Rye Deli & Drink

-Grubbing in Chicago  
New to the 'Scene'

Today's stop is in what used to be Greektown. Well the neighborhood itself is still called Greektown but the Greek feel of the area is pretty much a thing of the past. There's a handful of Greek owned spots still around but when new places open in the area they're not Greek. Rye Deli & Drink opened right around the beginning of the year and I visited them around that time (when there was no indoor dining) and also since the indoor dining ban has been lifted. It's on Halsted right by the large hotel next to Walgreens. There's a few spaces to pull in and park for pick-up if you're not trying to dine in. If you are looking for a spot in the area to sit down and have some food and a drink Rye Deli has plenty of space. While it's called a deli it's more like a bar and restaurant serving deli inspired food. 

Recently opened in Greektown 

If you're going to call yourself a deli you need bagels and Rye Deli & Drink offers those. Just not with the traditional cream cheese you're used to. Rye Deli uses labneh for their spread and offers it in a few different preps (ex. labneh with melted leeks).This really annoyed and or irritated some in Chicago's food world but the way I saw it was if they're switching it up like that maybe they offer some other interesting things you wouldn't expect to find at a deli. Like the Tunisian style brik pastries they make. I'd never seen these anywhere before I first saw them here but if you look online they're a popular snack in Tunisia. Exact preps can vary but the gist of a brik is a whole egg in a triangular pastry pocket with different fillings included. Rye Deli makes a brik with an egg, fingerling potato, fresh thyme and dill fried in a crispy crepe shell. You can add pastrami if you want some extra protein. 

Tunisian Brik Pastry at Rye Deli & Drink 

As much as I enjoyed the brik, a sandwich wasn't quite as satisfying. Granted these visits came about 8 months apart and I got the reuben sandwich on my initial visit not too long after they first opened. The biggest problem with it was the saltiness of the pastrami (they use that instead of corned beef for their reuben). It was also somewhat tough like it had been pre sliced and left to sit around and get dry. I just couldn't imagine that someone thought this was a great sandwich so I just chalked it up to opening blues. The execution was there but the final result was a waste of $18. I'm not going to complain about the cost of food these days bc everything else has gone up drastically too and you cant pay a living wage by charging the bare minimum to get by. But if you're charging $20 a sandwich it needs to be good or you're never going to see that customer again. I'm glad I returned bc the brik is a dish I'm glad to have been introduced too. Plus I could tell with the chips and pickles they are making an attempt to bring the area some good made from scratch food and I can respect that. 

Reuben Sandwich at Rye Deli & Drink 

Rye Deli & Drink

25 S Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 602-2100

Website

Nada

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)
Kuwaiti Cuisine in Riverside

It's not often you come across restaurants serving the cuisine of Kuwait. Actually when I first learned of Nada Restaurant in Riverside I wondered what exactly Kuwait food was. Obviously it's Middle Eastern but I couldn't name a single dish from there until I looked at the menu from here. 

Newly Opened in Riverside 

The online reviews for Nada are almost unanimously positive. I was liking what I read so I made it a point to check this place out when I was out in the area. It sits on a busy strip of Harlem and was dead quiet on my visit. More on that in a minute. According to some online research Kuwait cuisine is a part of Eastern Arabian cuisine. Seafood is a significant part of the diet and a dish called Machboos is commonly mentioned when Kuwaiti style food is being discussed. The menu at Nada is small with only about ten offerings total. One of which is Machboos served with your choice of shrimp, fish, chicken, lamb. I decided to try the shrimp version as it was commonly mentioned in online reviews. Machboos is a real meat and potatoes type dish except with rice instead of potato. It's also called Kabsa. I have no other versions to judge Nadas prep by but it was just ok and I think that's bc I got an old batch of shrimp that was pre-cooked. Like I said it was empty in there and I'm guessing daytime isn't the best time to visit. I imagine it's busy in the evening, especially on weekends and the food is cooked fresh. Not sure what happened bc what I got was not worth the rave reviews, maybe I was gringoed? Who knows. What I do know is that there's no way my shrimp was cooked to order. I'd certainly give this place another try (the rice was fluffy and fresh) but not if it's empty inside. 

