Troy Night Out, plus: El Mariachi

I guess I need to do some back-tracking today. On Friday night I took my out of town guests to Troy Night Out. I am ashamed to say that this was my first time going as well. I have always avoided Troy, as people never seem to say anything good about it. We had a great time. The weather was perfect and we all thought that Troy was beautiful (at least that part). The community turn out was impressive as people ambled down the streets poking in galleries and antique stores, bars and restaurants. There was an outdoor vendor selling schwarma, chicken & beef, cut right off the spit. Packed into a fluffy pita (the kind you never find in markets) smeared with tsatsiki sauce, lettuce, and tomato, onion, the smokey meat was delicious and a perfect appetizer to start our adventure.

One gallery in particular which stood out amongst the others was Kismet, located on Fourth street. The four person band playing white noise in the front of the gallery set the tone for a very unussual but exciting gallery scene. It was obviously the most popular place in all of Troy night as people billowed in and out, and swarmed the inside. An intense mix of art from artists from opposite ends of the universe dotted the walls. I won't attempt to be so presumptious as to describe the art so just go and see for yourself, there is bound to be something you'll love and something you'll hate. To me that just means good art. To top all of that of was this table which flanked one wall filled with beverages and exotic dumplings and other tasty niblets which all seemed to have a Far Eastern/Asian influence. Somebody's been in the kitchen cooking up some good finger food for this gallery. The food created a nice touch and a damn good incentive to hang around and look at art. Also, home-made sangria and dollar tap pints were available. Not your average gallery by far. I was very impressed with Troy Night Out and will go again before summer's out. It is nice to see people get together to support a community. It was something I haven't seen in a long time.

As for dinner, my friends were hell-bent on going more casual than intended, now that we were stuffed with dumplings and schwarma. We had once taken them to El Mariachi years before and they loved it, so back we went. Although my friends are from a major metropolitan city, they claim that El Mariachi rules in authenticity and flavor, which is unmatched where they live. I tend to go to the Washington Avenue location and having never had a bad meal there, that's where we stay.

My ultimate favorite are the soft tacos. Cheap and awesome, you order them by the piece,they can satiate any size appetite. They come in all the obvious flavors: beef, chicken, two kinds of pork, but the best are the more exotic meats. The lamb is quite different. You can taste that you are eating a different meat. It is slightly salty and shredded, studed with fresh onions and herbs which help bring out a wondeful gamey flaver that I can't get enough of. On advise of the owner I ordered his favorite soft taco which is the beef tongue. I was very hesitant, as I have never had tongue that I liked, but it was awesome! I new favorite for sure. Little tender chunks of char-grilled tongue meat looked like grilled liver but tasted sweet and nutty, almost like the consistency and taste of frois gras. I know you all probably think I'm crazy but for a few bucks you should try it for yourselves. Friend 1 ordered carnitas, his all-time favorite, and he swears this is the best place he has every had them. Carnitas are basically pork chunks boiled down with seasoning and water until just the fat and pork remain. After this you continue to cook the chunks until they brown from their own fat. The meat is so tasty, fork tender, and beautifully crisped. They serve it with tortilla. Friend 2 ordered papas con chorizo for the table, which is another stellar dish. Basically fried potatoes with chorizo sausages. However, the chorizo meat has been taken out of the casing and fried down to a tiny crumble. It coats the potatoes nicely and makes for a dish everyone seems to love. The margarita's are great but if you like straight tequila, this is the place, with well over 25 select tequila's to choose from. Ask your waiter to reccomend a good repasado or anejo (on-yay-ho). It will be served in a small brandy snifter and will taste like you are sipping a fine brandy. This will shatter your perceptions of tequila. Mariachi is one of my family's staple restaurants as it is afordable and delivers a great product.

All in all a great night.

Pickles, Almonds, and Vodka, oh my!

Today's foraging was hot and hectic. As the temperature rapidly approached 100 degrees I found myself hustling all over town in preparation for weekend company, as well as tonight's dinner.

First stop was Price Chopper for basics, however the shark steaks at the fish counter caught my eye. While shark is not the healthiest fish on the list, I always tend to buy fish that just plain looks good, despite my predisposition to salmon. The shark was glistening, fresh and beautiful, and at 3.99/lb. an unbeatable price. I will make a blackening spice rub and grill them over hot charcoal. This fish looked great both at the Westmere Chopper and Westgate (a great Chopper despite what people think).

Next stop was Honest Weight. I could go on for ever about this Coop, and it really deserves a post unto itself, so I will only focus on the purpose of my trip. Spanish Marcona Almonds, from the bulk section, was my ultimate goal. So far as I know, Honest Weight is the only place in town that carries them. They are blanched and then roasted in oil and sea salt. They are very different from American almonds both in appearance and taste. They are sweet and nutty and go great with any anitpasta platter. I always serve them as an appetizer with prosciutto, cheese, almost anything, and of course wine. Cheese is another thing Honest Weight does best. Gustav, the cheese buyer, brings in the finest cheese from all over the world. Probably the best selection in the Capital District, but not the greater outlying area. I choose the brie they were sampling that day, Delice d'Argenal, a triple cream gem that oozed out of the rind and Caciotta al Tartufo, an Italian cow's milk semi-soft cheese studded with truffle. Truffle cheese stands well on its own, but if you have any left over, shave it into a cream based pasta sauce, it is pure heaven. Last but not least, I bought Guss' pickles, two tubs. The only other place I have seen Guss' pickles is when they set-up shop at the Garlic Festival in Saugerties, last FULL weekend of September every year. The new half-sours are crisp, clean, dark green and provide the crunch you want in a half-sour. Best pickle I have ever had yet. Local Snow and English peas looked great by the way, although I don't believe they were organic. The organic Mexican garlic at 5.99/lb. is worth every penny. Buy it and realize how much better, tastier, and longer lasting it is than supermarket garlic. Also in the bulk section, the organic mexican sugar is amazing. It smells like caramel and looks like finely ground ecru colored crystals (one of my secret ingredients in spice rubs for ribs).

After that I hoofed it up to All Star Wine & Spirits in Latham Farms. They have a new vodka from Ukraine called Zhitomirksa. Wall Street Journal recently rated it #1. It is a five time distilled wheat vodka and is smooth as silk! Introductory sale at All-Star puts this find at $12.99 for 750ml. A steal for this quality! If you like your vodka ice cold and straight up this is for you.

Last stop was Latham Farms Hannaford. I am addicted to the pickled garlic with hot red peppers in the serve yourself bulk olive bins near the fish counter. Doesn't taste like you are eating raw garlic at all. Crunchy, tangy and spicey. A nice alternative to olives. Another antipasta favorite, along with the pickles, almonds and cheese. I will serve all these before dinner with cocktails for my guests this weekend.

Well, that's enough foraging for one day. If you want to make your own blackening spice for the shark, go to epicurious and look it up. There are several recipes and they are all easy.