Friday Fun and Monday Sun

This has been a great week for the FLB. At some point when I wasn’t paying attention, the comment count finally crossed the 10,000 mark! Sure, I’ve written a lot about food over the past few years, but this milestone proves that you all have plenty to say as well. I’m thrilled with the level of participation, even though I secretly would love to get a few more of the lurkers involved.

Maybe I can inspire them with the news of some really amazing goings on in the Capital Region. Two of them are today, but the third happens Monday evening. And not only is Monday’s thing meaningful and delicious, but all the cool kids are going. I’m totally bummed to be missing it.

Surely there is other stuff happening with food this weekend too, but it’s hard to stay on top of everything from New Jersey. Let’s start with the one that gets high praise from someone who isn’t easy to please.

Rare Form’s Grand Opening is today at 4:30PM

What is Rare Form, you may ask? Well it’s Troy’s newest brewery. So what’s the big deal? Troy already has a brewery. There are breweries everywhere. Why schlep out on a Friday to hit some brand new place you’ve never heard of before? I mean, they probably don’t even have a Beer Advocate score yet.

Well, The Fuj is serious about beer, and he got an advance peek at the place and a chance to sample their beers. You should read what he had to say. If this doesn’t get you motivated to get to Troy and give this place a spin, I don’t know what will.

Don’t wait for the crowds to die down. Be the one who gets to say, I remember going there when they first opened. Hopefully they never sell out and never surrender. But just in case, make sure you get there soon.

The Cheese Traveler to Host Friday Night Cookouts

When: Tonight and subsequent Friday evenings
Where: The Cheese Traveler, 540, Delaware Ave, Albany

The Cheese Traveler, a cheese shop which opened in Albany in September 2012 and was recently named Best New Specialty Food Shop in Hudson Valley Magazine, will host Friday Night Cookouts over the summer beginning May 30th.

The menu will rotate every few weeks and feature locally raised meat, seafood, and seasonal vegetables. Prices will range from $4 to $10 per item. The Cheese Traveler sells organic beef and pork from Tilldale Farm, Fish from Fin, and developed many relationships with great producers when they sold their cheeses at farmers markets over the last three years.

“We want to consistently host events in the neighborhood to bring people together. We couldn’t think of a better way to enjoy summer than with the grill. It gives us an opportunity to feature Tilldale Farm and other small producers of local meats, some of the great products we sell, and Ryan Skrabalak, our chef, whose talent we believe is one of the gems of our shop.” said proprietor Eric Paul.

FLB Note: Albany Jane is especially excited for this. Check out her squee.

Soul Café Albany Call-for-Volunteers Potluck

When: Monday, June 2 at 6 PM
Where: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 262 State Street, Albany

The Soul Café is a popular monthly community meal happening at the Oakwood Community Center in Troy. We are planning to do this in Albany in an effort to bring together the diverse neighborhoods and build strong relationships in the community.

The dinners are run by volunteers. We are looking for people who want to cook, serve, clean, and do whatever else is needed. The volunteer cooks plan a menu, get ingredients, and prepare a meal together. The Soul Café is an open-hearted pay-what-you-can model with a suggested base donation of $3.00. The money each month is rolled into purchasing food and supplies for future meals.

The Honest Weight Food Co-op and other businesses donate culled produce for the cooks to prepare. By using culled produce, we are preventing good food from going to waste and keeping our expenses down.

We are looking forward to working together to break bread in the community.

A call for volunteers potluck with a preview of what to expect will be held on Monday, June 2nd from 6 – 8 PM at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 262 State Street (parking lot entrance at 85 Chestnut Street). Please bring a dish to share along with your creativity and enthusiasm. We will talk about the different volunteer opportunities as we plan ahead.

The first Soul Café Albany will take place on Monday, June 30th from 6 – 8 PM at the same location.

For more information, please contact Renée McAllister: reneemca@gmail.com

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