Another year down on the books as a delicious one. 2016 was filled with more eating than writing. A look back of our favorite local bite of the year on All Over Albany also brought back delicious memories from this past year, including some from our travels:
Eat Drink SF: A trip to San Francisco this past summer included a stop at the Bay Area's premier food, wine, beer and spirits festival. The best of SF's restauranteurs gathered for an epic tasting and the highlight of it all was this heavenly bite from Brasserie S&P. A dollop of creamed corn brought out the sweetness of the fresh, briny raw scallop and a pop of pickled blueberries brought it all together. I selfishly went it for seconds, it was that good.
Duartes Tavern: Our West Coast trip brought us to the quaint little town of Pescadero, home of the iconic artichoke soup. It's California in a comforting, creamy bowl. The earthiness of the fresh artichokes in this soup is unlike anything we've had before. Asking for a swirl of spicy cream of green chile (an off the menu tip from Yelpers) further enhanced the flavors.
Maharaja: Our favorite Indian restaurant has a mean weekend brunch buffet. What's unique about Maharaja's is that they include their Indo-Chinese fusion fare plus these diy pani puri!
Troy Kitchen: We love the choices at Troy Kitchen! Fell head over heels in love with the fried chicken from Allie B's Cozy Kitchen and couldn't get enough of the crepes at La Petite Crepe. Now there's Hoist Sandwiches with a pork belly banh mi that's calling our names!
Chester's Smokehouse: There are too many delicious things from this place. We're big fans of the bacon ribs, liverwurst, and slim chesters (their own better version of a slim jim). Their homemade pierogies makes a frequent appearance at our dinner table, but it's the smoked chicken bacon potato ones that we can't stop thinking about. It's so good!
Our blog has been taking a bit of a hiatus lately but that doesn't mean we haven't been eating our way around! Here's a few of our favorite fall bites from the Capital Region:
Innovo Kitchen: Bring on the carbs. A giant bowl of pasta is as comforting as it gets during these fall months, especially when it's from Innovo Kitchen. Flavors were on point. From the succulent, buttery shrimp to the tangy bites of feta and peppery arugula with vinegary slices of pepperoncini. All these flavors blended beautifully but it was the house-made gemelli that was the star of the bowl. Cooked to a perfect al dente, each bite was as wonderful as the last.
Gracie's Luncheonette: Our favorite Hudson food truck now has a brick and mortar home in Leeds! Truck favorites like the burgers and fries are back and so are these light and fluffy doughnuts. Seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice is perfect for fall and the chocolate sea salt is a decadent treat for chocoholics like my husband. Enjoy other house made items like cream soda!
Smorgasburg Upstate: The Brooklyn-based flea and food vendor showcase had its own Upstate spinoff in Kingston this past summer/fall. We caught the last one of the season in October and enjoyed a bevy of locally-sourced Hudson Valley eats from house-smoked salmon c/o Hookline Fish Co. to a spicy thai coconut ice cream cone c/o Jane's Ice Cream. Our favorite was a feast for the eyes and stomach from The Grille Wagon: a drool-worthy BBQ brisket parfait layered with succulent, smoky meat; creamy, crunchy coleslaw; buttery mashed potatoes; drizzle of BBQ sauce; and topped with not only a cherry tomato but a tender fall-off-the-bone pork rib. This was hands down my husband's favorite. It was a meat-astic affair.
Coco Mango's: This has got to be Troy's best kept secret! What cold weather? Any time of the year is a good time for a cool treat especially when it's a Dominican icy. It's got a very unique texture, somewhat like Italian ice but better! Plus tropical flavors like mango and creamy coconut will transport you to those warm, beachy places we all dream about this time of year.
Namu's KFC: Move over Colonel Sanders. A new fried chicken is in town: Korean Fried Chicken. The thick, crackly crust on this KFC is on a different level as it's double fried and tossed in your choice of a sweet soy and garlic sauce or a hot and spicy glaze. Either choices go great with a tall, cold glass of beer. Get to Namu on weekdays for the fried chicken. It's only available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Cheers!
More Seasonal Bites:
+ Summer Bites 2016
+ Spring Bites 2016
+ Winter Bites 2016
