The Brick House building is located in the Village Square shopping center on Clifton Country Road. Its building formerly housed the failed Arizona Pizza restaurant, and prior to that short-lived endeavor, it was the home of entertainment stores Strawberries and FYE.

The current incarnation is owned by the same family that previously owned the locally legendary Mama’s on Route 146, from 1982 to 2005. After a brief try at retirement, Mama’s family decided they wanted to get back into business.  Mama is now 70 years old, and keeps a close eye on things at The Brick House. How do I know? Keep reading.

The parking lot was quite full – we ended up having to park in the Trustco Bank lot – but we only had to endure a short wait, which we spent enjoying cocktails at the small bar in front of the open-ish kitchen.  Nothing special to report here – standard draft offerings, with lots of Miller Lite neon hanging around.

We were seated in a comfortable booth, and noticed that seating in the restaurant was a bit odd  - there seemed to be a lot of unused/underused/misused space.  I’m fairly certain they could fit two to three more tables in the place if they tried. Each of the booths has its own small TV set, equipped with DirecTV.  But, the one in our booth seemed to be broken. Our server later confirmed that it was the only one in the place not working. Of course.

The service on our first visit (a Saturday night, two weeks before Christmas) was pretty slow. It felt like an eternity before our server arrived to take our dinner order (luckily we still were nursing our cocktails from our wait at the bar).  She seemed extremely frazzled, and wasn’t paying attention as she took our order – her mind was clearly elsewhere. I’ve never worked in a restaurant so perhaps I am unqualified to make this assumption, but there seemed to be way too many servers on the floor that night – a situation which drove me nuts, because the service was SO SLOW.

Here’s the thing that really stuck in my craw that night: busboys carting garbage, buckets of dirty dishes, and huge containers of ice back and forth through the dining room – there’s got to be a different way to get that stuff in and out of the kitchen without traipsing through the dining room – it was very off-putting. If the kitchen doesn’t have a back door, someone needs build one. Watching bags of stinky garbage parade by my table makes me ill. (I didn’t notice this the second time we ate there, but probably only because we were seated on the opposite site of the dining room.)

We ordered boneless wings to start, Bob ordered a personal cheese pizza, and I ordered a Chicago Cheese Steak calzone.  Our entrees arrived at the same time as our appetizer – extremely poor timing on the kitchen’s part. But, Bob and I are accustomed to eating pizza and wings together, and it really didn’t bother us as much as it might have if we’d been at a more expensive restaurant.

So, here’s where things got interesting: when I cut into my calzone, it was COLD.  The dough looked like it had been in the oven long enough, but the ricotta and mozzarella were just cold. I began to doubt myself for a minute – are calzones supposed to be cold? I’m not Italian, not even a drop, so I’m not always sure when it comes to Italian food. When Bob, also not Italian, told me that it was indeed supposed to be hot, I summoned the waitress.

First thing she said was, “Are you sure?”  (I hate sending stuff back – it’s always such a pain in the ass. But this chick made the experience just ridiculous.)  After I needlessly confirmed my temperature assessment, she took the calzone away with a promise to make me a new one.

After a few minutes, a man in a black chef’s coat came to the table to confirm that I had received a cold calzone. He seemed pretty miffed, but luckily not at me. He apologized profusely, and assured us it would not be on the bill.  A few minutes after THAT, Mama herself (Stephanie Van Auken) came over to the table.

“I see the big boss stopped by – did you guys have a problem?” she asked. We explained what happened, and then she sat down next to me in the booth. Yes, she really did sit down. I had to skooch over.  She told us how the new place came to be: after they sold Mama’s in 2005,  she wanted to stay retired (her exact words were “I wanted to move to Florida and make some nice billionaire a millionaire”) but her family was itching to get back in the business. She also explained that they’d only been open for two weeks at that point, and they were having some issues training more than 30 new employees. We chatted about some other stuff, after which she stood up, gave us both hugs (!) and wished us a Merry Christmas. We absolutely fell in love with her – she’s just the nicest lady.

Looks lovely, but is it cooked inside?

The calzone arrived shortly thereafter, cooked perfectly. The filling was hot cheese, with a pocket of seasoned shaved beef. It was, as calzones often are, enough food for dinner and a subsequent lunch. Bob’s wood-fired pizza was quite tasty, with a chewy- and crispy-in-the-right-places crust, and a rich not-sweet sauce. The wings were unlike any I’d ever had before – they are not pre-formed breaded nuggets, but instead whole sliced breast pieces, deep-fried without breading and generously sauced (we tried BBQ sauce the first time, and Hickory Smoked the second time. Both good).

On our second trip, Bob ordered the pizza again (no surprise there, really) and I got the make-your-own pasta bowl with whole wheat penne, garlic butter sauce, and sauteed vegetables. Quite tasty – they use a good quality whole wheat pasta which was not gummy in the least, fresh vegetables (red and green bell peppers, onions, broccoli, sundried tomatoes) and a light hand with the garlic and butter. Their bread basket contained a small loaf of Italian bread, which was hot and fresh (but I’m guessing not homemade).

The rest of the menu is pretty typical – salads, burgers, pasta, sandwiches, chicken parm.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  It’s not haute cuisine, but it’s a great place to grab a beer, eat a pizza, and catch a game. They also offer trivia on Thursday nights.

Our cold-calzone saga just goes to show you what good service can do. If it weren’t for attentive owners and just plain niceness, we probably would never have gone back. But, we did go back and had a great experience the second time. And we’ll definitely go back again.

********************

Brick House Pizza & Grille

5 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park

From an article in the Taipei News:

After visiting a Taichung beef noodle restaurant in July 2008, where she had dried noodles and side dishes, Liu wrote that the restaurant served food that was too salty, the place was unsanitary because there were cockroaches and that the owner was a “bully” because he let customers park their cars haphazardly, leading to traffic jams.

