Winter Bites 2016

This winter was a mild one but there were a couple of days in between that were cold enough to justify some super comforting dishes. Here's a look back at some of our favorite winter bites: 

Camion Au Pied de Cochon: What better way to kick off the New Year than with poutine! We came across the mobile version of Au Pied de Cochon, a Montreal establishment well-known for very indulgent meals. After a stroll around the outdoors Le Grand Marche de Noel market, a warm cup of fries with gravy and cheese curds hit the spot. But it wasn't your typical poutine as this one was spiked with foie gras. Talk about gluttony. Each heart clogging bite was totally worth it. 

Michigan Plus: I spent a good part of my childhood in the North Country but for some reason always avoided michigan dogs. It wasn't until recently that I appreciated the uniqueness of this regional New York chili dog. If it isn't a pit stop at our favorite border poutine joint, it's a stop in Plattsburgh to fuel up on gas and a michigan with a neon red Glazier dog. For a twist, there's even a garbage plate version which we've also tried, for science of course. 

CNY Salt and Pepper Plate: Call it Chinese New Year, Tet, or Lunar Year, it's a great reason to celebrate and feast amongst good company. We shared a wonderful, adventurous meal at Hong Kong Bakery with FUSSYlittleBLOG, Albany Jane, Jon in Albany, and Ms. Garlic . There was abalone, ginger and garlic lobster, and even pigs feet but the highlight of seven course meal was the salt and pepper combo platter. It was a crispy mix of fried squid, little bite-sized fish, and tofu that even my normally anti-tofu husband loved for its flavor and texture. My favorite bites were the salt and pepper pork ribs and accompanying jellyfish! 

Garden Bistro Mussels: Mondays just got better thanks to Mussel Mondays at Garden Bistro 24. At $13.50, the mussel entrees are a steal. A hefty amount of fresh shellfish is served with equally generous portion of frites to sop up a flavorful signature sauce of your choice. I had a chorizo and kale special but J's lemon basil butter had be stealing more than a few bites. 

The Saphouse Pancakes: Major hat tip to Deanna Fox for featuring The Saphouse at Stone House Farm on All Over Albany. As if we didn't love venturing out to Sharon Springs and Cooperstown enough, an all-you-can eat maple breakfast (pancakes or waffles) is the only thing that'll get me up early on the weekends. Get ready for a sugar high because at $6 per person, it's easy to load up on maple syrup, maple sugar, and maple butter to your heart's content. My only complaint is that the maple milk doesn't come in a gallon size because it's that addicting! 

Boston Eats

A recent girl's trip to Boston pretty much turned into a delicious tour of Boston. Here are some hightlights from Beantown:

Gene's Chinese Flatbread: You wouldn't know it by its name, but whoever Gene is he makes a mean Xi'an-style handpulled noodle. Sure there is a pulled pork flatbread, but everyone comes for a bowl of the fresh, chewy noodles. The classic #4 cold dish is served with a glob of garlic enough to scare Dracula away for hours but it's the noodles that are the star. It's a sought-after item for its texture and for good reason. The salt level was a bit overwhelming but the freshness of the noodles made up for it. Another great bite was the $1 skewer of tender, well-seasoned cumin lamb. Next time, the cumin lamb noodles are on my list. 

Egg Waffle: The wonders of Yelp led me to one of the most satisfying $3 snacks in the depths of a Chinatown strip mall. As I walked past a storefront of caged, lived chickens and towards the back of a cramped sushi stand, I was greeted by the wonderful aromas of fresh waffles made by the skillfull hands of a little old lady. She bakes these wonderful made-to-order Chinese-style egg waffles that are sweet spheres of cakey goodness. A warm bag of these nubbins is the perfect hand-held snack to explore Boston's Chinatown.

L Street Diner: For a true taste of Bahs-ton, we stopped for a full Irish fare at the L Street Diner in Southie. It was my first taste for this type of blood pudding and it did not disappoint. I was expecting a metallic taste but it was just a delicious savory sausage. The meat-tastic plate also came with imported Irish sausage and bacon aka ham, regular breakfast sausage, seasoned home fries, and grilled tomatoes. It was a hearty breakfast enough to fuel us for the rest of the day. 

Boston Public Market: It was love at first sight stepping into this year-round-market. The combination of farmers market stands and local purveyors reminds me a lot of Montreal's Marche Jean Talon and New York's Chelsea Market. There's over 39 vendors ranging from cheese and smoked meat to ice cream and wine and the food court choices are all tempting.

