Beware the Ides of March Madness

Not only is today the last day of February, but tonight is Purim! Talk about festive holidays, this one involves both cookies and booze. It also involves dressing up in costume, making noise in the synagogue, and all kinds of other silliness. But the theme is very similar to many Jewish holidays, “They tried to kill us; we prevailed; let’s eat.”

Since Purim begins at sundown tonight, it technically ends at sundown tomorrow. Which means even though most of the celebration happens on February 28 this year, most of the holiday falls on March 1.

March is a fascinating month. It contains the first day of spring. Up in this part of the world, technically it’s part of the unlocking. There are the Ides of March, for which one needs to beware. And then there is that basketball tournament.

But my madness stems from all the fun that’s going on in the next four and a half weeks, and wondering how I’m going to survive it, even without daggers in my back.

We already talked about Purim.

We haven’t talked about the 25 pound Berkshire pork leg that I’m roasting on Thursday. I’ll start that after I return from a lunch date with Alyssa from Hitchcock Photography who shot the last Official Yelp Event at MopCo.

Friday night Karaoke A-La-Ritz returns to Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery. Man, this guy looks like a lot of fun. But it’s on a Friday night, which makes it extra hard. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to sneak out and join in the fun.

Saturday is the New York Craft Brewers Festival which has sold out every year. That means if you want to see me there, you should buy your tickets now.

Tuesday, March 6 I’ve got tickets to see The Humans opening at Proctors. Invariably that will mean some kind of pre dinner bite in Schenectady. And it also means I’ll have to find another night to try the next Nine Pin 26er. Hopefully I can make that happen on Thursday.

Friday, March 9 is a potluck dinner for which I’ll need to create something spectacular. Sometimes it’s hard to be so competitive.

Monday, March 12 is the next Official Yelp Event at The Dutch Udder. This is going to be a smaller event, and spots on the guest list will be hard to come by. But that shouldn’t stop you from throwing your name into the mix. Who knows, you might get lucky.

Tuesday, if you can believe it, I’m actually giving a presentation on Yelp to a bunch of important people in our community.

Thursday, March 15 there is an Unofficial Yelp Event which hasn’t been publicly announced yet, so I won’t steal any of its thunder. But this is one of those third Thursday outings, which now instead of being about tavern fare, are centered around international cuisines.

That Friday I have a date to check out Stella Del Mare for the very first time. I hear some amazing things about this Albany Italian deli, and can’t believe I have never been able to squeeze in a visit.

Most people will think of Saturday, March 17 as St. Patrick’s Day, which it is. But it’s also the Tour de NY Style Pizza Slice in Schenectady. And even though part of me knows better, I have dinner plans later that night with some serious food people at a place that I’m excited to visit with a group of adventurous eaters.

Sunday, March 18 marks the beginning of Yelp Restaurant Week! This is big. Because instead of a prix fixe meal, if you check in to participating restaurants using the Yelp mobile app, you will unlock a voucher for 30% off your food. This is the first time we’ve done this, so the restaurant list isn’t huge, but it’s great.

Sunday, March 18 is also the Jewish Food Festival at Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady. If you’ve never been, or if it’s been off your radar, it’s high time for you to sample the food of my people.

Did I mention that it’s Yelp Restaurant Week? All week long?

On top of that the borough of Queens is coming up to Albany on March 20. They host a taste of Queens that evening, and while it’s not an event that’s open to the public, I’ll be there with a few members of the Yelp Elite Squad. And I guess when that’s done, I’ll head down to Nine Pin Cider for my bi-weekly 26er.

But then it’s back to Yelp Restaurant Week, because it runs all the way through Saturday night.

There is a chance that Sunday will hold another Unofficial Yelp Event. Should that not come to pass, Josh Coletto and Michael Lapi are doing what may be their last Family Meal, Sunday pop up at Pecks Arcade. Man, the menu looks fantastic.

Tuesday, March 27 I’ve either got a tea or lunch with one of my friends from the Internet. And that evening might also be another Unofficial Yelp Event.

If that’s not enough, Passover begins the evening of Friday, March 30. So I’ll load up the family in the car and drive to Providence for a seder.

Man, that’s a lot of fun. And as usual, I’m missing out on a lot too. But there is only one of me, and only so many nights I can go out, work a job, maintain a blog, and keep my kids fed and healthy. That pork leg isn’t going to eat itself either. And I can’t wait to try Raf’s lechon recipe. I’ll keep you posted.