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

Brewery Ommegang HopChef

A giant shout out and thank you to M.H.A. Innovations for picking us as the winners of the HopChef Competition Giveaway. We had a blast at this unique food and beer pairing dinner. Seven Capital Region chefs prepared a dish incorporating and paired with a beer from Brewery Ommegang and the winner gets to compete against the other winning Hop Chefs from Chicago, Philly, and Boston in a finale during Ommegang’s Belgium Comes to Cooperstown event in August. Max London's Mark Graham won the judge's pick and Mazzone Hospitality's Will Brown won People's Choice. More from the judge's perspectives at Table Hopping and Notes on Napkins. 

J is more of the beer expert than I am but we enjoyed sampling and critiquing each dish. We channeled all we learned from watching Chopped marathons on Food Network and were impressed by the Chefs' creative and sophisticated dishes. Here's our take on the HopChef creations, starting with our favorite: 

Brunswick BBQ & Brew

I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, ribs. Don't go to Chili's for authentic BBQ. Seriously. J and I have been making fun of BBQ sauce ever since watching an episode of Restaurant Impossible where a Southern BBQ joint was using bottled BBQ sauce with a dash of allspice and squeeze of bottled lemon juice for tang. We've been on the hunt for good BBQ ever since and have found bliss at Brunswick BBQ & Brew in Brunswick, NY. It's our go to place when the meat cravings set in and we're happy to make the trek from Albany.

Tucked in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, this place is hands down one of the best authentic BBQ joints in the Capital Region. Step out of the car and you are greeted by the sweet smell of smoked meat in the air. Ahhh, makes you salivate. It's hard to pick one menu item but a good starter is the BBQ Appetizer Sampler. You get a bit of everything: bbq wings, ribs, and piggly wigglys aka pulled pork sliders. All the meats are smoked to perfection and the depth of flavor can only be achieved by properly smoking low and slow and not just quick grilling meat. You can see that classic pink ring on the meat that they always talk about on the BBQ tv specials.  

J's go to platter is the tender and juicy beef brisket. You get an array of sides with the plates. Our favorites are the baked beans and sweet potato fries. But J's favorite staple is the corn bread with honey butter. The butter is like crack. Fluffy cornbread is the perfect vehicle for this sweet and salty buttah. He would eat a tub of honey butter if he could, but I'd like my fiance not to die of a heart attack. 

Brunswick BBQ isn't just about the meat but the pizza as well! They have a brick oven pizza that makes for the most perfect charred crust. The dough is crispy yet has a good chew to it and one of the best slices is the Brunswick BBQ Signature pizza with homemade, sweet Kansas City Sauce, cheddar cheese, and that yummy smoky pulled pork. The Margherita Pizza is just as good too, especially with prosciutto.  

Make a point to stop on by Brunswick BBQ, it's also a great pit stop to or from Grafton State Park or The Peace Pagoda. You will find blissful peace in this BBQ joint as soon as you taste it! -R

Cheesecake Machismo

I love me a good cheesecake. Some out of town friends came for a visit and wanted Cheesecake Factory for dessert. As much as I love CF's dense, creamy cheesecake, my friends needed to have a true Albany dessert experience at Cheesecake Machismo. 

Small, quaint, and definitely quirky (hello pop art and all things comic books), it's the ultimate unique sweets spot. You all know I'm a sucker for different flavors, and Cheesecake Machismo lives up to uncommon flavors that you won't find at chains like Cheesecake Factory. My odd flavor of choice was a green tea cheesecake with chocolate ganache topping while J was sold when he heard chocolate chip cookie dough crust and went with a slice of chocolate chip fasciana. I must admit the green tea flavor didn't really come through but the chocolate part made up for it, and I love the light texture of the cheesecakes here. Sometimes the CF ones are too dense and rich, and at CM I leave satisfied and not over the top stuffed after a slice. 

