Saturday Night At The Food Court

This Saturday night I’ll be in Manhattan, and it’s unlikely that I’ll find myself in a food court. Mrs. Fussy is staying behind while I take the kids on an adventure to spend some time with my side of the family.

And by staying behind, I really mean running her first half-marathon. Because in a family full of couch potatoes, someone has to be able to run and get help in case there’s some kind of emergency.

I went into our marriage knowing she was a little bit crazy. And she went into our union knowing that I was obsessed with food. With eyes wide open, we took the plunge regardless. But there is no question, that she is the one for me. Every now and again, there is a moment that cements that fact.

Like Mother’s Day, for example. In lieu of gifts, we all woke up stupid early and drove her to some 10k race, where we cheered her on a half mile out from the finish line to her personal best time. Afterwards, instead of going to some fancy restaurant, we all went to Dan’s Place Two. It was the one place that had no line. And you know what? The food was absolutely incredible.

Then, just last weekend when my in-laws were in town, the two of us went out for date night.

It’s always a difficult call about whether to visit an old favorite or try something new. These days, I’m more inclined to branch out and try new places. Perhaps the restaurant on the top of my list is Sunhee’s Farm & Kitchen, but Mrs. Fussy kind of hates Korean food.

My next suggestion was Troy Kitchen. I wasn’t sure if she would want to go to a food court for date night. Granted, it’s a fancy food court, but it’s a food court nonetheless. Fortunately, Mrs. Fussy was feeling adventurous.

Parking has always been easy for me. Largely because I don’t care where I park. I’m happy to take a spot a couple of blocks away from where I’m going, because in the end I’d rather walk an extra two minutes instead of circling the block for an extra three minutes.

Circling the block is maddening. Walking is fantastic.

Before dinner, we grabbed a quick drink at Slidin’ Dirty. Mrs. Fussy had never been to the brick and mortar restaurant. My secret plan was to grab the current Nine Pin Cider 26er selection so I could tick number nine off my card. But that meant skipping out on the Hill Farmstead Edward that was on tap. Fortunately, Mrs. Fussy let me have a few sips of hers.

Mrs. Fussy was already sold on Troy Lobster as her venue of choice at Troy Kitchen. Me? I had Korean on my mind, and had been eager to try K-Plate, especially after Deanna Fox wrote about K-Plate’s Hot Plate on AOA. And that’s part of the beauty of the food court: everyone can get something different.

When she looked at the menu, the missus who was hankering for the Connecticut-style lobster roll, suffered a bit of sticker shock at its $18 price tag.

The logic here was simple. My dinner was going to be ridiculously cheap. So even if she got the lobster roll, dinner for two was going to come to $24. And while she could live with that, Mrs. Fussy still couldn’t bring herself to order the sandwich. So I did it for her.

You would have thought that lobster roll was made of huge chunks of tender lobster, slathered in butter, and tucked into a gorgeously toasted brioche bun. Oh wait. That’s totally what it was. Well, that would explain all the oohs and ahhs, and oh my god’s, dropping from Mrs. Fussy’s lips as she savored every last bite of that thing.

To say she loved it would be an understatement.

My Hot Plate totally scratched an itch. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Ultimately, it’s exactly what I thought it would be. Korean inspired college food truck food. It fills a very specific niche. And when I get the urge for that again, I’m glad I’ve got a four-season place in which to grab a tin filled with deliciousness.

For those who decide to follow in our footsteps, know that K-Plate has a much faster speed of service than Troy Lobster. But I think that’s fine. Next time we’ll likely both hit Troy Lobster. There are a few other dishes on that menu that look incredible. When my diet is over, I’ll have to come back and tackle The Kraken, which has my name written all over it.

After dinner, we went out for a little walk. For some reason my cognitive map was a bit off, and I thought Superior Merchandise was a bit further away. So by the time we got there I wasn’t quite ready to sit down for an after dinner coffee. Instead the two of us did a walk downtown, including a stroll along the water, before heading back to the car.

Part of me really wanted to stop at one more of the other places in town for dessert or a drink, but we were both so full, and still had to drive home. It’s outings like this one that I envy the people of Troy who can walk back from their choice of nightspot.

Maybe someone will come up with a spend-the-night-in-Troy promotion that comes with a restaurant passport and a hotel room. Man, that would be a ton of fun.

Maybe I should be that someone. Dammit. Like I didn’t have enough to do.

Oh, by the way, don’t forget that this Sunday is Josh’s Rock N Roll Brunch. Apparently, there are only a few more of these remaining. I have no idea what’s next for the great and bearded one, but I’m sure it will be delicious.