everything is better with bacon, especially thick-cut quality bacon. I also love when places opt for the peppery bite of arugula instead of lettuce on their sandwiches. The side of homefries were perfectly crispy but needed a bit more seasoning; just ask for ketchup and sriracha and you'll be all set. Sandwich aside, I was actually just as impressed with the side salad of arugula and house-grown organic sprouts. The greens were brightly dressed with a light vinaigrette and something so simple tasted so fresh and delicious. Locally-sourced and quality, fresh ingredients really do make a difference.
J was just as impressed with his Sooie Sandwich: Heritage Farm pork confit with slaw, pickled onions, and horseradish cream on ciabatta. The pork confit was packed with flavor but not greasy at all. The meat was heavy on cumin which was unexpected but in a good way. The slaw added a good, fresh crunch and horseradish added a good kick. J wolfed down this sandwich in no time. 

Of course a trip to Sweet Sue's wouldn't be complete without a cupcake or two, plus one more for the road. We chose a duo of Lemon Chai and Triple Chocolate cupcakes. This tasted much better than our first time around. Although the frosting was still hard from the fridge case, we didn't mind it all since it was so flavorful. It's a very buttery frosting, richer than your typical cupcake. It's butter alright. The cake part was fluffy and J couldn't get enough of the pudding filling in the chai cupcake. Plus it was so refreshing to see and taste real lemon zest in the cake. As for the chocolate cupcake, definitely plenty of chocolate flavor. What a sweet ending to an awesome brunch. It pays to have a leap of faith and give a place another go. 

The Illium Cafe

We're on the verge of a heart attack as we write this post but every bite of The Illium Cafe's Cajun Pork Belly & Crispy Prosciutto Panini was worth it. We've always been fans of The Illium and it's been our go to brunch spot after a visit to the Farmer's Market in Troy. Our favorite sandwich is the Surf and Turf Sandwich. It's a flavorful combo of grilled shrimp and marinated steak with blue cheese, roasted red peppers, and arugula on foccacia. But when we read about the pork belly panini on All Over Albany's Eat This! we knew it was one of those crazy concoctions that we had to try. 

Truth be told, this is the second time we've tried this sandwich within a three week span. We're gluttons but to be fair, J ordered his own last time while I got the Surf and Turf.  I devoured my own order this time around. I figured the pork would balance all the turkey from the Holidays plus I hadn't had any breakfast yet and we had a very late lunch. All justified.  

Be prepared to be unproductive for the rest of the day. The Cajun Pork Belly and Crispy Prosciutto Panini is an open faced sandwich made with a savory bread pudding with brie cheese, pork belly, and topped with a hefty mound of crispy prosciutto, fried egg, and hollandaise sauce. There is no shortage of pork here and it's all kind of magical. These are all rich and fatty elements but somehow it all works together. 

The bread pudding has all the familiar flavors of a classic Thanksgiving stuffing and is the perfect vehicle to mop the runny egg yolk and creamy taragon hollandaise sauce. Fresh elements of red onions and spinach helps break up the richness of all the other elements. Last time J got arugula instead of spinach, which I thought was the better of the greens. Love that peppery bite. Our version also differed a bit from Masticating Monkey's in that we got fresh spinach instead of sauteed. Plus instead of a brie sauce ours was a slice of grilled cheese with brie beneath the slice of savory bread pudding. I can only imagine that the cheese sauce would add another rich layer of flavor.  A touch of acid or something pickled would have helped cut the greasiness of the dish but when you're ordering a dish like this, you might as well go all in. Why else would there be pork belly AND crispy prosciutto. Over the top? Absolutely but so worth it. 

The pork belly is essentially a thick cut of bacon. My pieces were a bit tough and dry this visit and frankly I didn't really pick up on any Cajun flavor but it's ok. The mountain of crispy prosciutto more than made up for it. Crispy, crunchy, salty, and bacon-y. This sandwich is the ultimate comfort food. If you need to squeeze in some veggies, the dish also comes with slices of pickles and a side of potato salad or coleslaw. 