Shrimp Machboos at Nada 

Nada

3216 S Harlem Ave
Riverside, IL 60546 
(773) 603-6660

Sweet Rice

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Sweet and Savory Thai Food in Bucktown

We're more than 2/3's of the way done with 2021. It's been a busy year of openings as always in Chicago. There's never not spots opening up shop. With all these openings come trends and other little things I like to keep an eye on. For instance it's been a busy year for Thai restaurant openings. I don't have any actual data but as someone who's always exploring the city's food scene I've been tempted by more than a handful of new Thai restaurants. One of them opened up just around the block from us on the border of Logan Square and Bucktown underneath the Western Blue Line stop. Sweet Rice is actually the rebirth of a previous spot that was located a few miles south. It's owned by a family of restaurant vets as they also run Sticky Rice located a few miles north on Western. 

Recently Opened in Bucktown 

The food at Sweet Rice leans Thai but the menu is Pan-Asian. There's dishes with flavors from Malaysia as well as Korea and more. But it's the Thai stuff I was intrigued with. One of my favorite street foods in SE Asia are the savory seafood pancakes (oysters, mussels etc). I've never been able to find any versions in the States close to those I ate on the streets of Thailand and Vietnam but the mussel fritter (Hoy Tod) at Sweet Rice is one of the better US versions I've tried. It's a popular dish in Bangkok that's enjoyed at all hours of the day. These tasty omelets tend to be extremely greasy from the use of a ton of oil but they're oh-so-good. Sweet Rice manages to serve up an extra crispy version that wasn't drowned in oil and comes loaded with crisp bean sprouts on bottom. 

Hoy Tod (mussel fritter) at Sweet Rice 

If you've visited their other place (Sticky Rice) you likely know that they focus on Northern Thai dishes over there. Not as much so here but they do offer up a collection of meat salads popular in Northern Thai cuisine. I tried the crispy chicken larb one scorching hot day this past August and added some sticky rice to soak up all the wonderful slightly funky fish sauce mixed with lime dressing used to coat the chopped fried chicken. Fresh slivers of red onion, carrot, Thai chili is mixed with rice powder while fresh chopped cilantro and basil rounds it out. This was some good eating on a hot and humid day. 

Crispy Chicken Larb (with sticky rice) at Sweet Rice 

All the other dishes I've watched come out of the kitchen look good, and Steve Dolinsky just did a feature on Sweet Rice too. But don't sleep on their awesome dessert offerings. I got into them on the same visit I mention a paragraph up during the dog days of summer. I tried a Thai Style Shaved Ice aka Nam Khang Sai. It's made with shaved ice, red bean, jackfruit, coconut, green jelly, sweet palm seed, and sweet milk with syrup. I've since returned with my two year old niece who also couldn't get enough. But then there's also a wonderful hot dessert called Ka Nom Krok that are little individual coconut hot cakes topped with green onion, corn and taro. They're different and delicious. Great homemade coconut ice cream served with peanuts, and evaporated milk as well. I'm really happy to have Sweet Rice and both their sweet and savory Thai style offerings around the block from us. 

Thai Style Shaved Ice (Nam Khang Sai) at Sweet Rice 

Sweet Rice

1904 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 661-2743
Website

Table, Donkey and Stick

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Alpine Eats in Logan Square 

It's that time of year where patio dining is just about perfect (neither too hot or too cold). There's some great patios found throughout town and one of my favorites happens to be a short walk from home.

Locals Favorite in Logan Square 

Since it's opening around the end of 2012 Table, Donkey and Stick has become one of the best restaurants in one of Chicago's best dining neighborhoods. The food can best be described as food from Europe's Alpine Region which isn't a common offering around town. The menu changes with the seasons and over the years I've always enjoyed visiting right around this time. They have a cozy back patio (with a fireplace when the temp drops) that transports you far away from Armitage. It has the feel of a meal one would take in on a European vacation. The inside is extra cozy too. Lots of chill vibes. 

