Photo Friday: Meat and Cheese

My good friend S asked last night, “Do you eat anything but pizza?”

She lives in Los Angeles. When I would go out to visit her, the trips were filled with In-N-Out Burger, swiss cheese pancakes, and mai tais. Sure there were stops at the Beverly Hills Cheese Shop, slices of the $100 pound cake, and plenty of hard cider. I don’t know if we ever had pizza.

Anyway, I’m still so full from Tavern Time last night at the Notty Pine I can barely think about food, much less write about it. So I’m going back to the photostream and sharing a few key pictures.

Keeping track of what is going where these days is proving challenging. Especially since now I’m managing the Yelp Albany Instagram account. My own IG is languishing as a result, but that’s the breaks. Some of these may have appeared there (but in square form), some may have been posted to Yelp reviews, but others are totally brand new.

Appologies in advance for any redundancy. Let’s start with something pretty.

Part of me thinks I’ve shared this picture of the pizza from 9 Miles East farm before. It must have just been on social media. But it should get a bit more attention on the blog itself. That’s one mighty bubble. That’s my piece. Hands off.

Below are the massive mozzarella sticks from Scubber’s on Wolf Road in Albany. And yes, that’s raspberry sauce. Not all melba sauces are alike. The one at Notty Pine was terrible. This version below is special. Just look at that batter. You could get lost in those nooks and crannies. This is a small order, and it could make a satisfying lunch all by itself.

The picture below went on my updated Yelp review for The Orchard Tavern. I’ve developed a greater appreciation for the area’s oldest tavern since first moving to town. You do have to go into it with a bit of an open mind about pizza, and you also have to order the pies “well done.” But this Buffalo chicken version is a relatively new innovation at a place that rarely changes, and a personal favorite.

My relationship with Whole Foods Albany has been a rocky one. I love that they have La Quercia prosciutto for about $20 a pound. But I’ve had problems with how they slice it. In the past it’s either been super thick or shaved into shreds. On my last visit, they got the thinness right, but the placement of the slices on the sheets was incredibly sloppy. Slicing these specialty meats isn’t easy. I get that. Still, I’d love to see them get the respect they deserve.

On my first visit to Helmbold’s in Troy, they were out of their famous corned beef and pastrami. But these pot roast sandwiches were a special, stuffed with tender sliced chuck. And at only $5 for a massive mound of meat, I’m contemplating operating a shuttle bus from downtown Troy up the hill. I’m also kicking myself for not making it here years ago.

We started with pizza, we should end with pizza. The basic cheese pie from Notty Pine was the best thing of the night. Better than the mozzarella sticks. Better than the wings. Better than the pizzas with toppings. The strength of this tavern pie is its crisp end crust. The bottom does get soft, but it makes me wonder if requesting the pizza “well done’ would work here too.

Kids, don’t try eating like this at home. I’m a trained professional.

What you don’t see are the very small meals I eat at home when I’m not on the job. Dinners of vegetable soup, rice and beans, or a few ounces of 100% whole grain pasta with garlic, olive oil and vegetables are very very common. Measured quantities of low fat yogurt with a sprinkling of granola is a common breakfast or light lunch.

Have a great weekend, and maybe I’ll see some of you at Hudson Valley Hops on Saturday.