The friends went with slices of bananas foster and pineapple upside down (aka

Spongebob's Eviction) and were not disappointed. Cheesecake Factory who? Plus, at $5 a slice with your choice of a hot or cold beverage, it's a mighty good deal. When in doubt, always take out of town guests to the best local spots like Cheesecake Machismo. 

The Ugly Rooster Cafe

Sometimes we cheat on the New World Bistro Bar brunch. When up at the summer camp in Schuylerville, in addition to ice cream stops at The Ice Cream Man, we like to grab brunch at The Ugly Rooster Cafe in Mechanicville. 

Small and quaint, it's the perfect spot to grab comfort foods with a southern twist. There's a lunch menu too but the breakfast menu is where it's at. My go to dish is the Southern Style Breakfast sandwich, which is more of a heart cloggingly-delicious fork and knife dish. Biscuits and gravy with fried eggs, cheddar, bacon, and fried green tomatoes. The fried green tomatoes are a must try--tart pickled green tomatoes in a super crispy corn meal batter--and even better smothered with white sausage gravy. This feast also comes with a side of homefries; breakfast wouldn't be complete without them.

Other go to breakfast comforts are the pancakes. On this particular day, J was extra adventurous and decided to take on the Colossal PancakeChallenge. That's 5lbs of pancakes with whipped topping, fresh fruit, and scoops of butter (um yeah, those are NOT scoops of ice cream, much to J's dismay) with syrup that must be consumed in 30mins plus 5 mins without upchucking. If you're crazy enough to tackle this Man vs. Food challenge, give yourself at least 45mins because that's how long it takes to bake these monsters. If you miraculously win this challenge, you get your meal for free along with an Ugly Rooster Tshirt and major bragging rights. Needless to say, there has only been one winner and J will be gracing the Wall of Shame and we're down $15. On the up side, J actually enjoyed the first few bites of his pancakes; they were actually tasty, fluffy, and the fresh strawberries made the challenge a bit more pleasant. J is still in recovery mode and I think he's gonna stay away from pancakes for awhile. Meanwhile, I'd definitely go back for the fried green tomatoes.

Let's Go Dippin'

It's summer picnic season which means bring a dish to share time. Stumped on what to bring to a pot luck? Try this tomato basil dip and let the raving begin. Everyone will be asking you for the recipe and it's stupidly simple. I'm terrible at following recipes but here's the gist of this mind-blowingly good dip: 

- Whip two blocks of cream cheese with 1/2 cup-ish of sour cream until fluffy

- Spread cream cheese mixture onto base of a large serving dish (or two disposable round cake pans for easy take and serve)

- Dice a pint of cherry tomatoes or 3-4 large ripe tomatoes into a bowl and mix with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for a few minutes to let juices drain. 

- Spread tomatoes (leaving juices behind) over layer of cream cheese

- Chiffonade fresh basil leaves (2-3 bunches pending your taste) and sprinkle over tomatoes

- Drizzle with a balsamic glaze (reduce a cup or so of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and let cool til it thickens)

That's it! Not only does this dip look beautiful, but guests will rave over how good it is. It's fresh summer flavors all in a creamy delicious dip! Enjoy! -R

Trader Joe's Treasures

Hummus is one of the easiest dips you can make at home but sometimes I'm just too lazy to make and it's just too easy to pickup quality ones at Trader Joe's. My new favorite TJ hummus is a cilantro and jalapeno hummus. It's slightly spicy and for some reason reminds of Indian flavors, like the green chutney you get on the side from those all-you-can eat lunch buffets. Delicious with pita chips and sugar snap peas. 

Another unusual TJ product is edamame hummus. It's made with edamame instead of chickpeas and has this fun green color. You still have the classic flavors of tahini, lemon, and garlic but with a unique twist. 

My other go to hummus when I'm not at Trader Joe's is Sabra's Sun Dried Tomato Hummus with the fun dip in the middle and Tribe's 40 Spices Hummus. I have no idea what all forty spices are but cumin is definitely one of 'em. 

It's about time I snacked on something healthy.