The restaurant owner claimed that the review harmed his business, because people were calling to find out whether the review was accurate. He is hoping that the conviction will “teach [the blogger] a lesson”.

The judge in the case stated that Liu was not justified in calling the food “too salty” overall, because she had only eaten dried noodles and two side dishes – not enough to make such a sweeping generalization.  The High Court also ruled that the cockroach comments were not intentionally libelous, but rather a recitation of fact; however, the local health department stated that the restaurant was not as unsanitary as Liu claimed, which led the court to award damages in the amount of NT$200,000 for resulting lost revenues.

Again, from the article:

Huang Cheng-lee (黃呈利), a lawyer in Taichung, said that bloggers who post food reviews should remember to be truthful in their commentary and supplement their comments with photographs to protect themselves. He also said bloggers should be objective and fair in their writing.

I think we can all learn something from this case: blogging is no fun in Taiwan.

Classe’s chef Jeremy Kane was our guide through a menu of traditional bbq items that they’ll be offering to catering clients who are looking for something casual yet upscale, but perhaps not as upscale as their regular white-glove catering services. I am certainly no barbecue expert, nor do I even pretend to be.  I was glad to be seated across from The Profussor, so I could ask him what was what. I offer my humble review of Big KaHoona BBQ (caption text taken from menu provided by Classé):

"CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF BRISKET, Seasoned with our signature rub and slow smoked for 12 hours"

BRISKET: Nicely trimmed of fat, and was moist and tender. Not quite tender enough to cut with a fork (should it be? I don’t know), but not at all tough. It was smoked for 7 hours, which gave it a rich and…well, smoky flavor that I really enjoyed.  The lengthy 24-hour brine gave the meat a terrific juiciness.  What I learned: not everyone loves their brisket trimmed as much as this one was. Some prefer a thick layer of fat, melting into and flavoring the meat. Not me. I’m always on a diet, so the less fat the better in my opinion.

PULLED PORK: seasoned with our signature rub, smoked for 24 hours and tossed with a chipotle bbq sauce and served on a warm buttermilk biscuit. COLESLAW: hand shredded and tossed with caraway, vinegar and sugar

PULLED PORK and COLESLAW: Two barbecue items that can be my absolute favorite things. This coleslaw was definitely done well – not overly dressed in mayonnaise, with a nice tang from the cider vinegar. I thought the addition of a sprinkle of caraway seeds was brilliant – absolutely the right flavor.  The pulled pork was very good, but very unlike other pulled pork sandwiches I’ve had around here. Much of the time, the pork is swimming in a gloopy, cloyingly sweet barbecue sauce, and served on a squishy soggy bun. Not this one. The meat was dressed lightly in a sharp, tangy vinegar-based sauce (Carolina style) that was not sweet.  The drawback to this particular dish was the biscuit it was served on. The biscuit itself was tasty, but a bit too crumbly to stand up as a sandwich container.

BABY BACK RIBS: Brined for 24 hours, dry rubbed for 12 hours, smoked for eight hours and finished with Big KaHoona’s house-made barbecue sauce

BABY BACK RIBS: I must be honest, I did not even know what I was looking for here. I’m not really a fan of ribs, so mine is a very amateur impression. The crust on the ribs was crisp and sweet, with a hearty helping of smoke. The ribs were not fall-off-the-bone tender, but according to my sources (Daniel), they shouldn’t be. So, a point here. If you like ribs, you will probably enjoy these.

MAC AND CHEESE: Elbow noodles tossed with an extra sharp Vermont cheddar cheese sauce, “burnt ends”, Dijon laced buttery bread crumbs and baked until golden brown

MAC AND CHEESE: This offering was inspired by Chef Kane’s grandmother’s recipe.  I love me some mac and cheese. And there was much about this version to love: it was filled with traditional and comforting elbow macaroni, topped with crispy buttered breadcrumbs, and studded throughout with smoky burnt ends of brisket. The thing that was missing was cheese – there just wasn’t enough.  They didn’t miss the mark by a lot, but the addition of a few more handfuls of Vermont cheddar would have sent this dish over the top.

COLLARD GREENS Stewed with ham hocks, onion and vinegar

COLLARD GREENS: I tried collard greens for the first time a couple years ago at the legendary Hattie’s in Saratoga Springs. I was immediately entranced by their earthy green-ness, which was offset by a smoky spiciness, which I guessed was from nutmeg.  I saw Chef Jasper walking by, and asked him what he put in the collards. He said nothing. I’m pretty sure he was lying, because I have yet to find collard greens as good as Jasper’s.  Chef Kane’s are pretty good, though. They’re a bit on the crunchy side, which is great – mushy greens are awful. These were seasoned sparingly, taking most of their flavor from a ham hock and some cider vinegar. The real flavor of the greens shone through. I could eat a whole plate of these.

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN: Marinated in island spices, grilled over charcoal and glazed with a light mango barbecue sauce

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN: It was good chicken, but it wasn’t jerk-y enough. The meat was cooked perfectly, with a nice juiciness.  But I was hoping for a more aggressive spice – jerk spices are best when they’re right in your face, letting you know what you’re missing because you’re here and Jamaica is all the way down there, with people having fun and drinking Red Stripe without you.  This chicken lacked that punch, and also lacked a crispy, almost-burnt skin that you come to expect from a grill.  Chef acknowledged that he was also disappointed in the soggy skin, and noted that it won’t be the case in the future.

Also on the menu:

BAKED BEANS: Just ok. Pretty standard, barbecue sauce with some bacon pieces.

SKILLET CORNBREAD: The menu promised jalapenos, but I didn’t taste any in there. Which is fine. The crumb was dense and moist, and it was not overly sweet. Delicious.

