The One Thing In Philly
Failure. It’s around every corner. But failure isn’t something to fear. Who has never failed? My hope is to always learn from my failures, and then I can fail in new and unexpected ways.
I mention this because I had one thing I wanted to do in New York City, and it didn’t happen. That was giving the kids a dim sum cart experience, complete with doufuhua. For those who don’t know that’s a warm tofu pudding, and it’s a favorite of Little Miss Fussy.
Sunday, we figured the dim sum place I wanted to go in Flushing would be mobbed. Really, all dim sum places are mobbed on Sunday. At least the good ones are. And the drive plus waiting in line for the better part of an hour would put us at odds with my baby nephew’s nap schedule.
More reasonable voices suggested Monday would be better. Except a late start on Monday pushed us into that awkward end-of-service time frame where the dim sum carts keep circling around the last remnants of the day. So we opted for Shanghaiese across the river in Fort Lee instead.
With this recent failure under my belt, I’m coming out swinging for Friday’s trip to Philly.
Potluck Pannick
Today is my last day on the road. Well, at least until Friday, when it’s off to Philadelphia. My family thinks I’m crazy, because before I leave Manhattan, my plan is to duck into Flushing for a quick dim sum pit stop.
We’ll see if it happens.
But I’m traveling with the kids, and they love dim sum carts. Back home in Albany, there are still no dim sum carts. Not even on weekends. Plus, now I’ve found a dim sum spot which reportedly has one of my kid’s favorite hard-to-find dim sum dishes… and valet parking. However, I wonder if we’ll even need to take advantage of that on a Monday.
Theoretically, there could be a better spot we could be going. Heck, there might even be a better spot in New Jersey. But this is Flushing. The kids have to see it. Even if it’s just for a quick lunch before driving back to Albany. However ridiculous it may be to brave the traffic and drive in the opposite direction for lunch, it’s not nearly as crazy as driving to Canada for candy.
Once again, this trip down to the city was not about food. That said, this is a food blog, so the stories I’ve got are all food centric. Maybe there’s someone out there who can relate to my tale of woe.
Cheers For Beers from Here
Mrs. Fussy recently told me that I ruined beer for her.
That’s a lot of guilt to put on one man’s shoulders. But it’s okay. I can take it. And I also understand where she’s coming from. Plus, it means more beer for me.
The last part is mostly a joke. Because when there is something I enjoy, I want to share it with others. However, it was too much sharing that led us into the tragic waters we’re in right now. Beer became this fancy thing that demanded glasses beyond the standard shaker pints, and much of it smelled like pineapple and other tropical fruits.
Heck, the fetishizing of beer has gotten to me too. Which isn’t to say that I’m not tempted to drive into Vermont to pick up some beers that are hard to find locally, or to stalk the Instagram feeds of local beer stores and bars to learn about their newest arrivals.
It’s easy to get carried away. And sometimes it’s good to remember that we’ve got some great easy to find—and easy to enjoy—beers right in our backyard.
Eggs Benny with Emily: City Line
Emily L. is back with another guest post, and this time she was more successful on her brunch outing. Today we’re talking brunch on Thursday, because I’m hoping to spend Friday talking about beer. Anyhow, with the weekend rapidly approaching, maybe this will provide a bit of inspiration for your brunching plans.
Although if you aren’t heading off to Field Notes I might have to question your priorities. That said, there are many great options for brunch these days. I’ve heard that chef Josh is slinging brunch again, but now at his Troy restaurant Nighthawks. I’m not sure how much they will be like what he used to serve at The Low Beat, but knowing Josh, this will be worth the outing.
Sometimes a great brunch is all about proximity. Like Emily, I too live close to City Line. So I was especially eager to hear how this one went. Here is her story.
Ingredients, Preparation, and Enjoyment
Usually, I’m pretty consistent when it comes to my feelings on food. That said, there are some issues where I’ve changed course over time. Kraft macaroni and cheese is a notable one. At the beginning of the blog, I was all for it. Now, not so much.
Even after the brand had seemingly cleaned up its act a bit, they lost me and my children—who would have been the subsequent generation of potential consumers—with their shenanigans.
But yesterday, based on the picture of corn from Field Notes, an old issue raised its mangy head. And I can’t say for certain what side of the issue I’m on these days. Part of me wants to say both. But that feels like a cop out.
