Right Sized Eating

The secret is out, thanks to Deanna Fox, whose latest Eat This on All Over Albany covers the Galaktoboureko at the Blue Ribbon in Schenectady. She explains all about the thickened Greek custard sandwiched between a few token layers of phyllo dough on AOA.

What I wanted to talk about today was how I came to find this treat hidden in plain sight at one of Schenectady’s most popular diners. And then how I came to finally get to try it.

Because for some reason, nothing is ever easy for the Profussor.

I suppose part of the problem is that I find it very hard to “save room for dessert”. But I would argue that this isn’t a matter of self control. Rather, it’s one about portion sizes. These days, it can be hard to save room for your main course, when appetizers are sized like meals in themselves.

Even ordering a modest sized meal can be super filling. That’s what happened on that fateful trip to the Blue Ribbon. I ordered a turkey sandwich on a hard roll. Little Miss Fussy got a short stack of chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and bacon on the side. Love that kid. She knows how to live.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, we abhor waste. And restaurant leftovers are almost never as good on the second day. Little Miss Fussy couldn’t finish her pancakes or bacon, so I had a couple of bites of those too.

By the end of our meal, we were both full, each having eaten probably just a little bit more than we should. But on the way out, guests are forced to pass the dessert displays. For the sake of science, and potential future visits, we decided to take a look. Plus we had a bit of time to kill before our next engagement, and Little Miss Fussy loves sweets.

That’s when I first saw the Greek custard.

The woman behind the register got excited when she saw me admiring it. I was told that George takes a special pride in this dessert. Who George is, I don’t know, but I assume he’s either the chef or the owner. Regardless, she detailed some of the love that goes into the dish. And that’s when I knew I had to have it.

But when?

As far as I can tell, the only way to have room for dessert at the Blue Ribbon is to go just for the dessert itself. So that’s what I did. Twice.

The first time was with Fox. We went for second breakfast. First breakfast is a small dish of greek yogurt with a little sprinkle of granola, and a few walnuts. Ideally that’s at 7:30am. That way I have room for a 10:30am snack. Splitting one of these giant wedges of custard with an endless cup of diner coffee is a perfect mid morning outing.

The second time was with Little Miss Fussy for dessert of dinner. But we made a special plan to each only get a slice of cheese pizza, in the hopes that we would have “room for dessert”. There was some talk about each of us getting just one taco at La Mexicana first. And that might be a plan for another day. Because this comforting custard is also a great way to end your night.

I’m just hoping that if I tell everybody, George will just find a way to make more. And maybe, one of these days, I’ll even figure out who he is.