SAUCES: Four varieties – House Barbecue, Peach Jalapeno, Chipotle Mango, and Dr. Pepper Barbecue, all made in-house from scratch. The only one that I didn’t really care for was the Chipotle Mango. I thought the consistency was too thick, and there wasn’t enough chipotle flavor. The other sauces were fantastic, but the Dr. Pepper sauce really won the day. Everyone was raving. Chef Kane told us that the recipe was created by his teenage nephew, who convinced his uncle and Classé Catering to bottle it for him. They plan to start selling it soon at the Troy Farmers Market.

Chef Kane was incredibly gracious, accepting our compliments and discussing our criticisms with both professionalism and candor.  It was nice to know that he was really listening, and taking our comments seriously.  I got the sense that he really has a desire to do the very best he can to create delicious food.

I would have no problem recommending Big KaHoona BBQ to anyone looking to have a terrific barbecue, for any type of event.  Many thanks to the accomodating and helpful team at Classé Catering for opening their doors to me and my fellow bloggers!

We should do this again soon.  How’s next week?

I and my dining companions Maryellen, David, and Jackie (I hope you don’t mind me using your “real names”) arrived at the Casola, and were greeted with a flourishing opening of the dining room doors, where the front of house students were there to take our names and escort us to our tables.  As we were entering, we noticed an interesting objet d’art at the desk: a sculpture of a girl in a chair – MADE OUT OF TALLOW (rendered beef or mutton fat, solid at room temperature).  It was cool and weird, all at the same time.  The card in front says it won the Gold Medal at the SCCC Spring Culinary Classic 2010 (a competition sanctioned by the American Culinary Federation – a pretty big deal).  I wish I could read the name on the bottom of the card, so I could give the artist some props.  Jay – help me out!

Cute and Greasy

Onward into the dining room…

We didn’t know the menu theme ahead of time, but were pleased to open our menus and see that we’d be enjoying Southern/Creole cuisine.  After we were seated, our server Angel greeted us and explained how lunches at the Casola work ($16 per person, includes all service charges.  Water, iced tea, hot tea, and coffee are all included in the price; soft drinks are available for an extra charge).  He then took our drink orders and left.

When we finally got our acts together to place our order, Angel was extremely courteous and helpful.  And he was although very attentive – a few minutes later, he came back to review our orders, because something was amiss with the way he wrote it down.  He had made a mistake in taking our appetizer orders, but he handled the situation professionally and politely, and everything arrived as we intended.

Here’s a rundown of what we ate:

Biscuits – the biscuits were small and dense, served with room-temperature butter (extra points awarded there – I hate when restaurants serve cold butter.  It’s careless).  I enjoyed the biscuits, but Jackie did not care for them – she thought they were flavorless.  To each her own biscuit.

Muffuletta Salad: Italian olive salad with salad greens, provolone cheese, toasted Italian bread, Homemade mortadella, salami, and capicola

Muffuletta Salad

This was outstanding – probably my favorite portion of the meal.  Tangy, briny olives tossed with peppery greens and savory meats, cheeses and some sharp marinated vegetables.  It all worked so well together that I could not stop eating it.  I seriously almost licked the plate clean.  But I held back because I knew there were two more courses on their way…

Carolina Style Smoked Pork Chop: In-house smoked rib chop Accompanied by baked macaroni and cheese, smothered Collard Greens, South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce

Carolina Style Smoked Pork Chop

Delicious.  Just perfect.  A GIANT pork chop, grilled to perfectly pink, and served with a tangy mustard BBQ sauce.  The side of baked macaroni and cheese was exactly right – creamy, sharp, with a crumbly topping.  And the collard greens….oh, lord the collard greens.  Cooked until just on the far edge of firm, seasoned with bacon and some chopped ham.  Somewhere along in the cooking process, the greens somehow manage to exude a sweet spiciness, which reminds me of nutmeg or cardamom.  I know they don’t add seasoning – that’s just the natural flavor of the collard green.  I remarked to my friends that the last time I had collard greens this good, I was at Hattie’s in Saratoga.  That’s saying something, trust me.

Southern Crispy Fried Chicken, Accompanied by baked macaroni and cheese, smothered collard greens, Country gravy

Southern Crispy Fried Chicken

Maryellen and Jackie ordered this, and I only tasted a tiny bit.  But what I had was quite tasty – a crispy coating fried onto moist, juicy chicken quarters.  The chicken was sauced (underneath the pieces) with Country Gravy, which Maryellen remarked was essentially the ubiquitous sausage gravy you find all over the South.  The sides were the same as mine.

And now on to the dessert portion of today’s menu…

Fig & Pecan Pie - A tasty pecan pie with the addition of Louisiana style fig preserves

Fig & Pecan Pie

I was expecting more than what this turned out to be.  I love pecan pie, and this was definitely what you think of when you think of pecan pie.  Sweet, almost cloyingly so, with some nutty crunch from toasted pecans.  To their version, SCCC adds fig preserves, which sadly don’t add much of anything to the party except the shallow crunch of tiny fig seeds.   It tasted good, but the fig lover in me was a bit disappointed.  And I tried to use the cookie “spoon”, but it broke.

Bourbon Street Bread Pudding - homemade bread baked in rich custard served with a silky bourbon sauce

Bourbon Street Bread Pudding

Jackie and Maryellen ordered this, and they really liked it.  They would have liked it better if there was more bourbon.  At least I think that’s what they said.  They sounded drunk.  (Kidding!)

Louisiana Chocolate Fudge Cake - a rich flourless chocolate cake topped with ganache and studded with toasted pecans

Louisiana Chocolate Fudge Cake

David ordered this, chocolate fiend that he is.  I didn’t get to taste any, but David didn’t leave a morsel, so I’m guessing it was good.

The conversation about chocolate inspired a personal revelation from Maryellen, who also is addicted to loves chocolate.  When she is unable to procure a proper chocolate cream pie (and we’ve all been there, haven’t we?), she creates some Desperation Cream Pie – a square of chocolate with a squirt of whipped cream on top.  For a splurge, she puts it all on a graham cracker and microwaves it for a few seconds.  Bravo, Maryellen.