The Pork Belly Panini is a try at your own risk type of sandwich but since it's the holiday season, why not indulge a bit. You need some pork fat to warm up in this chilly weather anyway and it's fuel for all that Christmas shopping. 

dreamPuff Sweet Shop

I'm surprised neither J nor I have more cavities. Let's just say that 1lb bar of Trader Joe's chocolate doesn't last very long in our household. We have a MAJOR sweet tooth and are so lucky to be surrounded by talented local bakeries. Our most recent discovery took us to Brunswick. If you are a regular at the Troy Farmer's Market you must already be familiar with dreamPuff Marshmallows and their unique take on the s'mores staple with flavors like chai and cardamom. Lucky for us, we didn't have to wait until Saturday to satisfy our need for a sugar rush. 

We've been meaning to check out the shop for a long time now ever since trying the ice cream sandwiches from the summer Farmer's Market. Brunswick really isn't that much of a trek. dreamPuff Sweet Shop is located just beyond the border of Troy in a strip mall. Don't let the location fool you. Step inside and it's like the Willy Wonka of all delicious sugary things. Our eyes lit up by the sight of truffles, cheesecakes, pies, and cupcakes. J and I were overwhelmed as we were greeted by a vast display case of handmade chocolates and baked goods but Ginny, head dreamPuff maker, was happy to give us a tour of the confectionary. 

She had us at "I like to make things with booze," and "There's real rum and lots of it," in the rum cupcake with banana buttercream and toasted coconut. Ginny, we like to eat the treats that you make with lots of booze. Of course we couldn't just get one cupcake especially when they are so pretty. I swear J loves chocolate more than I do and we couldn't pass on the chocolate cupcake, the raspberry truffle cupcake, and tis the season for all things pumpkin so we added a pumpkin cupcake too. I hope you're ready for a treat. These are no regular fluffy cupcakes. Holy butter. The frostings are creamy and buttery and almost as dense as the cakes themselves. The banana frosting on the rum cake was my favorite. None of that artificial flavoring, it was like eating banana bread in buttercream frosting form. We left a few flavors behind to make room for more goodies. After all, the first thing you see when you walk into the shop are the words "Treat Yourself" in giant letters, so of course that's what we did. 

For good measure we added a couple of beer truffles made with Dogfish Chicory Stout. Yup, dreamPuff even makes sweets with beer and the selection alternates from week to week. The beer filling wasn't as strong as I was expecting but it was a delicate malty flavor that paired well with chocolate. Two just wasn't enough and we highly advise getting more. Before we went into diabetic shock, we just couldn't leave without the signature marshmallows. To round out our tour de boozy treats, we got a pack of the blackberry cabernet marshmallow. These handmade marshmallows are nothing like the store-bought version. dreamPuffs are light, fluffy, not overly sweet, and packed with flavor. The cabernet wine flavor really comes through! Did we mention there are boozy caramels too? Our only regret was not getting a few of the eggnog caramels made with Maker's Mark. Gives us something to come back to along with slices of pie.  Ginny assured us that she makes a mean pecan pie. She is from the South after all.

We love the creativity and adventurous flavors coming out of dreamPuff Sweet Shop. There will always be the classic flavors but think and eat outside the box. You'll be surprised how fun it is to try new things. 

Carmen's Cafe

Since R and I met, poor service has kind of become our thing. The first time I ever saw her was at a friend's birthday party at Brown's in Troy, where I ordered a soda three or four times and somehow never got it.  Since then, almost every place we've gone has featured long wait times, being completely ignored by waitstaff, kitchen errors, and stale/unseasoned food.  It isn't consistent, but it is unusually regular.  I suspect this is the reason we like to search out the little known, uncharted places in the area.  For one we both have pretty adventurous tastes, but also with this curse hanging over us, if we have a good experience then we know it's a genuinely great place.

