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“Clam chowder is one of those subjects, like politics or religion, that can never be discussed lightly. Bring it up even incidentally, and all the innumerable factions of the clam bake regions raise their heads and begin to yammer.”
Louis P. De Gouy
This past weekend, February 4th-6th, was Chowder Fest in Saratoga at participating locations. From what I could find it was the 3rd Annual event and even though the weather was awful, it was still a lot of fun. Participating locations gave small cups of chowder to those willing to pay a dollar for it. This also included some “dessert chowders” read as “ice cream” from participating locations that serves frozen treats such as Ben and Jerry’s. This year, they offered a $5 mug for your chowder in an effort to make the event more environmentally friendly. I don’t know my way around Saratoga so I found it difficult to figure out, even with a map, where to go to get which chowder. The list was posted online the day before so you could map out where you wanted to go. I didn’t get to try any of this years winners because of the amount of people as well as the weather conditions but in case you want to go back another day to check them out, here’s the list:
Chowderfest 2011 Winners:
People’s Choice Winner: The Parting Glass
Best On-Broadway Winner: Cantina
Best Off-Broadway Winner: Seven Horse Pub
Best Non-Downtown Winner: Longfellows Restaurant
Best Newcomer: American Culinary Federation
Most Chowder Served: The Parting Glass
I had three chowders in total (and one scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream). The first was from Black Diamond Caterers who was serving their Creamy Tomato Crab Chowder in a booth on the street. I didn’t hate it but it didn’t have much flavor to it. I didn’t have much crab and it really wasn’t all that creamy either. Since we arrived toward the end of the event, that could have been the reason for the low crab count.
Next, I had Peabody’s Sports Bar & Grille’s Corn & Crab Chowder and this was my favorite of the three. It was a little salty but chowder is supposed to be chunky and this was perfect. I got just the right amount of corn and crab and if they serve this at their bar, I would order it and pay for a whole bowl.
The last I tried was Stadium Cafe’s Seafood Chowder. My cousin is a fan of their food and they won in 2009 but when we tried the chowder, I realized why they didn’t win last or this year. The seafood was good but as with the first one, it didn’t have much flavor.
I know that there were a lot of restaurant’s with great chowder but I didn’t get to them. Even though I spent most of the time walking in the snow and sleet and getting pelted in the face, I had a great time. Even if you don’t like chowder and don’t spend your time and money going bar to bar to try different chowders, just go to the nearest bar and hang out. Each bar had some sort of drink special and tons of people. These were the biggest crowds that I’ve seen at a bar around 3:00PM on a Saturday and when you get hungry? Chowder’s right there for $1!
“Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around. “
Anna Quindlen
Though I didn’t get to attend Pizza Wars, in hopes that it is going to happen again next year I wanted to give everyone a heads up on something I didn’t realize.
For those who didn’t know, Pizza Wars happened on February 3rd, 2011 at Proctors in Downtown Schenectady where for $3.00 you could try pizza from various locations in the 518 and then vote on which were your favorites. I figured this not only sounded like a great way to have dinner cheap but to try all the pizza places in the area that tend to go unnoticed. What I didn’t know was, so did everyone else. I didn’t see much advertising for this event so I figured I could walk in, try some pizza cheap and then leave, no problem. What I didn’t realize was that no only was it packed, so was every restaurant in Downtown Schenectady. This was a bigger deal than I imagined!
My friend and I were ready to attend, until we saw the line outside. 
The line went from the whole inside of Proctors up until almost Aperitivo and apparently the same out the back door as well. Since we figured this line was too long to wait for pizza, we decided to go to Bombers where a table of 4 had a wait of an hour and a half- it seemed as if others had the same idea as we had. Nico’s, next door to Bombers, is known to have great pizza and was also happy to accommodate those who couldn’t stand in the line with their kids but were craving pizza. I love when local places get business, but it was almost impossible to wait in that line for pizza wars. It was like this outside and filled to capacity inside, I wonder how anyone got to try pizza.
The eventual winner was 5th & 50 Pizzeria in Scotia of best overall pizza. I just hope next year, this is at a bigger venue or over the course of two days so more people could have had the opportunity to try local pizza without having to spend the night waiting in line outside because the inside had reached capacity.
If anyone was able to go to Pizza Wars, I’d love to hear how it was, some of your favorite pizzas and if it was too crowded or not. Comment here and let us know!
“You cannot teach a crab to walk straight.”
Aristophanes
My cousin just started school at SUNY Cortland this year so we decided to visit him for dinner over parents weekend. His girlfriend’s family recommended eating at Uncle Louie’s Backyard Steakhouse (294 Thompkins St, Cortland NY 13045). Apparently there’s two restaurants, a door to the right and a door to the left and the menus are different. On a normal night, if you’re looking for a bigger menu they said to go to the door to the left but since we went during parent’s weekend they both had the same menu to facilitate cooking.