One Note From Field Notes
Last night I organized an Official Yelp Event at Lansing Farm to get some of the more active members of the Yelp Community a taste of Field Notes.
I’ve written before about the Sunday brunch chefs Joan and Kyle offer at the farm. And one of these days I’m going to make it to one of their slightly more formal Saturday night dinners. Formal may be the wrong word, since they are still on the farm. However they are multi-course prix fixe affairs.
Heck, it’s been a long time since I’ve made it to the farmers market in Troy, but now that Field Notes has a booth there, that may be a big enough draw to get me out on a Saturday morning. Plus Joan and Kyle are bringing their culinary talents to Tuesday night pop-ups at Rare Form. I’m also overdue a visit to the little Troy brewery that could.
There are so many pictures of last night’s event already on Yelp. You can see those and read about the experience here. Including some notes on the beers that Ben from Chatham Brewing brought along to pair with each of the courses.
The things I took away from this experience could easily fill a week of blog posts. And maybe it will. Because there is a beer learning I really want to share, but most people don’t want to read about beer on Tuesday. That’s fair.
But sometimes urgent and pressing food stories preempt scheduled posts, so today I want to make sure to write about the one important thing everyone should know.
One Crazy Summer Driving Confession
This is either brilliant or crazy. It’s hard to say. But yesterday I woke up in Providence, Rhode Island. Midweek I’ll find myself in Millbury, MA. And on Saturday, I’ve got another trip down to Manhattan.
It’s a lot of driving. And all of it is for fun. For example, I was down at WaterFire in Providence for a beautiful summer lighting of this performance piece. And the next morning I was able to get not just a modern interpretation of the area’s classic coffee milk, but I also picked up the kids’ favorite meatballs to bring home.
And when I returned to Albany after an easy drive—thanks to a Kurt Vonnegut book on tape—it was time to head off to Battle of the BBQs in support of the Shalom Food Pantry. Tonight is the Official Yelp Event at Field Notes on Lansing Farm. And I’ve got a handful of fun smaller adventures on the schedule too.
But with all that driving, I’m also popping into rest stops. And as good as I’ve been eating, I’ve got to confess my new roadside tank topper.
Photo Friday: Getting to Peak Summer
It’s been months since the last Photo Friday. So let’s take a look at the camera roll and see some of my favorite food shots that for one reason or another didn’t make it onto the blog.
Actually, most of my pictures don’t make it onto the blog. Many get posted to Yelp. Others are just intended to be a form of visual shorthand to jog my memory about things I’ve cooked, eaten, or found interesting. Every now and again I’ll take a photo of someone in my family.
One of these days I’ll get all these images off my phone, or edit them, or organize them. But in the meantime, here are a few highlights I thought were worthy of sharing.
Not Eggs Benny with Emily: Jade Bistro
Had Emily L. been successful in her latest quest to find another example of eggs benny somewhere in the Capital Region, this post might have run on Friday to get people prepared for the weekend. However, once again she struck out.
This is a very important reminder for everybody out there. Before making a special trip anywhere in the Capital Region, it’s always a good idea to call ahead. Sometimes a place that used to be open on Sundays, changes its hours of operation.
So instead of eggs, today’s guest post is all about sushi. I was just telling a new friend yesterday that I’m a horrible sushi snob. And when Emily sets the scene about why she didn’t have high hopes for this place, I’m right there with her. Certainly in the past I’ve written at least one rant about sushi.
But that’s me. Today is about Emily. And with enough arm twisting, she might be able to get me to meet her at Jade Bistro one day for lunch. Here’s the story.
The NYC Workout
It was a sauna in The City.
I’m just getting back from three days in Manhattan. And that is on the heels of seven days in Vermont. Before that, was an impromptu trip into Canada earlier this month, that turned into an overnight in Burlington. I’ve eaten donuts in Allentown, noodle kugel in Great Neck, and ice cream in Troy.
All of this is to say, I’m off of my regular schedule. By a lot. Sweets have invaded my life. Vermont was full of beer. I barely know what day of the week it is. Although I know there’s some possibility I’ll be driving to Providence on Saturday.
Welcome to my summer of chaos and calories.
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