The Return of Spring is Official

This guy's got it right, Jack's Drive-in and Snowman opening up this week. I can't wait to get down there myself.

Great article in The Record on our ice cream and burger joint favorites  - Click Here

The Fathead with a Heart Attack on top

May I take your order? Sure, I’ll have the Fathead, with a Heart Attack on top……it sounds so wrong, yet so right!! So one day I’m at I Love Pizza of Troy having a slice with a buddy and look across the street and see this new place called The Flying Chicken. I take note and put it on my food calendar for a future date. I finally make it there and have been back many times since.

Their menu is a whose who of chicken and more– fried chicken, wings, nuggets, chicken & waffles, biscuits & gravy, fried pickles and salads. Oh yeah… then there’s my favorite, The Fathead: boneless fried chicken, bacon & sausage gravy on a humongous biscuit. With a Heart Attack on top, of course if you choose, is a fried egg with cheese on top.

The staff is friendly and will explain any menu item or questions you may have. The environment is cozy. Good food, good people, good place. The Flying Chicken is located at 122 4th Street in Troy.

Spend March with Marty

So I hear there’s a job opening in Italy.  Not quite entry level.  Do you think Average Joe could be the next Pope?  I might not have the professional experience that they are looking for, but I am a Catholic who does his best to practice no meat on Fridays during Lent.  Which is why I will be spending another Friday night at the South End Tavern (or as my Dad taught me at a young age, Marty Burke’s).  The menu tonight, like every Friday, will feature a variety of seafood dishes ranging from Haddock to Scallops to Shrimp.  Not practicing Lent?  Well you have quite the menu to take advantage of.  Is there anything better than bar food?

A little history about the South End Tavern for the 7 of you who have never been.  The Tavern opened in 1934 and is currently run by its third generation of the Marty Burke family.  The most recognizable trait of the South Troy Tavern is the famous “Ladies Entrance” sign that hangs out front.  Of course you can bring the Mrs., this sign has some history dating back to the 1930s when bars were considered to be “men’s territory.” 

I’ll warn you though, I won’t be the only customer spending my Friday night at Marty Burke’s.  If you can’t make it tonight, I highly recommend you put this at the top of your list.  The Tavern has been known as a great spot for St. Patrick’s Day festivities, which are only right around the corner….

Another Round of the Classic General Tso's Chicken

Not to long ago we had a discussion on General Tso's Chicken from Spring Garden in Troy. The incident involved me ingesting one of the spicy chili peppers included in the dish. As I remember it now, I was scarred. I've left that behind me now, it's a dark phantom of my past.

Moving on from that time, I decided to go out and get another round of the classic General Tso's Chicken. Again after much research and focus I decided to try Plum Blossom in Troy. This time I will say I found it more than satisfactory, it was great. The chicken had a mild kick to it, but it wasn't too overwhelming this time.

This was just a takeout order however and I did not get the chance to sit down and enjoy myself there, which I've heard is a great place to acutally go to for chinese here in the Capital Region. So if you're ever looking for a good General Tso's, you now know where to go.

Albany's Old Toll Gate

On a recent drive along Route 85 through Slingerlands I decided to chase away the winter blues by lunching at one of my favorite summertime destinations.  No trip to Thacher Park and the Indian Ladder Trail is complete without stopping at Toll Gate Restaurant & Ice Cream, which is open year round. My first trip there was when I was 16 with my high school sweetie as we ventured to the local mountainside known as the Helderberg Escarpment. I’m sure we sipped a milkshake with two straws. A very Norman Rockwell date.

While I actually passed on homemade ice cream on this trip (it was lunch alone for starters, so getting crazy with sundaes is a bit over the top), I would typically make a game time decision on the flavor and get it as a to-go cone. When it comes to my meal though, it’s the same thing every time – the Grilled Cheese Burger. This bit of deliciousness is a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with a hamburger patty. I know what you are thinking, “what’s the difference between a cheeseburger and a grilled cheese burger?” Because you can taste both, the grilled cheese and the burger.

One of the greatest restaurant destinations in the Capital Region. If you haven’t been there, it’s because you clearly don’t know what the Helderbergs are, or how to get on Route 85.

I know where I’ll be “Parking” it come summer time

First things first, Average Joe needs to thank Brad Stevens’ mother.  For without her we would never have discovered her son.  Brad Stevens, owner of Park Pub and B-Rads Bistro & Catering, has revitalized the collar-city’s menus and made dining in Troy anything but Average.   

My experience at Park Pub was phenomenal.  I was looking forward to taking Average Mom out to dinner because I’m a great kid, but I was stumped on a place we hadn’t recently tried. She suggested we try Park Pub, just another reason Mom is always right. 

In the midst of the recent cold spell, Average Mom and I both opted to have soup.  She had the quintessential park-fare staple, French onion, while I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried the Chick Parmesan soup.  The soup came out right away and even though I doubted the soup’s ability to really taste like chicken Parmesan, it did.  The tomato-based soup had chunks of vine-ripened tomatoes, pieces of tender chicken and was covered with mozzarella cheese.  The surprise was digging into the cup to find a piece of bread that balanced the flavors perfectly.

At the recommendation of a co-worker we also tried the green bean fries.  Served with a tiger-dipping sauce the serving size was more than generous.  The breading didn’t fall apart at first touch like some fried foods and the beans managed to keep their snap upon biting into them. 

Average Mom and I split the turkey club with sweet potato fries, and WOW.  Club sandwiches can be ordered at a million places between here and the next town, but what made this one different was the crunch of bacon paired with toast that wasn’t soggy or too dry.  The tomato on the sandwich was crunchy yet not too hard to chew through.  The turkey tasted moist and was almost 3 inches thick on the plate.  The colossal stack of sweet potato fries was the perfect end to the meal – crunchy enough on the outside, yet soft and flavorful on the inside. 

I remembered the space as the dimly lit golf course bar next to the ice rink.  It has since been transformed into a warm, family-friendly environment.  The tables were crowded with groups enjoying a pint of beer or glass of wine and the servers were friendly and attentive.  Come summer time when the golf course is packed with players, the outdoor patio will be stacked with patrons, and you can bet that I’ll be one of them.  

You like what? What’s a poutine?

“Well that just sounds dirty” is the reaction that I received when I asked the wife if she liked poutine. “Come on”, I say, “…seriously you’ve NEVER had poutine?” For those of you unaware of this Canadian delight, it’s french fries covered with gravy and cheese curds.

Fast forward one month later and I’m in Montreal with some friends, that’s right another road trip, and I’m sitting down at Reuben’s on St. Catherine Street enjoying Chop Chop Poutine (traditional poutine with the addition of chopped smoked meat). I will not describe anymore, -- simply look at the picture I’ve provided – ‘nough said.

Ok – so now I’m back in the United States and I hear that “Montreal Poutine” has set up shop in Crossgates Mall. I saw the lines that formed at their booth at the Saratoga Track this year. I just never had a chance to try it. So I go to Crossgates and order my poutine with meat. Expectations were very high. The clerk didn’t seem to know the products well, the cook less. I get my poutine order in a small cardboard box. No chop chop here.

 I know they operate other locations going up the Northway. I haven’t had a chance to hit those yet. I will give it a second chance, but until then I’ll have the picture of my Chop Chop Poutine to remember some good times.