I think overall that this was a great food experience.  Everything was cooked properly, the flavors were all in balance, and the presentation was outstanding.  Really, no complaints in the food.

But, as is always the case in the Casola, service is slow.  Very slow.  If you go, you should expect to spend ninety minutes on lunch.  I don’t know if there’s any way that the faculty and staff can speed things up in the kitchen, but the slow pace of service is a huge obstacle to getting diners other than retired folks into their dining room.  Most people only get a half hour for lunch, but even for those of us lucky enough to get a full hour it’s troublesome.  This particular day took even longer – two hours – but we understood, considering that the restaurant is a classroom and this was the first day that the students went “live”.  We did joke on the way out that we’d have to put in for an hour of vacation time to make up for what we lost at lunch.

I have not yet been to the Casola for dinner, but I imagine the pace would be similar – though for dinner the leisurely pace could be most welcome.

Lunch is served Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at Noon and 12:30 p.m; Dinner is served Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with seatings at 7pm and 7:30 pm.  Lunch price is $16.00, and Dinner price is $22.00 (all prices include tax and surcharge).  You may bring in your own wine at a $3 corkage fee per bottle.

Upcoming Menus for the Fall Semester:

Week of:

• October 18 – West Coast
• October 25 – Puerto Rico
• November 1 – Mid-Atlantic
• November 8 – Pacific Northwest
• November 15 – Southwestern
• November 22 – Southwestern(Monday and Tuesday ONLY)
• November 29 – Midwest
• December 6 – New England

You can take a gander at all of the menus by clicking here.  Last semester, I had the Puerto Rico-themed meal, and it was all kinds of crazy good.  My last post here was about the Tuscany menu, and this semester I’m kinda excited about the Pacific Northwest and New England menus.  I better get on the horn, because…

Reservations are mandatory, and can be made by calling 518-381-1391.  Reservations are taken for ALL meals daily at 10 a.m. exactly two weeks in advance of the desired date.  Dinner always fills up faster than lunch, but don’t take any chances – if you see a menu you like, set your alarm for 10am two weeks ahead of time.  Sometimes they may even have an opening for lunch if you call that same week – it’s worth a try.  I’ve done it before, particularly if it’s a type of cuisine that people around here aren’t familiar with.

SCCC’s Casola Dining Room is a treasure – one of Schenectady’s best-kept secrets.  But I don’t think it should be a secret anymore.  It’s a great place to enjoy a fantastic meal at an extraordinary value – if you can squeeze a little bit more time from your lunch hour…

I was looking for a crisp cracker (or something) to go with the olive tapenade and homemade hummus I had at home.  I was in the bakery section, and saw this lovely package beckoning me from its cozy space on the butcher block display:

Ines Rosales' Tortas de Aciete - Sweet Olive Oil Tortas

Having neither eaten nor seen these items before, they appeared at first glance to be the perfect complement to the tapenade and hummus.  I placed one of the packages into my cart, and didn’t give it another thought until later that night, when I had a hankering for a hunk o’ cheese a savory snack (ten bucks and my undying admiration to the person who can identify the reference).

I removed one of the delicate tortas from its waxed paper wrapping, and was immediately struck by the fact that it was oily and liberally sprinkled with white sugar.  OK, that’s the sweet part, I thought.  Too sweet for olives or hummus, I guess.  Then I bit into the thing, and was immediately transported.  The texture was a bit crunchy – almost like a cookie – and a tad crumbly, not unlike a shortbread.  Thicker than, but nonetheless reminiscent of, a toasted pita.  And, oh, the flavor.

Torta de Aciete, unwrapped. These little delights are imported from Seville (Spain), and made from 24% extra-virgin olive oil!

I was not expecting what greeted me upon first bite – a beautiful burst of anise, much like the Italian cookies you get at the authentic bakeries.  But, sugar sprinkle notwithstanding, the tortas are not overly sweet.  It was all I could do to not eat the entire six-torta package at once.

I ate another one tonight.  Maybe I’ll even try one with some coffee one of these evenings…

Essentially, Daniel would like the poll results to reflect the ACTUAL best things in the Capital Region, not the chain restaurants that seem to be the darlings of CR residents (god almighty, I don’t know why people think The Cheesecake Factory is so great). For more details on his campaign, head on over to his blog.

Since I (mostly) agree with The Profussor, I will put forth his ballot, and ask that you cast your vote as outlined below.  I don’t agree with every choice of his, and I hope Daniel will forgive me for offering a few self-indulgent substitutions (my choices are in parentheses).  He mostly asks that you stick to his suggestions with the boldfaced entries, since that will affect the results the most (think bloc-voting).

Here’s a link to the TU ballot – last day to vote is this Friday, April 23.

Page One
Best grocery (chain): Wegman’s
Best grocery (single location): Asian Supermarket – 1245 Central Ave
Best wine store: Trader Joe’s
Best beer store: Oliver’s Beverage Center/The Brew Crew, 105 Colvin Ave., Albany
Best bakery: Mrs. London’s
Best chocolate shop: The Chocolate Gecko
Best ethnic market: Kim’s Oriental Shop
Best farmers market: Troy Waterfront Farmers Market (Schenectady Greenmarket – W)
Best health food store (single location): Honest Weight Food Co-op
Best drug store/pharmacy: Crestwood Pharmacy
Best men’s fashions: Nordstrom’s
Best women’s fashions: Circle’s
Best teens’ fashions: Plato’s Closet
Best place to buy a wedding dress: Angela’s Bridal – 1811 Western Ave
Best sporting goods: Dick’s
Best hardware: Pfeil Hardware – 63 3rd Street, Troy
Best nursery/garden center: Hewitt’s
Best art supply: Arlene’s Artist Materials
Best furniture store: Old Brick Furniture Co.
Best mattress store: Old Brick Furniture Co.
Best appliance store: Central Restaurant Equipment
Best pet store: Benson’s Pet Center
Best cigar shop: Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe
Best bookstore (single location): Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza (Open Door Bookstore, Schenectady – W)
Best used bookstore: Dove & Hudson
Best local hotel (single location): 74 State
Best place in the region to gamble: Any of our Chinese buffets
Best bank/credit union: SEFCU
Best jeweler: Frank Adams Jewelers
Best auto dealer (single location): Northway Toyota
Best auto service: Larry’s Foreign Auto
Best hospital: Albany Med
Best veterinary clinic: Parkside Veterinary Hospital
Best plumber: Allen & Taub
Best landscaper: Faddegon’s Nursery
Best car wash: Raindancer
Best hairstylist: Ania Salon
Best barber: Patsy’s
Best spa/salon: Complexions Day Spa
Best dry cleaner: Quality Cleaners
Best shopping mall: Colonie Center
Best two-year college: Schenectady County Community College
Best four-year college: RPI
Best high school teacher (include name and school): Gary Gnirrep, English, 
Guilderland High School