Olive Oil Poached Mackerel 

On a recent visit to TDS I was really happy to see not one but two Oktoberfest beers on offer. Shame on any spots that do a curated beer list but don't include an Oktoberfest option this time of the year, there's lots of them. We started out with an order of Mackerel poached in olive oil sitting on top of a slice of sunflower oat toast. There was pickled shallot and a medium boiled egg on top and it was all engulfed in a caper aioli and preserved lemon. Kind of like a Dutch leaning smorrebrod. One menu item that's stuck around for a while is their delicious potato latkes served with a horseradish aioli. 

Potato Latkes at Table, Donkey and Stick 

My wife went with the fish offering which was a well made plate of trout that's since been replaced with an artic char prep. She enjoyed but we both wondered if we should have tried the pork schnitzel that kept coming out of the kitchen. We ran into my sister and bro-in-law as we were leaving and he said the pork was really good. I imagine we'll be stopping by for the lemon sauced schnitzel soon.

Plate of Lake Trout

Despite numerous trips to TDS I'd never tried their much lauded burger until recently. It was named the best in the city by Nick K. over at the Tribune. I'm not a big fan of pretzel buns but I still wanted to see what was up with it. TDS sources their beef from CDK Farms outside of Idaho and it's some high quality stuff. My only complaint as with all pretzel buns is the patty slips a bit when trying to eat it. So it's a bit messier than most but it's also better than most. The addition of smoked onion, schmaltz aioli, butterkase cheese, house pickles all add to the fact on the messy and delicious front. I'm not going to call it the best burger in town but it gave me exactly what I wanted when I decided I had a taste for a burger earlier in the day. It's really well put together and if you're a pretzel bun fan it's a masterpiece. 

The Table, Donkey and Stick Burger 

Don't sleep on dessert which is really good right now in the form of fresh fried ricotta donuts served with corn ice cream and apple jam. I've never visited the Alpine region but I hope to get out there one day. In the meantime it's great to have TDS so close to home. It's a perfect neighborhood spot. 

Ricotta Donuts at TDS

Table, Donkey and Stick 
2728 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647 
(773) 486-8525
Website

New Tacos Around Town

- On the road with the 'Chicago Taco Tour'

While there will never be a full stoppage of taco spots opening around town it's been slower than normal around Chicagoland of late. Don't get me wrong there's plenty of taco focused spots still opening but there's not many that warrant an immediate visit. So many places just seem to be trying to cash in on the taco craze of the last decade without really giving any thought to how they can stand out in a field that's as crowded as they come. So with that we get alot of average, repetitive feeling places. But some stand out more so than others and when they do I make it a point of stopping by. Today we visit six taco heavy spots that have opened up in the last year and a half or so. Let's roll. 

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Tlahco Mexican Express & Grill (Lincoln Park)

Aside from the fact this new spot on Halsted sits in the old Taco Burrito Palace #2 space it also caught my eye with it's colorful tortillas. I stopped in to try a couple tacos recently and wasn't expecting much which made my delicious lunch a bit of a surprise. You get the feeling that Tlahco is playing to it's neighbors with it's fresher focus on tacos, tortas, and burritos. The tacos come served on fresh pressed to order tortillas and you can choose which color you want (although they didn't ask me so I got pink). These are massive two hand tacos that were actually pretty good. The steak (pictured) came with pickled onions and sliced peppers along side lettuce, cilantro, and onion. The steak was cooked on a flattop so it didn't have that crucial char flavor but it was a higher quality than most other taco spots. The barbacoa was even better and I wouldn't hesitate to go back if I'm near there. 

Steak Taco at Tlahco Mexican Grill 
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Taquizo (Wicker Park)

Taquizo has been open since it rebranded from Las Palmas in 2020. I listed their specialty quesatacos as some of the best of the year over on twitter and I figured it would be good to include them in this post since I never got around to sharing them over here. The quesataco is a regional style popular all over Mexico but especially in Mexico City. Cheese is cooked until crisp on a hot flattop and the fillings are wrapped inside of it. I feel like steak without a doubt works best when eating a quesataco but don't sleep on the suadero from Taquizo. They describe theirs as "confit beef brisket (in pork fat), morita adobo, cilantro-spanish onion jardin, rolled in crispy melted cheese, hand made tortilla". There's another neighborhood spot on Damen that's way more popular but I've never had a taco from there as good as the Quesataco con suadero from here. Add guac to take it over the top. 

