"Went down to the Crossroads..."

I took to the streets again this week looking for something new and exciting. I traveled near and far from the outskirts of Albany. I found my way to Athens, New York. Athens is an old historic village in Greene County, near the Catskills. The old Athens photo reminds me of when Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled back to 1885.

What brings someone to Athens? Crossroads Brewery. I took the 30 minute trip to Athens and I found my way to the brewery.

The Athens brewery has 10 of their own craft beers on tap. I have to give a recommendation for you all to try their Cream Ale. The Brady’s Bay Cream Ale is a German Pilsner Malt at 5.0% abv.


I initially went to Crossroads for the beer. What I soon found out about the Crossroads Brewery was they opened their kitchen to the public for the first time. I had to check out the menu. All of my readers know I am a huge fan of pulled pork. When I see it on the menu, I have to try it because I have a secret ambition to write a book surrounding the best pulled pork in the United States.

The food was delicious. The pulled pork was succulent and full of flavor. The Crossroads Brewery pulled pork can hold its own. In the last few weeks, I have had pulled pork from Dinosaur BBQ (Troy, NY) and the Pig Pit (Albany Food trucks). Now, I can add Crossroads Brewery (Athens, NY) to the expanding list.

Crossroads Brewery is located 21 Second Street, Athens, NY.

Hours:

Mon - Thurs:

4:00 pm-9:00 pm

Friday:

4:00 pm-12:00 am

Saturday:

12:00 pm-12:00am

Sunday:

1:00 pm-9:00

Now That's A Big Sandwich

The menu clearly states: “All sandwiches eaten on premise are served with chips and a choice of macaroni salad, potato salad or pickles.” I like simple and there are simply five sandwich choices on the menu. Did I mention that is the total menu minus beverage choices and soup of the day (only during the winter)? That’s all good because all you have to do is look at my ham sandwich and agree that Mama Cass would be proud.

Roast beef, turkey, corned beef, ham and cheese or tuna fish is what Slick’s Restaurant and Tavern, at 127 South Ferry Street in the Stockade area of Schenectady, specializes in and they do it in grand fashion. This is the real deal in size. I didn’t weigh it, but we are talking at least one pound of meat. The meat is cut fresh from a deli slicer that resides at its home behind the bar. Breads of choice are white, wheat or rye.

The proper etiquette for consuming of said sandwiches is the one-handed messy taco approach. Make the commitment and stick with it. Never put it down. Pick up your drink with the other hand. Use your napkin with the other hand. Putting this beast of a sandwich down could cause some complicated structural defects that may not be fixable. The trick is to use your palm as the stop zone from the meat exiting the opposite side by way of the slippery dressing.

The second you walk into Slick’s you get that cozy neighborhood bar feel. It has a nice long bar and a handful of tables towards the back of the room. I’m privy to take-out because I’m often on the go when I’m near here. The one drawback to take-out here is that the chips are not included (only “on premise” are chips allowed). If you are looking for a huge sub then go to The Deli and Brew, in Troy. If you are looking for a huge sandwich, Slick’s in Schenectady is the place.

The All American Food Truck

A Place for All Parties

What do all of us “Average Joes” have in common?

 

The simple answer: The love for food.

A better answer: the Great American Food Truck!

What is better than walking around the State Capitol on a gorgeously hot day, enjoying the scenery and lawn ornaments than adding a delicious lunch at the food trucks on Washington and State Street?

Today’s Food Truck is not just an ordinary fast food and ice cream truck. They provide more quality options than ever and at reasonable prices. To all of my avid followers, you know how much I enjoy the Pig Pit in Cohoes. As I was whistling through the lawn behind the Capitol, I came across the Pig Pit Food Truck! (Well, it isn’t really a truck, it is a van) but let’s not get stuck on technicalities. I will still call it a food truck.

 

The food truck had so many options, considering it is a food truck. They even had a salad for those who enjoy healthy eats. Obviously, with no additional thought, I found myself choosing the pulled pork sandwich and of course, I had the works put on top (hot sauce and cole slaw). YUM. I wanted to take in the whole atmosphere. I invited some friends to come along with me because I wanted to share the food truck experience and ate lunch on a park bench next to a couple who haven’t seen each other in a couple weeks (based on the high levels of PDA). The food was delicious!

I look forward to the next opportunity to visit the Washington and State Street Food Trucks and try the Greek Truck, the Taco truck (I wonder if they have Dorito tacos) and the refreshing Italian Ice.  

A Piece of Belgium on Pearl

Question: What do Albany and Brussels have in common?

Well, aside from the fact that both cities share the regional designation of “Capital District,” not too much. Let’s face it, Brussels has us beat: international home to the Belgian Waffle, home to some of the world's finest chocolate, and home to a host of internationally acclaimed breweries.