Unfortunately, Carmen's Cafe fell completely flat on all the above issues.  It started well enough, we sat and were seen immediately for food and drink orders (although, oddly, by different waitresses).  The decor and floor were also nice, though my chair was set at the corner of the fireplace, forcing me to sit at a slight angle to the table.  Just enough to be annoyed but not enough to say anything or move once we had sat. 

The wait for our food was a good half hour for eggs. EGGS!  It was probably worse for R because it was her first meal that day (I take early classes on weekends), but regardless it's kind of long for breakfast in a dining room that's only half full.  Service fell down a bit here, as we finally had to ask what was going on with our food at the half hour mark (nobody had let us know the kitchen was backed up or checked on us in that time, though our water glasses were kept full which I appreciate).  Fortunately, at that point it was in the window anyway.

The Charles F. Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar

Not too long ago FUSSYlittleBLOG wrote about iced coffee at The Confectionery and as a coffee fiend, I had to try it for myself. My absolute favorite iced coffee joint from my NYC days is Abraco in the East Village. They hands down have the best iced coffee in town; it's stupidly strong yet uniquely tart and oddly enough, a bit sour. At the same time it's not too bitter and the ratio of ice to milk to sweetener is just magical. I shouldn't be comparing The Confectionery's iced coffee to Abraco's standards, but in my mind, nothing will ever top Abraco. The magic at Abraco is most likely in the beans but I was pretty happy with the Confection version. It's refreshingly tart yet not too bitter. I'm no stranger to chicory coffee; it's our go to Vietnamese style coffee (with condensed milk of course). Chicory does give the coffee blend a mellower flavor and while I favor a strong, dark roast I appreciate it just as much in iced coffee especially when it's a cold brew.

Iced coffees aside, The Lucas Confectionery is like an adult candyland. On our first trip, we

got there too late and missed out on Troyster Tuesdays and opted for a cheese and charcuterie board with a glass of Riesling of course. We ended up with some speck,prosciutto, and teahive cheese. The teahive is Cheddar style, cow's cheese hand rubbed with black tea and bergamot oil that imparts a unique floral undertone and was just delightful especially paired with a shortbread cookie. There's no doubt that The Confectionery is serving quality products. These paper thin cured meats are melt in your mouth unctious bites of salty fatty bites. I'm no connaiseur of wine pairings, but whatever I was drinking along was fine by me; the star was this slate of meat and cheese.

Scooped

Summer is awesome in the Capital Region, especially because we're blessed with so many delicious ice cream stands! FUSSYlittleBLOG has pretty much covered the best of the best spots in The Tour de Hard Ice Cream and I can certainly vouch for how good The Ice Cream Man is, as in Bobby Flay lost in an ice cream Throwdown good. 

TICM in Greenwich is dangerously close to our summer camp house and we stop by every chance we get. A favorite of mine is the Almond Joy Ice Cream (coconut ice cream with chocolate chips and almonds) but since we had a Living Social coupon, J & I decided to indulge a bit and went for a couple pints. Bordeaux Cherry (cherry amaretto ice cream with almonds and fresh cherries) and Mochacinno coffee ice cream for J. Not only is it locally made, but TICM also uses local, seasonal ingredients when it can like the hand melons, blueberries, and strawberries from the Hand Melon Stand right down the street. Rich and creamy, this ice cream hits the spot every time. 

Another favorite new ice cream discovery comes by way of the Troy Farmer's Market. Dreampuff Marshmallows makes unique sweets and now they have ice cream sandwiches! We tried a rhubarb ice cream sandwich and the tart ice cream paired with a soft sugar cookie was the perfect portable treat for a sunny Saturday stroll through the market. Apparently there is also a new storefront in Brunswick that is on my to visit list this summer. Bring on more gorgeous summer days so I can get more ice cream in me! -R