Quesataco at Taquizo
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Tacos Loteria (Logan Square) 

When Tacos Garcia closed it marked the end of a 20 year run for the Logan Square restaurant that was popular with local Mexican families. It didn't feel right for the nephew of the namesake so he decided to carry on his uncles legacy in the form of Tacos Loteria. The name change came with an upgrade to the space geared more towards the neighborhoods younger residents. Tacos, Burritos, Tostadas, and Tortas are the focal points of the menu with the tacos coming on terriffic corn tortillas made on site. There's not a ton of great shrimp tacos in town so when a good one like those from Loteria comes around it's immediately a contender for best shrimp taco in town. Loteria serves a non fried offering consisting of seared shrimp that's marinated in a habanero sauce and dressed with green mayo, cabbage, and crispy pickled carrots and cauliflower. An underrated neighborhood spot. 

Camaron Taco at Tacos Loteria 
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Sabor De Mi Tierra (Stone Park)

Gas, Gambling, and Guerrero style tacos can all be found under one roof out by O’Hare. Sabor De Mi Tierra is a family owned spot with roots in Guerrero. They boast a full menu with specialties like chamorro (braised red chile beef shank) and cecina estilo Guerrero. Tortillas are made on site and in the case of the cecina taco they're spread with refried beans and topped with homemade cecina, pico de gallo, chiles toreados. I also tried a quesabirria bc we just can’t seem to put an end to the trend.

Tacos at Sabor Di Mi Tierra 
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Viva La Frida (Berwyn)

I visited Viva La Frida shortly after it's opening last summer on Ogden in Berwyn. The mural might catch your eye if driving by, or if it's a nice weekend you may notice a live band playing in the large outdoor dining area. Clearly they're going for the Berwyn day / night out drinking and eating crowd. I stopped bc the taco menu had some interesting choices including tacos acorazados. "Battleship" tacos are a regional specialty of Cuernavaca that aren't too common in Chicagoland but there are a few spots that serve them and Viva La Frida is the latest one I've found. Typically they're dressed with rice and you choose your filling which can be a variety of things including steak and or hard boiled eggs. A mixture of sauteed peppers and onions are also usually part of the toppings used. I love them and Viva La Frida makes a pretty good one but my visit was over a year ago. They do decent specialty taco with a piece of thinly sliced ribeye, frijoles, and avo-salsa. The drinks looked sweet. 

Tacos at Viva La Frida 
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Rubi's on 18th (Pilsen)

Last but certainly not least is the Maxwell Street Market legend that is Rubi's. When the market closed for covid they had to reshuffle their entire operation and were popping up at another restaurant in Pilsen for a while before announcing their first brick and mortar location on Pilsen's 18th street. It's an incredible success story for this hard working family that has taken the business their grandmother first founded to new found heights. I visited on opening day (yesterday) and got one of their popular al pastor tacos and a huitlacoche too, the latter on a made to order blue corn tortilla. To me Rubi's stands out for both their tortillas and also anything that's braised (lengua, chicharron, and even better the campechano with both of them). It's great they'll now be available more than just on Sunday's.

Taco al Pastor from Rubi's on 18th Street 
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See ya next time @chibbqking 

Eating BIG in Upstate New York

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- The Regional Riches of Upstate NY  

I spent of week of mostly play, with some work, in Upstate New York this past July. We rented an AirBNB near Hudson that was semi off the grid in the sense there was nobody near it as far as neighbors and passing cars as plus all that other city stuff. My wife still had to work for the week before taking the following one off which is when we left for Rhode Island and Massachusetts (click links for posts on those). When someone says Upstate New York there's lots of places one could be talking about. As I learned on this trip it's not a small place. There's handfuls of different areas within the area. Since we were driving I would be able to stop for lots of Roadfood but not everything I was hoping to try would be within reach. I'm not sure I can explain why but Upstate NY has as many regional food specialties as anywhere else in the country. It's flooded with stops I've always wanted to check out.