Page Two
Best restaurant to open in the past year: Dale Miller
Best hamburger: New World Bistro Bar’s grass-fed beef burger
Best pizza: Pasquale’s
Best Buffalo wings: Ale House
Best sandwich shop: Andy & Sons Importing Co.
Best steak joint: Bear’s Steakhouse
Best Chinese/Japanese/Korean restaurant: Ala Shanghai
Best Indonesian/Thai/Vietnamese restaurant: Blue Spice
Best Indian/Pakistan restaurant: Karavalli
Best Mexican/Central/South American: Salsa Latina
Best Italian restaurant: Katrinella’s Bistro
Best vegetarian restaurant: The Phoenicians
Best ice cream: Snowman
Best hot dogs: Famous Lunch (Newest Lunch -W)
Best sports bar: Graney’s Bar & Grill
Best wine bar: Lark Street Wine Bar
Best beer tavern: Mahar’s
Best cocktails: dp bistro
Best coffee joint (chain): Uncommon Grounds
Best coffee joint (single location): Professor Java’s
Best diner: Dewey’s

Page Three
Best regional ski resort: Gore Mountain
Best regional golf course: Saratoga National
Best gym/health club: Rudy A. Ciccotti Center
Best high school coach (include name and school): Ken Strube, Shenendehowa Girls Basketball
Best high school athlete (include name and school):
Best college coach (include name and school): Fran McCaffrey, Siena College men’s basketball
Best college athlete (include name and school):

Page Four
Best rock musician or band: Matt Loiacano (not exactly rock)
Best country musician or band: Back 40
Best classical musician or organization: Albany Symphony
Best concert in the past year: Dan Deacon at EMPAC
Best play or musical in the past year: Wicked
Best year-round theater company: Capital Rep
Best summer-only theater company: Park Playhouse
Best children’s theater: Steamer 10 Theatre
Best local comedian or comedy troupe: Wit&Will Theater at ZuZu’s Wonderful Life
Best art gallery: The Tang
Best museum: The Schenectady Museum
Best movie theater: Jericho Drive-In Theatre
Best local artist: Kevin Marshall
Best arts event in the past year: Troy Night Out

Page Five
Best TV news anchorperson: None
Best TV newscast: None
Best print journalist: Jessica Pasko
Best radio personality: Kristi Gustafson (sorry – Kristi annoys the sh*t out of me and I will not vote for her)
Best radio station: WAMC
Best local Web site: All Over Albany
Best local blogger: Wendalicious’ Wendy V. (sorry, Daniel, but you know how it goes)
Best local tweeter: amymengel

Page Six
Best restaurant for kids – Chipotle
Best playground – The Crossings
Best public pool – Town of Bethlehem
Best place to buy kids’ clothes – Pass It On Children’s Consignment Sale
Best children’s library – William K. Sanford Town Library, Colonie
Best museum for kids – State Museum, Empire State Plaza

Last Tuesday, my friends D, ME, and I had lunch at the Casola Dining Room at Schenectady County Community College.   I have dined there for lunch in the past, and it’s always been a great experience – the food is good, and it’s a place where culinary students learn the art of hospitality and service.  I like being able to enjoy a good meal, and at the same time to help aspiring chefs and restaurateurs in the classroom setting.

We arrived for the 12:30 seating, excited to try the Tuscan-themed menu (every week of the semester they present a new cuisine, which is prepared for lunch and dinner seatings).  we were greeted by the aforementioned Mr. Larkin (who would prove to be the highlight of the experience – more on him later), and three friendly and courteous students took our coats.  We were escorted to our table by Ian, a seemingly-shy young man who appeared quite nervous but very friendly.

The dining room is an elegant-yet-comfortable space, with white linen covered tables and dark walls covered with pieces of local art.  It’s a very calm and refined room that puts you in a good mood.

The crowd that day, and most days, was skewed heavily towards retired folk, who are more able to deal with the leisurely pace at which meals are served here.  I think it’s worth noting here that if you plan to have lunch at the Casola, please allow at least one hour and 45 minutes for your meal – it is a student-run restaurant, and the cooks as well as the servers are not yet ready to serve at the breakneck speed required for a typical hour lunch break.  As long as you understand the pace and the purpose, then you can plan accordingly and not be frustrated by what appears to be “slow” service.

Ian deftly explained how things work in the Casola (meals include water, iced tea, and coffee; soft drinks are available for an extra charge), and brought our drinks quickly.  While he was away, we looked over the menus and tried to determine what we would be having.

