My Surprise Pick at Mac 'N Cheese Bowl

I always enjoy attending the Mac ‘N Cheese Bowl. It’s a fun event and the Regional Food Bank is a worthy cause. This year, some 2,000 people came to taste the cheesy delights put forth by roughly 30 entrants.

I am always a sucker for Valente’s. They consistently win and they deserve it.  I have actually ordered Mac ‘N Cheese in the restaurant, something I would not do at many other places. However, this year, another famous local restaurant brand caught the corner of my eye and I had to try.

As I approached the Latham ’76 Diner table, the first thoughts that rang through my head were, “It’s not 3:00am and I’m sober.”  The thoughts alone served as a palate cleanser.

Here’s why they rocked: Homemade, traditional, old school, just like mom would make.  That’s it. Simple.  Just like the ham & cheese omelette I used to rock at 3:00am.

New Quintessence to open in Ballston Spa

The owners of Quintessence are planning on expanding and opening up a diner in Ballston Spa as early as July 22^nd, also known as opening day for the Saratoga Race Track. Everybody wants to cash in on the ponies… Anyway, they are looking at 2853 Route 9 in Ballston Spa and they plan on keeping the same menu with one addition – gourmet pizzas.

Have any of you been to the original Quintessence? If not you might want to stop in – it’s located on Delaware Avenue in Albany.