With such a large breakfast, I only had room for a couple light snacks but man were they the best snacks of my life. This orange cardamom poppyseed doughnut from Union Square Donuts was hands-down the best doughnut I've had in awhile. Yeast doughnuts are my favorite and the texture was unbelievably light and fluffy yet chewy. Can we also talk about the flavor combination? So unique and amazing! Some bites just take your breath away. I also couldn't resist fresh, local sea urchin from Red's Best seafood stand. Uni is a splurge whenever we get sushi and to have a bite this fresh was life changing. Definitely a bucket item checked off my list to eat sea urchin straight from its shell. I also couldn't say no to couple of freshly shucked oysters. Boston's seafood game is on point.

Flour Bakery + Cafe: Hat tip to Jon in Albany for pointing me to Joanne Chang's pastry mecca. We ended our Girl's Trip on a delicious note gorging on the famous sticky bun that beat Bobby Flay in a throwdown, more doughnuts, and a homemade pop tart. The quality of these pastries is top notch but so is their savory side. I really enjoyed a slice of stuffed bread filled with lemon chicken, sun-dried tomato, red watercress, sambal, and provolone. It was pretty much an elevated version of garbage bread that tasted so good. Flour Bakery is at the top of my favorite Boston eats. There was so much to do and eat and so little time. I'm definitely looking forward to returning to Beantown and exploring the food scene.  

The Breakfast Spot

Some of the best bites are classic ones. The Breakfast Spot in Cohoes is a charming throwback to the 60s with its decor but it's the menu of traditional breakfast fare that makes mornings more bearable. It's not breakfast without bacon and the quintessential B.E.C. sandwich is a pretty solid choice. The trifecta comes together with crispy applewood-smoked bacon aplenty, seasoned fried egg, and American cheese. Why does American cheese get such a bad rep? Its meltability works great for this breakfast staple. I'm usually team english muffin but a fresh, buttery Bella Napoli roll works real well here soaking up all that bacon flavor. In case you didn't have enough bacon, we highly recommend sharing the loaded home fries with more bacon, cheese, scallions, and sour cream. Add a cup of coffee and breakfast is complete. 

Leon's Mexican Restaurant Reopened

ICYMI the longtime Saratoga-based Leon's Mexican relocated to Ballston Spa and has officially re-opened its doors. You can now find them in the Carousel Village on Route 50, just a few doors down from Good Morning Cafe. Fantastic breakfast and dinner spots all in one plaza!

Our favorite dish is the signature pork chili verde rolled into a massive burrito; it's meltingly-tender and packed with flavor. Along with the classics, there's a re-vamped menu featuring homemade tamale plates and taqueria-style tacos like this spicy chorizo one.

Here's a peek of Leon's Mexican Menu and weekly specials worth checking out:

• Sundays: 1/2 price off any burritos, including the famous Burro Ranchero as featured on Rachael Ray's $40 A Day. New hours! Closed Sundays and now open on Mondays with $3 draft beer specials.
• Margarita Tuesdays: Buy one, get one house margaritas.
• Wine Wednesdays: All wines (red, white, or sangria) 1/2 price. 
• $2 Taco Thursdays: Featured tacos for only $2 a piece. 
• Keep up with the latest specials by liking their Facebook page

During these winter months, a vibrant and fresh take on Mexican food is just what you need. A margarita or two wouldn't hurt with those winter blues either. For full disclosure, it's somewhat of a family affair but all we do is wine and dine because stuffing our faces with great food is what we do best. 

Hattie's Fried Chicken & Waffles

Brunch is your free pass to scoring fried chicken for breakfast and it doesn't get any better than chicken and waffles at Hattie's Restaurant in Saratoga. As we sat surrounded by pictures of Hattie Gray, the namesake of the establishment, we just couldn't help but feel the love for this beloved Southern fried chicken. Each succulent bite proved how special her recipe is. No wonder it beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown Battle. 

The moment you break through the crisp shell is a euphoric moment. The contrast of textures and flavors is on point with just the right balance of seasonings. The crunchy batter is speckled with a good dose of fiery pepper and much to my surprise, the meat was so juicy and flavorful thanks to a brine. The waffle takes a backseat to the star of the show but it wouldn't be brunch without it. A swirl of syrup and a dash of hot sauce and you've taken chicken and waffles to another level with bursts of sweet, savory, spicy, and salty notes. But let's face it, the fried chicken is where it's at and it's finger-licking good at Hattie's. 