Appetizers

Ribollita – Tuscany’s most famous twice-boiled vegetable and bread soup made with several vegetables, bread and cannellini beans

Panzanella Salad – Classic Tuscan salad marrying ripe tomatoes with torn bread, cucumbers greens and herbs, Drizzled with extra-virgin oil

Ravioli di Ricotta con Pomodori – Hand-made ricotta filled ravioli tossed in a fresh plum tomato sauce

Entrees

Porchetta – A variation on the classic Northern Italian roasted suckling pig.  Our version substitutes pork tenderloin for the pig and stuffs the loin with a flavorful mixture of fennel, sweet sausage, herbs, garlic and fresh bread crumbs.  Served with braised yellow potatoes and sautéed broccoli rabe with garlic

Pollo alla Diavolo – A Florentine specialty of chicken marinated in extra-virgin olive oil, crushed red and black pepper, rosemary, sage, and lemon juice and then charbroiled.  Served with polenta and peperonata

Cacciucco – Tuscany’s undisputed “best seafood dish”.  Clams, calamari, white fish, scallops, and shrimp simmered in a flavorful, full-bodied tomato and fish broth

Desserts

Tiramisù – Espresso Soaked Lady Fingers filled with Mascarpone Cream

Ricotta Cheese Tart – Flaky pastry filled with sweetened ricotta cheese filling

Chocolate Espresso Cake – Rich, dense flourless cake flavored with brewed espresso

Hmmm…what to eat?

Before we could decide what we wanted, ME and I were trying to figure out what peperonata was (one of the accompaniments for the chicken).  We thought we might have an idea, but wanted to make sure (plus it would give us an opportunity to see if Ian was as familiar with the menu as he was supposed to be).  When Ian returned to take our orders, ME asked if he knew what the peperonata was.  He honestly admitted that he didn’t know, but promised he’s be right back with the answer.  After two or three minutes, he came back and explained both polenta and peperonata, but ended up reversing the descriptions.  ME set him straight (nicely, of course).  Poor Ian – as I said, he was very nervous as it was, and this only served to embarrass him a bit (poor kid blushes a LOT, which his instructor – The Infamous Mr. Larkin – was quick to point out to us later on).  Anyway, Ian was very good-natured, and took it all in stride.  Gotta be ready for the difficult customers, and this was good practice.

I ordered the Panzanella Salad and Pollo alla Diavolo; ME ordered Panzanella and Porchetta; D ordered Ravioli di Ricotta con Pomodori and Porchetta.

While we were patiently awaiting our appetizers, D schooled us a bit on dining etiquette – he pointed out a very clever mnemonic to use if you ever forget which bread plate or which water glass belongs to you.  Just put your fingers in the following shapes (either on the table, or discreetly in your lap if you wish to avoid a social faux pas):

Etiquette from Emily Post?

OK, so I had to flip the photo over – but it needs to be upside down in order to understand it.  D’s fingers form letter – “b” on the left, and “d” on the right.  SO – bread (b) is on your left and drinks (d) are on your right.  I had not heard this trick before, and I was suitably impressed with D.  Bravo!

Ian then brought our appetizers – here’s a look at the Panzanella:

Panzanella Salad

The salad was very tasty – cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, and Italian bread cubes, all drizzled with a nicely peppery extra-virgin olive oil.  The tomatoes were surprisingly good-tasting, considering it was late March in upstate NY, and tomatoes aren’t’ usually any good around here til July.  ME stated that she’d never had cucumbers in panzanella before, but she felt they were a nice addition.  Personally, I thought there wasn’t nearly enough bread in the mix – the vegetables completely dominated a dish that should feature the bread (panzanella translates to “bread salad” after all).

D had ordered the cheese-stuffed ravioli, and he remarked that the ravioli seemed to be lacking in cheese; in fact, one of the ravioli he showed me did not contain any cheese at all.  Perhaps they ran out of cheese when creating that batch of ravioli, but something called “cheese-stuffed” should contain cheese!  There’s got to be more ricotta in the walk-in.  We thought it would be a good idea to share this observation with one of the instructors….

And it was at that point that The Notorious Mr. Larkin stopped by to see how our meal was progressing. It was also at that moment that I happened to be taking the above photo, and he came over to the table and said “I’m sorry – we don’t allow photos in here.”  He sounded very convincing, and I got scared for a second.  Then he laughed at me, and we thought this was a good time to share our observations.  Mr. Larkin was glad to hear everything we had to say, and urged us to be honest and offer constructive criticism to both him and the students.

Mr. Larkin shared some stories about difficult customers, including folks who feel that they are entitled to guaranteed reservations by virtue of the fact that they consider themselves “regulars” (The Casola has a very particular reservation policy).  Mr. Larkin noted that the restaurant only had 17 tables, and he wasn’t about to “chew some wood” and create more tables for these folks.

It was at this time that our entrees arrived:

Porchetta - D and ME's entree

The Porchetta was a fork-tender pork tenderloin, stuffed with a nicely spiced sausage and herb mixture, wrapped with bacon – a whole lot of pork products in one dish (is this what you would call “snout-to-tail” cooking?).  The overcooked broccoli rabe on the side contained what seemed to be yet another piece of the pig – ham?  more bacon?  We never did find out.

Pollo alla Diavolo

My Pollo alla Diavolo was a nicely grilled quarter-chicken, very tender; not a lot of meat on the bones, however, which was disappointing.  The polenta was also disappointing – it was overcooked to the point of mushiness, with no discernible  cornmeal texture, and was obviously plated too early – a rubbery “skin” had formed on the surface.  The peperontata, on the other hand, was very good – grilled green peppers and onions.  I would have liked a bit more color in the mix, but perhaps green peppers were the only ones available that day.

Then came dessert…

The Dessert Cart

D and ME ordered the chocolate espresso cake, and I ordered the ricotta tart.  The tiramisu looked lovely, but I have eaten a lot of tiramisu over the years (including my own award-winning recipe), and was looking for something different.

Ricotta Cheese Tart

The tart was very creamy and rich, with a hint of fresh lemon, but not too sweet – a very pleasant surprise.  The two crusts were ever-so-slightly soggy, but I’m not certain if that was a baking error or inherent to the recipe.

Chocolate Espresso Cake

The chocolate espresso cake was what one would expect – very dense and chocolately.  Not surprising at all.