The food was very good and the wait staff along with the owner were very sweet. I forget what the name was but it was a portabello mushroom with finely cut crab on the top. It was good but I wasn’t able to finish it because I just didn’t seem to be hungry that night but it was very tasty. Everyone ordered the seafood chowder which wasn’t as thick as chowders usually are but still very good. Make sure you order the cup unless you expect to eat it for your whole meal because the bowl is huge.
Since I was with family (mine and my cousin’s new gf’s) I felt rude taking out the camera and taking pictures of the food as I usually do (these people just met me) but if you ever find yourself in the Cortland area, try out this restaurant. In my opinion, it’s nothing incredibly special, the food was decent but if you’re just stopping through for a cheap and relaxed easy meal where you may want to watch the current football game on, this is your place.
“The perfect lover is one who turns into a pizza at 4:00 a.m.”
Charles Pierce
I’ve been eating pizza from Homestyle since I could remember, it was always our go-to pizza place in Schenectady. Even after it moved I have ordered food to-go as mentioned in a previous blog entry but never eaten in the actual restaurant. This past weekend I decided to give it a try with my boyfriend. I figured that I liked their food so what can be so different between sitting down and taking it to go. The menu was huge, there was a lot to choose from. 
The prices were all pretty reasonable so don’t look to that for a way to narrow it down. I ended up deciding on getting an individual pizza with peppers, olives, mushrooms and white cheese. I love onions so I figured I’d add those but they came at a pretty steep price of $1.00 for a dusting of onion on my pizza.
We first got rolls which were fantastic. They came to the table warm and with melted butter- I could’ve eaten that for dinner! The food came out really fast which was good because I was starving but after that we didn’t see much from our waitress. Both Jim and my waters were empty and she never came back to refill them. The only times she checked on us was right after our food came out and I didn’t have a chance to take a bite yet. This doesn’t go for all waitresses there but it seemed that since we went at a less busy time (around 5:00PM) that the waitresses didn’t want to hound us which I did appreciate.
The pizza was really tasty. Nothing stayed on the pizza, almost all of it fell off with each bite but isn’t food more fun when it’s messy? I ate half of it and saved the other half for the next day and it still tasted just as good. My personal taste buds wouldn’t have minded if it had garlic of some kind on it but it was good. I was eyeing a salmon burger when I was making my decision and I think that may be my choice next time. The pizza was great but it wasn’t anything spectacular, just pizza. Next time I want to try another type of Italian food they offer to compare that to other places in the area. The pizza was good but if I want pizza, I’m going to I Love NY Pizza across the street. Sorry, Homestyle but no worries, I’ll be back for your sandwiches and paninis because they’re VERY good.
“Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.”
Chuck Palahniuk
I’ve been a TAD busy with my midterms and finishing up my last semester of college, EVER but no worries, I’ve been able to explore NYC to the best of my ability- the writings have just been a little slow. Every Wednesday for the past couple weeks I’ve been enjoying lunch around the Washington Square Park neighborhood with one of the loves of my life, Kaitlin. For the first week we ate pizza at Pizza Mercato which doesn’t even deserve a review in here. Anyone who goes to NYU knows either by a club function or wanting cheap eats in the area that it has great pizza at a great price. The week after we decided to “become dollar menuaires” as Katilin says and went to McDonalds on Broadway and Waverly Pl.
McDonalds fames itself on having the food at EACH and EVERY location taste the same. Therefore, my double cheeseburger and orange soda most likely tastes just like the one you go to and again doesn’t need my opinion. With McDonalds, you either like it or you don’t and my opinion isn’t going to change what you think. A sidenote though for those in the NYU area, if you’re looking for an expansive dollar menu, walk the few extra blocks to the McDonalds on Third Ave and 8th. The MickeyDs near campus, though offering a generous discount to NYU students on the Big Mac on Thursdays, leaves me hanging when it comes to the dollar menu you have about 3-5 choices, none of which includes a hamburger.
Now, for the point of this entry as well as the chicken-related title- Pluck U on Thompson and W. 3rd street. The prices are VERY reasonable for a college student, being that both Kaitlin and I are graduating we’re trying to save all the money we can for this summer. They accept Campus Cash as well as deliver!!’
Upon walking in around 11:00am (which seems to be when all eatery’s in the area open), they were open but still cleaning up a bit. The place is tiny, about two tables, but seats comfortably. The woman at the register was a sweetheart, asking how everything was, if we liked it, needed anything, etc. After a few minutes of indecisiveness, we both decided on 5 chicken fingers/fries and a soda. Our choice sauce, BBQ of course. If you want to go our route and order chicken fingers, don’t expect those restaurant-style fried pieces of chicken (maybe) and a small container of BBQ sauce on the side. No, No, No. Pluck U gives you chicken covered in BBQ, a pleasant surprise.
The chicken was very good as were the fries, the atmosphere and the service. If you’re looking for a fancy restaurant with fancy chicken and fancy plates and tables, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a quick eat that’s tasty and satisfying and you have a short amount of time between classes, this is where you should find yourself one of these days. I will most definitely eat here again and hopefully I’ll see you there!
Visit http://www.plucku.us/ for delivery menu and other locations.