Cafe Chat L'heureux

Disclaimer: This post will be saturated with photos of adorable fluffy cats. On a recent visit home to Montreal, J and I stopped by Cafe Chat L'Heureux to sip tea with a bunch of furry friends. Modeled after popular hot spots in Korea and Japan, this one is the first of its kind in North America and a mecca for the crazy cat moms and cat dads out there. It's truly a unique experience. 

This particular cafe has nine resident cats, treated like kings and queens with plenty of comfy couches and places to climb and play. In true feline fashion, most like to nap but once in awhile you'll find one or two roaming the space.

Some like to show off impressive tricks. Pictured here, Milady shows off high fives for treats from the cafe owner.

Gustave is passed out hard on this sofa.

The Happy Cat Cafe is human friendly too with a full gourmet menu of sweets, catpuccinos, teas, salads and sandwiches. 

Some of the wait staff can be difficult, preferring cuddles and attention over providing good service.

But you can always count on the sucre du jour. We treated ourselves to a kitty spot of tea and delicious, creamy banana pudding cup. 

Even when they're sleeping, you can't help but squeal over how cute these cats are.

They seem like very happy cats indeed. I think Luna here is smiling.

It's one one of those bucket list items if you ever get a chance to visit Montreal. 

Top Bites of 2015

The last days of the year brings back memories of yet another delicious round of great eats. We were a bit biased naming our wedding cake from TC Paris as our favorite local bite of the year on All Over Albany but 2015 introduced us to some other favorites that deserve honorable mention:

Uni with quail egg from Sushi Makio: Some bites are life-changing. Sushi Makio proved that fresh, quality sea urchin can be found in Upstate New York. The addition of a velvety quail egg yolk elevated this piece of sushi, bringing an ethereal element that complemented the brininess and creaminess of the uni so well. It was one of those moments where you just had to close your eyes for a moment of silence as you savor the explosion of flavor. 

Spicy ramen at Sushi Tei: The ramen craze is now just hitting Albany with the opening of Tanpopo Ramen and various appearances as specials throughout Capital Region establishments. But it's the Tuesday special at Sushi Tei that hits the spot every time. The tonkatsu ramen is a comforting mix of rich, creamy broth and fatty slices of pork belly . The off-menu addition of spicy pork gives the ramen not only an added kick of spice but flavor that's quickly becoming a favorite. With winter officially here, you can count on this special being on the menu twice a week now with the addition of Ramen Sundays to warm you up. 

Rice or egg noodle with seafood from Saigon Pearl: ICYMI Saigon Pearl now makes a pretty legit crackly banh mi sandwich but you'll also want to check out the rest of menu especially for this noodle dish. Under new ownership, you'll find a new menu with classic Vietnamese favorites like Bun Bo Hue Spicy Noodle Soup and Clay Pot Stewed Fish. One of my favorite dishes, aside from pho, is hu tieu kho thap cam which translates to assorted mixed dry noodles. It's a dish with many variations: dry with pork broth on the side; wet as a soup bowl with the noodles and broth mixed together; with egg noodles or with rice noodles. My preference is dry with rice noodles. The best part of the dry version is that a salty soy-based sauce coats the noodles, and when mixed with a bite of a little of everything, it's delightful. Plus when you get it dry, you still get a side of broth to either mix in with the noodles or slurp alongside. With an assortment of meats and seafood ranging from cha siu pork, fried chicken, fishcake, quail egg, and prawns, it's a dish that'll satisfying every craving. Plus the bits of pork cracklings are the crowning jewels. 

Squid-Ink seared scallop from Peck's Arcade: The creativity at Peck's knows no bounds. Our recent obsession with squid ink led us to a special featuring a perfectly seared scallop. Marinated in a dark briny coat of ink, the stark contrast of colors was just as appetizing as the mix of flavors between the pungent red miso sauce and tangy and creamy avocado mousse. It was a divine morsel and sharing one piece of scallop was a true test of our marriage. 

Garbage plates from Mac's Philly Steaks: A random detour to Canandaigua en route to Buffalo introduced us to one helluva Western delicacy. Garbage plates are a total guilty pleasure between the mountain of fries, hot dogs, meat sauce and mac salad but the mish mosh totally works! This particular one at Mac's featured a plump and juicy Rochester-based white hot dog from Zweigle's, most definitely the highlight of this Mac's Place Special. The Philly Plate on the other hand featured philly steak, onion rings, and hot sauce giving this combo the perfect zip! The added bonus was more carb on carb action courtesy of an Amoroso roll, a legit roll directly from Philadelphia. We can only imagine how amazing the Philly Cheesesteaks must be here but the garbage plate has a special place in our bellies.

More Top Bites: 

+ Top Bites of 2014
+ Top Bites of 2013