Overall, the lunch was great – a very good value at $16 per person (no tips allowed), and tasty.  There were a few drawbacks:  pace is slow, servers are inexperienced, a few dishes needed a bit of work.  But, that’s all part of the classroom experience.

If I were forced to give letter grades for the meal, here’s what the report card would look like:

• Food: B-
• Service: B+
• Value: A-
• Atmosphere: A
• Entertainment: A+

Great work, and I know we’ll be back next semester.

]]> http://wendalicious.com/2010/04/13/dining-at-the-casola-tuscany/feed/ 2 wendalicious Etiquette Panzanella Porchetta Chicken dessert cart Ricotta Tart Eszpresso Cake http://wendalicious.com/2010/03/14/elton-john-billy-joel-and-the-barnsider-evening-in-review/ http://wendalicious.com/2010/03/14/elton-john-billy-joel-and-the-barnsider-evening-in-review/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:09:23 +0000 wendalicious http://wendalicious.com/?p=1359 ]]> Bob and I (and our friends Ken & Barb) FINALLY got to see the Elton John/Billy Joel concert that we’ve been waiting for – almost a year after purchasing the tickets!  They cancelled two earlier dates, and finally made it to the Times Union Center in Albany on March 11.  We had a great night!  Bob had the BRILLIANT idea (no sarcasm here) of getting a limo for the evening, which ensured we wouldn’t have to worry about parking in Downtown Albany – a challenge on even the best night.

Our driver, Dan, whisked us from our house to The Barnsider on Sand Creek Road in Albany for a pre-show dinner.  If you like steak and seafood, then this is the place for you.  The large menu features lots of beef, shellfish, and many combinations of the two, with two or three chicken dishes mixed in for those of us not interested in the surf or the turf.  Every dinner includes a trip to their salad bar, which is nothing special, but not too bad, either.

Bob and I ordered the Bacon Beef Wellington appetizer: beef tenderloin tips wrapped in bacon,served in puff pastry shells with a cabernet and caramelized onion demi-glace.  It was fantastic – the tenderloins were fork-tender, and the pastry was flaky and perfect.  The demi-glace was sweet and rich, and I practically licked the plate clean.  For our entrees, Bob chose his customary prime rib, and I ordered the chicken feature: chicken breast stuffed with chorizo sausage.  Nothing outstanding, but perfectly delicious.

The only issue we had with The Barnsider was the sloooooow service.  We made a 5:45pm reservation, early enough (we thought) to be able to get to the show by 7:30pm.  Our first waiter (can’t remember his name) took our drink orders, and promptly disappeared, never to be seen again.  Luckily, Barb is outspoken, and got the attention of another waiter (Jake), who took over our table without missing a beat.  But, the clock kept ticking, and by 7:10 we still had not received our food.  After telling Jake that we had to get out of there pronto, our food magically appeared (along with the check).  We quickly ate our food – which I loathe having to do – and rushed out to our waiting limo (I love saying that).  No time for dessert or coffee, but thankfully we had some champagne in the limo…

We managed to get to the concert during the second song of the first set of Elton and Billy at their dueling pianos.  After a minor kerfuffle with two drunk people and two confused old ladies who were sitting in our seats, we settled down to a very enjoyable show.  Elton John was great, but Billy Joel is my man.  Every song (except his really early stuff) conjures up a memory for me, mostly happy.  Though, I did shed a few tears during “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, which brought back some images from a former life.

Billy was a in a giddy mood, fooling around with a slide whistle at one point, and then putting a towel on his head during “Uptown Girl”.  This was his last show with Sir Elton (“His Majesty”, he called him once) and his excitement to be at the end of the tour was clearly evident.   At one point, he donned an electric guitar and pulled his roadie Chainsaw up on stage, who proceeded to sing a very loud rendition of “Highway to Hell”.  Billy did this same stunt the last time he was in town, but it was still funny.

All in all, a terrific night with great friends.  Images from the concert after the jump…

Elton and Billy at their pianos

Sir Elton

A View from our seats

Billy Joel, during "We Didn't Start the Fire"

The Piano Man, singing something (not Piano Man)

Dinner was fine – tuna melt for me, pot roast for Bob.  Uneventful.  As usual, Bob ordered a piece of chocolate mousse cake to go.  Feeling frisky, I ordered  a piece of coconut cream pie to go.  I’ve raved about their coconut cream pie here before, and was looking forward to its creamy goodness.

About halfway through the piece of pie. something began to taste a little off.  I looked down, and found 3 or 4 pea-sized pieces of bright green mold in the pie.  I immediately spit out what I was chewing, dumped the rest of the horror pie in the trash, and went upstairs to brush my teeth.  It was all I could think about all night.  I even dreamed of eating the moldy pie again.

That pie must have been sitting in that cooler for more than a WEEK, or not kept refrigerated, in order to get mold like that.  Either way,  it was nasty.  I didn’t bring it back, because it was late and I was in my pj’s.  I also didn’t call them, because I didn’t retain the evidence.  All I know is, I’m never eating dessert (or probably even dinner) there again.  Ick.

From SCCC’s website:

Since Spring of 1993, the Casola Dining Room has been serving gourmet meals to the patrons of the Capital Region of Upstate New York. The Casola Dining Room is open for business during the college school year, generally from the first week of October to the first week of December and from the last week in February to the first week in May. Reservations are required.

Menu selection and themes are changed weekly. In the fall semester, menus are themed for Regional American Cuisine. In the spring semester our students prepare International classics. Guests choose one appetizer, a main course and a dessert from the choices. Guests are encouraged to bring in their own wine to compliment the meal experience.

Gail and I had a meeting at SCCC last week with Chef Chris Tanner, to plan the upcoming Culinary Boot Camp (details coming VERY soon), and Chris told us that this week’s cuisine was Puerto Rican.  We were very intrigued – neither of us had ever eaten Puerto Rican food – so I called to make reservations for the three of us (details about making reservations can be found here).

