When it comes to deciding what’s for dinner, it’s always a challenge. “What are you in the mood for?” “I don’t know, what are you in the mood for?” is the consistent without fail back and forth that I encounter. The pressure is always on me as the resident “foodie” to make the call and it’s not always the best position to be in, especially when everyone is getting hangry. Continue reading “Taking On Troy: Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen”
When it comes to deciding what’s for dinner, it’s always a challenge. “What are you in the mood for?” “I don’t know, what are you in the mood for?” is the consistent without fail back and forth that I encounter. The pressure is always on me as the resident “foodie” to make the call and it’s not always the best position to be in, especially when everyone is getting hangry. Continue reading “Taking On Troy: Sunhee’s Farm and Kitchen”
It’s origin comes from a noun meaning one’s own way, choice, or preference. But here in Upstate New York, Druthers is better known as the popular restaurant and brewery. If I had my druthers, I’d be eating there every day!
On First Street in Troy sits a bustling little restaurant, with every seat occupied all the way down to the seats at the bar. It’s a frigid Saturday afternoon in March and I’ve just walked into Slidin’ Dirty, hungry and ready to chow down on some delicious little burgers. Continue reading “Ciders & Sliders & Troy, OH MY”
Bop bop bop, bop to the top… OR maybe bop your way on over to some Korean food!
Mexican food is never not an option for me. Just last week I had mexican for dinner 3 out of 7 nights of the week and honestly I am not upset by it one bit! After wanting to try Ama Cocina for months, I finally got the chance to stop in. Continue reading “The Love Of Food: Ama Cocina”
If you’ve ever been to Rochester, or even within 100 miles of the central New York city, you’ve without a doubt heard of the famous Garbage Plate. Although initially hesitant to trying the mish-mash of greasy cheeseburgers, spicy meat sauce, macaroni salad, and french fries, today I find myself craving a plate quite often.
The problem is, I don’t live in Rochester any more and getting a plate is not as simple as a drive down the street to the closest diner. Since buying a plate was not an option when my most recent cravings kicked in I decided to attempt at bringing the garbage plate to life in my very own kitchen.
The first step in bringing the garbage plate to Albany was to find the perfect meat sauce recipe. Lucky for me, Nick Tahou’s, the restaurant who put the garbage plate on the map, had a website floating around on the internet (check out the recipe here) which turned out to be pretty close, although not nearly as perfect as the real thing.
While the meat sauce was simmering I started making the home fries from scratch. I took a couple potatoes and cut them into small pieces, seasoned them up with a bit of salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning for added spice. I heated up the oil and cooked the potatoes until brown. While traditional garbage plates often have two cheese burger patties, one was enough for the my own plate. Although I made the sauce, burgers, and home fries from scratch, I ended up cheating just a little bit on the macaroni salad, buying a pre-made container from my local Whole Foods. 
Overall, my homemade fries were way too salty and the meat sauce came out a little bit too thick, but my first attempt at making a garbage plate was a success. Have you ever made a garbage plate yourself? Was it a success? Let me know in the comments!
As always, stay up to date on my food adventures on Instagram @erin.eats.upstate
ChowderFest is an annual event held in Saratoga Springs, New York. This years event included over 80 participating restaurants and over 100,000 cups of chowder served. ChowderFest is exactly what you might imagine, a bunch of restaurants coming together to serve, you guessed it, chowder!
Heading up the Northway to Saratoga I was expecting a crowd of people, as I had seen so many on my Facebook timeline planning to attend or already there. What I did not expect was the long lines of people just waiting for a small sampling of chowder on a chilly 20 degree February day. I also did not expect the party that was ChowderFest. Of course Saratoga is known for it’s nightlife, but it was still surprising to see so many young people out partying on a Saturday afternoon.
Between the lines and the cold weather, it would take a dedicated soup taster with the capacity to try 80 soups to try it all. I only accomplished about 6 or 7 (including the Ben & Jerry’s dessert chowder) but in those few that I tried, there was not one bad thing to say about any of them. There were the traditional clam chowders, the seafood chowders, the corn chowders, and the chowders with chicken.
My personal favorite came from Hattie’s Restaurant which included a piece of hot fried chicken (YUM!!) but following close behind was a crab chowder from Cantina, and a classic clam chowder from Fish at 30 Lake.
Now that I know what ChowderFest truly entails, I’ll be better prepared for next years festivities. I’ll be ready for more chowder, and more fun!
Growing up I had this idea about Troy, New York. The idea was that it was a place I didn’t want to visit. Today, I have a different idea. Troy, the Collar City, is a place that I want to visit, with shops and restaurants I need to try. The list of places I want to visit is growing at a faster rate than the free nights and weekends I have, but I have been able to check a few spots off the list.
Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar
When a gift certificate to Lucas Confectionery came into my possession it was possibly the best thing to happen in a long time. I had been wanting to go to this wine bar in Troy, New York since I first walked past it in June but just did not feel like spending the money. So, naturally when a $50 gift certificate made it’s way into my possession I was so excited. The inside of Lucas Confectionery is dark, but candlelight sprinkled throughout gives it the kind of ambience you would expect from a wine bar. We sat at what felt like our own private bar, complete with coat hooks and surrounded by bricks emblazoned with the word Troy. We ordered one glass of red and one of white, and mongers choice, a selection meats and cheeses. Our plate came with a huge basket of bread, one in which I thought there was no way we would eat it all. I was extremely wrong. I will be heading back to Lucas Confectionery, and next time, I am getting dessert.
Troy Kitchen
Troy Kitchen is essentially a food court for people who want to eat something a little bit better than Taco Bell or a slice of pizza. Inside there are a variety of food stands to choose from including Korean BBQ and Mexican. But what I went to Troy Kitchen for was something a little sweeter, and I found that at the Butter and Sugar Company. I proceeded to eat was easily the most amazing carrot cake of my entire life.
Little Pecks
I am always looking for local coffee shops. Little Pecks is actually connected to Lucas Confectionery and another local restaurant I’d like to try, Pecks Arcade. I went to Little Pecks on a snowy Saturday morning to meet a friend for coffee. I was expecting a small cafe with only a few tables, but what I found was a bright and colorful dining area with a few tables, and a large back room with a collection of longer tables. With brick walls, plenty of plants, a dripping water wall, and even pineapple wallpaper, the aesthetic of Little Pecks is one in which you could easily spend a whole day working on your laptop while sipping a latte and never want to leave.
Lately I’ve developed a bit of a sweet tooth. I’ve never really been the dessert girl- pastries and cakes have never been my number one choice- until very lately. I tend to prefer the more savory indulgences, but maybe that little bit about our tastebuds changing every seven years really is true? Either way, this new sweet tooth has led me to my most recent challenge in the kitchen: carrot cake cupcakes.