Sights from Upstate New York 

We did lots of hiking in the morning and checked out Eater hot spot type dinner places at night. I mostly rode around during the day. There's lots of cute little towns in Upstate New York. Some like Woodstock and Cooperstown are well known and then there's one of the country's biggest college towns in Syracuse plus big urban areas like Buffalo and Albany can be seen, there's a wine region, a historic horse track, lots of old school Italian towns. Plus hot dogs. I have to say I think Upstate NY offers the country's best selection of hot dog stands. A big part of what makes it so impressive is the fact they have a bunch of regional styles within the region. I made it a point to try as many as I could and made it to most in reach. While I wasn't surprised to find lots of Roadfood type spots I wasn't expecting all the chef driven options. Especially in Hudson. But it does make sense when NYC is so close. I wasn't expecting to enjoy the area as much I did but I would love to go back and further explore some parts of it. My only complaint was the constant rain. I guess they had record amounts.

Sights from Upstate New York 
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Red Top Hot Dogs (Hamburg, NY)

Hot Dogs around the Buffalo area are charcoal grilled natural casing Sahlen's wieners. Ted's is the most well known purveyor in town with handfuls of locations. But this little stand in Hamburg which sits  across the street from Lake Erie uses another locally made wiener from Wardynski's out of Buffalo. They're a beef and pork blend and may have been my favorite of all the locally produced wieners I got to try. They grill up really nice. One weird thing (to me) about East Coast hot dog stands is how some of them serve the toppings on the side and you have to put them on your hot dog yourself. That was the case at Red Top where I got one with mustard, onion, and dill pickle relish. This was an excellent hot dog that I enjoyed alongside an order of their popular cottage fries. Since 1946.

Hot Dog from Red Top 
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Heid's of Liverpool (Liverpool, NY)

I was extra excited to try the Two Hot Dog Special (add a side of gravy for the fries) at Heid’s of Liverpool. The Syracuse University favorite serves up two styles of flattop seared natural casing wieners made locally by Hofmann Sausage. The traditional German Frank (aka a red hot) is a classic frankfurter while the snappy grillers (aka white hots) are very similar to brats. I should’ve took a pic of the toppings bar which is a DIY event. The spicy brown mustard and red pepper relish are also part of their signature offerings. I did mustard with sauerkraut and dill pickle relish on the white hot and mustard, raw onions, red pepper relish, dill relish on the red hot. Very cool spot. Since 1917.

Hot Dogs from Heid's of Liverpool 
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Voss Bar-B-Q (Yorkville, NY)

There's some that say this seasonal dairy stand just outside of Utica is the best hot dog stand of a strong Upstate NY bunch. Voss Bar-B-Q has been at it since 1938. Locals line up for hot dogs of which they offer two blends popular in the area. The traditional red hot and the local specialty a white hot (similar to a bratwurst). I believe both are made by Zweigle’s out of Rochester. I tried a red wiener in the form of their signature “Mexi” dog which I ordered all the way which means chili, cheese, and onion are joined by mustard, relish, sauerkraut, and pickle. Then I got a white hot with mustard, onion, and hot relish. Both were bad ass. I also got a bbq ham sandwich which is barbecue by sauce only. Similar to Russell’s in Elmwood Park (IL) for those that know what I’m talking about.

Hot Dogs at Voss Bar-B-Q

BBQ Ham Sandwich at Voss Bar-B-Q
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Famous Lunch (Troy, NY)

Famous Lunch in Troy sits just outside of Albany. In this part of Upstate New York mini hot dogs are all the rage. They're locally produced by Helmbolds. These mini natural casing (beef / pork) wieners are made to be enjoyed a few per seating kind of like hot dog sliders. They can be found all over the area with Famous Lunch being the landmark spot to enjoy them. My visit here went exactly as I expected it to and that means it was a memorable one. Towns like Troy have always fascinated me and places like Famous Lunch are great places to eat like a local. Lots of locals on this visit with the majority of them ordering hot dogs by the 4’s, 8’s etc. The four inch wieners are crisped up on a flattop that sits in the front window and come served on mini buns. Everything on them includes zippy sauce which is a chili / coney like condiment plus mustard and onions. I did three bc I was hitting another stand after Famous Lunch but I also had to try a burger with their grilled onions and standard white American cheese. Both were home runs and the price was a steal too. A first ballot National Hot Dog Hall of Famer. The epitome of a greasy spoon in every sense of the saying. Since 1932.

