Portuguese Egg Tart

Know what's better than dan tats? Portuguese egg tarts! I took a trip over to Danbury, CT, which is a sizable Portuguese community and stopped by a bakery for some snacks - an espresso, shrimp pie, and two flaky egg tarts.

Why are Portuguese egg tarts better than Chinese egg tarts (aka dan tat)? They're shatteringly flaky, and have a burnished top. Think dan tats, but the tops have been bruleed. SO good. 

Star Trek Set Tour

Took a drive up to the Star Trek Set Tour when the fall leaves were at their peak - great little drive up and into the woods. It's a fun tour with lots of behind the scenes info, and cool information about how they built the set.

The first place you get a peek at is the transporter room - you can even stand on them to take pictures!

Burleigh's Luncheonette is across the street and a great place for a malt and a coffee either before you take the tour or after. It's got lots of character, a cute retro feel, and some comforting diner fare. 

Sushi - The Indulgence Roll Lives

I think part of living in Albany for a while is fondly remembering restaurants long gone. I was reminiscing about Saso's, and how much I loved that Indulgence roll. Salmon, cream cheese, avocado, and black caviar. All of my favorite things in sushi. Not sure I've had a better roll since then, and I wasn't sure why I hadn't ordered this any where else until just recently. I think the original Indulgence roll had crab in it too, but crab's never done much for me in a roll. Kind of like shredded cheese in a taco - it's there, but not really discernible to me. 

Black caviar popping FTW!  Also had a simple yellowtail & scallion roll on the side. So glad I got these!

Momofuku Birthday Cake

I love an excuse to bake a cake. And Momofuku's birthday cake is my hands down go-to cake. And this time it was for an actual birthday!

To be honest, the hardest part is not eating all of the cake crumbs before it's time to decorate the cake.

Oysters & Ice Cream

I went to Troy to grab a few nibbles recently. 

Went to Plumb Oyster Bar to try a few of every oyster on hand. These ranged in price from $2.85-$3.00. A once in a while kind of place for me, but it's nice to change it up every now and then and try different varieties of oysters.

I didn't grab a photo of the brussels sprouts, but they were smashing. Nicely roasted and charred halves that were covered in a balsamic sauce with crushed toasted hazelnuts. Really well done texturally.

The interior is a bit twee - like Wes Anderson's happy hour bar. Tiny tables. Warm, cozy lighting.

Dutch Udder for ice cream. Cinnamon Toast Crunch on top, strawberry oreo below, both scooped into a birthday cake ice cream cone. Two scoops was a bit much for me, but I powered through it. It also helps that the flavors are rich, balanced, and well crafted. I'm normally not a cone person, but their craft cones are thin yet sturdy and maintained structural integrity throughout the half an hour or so it took me to eat these two massive scoops. The only tweak I'd like to see is for the cinnamon toast crunch bits to stay crunchy in the ice cream, as it came out a bit on the soggy and chewy side. Or maybe leave out the bits entirely. But oh that flavor. Forget cereal milk. Cinnamon Toast Crunch ice cream is where it's at.

Thanks Troy - it was nice to be back. If I had more time, I'd have rounded it out for dessert at The Confectionery. I really like how walkable downtown Troy has become.