But, luckily enough for us here in New York’s Capital District, all is not lost. As we’ve seen over the years, the demand for Euro-style brewpubs in Albany has led to a beer renaissance of sorts. Take a walk down Broadway, for instance, and you might find yourself drinking a pint of English Ale, German Pilsner, Irish Stout, or maybe all three if you can deal with the hangover. The point is, we have options now, which is why it’s only fitting to add a Belgian brewpub to the growing list of malty Euro-style institutions in downtown Albany.

Enter The Merry Monk, a bona fide Gastropub with undeniable Belgian flare, albeit a little kitschy. Along with all of the usual suspects, (ie. Chimay, Duvel, Palm) the Merry Monk serves up nearly every Belgian-style ale from Cooperstown’s celebrated Brewery Ommegang. But the appeal of the Merry Monk goes beyond the beer. The Monk also serves up a mean burger, and a fat one at that.  Word to the wise: Don’t miss out on the Bacon Cheddar Ale Burger. Should I say it again? Bacon. Cheddar. Ale. Burger.

The rhetorical zest of the Monk’s menu goes beyond just burgers. You won’t find French fries on this menu, only frites. Talk about culture, man. Make sure you choose the appropriate “dipping sauce,” which is really just a nondescript term for flavored mayonnaise.  I happened to choose the Chipotle Mayo, which was hot, but tasty nevertheless.

My only issue with the Merry Monk: work. How would I ever finish those TPS reports after drinking a snifter of Belgian Ale? I wouldn’t, and so I will be back my Merry Monk friend. Keep the beer cold for me.

Hoping To Stay Cool This Summer

The Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell have been driving me loco lately. At first I was not impressed, as you may have seen from an earlier blog post, but now my excitement is beginning to build again. According to The Huffington Post and the blogosphere out there we can look forward to seeing the Doritos' Cool Ranch version sometime this summer. As we've seen with the success of the Locos Tacos, it would be loco not to keep that promise. Hopefully this time it will live up to my expectations and I can have a "cool" summer. Cool ranch is my most favorite Doritos flavor, I don't think I'll be disappointed this time.

Breakfast With Uncle Marty

As you know, one of my favorite things is to find an urban nook and cranny. A neighborhood joint that the locals know so well they don’t consider eating there as “going out for a meal.”  But, I’m proud to say that I’m also not one of those urban agoraphobics afraid of open space and country air. I’ll go to a strip mall and not hold my nose. I’ll also hit the farm stand way out in farmland. I love this region because 15 minutes from any downtown you can smell cow country. 

I found a place in not quite cow country that everyone in the vicinity of Burden Lake, Crystal Lake, Crooked Lake and Glass Lake know and love…Uncle Marty’s Adirondack Grill.  While a bit more than a stone’s throw from the purview of the APA and more east than north (head east on 43 past the old Miller’s Market four corners and a few miles past the Lakeview Restaurant), Uncle Marty has it down pat. The big chair out front, the décor, the outdoor bar, the friendly vibe, the spacious accommodations, the fast service.

The best thing about this joint though is the food.  This has now become my favorite breakfast spot.  I’ll admit it that this place is so great I have kept it off the blog roll for months fearing that I’d have to wait to be seated. I cannot wait when I get here on the weekends. The spaciousness and fast staff ensures you never have to wait.

As far as what to order, the specials have always been terrific. The pancakes are a knockout and make it worth ordering the hearty breakfast to get a few tastes if you’re an eggs for breakfast person. Last weekend though I had the ham, cheddar and asparagus omelet, with sausage links and real potato home fries.

Mark this down on your “bucket” list or your “to do” list or your “wish” list….go have breakfast with your new Uncle Marty.

Burritos and Tacos are Everywhere and I Love It

What did we do five years ago when there wasn't a burrito place on every corner? We must have been hungry and we didn't even realize how pathetic our lives were. Much like back when we would go shopping without a cup of coffee in our hands, could you imagine doing that today? Never. Good advertising and marketing told us that we must have a coffee at all times and that burritos are a must on the menu at least once a week.  

Getting a bit off topic here but really, we are like lemmings.  When I was a kid, you went to Dunkin Donuts for...... donuts and there was one in town.  Now there are four, and we thank the holy cocca bean for that because if I have to go more than 25 minutes without coffee, we have a problem. Back to topic at hand - burritos.

You can grab a burrito just about anywhere these days (as stated above) and the national chains have popped up all over the place, I was on a Moe's kick for a while but I have rediscovered Chipolte. There is another chain that you might have overlooked - Hot Harry's, located in the Hannaford Plaza in East Greenbush. I stopped by the other day and was enticed to call an audible - I went with the bacon cheeseburger burrito. How can you combine two great things and not have it turn out well?. It was good, though I did wish I had gone along with the old reliable, chicken burrito. There is just something weird about eating bacon in a burrito. I love bacon, but I believe it does not belong in a burrito.

All-in-all a solid meal, not too expensive and much better than the last time I went there. I will give Hot Harry's another try but I'll leave the bacon to my burgers and potatoes and salads and peanut butter sandwiches and....