Mini Hot Dogs at Famous Lunch 

Cheeseburger at Famous Lunch 
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Gus's Hot Dogs (Watervliet, NY)

The town of Watervliet has been home to Gus's Hot Dogs since 1954. As far as aesthetics go, Gus's too is greasy spoon greatness. It's a roadside stand that you can find with your nose. There's no indoor seating these days but plenty of picnic tables off to the side. Gus's does mini hot dogs with their own signature sauce but I didn't think they were as good as Famous Lunch up above. I also tried a tasty Italian sausage sandwich which is a locally produced Italian sausage patty topped with onions and peppers directly from the flattop. This place is the NY equivalent to Jim's Original in Chicago. 

Mini Hot Dogs and Sausage Sandwich at Gus's Hot Dogs 
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Ted's Fish Fry (Watervliet, NY)

Both the fish fry and by extension the fish sandwich are big draws in Western New York. With seven locations around the Capitol Region Ted's is the biggest of draws when it comes to fried fish. I visited the OG for a fish sandwich which at Ted's comes served on a hot dog bun. Of course they sell hot dogs too but it's the long strips of fried fish placed into a hot dog bun that most folks are here for. I tried one with both tartar and cocktail sauce and it was excellent blue collar food. The make the onion rings in house so an order of those was also in store and they too were awesome. Since 1949. 

Fish Sandwich and Onion Rings from Ted's Fish Fry 
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Slick's Restaurant (Schenectady, NY)

I knew I would be visiting Slick's when I first found it while browsing restaurants in Schenectady. It's an old corner bar where the overstuffed sandwiches are the big draw. Upon entering I felt like I had morphed back a few decades into a previous era. The owner dressed in uniform also seemed from another time. This place just oozed old school. For $10 you can get a huge sandwich made with meat sliced to order. Roast beef was commonly mentioned and is the one deli meat I only like to eat when it's made onsite so I got that on white bread with a side of housemade potato salad (plus chips). This one was NYC sized at an Upstate NY price. Great stop. I just wish spots like Slick's weren't so rare. 

Roast Beef Sandwich at Slick's Restaurant 

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Perreca's Bakery (Schenectady, NY)

The town of Schenectady has it's own Little Italy. It's a small one block strip but they have a n arch and a few shops still up and running. Both of them holdovers from the neighborhoods heyday. The first stop is Perreca's Bakery which had a facade that was calling my name. I spied some tomato pie in the window so that was reason enough to stop in and try a slice. Perreca's opened in 1914 and has been continuously run by the same family. They use the same coal oven they did on day one to make Italian bread and tomato pie. The latter of which is a popular snack in these parts (especially in and around Utica).  Tomato pie is a simple style of pizza where the crust is a thick, focacia like dough that's topped with a thick layer of tomato sauce and Romano cheese. I'm sure there's slight variations here and there but this would be the only spot I got to try it at as I never made it to any spots in Utica.

Tomato Pie from Perreca's

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Civitello's (Schenectady, NY)

Right across the street sits Civitello's which is another neighborhood centennial business (est. 1922). I stopped in here hoping to score some of their pizza and maybe some cannolli but both were sold out for the day. So I settled for some lemon ice and a handful of their Italian cookies which are probably my favorite type of cookies. The ice wasn't as good as some Chicago spots but it still hit the spot on a hot day. The cookies were terrific and so was the friendly lady who's grandpa first opened the place. 

Italian Cookies from Civitelli's Bakery 

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Willa's Bakery Cafe (Hudson, NY)

We popped into the newest iteration of Willa's on it's first day in business. I guess they moved into Hudson from another town close by. They seemed to be the first tenant in a beautifully restored building down by the train tracks. Willa's calls itself a bakery-cafe and they do coffee, pastries, breakfast and lunch. The menu us very seasonal with lots of really tempting options. Me and my wife love fresh cut fries and all other forms of fried potatoes so we tried Willa's breakfast version served with fried onions and some garlic aioli and they're the front runner for "best fried potato dish in 2021". 

