And Then There Were Four
Today I continue where I left off yesterday at the end of Pizza Parade, with the semi-final round of All Over Albany’s 2010 Tournament of Pizza.
Looking back at this year’s contest, this post could also be named, Marino’s Flying Pizza’s Unlikely Road to the Top. I do not mean to besmirch their victory. Making it to the semi-finals in 2009 and besting serious competitors for four rounds in a row this year, is no small feat. Marino’s makes some serious pizza.
This is my version of the story behind the numbers. There were three other official judges in the room and a rotating cast of other tournament supporters, including the AOA editors. Each of them may have a different story to tell. But people feel passionately about pizza, and there are some who have questions about what happens behind the scenes, and wonder how certain pies could have won.
Hopefully after today, those questions will be answered. And if not, ask away and I will make sure they get included in the next installment of Ask the Profussor.
Pizza Parade
The 2010 Tournament of Pizza is over. Schenectady triumphed over Troy. Marino’s Flying Pizza of Schenectady was declared the winner leaving DeFazio’s standing proudly in the number two spot. But by now, this is old news. You’ve been there, read that, and seen the judges’ wrap-up video. What else could I possibly have to say on the subject?
Well, the answer is plenty.
As a judge in the tournament, I really try very hard to hold my tongue on all things pizza related until the event is over, lest anything I say have a hand in corrupting the integrity of the competition. So now that it is over, I thought it might be interesting to give you one judge’s behind-the-scenes perspective on the full four rounds. The good, the bad and the ugly.
Raking Reward
My guess is that we are past the peak, but I’m not an expert on fall foliage. While there are some beautiful colored leaves on the trees now, there are also a lot of naked branches. That means a lot of leaves on the lawn to rake up.
Luckily I have children.
Presumably at some point the novelty wears thin, but young kids love leaves. They like to rake them into piles and roll around in the dead and dirty leaves. I have no idea what this is about, but if it means free labor, I’m all for it.
Well, it’s not entirely free. Young Master Fussy is compelled into this labor with the promise of hot cocoa. And he was excited for the first homemade hot cocoa of the season. Although truth be told, I think he was probably more excited about the marshmallows that accompany the drink than the drink itself.
But I’m not here to talk about marshmallows; I want to talk to you about hot cocoa. Specifically, I want to explain how easy it is to make it from scratch, and why you might want to do it.
Candy Cocktails
Before we begin, I have to say that I love Drink Up NY. In some ways I think people can be harder on the ones they love. When you know what someone or something is capable of, when you know how good they can be, it is a bit more disappointing to see them miss the mark.
That said, yesterday I was catching up on Twitter, minding my own business, when all of a sudden I read the most upsetting thing from one of the must unexpected places. What follows is the first part of our dialogue.
DUNY: New Cocktail Combo: Peanut Butter Cup – Castries Peanut Rum Creme Liqueur, Meletti Cioccolato & Sobieski Vanilia Vodka http://tiny.cc/0gtbm
FLB: Oh no. No, no, no. [Holds head in hands and silently weeps for humanity]
DUNY: what’s wrong with something candy-inspired for Halloween?
FLB: Nothing is wrong with candy inspired. It is candy *sweet* cocktails that give mixed drinks a bad name.
Now you may not be like me. You may look at the Peanut Butter Cup cocktail and think it sounds perfectly lovely. In fact, you may want to click on the link and buy all three bottles of the stuff so you can make it for your Halloween party next weekend.
I’m sure you will be surprised that I’ve got very strong feelings about sweet drinks. Let me try and explain why this is a problem.
Stone Crabs in Albany
The project that started out as An Open Letter to Capital District Chefs is starting to take form. You may or may not have noticed a new tab at the top of the FUSSYlittleBLOG called The Good Stuff. I wanted to make sure that regardless of where these local promotional posts fall on the page, they are always easily accessible and identifiable to readers.
Now here the news.
Chef Ric Orlando tweeted yesterday, “Just brought in the Most AmazingCrab Stone Crab Claws-Super Sweet/Delicious- Super-sustainable.” Which prompted me to ask him if these were going to be only available down at New World Home Cooking, or if they were also going to make it further north up to Albany’s New World Bistro Bar.
His response, “Those yummy crab claws–will be on BOTH NWHC and NWBB Menus until thy’re gone”
Read more…
Ask the Profussor – Lingering Over Coffee
I don’t understand why there were 99 mostly positive comments for a post taking a borderline crazy stand on the preparation of a cup of coffee, and so little feedback when I’m giving away free croissants and cinnamon rolls. Perhaps it is just the capricious nature of the interwebs.
Four of those ninety-nine comments asked really good questions about coffee, and while they could have been included in this week’s Ask the Profussor, I thought the answers deserved a dedicated post.
So here they are. Some are a bit nuanced, as I try to walk a very narrow line.
Local Pastry Giveaway
I suppose it could be local bread giveaway, or local baked good giveaway. But dammit, if you win and you don’t get the croissants or try the vegan cinnamon buns, I am going to be very disappointed in you.
The details follow.
Schenectady Versus Troy
It kills me that these two great cities more often than not get brushed over when people talk about Albany. And by people, I include myself. After all, we live in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy DMA. If the city of Albany was up here on the Hudson River surrounded by nothing but farmland and foothills, it would not enjoy the amenities it has today.
Oh yes, I called Schenectady and Troy great cities. Surely they are not as great as they once were. But man, I love to spend time there.
Troy has the four-season farmers market and Schenectady has its four-season greenmarket. Troy is getting Dinosaur BBQ and Schenectady will soon have a Mexican Radio. Troy has Bella Napoli and Schenectady has Villa Italia. Each city has its own personality, and each one has something to offer that cannot be found in Albany.
And soon, one of them will be able to claim the best pizza in the region.
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