The Casola Dining Room has undergone extensive renovations over the last few years, and it has truly become an elegant space.  The walls are a lush chocolate-brown, the pillars and moulding are off-white, and the walls are decorated with colorful and intricate pieces of fiber art.  I forgot to find out if they were produced locally – I’ll have to make phone call.

It isn’t a very large dining room, with only about 10 or so tables, but it is very warm and welcoming.  The chairs have rounded backs, and are comfortably upholstered in moss-green fabric.  The tables are set with crisp white linens, and are complete with a full flatware service (including soup and coffee spoons).  The decorator was obviously looking to recreate a fine dining experience, and it definitely works.  So far, so good!

We were seated immediately, and one of several servers welcomed us, handed us menus, and took our drink orders.  It was a while before he came back.  When he did finally return, we placed our appetizer and entree orders:

Gail ordered Ensalada De Pulpo: grilled octopus sliced thin and tossed with Spanish onion thinly sliced into rings, crushed garlic, lime juice, virgin olive oil, white vinegar, chopped celery

Nell and I ordered Sacocho: A classic Puerto Rican stew that features the tropical life with yucca, yam, cassava, plantains, corn, beef short rib, and ham with tomato sauce and broth.

We all ordered the same entree: El pargo de cacerola-quemó con Salsa de Criollo, which is pan seared red snapper fillets with pumpkin fritters and avocado-tangerine salad, accompanied by yellow rice and pigeon peas garnished with plantanos.  (don’t normally order fish, but the thought of pumpkin fritters was so enticing that I thought I’d risk it.)

More after the jump…

The dining room was a bit chilly, but seemed to warm up a bit the longer we sat.  And sit longer we did.  We did enjoy some of their homemade bread while we waited.

Our server brought us our appetizers after a bit, and they certainly looked appetizing:

Sancocho

The sancocho was very good – though it was very underseasoned and benefited tremendously from the addition of salt.  I understand sometimes chefs are afraid to overseason, so they err on the side of caution.  And the fact that these chefs were students (and probably unsure of themselves) likely made it worse.  The soup was light and tomato-ey, with generous chunks of beef short rib and ham.  There were 4 or 5 of what appeared to be meatballs sitting in the middle, and neither Nell nor I could ascertain what exactly they were made of – though we did agree they were quite bland.  I think the soup would have been enhanced by a bit more of the exotic ingredients – yucca, casava, and plaintain.  The cilantro garnish added a nice refreshing element to the soup.

Ensalada De Pulpo (octopus salad)

Gail assured me that the Ensalada de Pulpo was delicious, and I took her word for it.  I do not eat octopus.  The presentation was lovely – a neat layered stack of ingredients.

Our entrees soon (well, not really “soon”) arrived, and I was pleasantly surprised with the dish.  As I mentioned above, I do not normally eat fish, so it has to be very good for me to enjoy it!

El pargo de cacerola-quemó con Salsa de Criollo

The snapper filet was seasoned with a *very* spicy rub, and it was perfectly cooked – the crust was crispy, and the flesh was white and flaky.  Yum.  The pumpkin fritters, the very reason for my ordering the fish, were disappointing.  They were very chewy, with an almost leathery texture.  The flavor was excellent, but I think they had been deep-fried much earlier and sat out too long.  Nell had never had pumpkin fritters before, and she really enjoyed them.

The plantains were wonderful – I love their pasty texture, and unassuming flavor.  Gail did not care for them.  The yellow rice with pigeon peas was quite tasty.  I’ve never before tried pigeon peas, and was surprised by their nuttiness and “al dente” consistency.  They worked very well with the rice.

Perhaps my favorite part of the entree was the Salsa de Criollo: the tangerine/avocado salsa.  It was bright, creamy, citrusy, and sunflower seeds added just the right amount of crunch.  Spectacular!  I’m on the hunt for the recipe, and will be making it at home!

On to dessert.  The server wheeled the dessert cart over, and this is where it got…interesting.

The Dessert Cart

Our choices were:

Chocolate Tres Leches: A light chocolate sponge soaked with a trio of chocolate milks topped with a meringue crisp

Banana Torte: A rich banana flavored butter cake filled with fresh banana slices and topped with a coffee flavored butter cream

Mango Sorbet: Mangos pair with simple syrup for a light refreshing ice served with a coconut cookie

The waiter tried valiantly to explain each of the desserts to us, but it was painful to listen to him try to pronounce “meringue” and “sorbet”.  It was apparent that his teachers sent him out into the dining room very unprepared.  Oh, well.  He will learn!

It was a pleasant surprise when we each ordered something different.  I had the Banana Torte.  Overall, it was very good: the cake was a tad dry, but the coffee-flavored buttercream was great.  I think that perhaps the kitchen did not let the cake rest long enough out of the refrigerator, because the icing was a bit hard.

Banana Torte

Gail had the Chocolate Tres Leches.  It was very chocolatey, with a very light spongey texture.  The presentation left something to be desired.

Chocolate Tres Leches

Nell ordered the Mango Sorbet, and while it looked delicious, I didn’t try any because I am not a fan of mangoes.  For some reason, I think they taste like dirt.

Mango Sorbet

Overall, a good meal.  And a GREAT value – the price per person was only $16 (coffee was also included), and tips are not permitted.  If you came for dinner, you would only be out $22.  The college does not serve alcohol, but you can bring your own bottle and the servers will pour for you, for only a $3 corkage fee.  It’s an incredible deal – you should get there if you get the chance.

Lunch is served Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with seatings at noon and 12:30 p.m.  Dinners is served Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with seatings at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  Reservations are taken exactly 2 weeks in advance of the date you wish to reserve, beginning at 10am.  The number to call is 518-381-1391.  Seatings fill up quickly, so plan ahead.  The dining room schedule is available here, and menus are available here.

Bon appetit!