Breakfast Potatoes at Willa's 

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Feast & Floret (Hudson, NY)

My wife found us this terrific little farm to table type Italian spot in a trendy part of Hudson. Feast & Floret is a chefless restaurant whatever that means. It's a really nice looking spot that's part of the areas very Victorian feel. The menu has most likely switched up with the season but I'd be happy to go back based on what we had on this visit. Fontina Arancini was rich and decadent while a dish made with in season green peas was excellent. Our pasta pick was one of my favorite pasta preps of the year - Piselle con Guanciale made with al dente bucatini, spring onion, mint, and black pepper. 

Dinner at Feast & Floret 

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Le Perche (Hudson, NY)

La Perche is the type of spot you'll find in just about every popular weekend getaway town that takes it's local food scene seriously. French food with locally procured ingredients is what they and so many others are going for. Summertime is always the best time to visit seasonal menu spots like this. Seasonally inspired dishes on our visit included a sweet corn  polenta with escargot and  poached egg. The polenta was cooked perfectly so need I say more? We also got a tasty plate of crispy crab rice with fried egg and seaweed plus a decadent Kouign Amann. A perfect spot for Hudson Valley.  

Lunch at La Perche 
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Bia (Rhinebeck, NY)

Irish cuisine had long gotten a bad rap until the last five years or so. Whether that's bc it's most closely associated with corned beef and cabbage here in the States or bc of the fact they used to export their best ingredients in Ireland (fish, produce etc) it's now a thing of the past, in Dublin anyway. There's not many chef forward Irish restaurants in the States so Bia in Rhinebeck grabbed my attention when I found it while searching for dining options in the area. The menu was calling my name with it's ode to Irish summer classics with a bit of Hudson Valley flair. For starters a curry crab roll was exactly as I hoped it would be when I first saw it on the menu, very refreshing on a hot summer night. We also had a decent plate of the housemade pate and for my entree I couldn't resist the tempura fish and chips (hake). She tried the locally sourced duck confit and a fruit tart dessert rounded out an enjoyable dinner out. The menu has likely changed with the season and soon the courtyard will be of no use but keep this place in mind if you're visiting the area next summer.

Dinner at Bia Rhinebeck 

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Alleyway Ice Cream (Saugerties, NY)

Dairy is big in Upstate NY and with it so is designer ice cream. One of the hot trends these days in desserts and sweets is Asian leaning ice cream creations. One of the most popular ice cream ingredients right now is ube (purple yam originally from the Philippines) which has long been a Filipino favorite as far different desserts go. Alleyway Ice Cream makes an ube ice cream mixed with Heath Bar which is a wonderful combo as far as creation of an ice cream flavor goes. Ube has a similar nutty vibe to vanilla but it's not nearly as bland. It's also not that sweet making it a personal favorite. 

Ube Heath Bar Ice Cream at Alleyway Ice Cream 

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Schwabl's (Buffalo, NY)

I visited a ton of old school spots on our excursion out East but none as historic as the 184 year old Schwabl’s in Buffalo. I missed this landmark stop last time I was in town so it was at the top of the list for when I returned. Sebastian Schwabl settled in a German part of Buffalo not long after it became a city and he immediately got to work. The restauranteur opened a few spots including a bar called Schwabl’s. His sons would follow in his footsteps and opened spots of their own including the current iteration of Schwabl’s which was built in 1942. When most people think about the food of Buffalo, it’s the chicken wings that come to mind. But those are predated by the beef on weck which is what they call roast beef sandwiches with kummelweck rolls. It’s exact origin is unknown but it’s believed the salty kummelweck rolls studded with caraway seeds came over with a German Baker from Bavaria. 

Roast Beef Sandwich at Schwabl's

The Beef on Weck is a classic sandwich in every sense of its description. Big chunks of beef are roasted until medium rare in the middle. The beef is then sliced to order for sandwiches throughout the day. They come served on the previously mentioned rolls and there’s a big bucket of horseradish at each table. The most popular way to enjoy a beef on Weck at Schwabl’s is with their top notch sides of warm German style potato salad (with bacon) and pickled beets. Both were spectacular to the point where they may have overshadowed what’s an excellent sandwich. This was as close to a restaurant time machine as I’ve been in. A must stop spot when in the Western New York region.

The Insides 

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See ya next time @chibbqking