The Best Pizza in Albany?
Last week the All Over Albany Tournament of Pizza came to an end. And after four rounds of tasting eliminated 15 competing pizzerias in four cities (and outlying suburban areas), Pasquale’s stood atop the heap for the second year in a row.
The repercussions of this are still being felt across the region.
There will always be those who are unhappy that their favorite pizza joint did not reign supreme in the tournament. But in almost every single face-off the judges were unanimous in our decision about which pizza was the better of the two. Our scores on the individual components may have differed, but the overall verdict was the same.
So, it is with a clear conscience that I can say that Pasquale’s is a seriously tasty pizza and it is among the best-tasting pizzas we ate throughout the competition. It has won eight consecutive head-to-head challenges in the past two years, and that is no small feat. The way the competition is structured is a brutal test of a pizzeria’s competence, but that is a whole separate issue. Surely to some it is the best pizza in the Capital District.
However, I also know from the Tournament of Pizza that Pasquale’s decidedly is not the best white pizza in the area. That clearly went to Nunzio’s, provided of course that none of the pizzerias that got booted in round one or round two could produce a better version. But I think Nunzio’s is pretty safe at the top of that heap (out of the 16 pizzerias we judged).
Still, after all of the build up, and the overall high level of quality in the semi-finals, all of the judges were very much looking forward to the finals, and ultimately left a bit disappointed and under-whelmed.
Troy in Winter
When I first moved here from California, I went to the Troy Summer Market. And honestly, it almost brought me to tears. Not in a good way. The summer produce was, shall we say, underwhelming in comparison with what I was getting in Berkeley.
However, when winter rolled around we decided to give the market another shot.
Of all things, I found the Troy Winter Market to be wonderful. This is a town that understands winter, and knows how to do it right. It’s a good thing too, since the season seems to last about eight months.
I tell you this because the Troy Market has finally moved back indoors to hunker down for winter. We were just there this past Saturday and while it was good to be back, there have been some changes. And guess who doesn’t like change.
Crazy Week, Crazy Awesome
Sunday is supposed to be wine day. But I needed to do an official recap of this week, because so much happened it wasn’t even funny. Somehow it is always the wine posts or the cocktail posts on Fridays that generally get the short end of the stick.
Maybe you already know about this amazing week. But you would probably have to follow my twitter feed, be a fan on facebook, be my friend on facebook, follow my Yelp reviews, read every FLB post and read every post from the blogroll.
If you are one of those people, you might want to just skip the rest of this and come back tomorrow, when I return to writing about food. Or maybe you just click through to double-check you know about everything.
White Pizza
Part of me acknowledges that white pizza is an oxymoron. I’m a purist at heart. And pizza is crust, tomato sauce and cheese. Ideally it is in the New York style. And preferably served a slice at a time on waxed paper sheets.
That’s not to say that variations cannot be tasty. They certainly can. And I try to appreciate different styles of pizza on their own terms. Sometimes it takes a while to really appreciate a pizza that is in a new style.
However, that was not the case when I was first introduced to white pizza. I enjoyed it from bite one. Granted, it was a long time ago, but I remember it well. My Nana S. took me to one of her favorite pizza places on Long Island, and their specialty was a spinach pizza. I was skeptical. But little did I know that the spinach would be spiked with garlic and blended into a rich creamy ricotta that took the place of sauce.
We’re Not in Texas Anymore
It’s time for another installment of the Hot Sauce Librarian. After the last post, Mrs. Fussy told me in private that she thought I was wrong about Crystal being the fourth most consumed pepper sauce by volume in our household.
Her position is that Crystal should be ranked fifth and her beloved Texas Pete’s should be fourth. Really, she is lucky that I am even including it in the list at all.
But this is her hot sauce of choice, the bottle she goes to primarily to elevate the level of heat in a dish. For me I only use it sporadically, mostly as a refreshing alternative to a few of my favorite bottles.
Chipotle Answers
Last week I rang the bell for the impending opening of the first Albany County Chipotle Mexican Grill. I am truly excited to have a fast-casual restaurant open up nearby that speaks my language. And by that I mean one that offers meat raised without hormones, antibiotics or cruelty; dairy without rBGH; supplemental produce from local family farmers.
They call it “food with integrity” and I am starting to believe them.
For the sake of full transparency, lest the U.S. Government think I was violating a cardinal rule of blogging, I will make the following disclosure:
The tasting tonight was not open to the public. I was invited to attend, and received a Brown’s Brewing Company Pale Ale, samples of each ingredient on the menu and two tacos. For this I received no bill. At the end of the night, I was given a gift bag with a Chipotle baseball cap and T-shirt compressed to look like a burrito. There were also two coupons to return for a free lunch (although I promised one to Mr. Dave.)
But let’s talk about the tasting, and what I learned about Chipotle’s ingredients. Some of it was better than I expected, but some of it did not live up to my lofty expectations.
Mushroom Technique
I’m not into baking, mostly because baking is all about recipes. Sure, I can follow a recipe. My OCD even helps to make me super-precise, which would seem to be a prerequisite for the task.
But recipes work only for that one dish. They are static. Sure, I suppose you could tinker with them. Still, you are just making variations of that same dish.
I prefer to learn techniques. Techniques can be applied broadly and used across dishes. And once you have a handful of techniques down, you can do a lot in the kitchen.
My Italian Goddess of Fussy has a technique for cooking mushrooms that I swear by. And it works for cultivated or wild mushrooms, whole or sliced. I love them on top of a creamy polenta. If you were going to make a mushroom risotto, I’d recommend this approach as well. Even as a simple side dish, these will shine.
Here is roughly how it goes:
One Day, Three Lunches
If you asked Young Master Fussy about the recent trip to D.C. he might tell you about all the fun he had. But there were no museums. There was no trick-or-treating. We didn’t even go to a playground.
We did, however, eat three lunches in one day.
Perhaps part of the fun was the spontaneity of it all. After all, we did not set out to have a gluttonous afternoon of fatty and delicious treats. It just kind of happened. And it is what often happens when I meet up with ADS. We are very bad influences on each other. Our old friend (let’s call her La) was in tow too.
Dollars and Scents
Pencil shavings are going to cost you extra. It’s true. Wines that cost under $10 a bottle are not going to give you the heady whiffs of pencil shavings that you would find in a $50 Bordeaux.
That is the kind of scent that requires a wine to spend time in fancy barrels, made from fancy trees, and those barrels are expensive.
But that does not mean that you cannot get good wine for under $10. Yes, there are more turds than treasures to sift through at that price, but if you know what to look for, you can stack the odds in your favor of getting something good.
Recently when I was asking about things that intimidate you about wine, Mr. Sunshine honestly came forth and offered up that he was intimidated by the price. And certainly that is fair, especially if one compares it with water, tea, or gin and tonics. Although depending upon your choice of gin, I might argue otherwise.
I Want Candy
Mrs. Fussy loves anything sweet. If I bring it into the house, even if it’s for me, she will eat it before I have the chance. Although I know she has an especially soft spot in her heart for Snickers.
Her mom also has a sweet tooth. Apparently she drops into the Boyer’s Mallo Cup factory store so often, she is a fixture there. As a side note, if you have never had a Mallo Cup fresh from the factory, I would argue you have never had a Mallo Cup. When they are fresh, the mallow center is remarkably soft and runny, not firm and gummy like you will find on most store shelves.
Young Master Fussy seems to go through stages. Recently he has had a thing for lollipops, especially the Dum-Dum variety pack (although he doesn’t care for the root beer ones).
You may not have guessed this, but my favorite candy generally shifts with my mood.
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