We're going to start with dessert first because, frankly, it was the highlight of our lunch. Let me back up a bit. Following our wine tasting at the New York Wine and Culinary Center on Saturday, my friends and I went upstairs to the Taste of New York Lounge for some lunch.
Like the wines, the wonderful thing about the Center is the ability to taste a variety of foods from producers across the state that aren't easily available. Take this ice cream, for example. These scoops of Mercer's Ice Cream are usually only available in the North Country--think Boonville--the Oneida area, and the Adirondacks which are not places I get to very often. This ice cream, however, might just change that--it was fantastic! Especially the chocolate. We're still trying to figure out just what made this deep, rich, and creamy cool treat so good but if you've haven't had Mercers--find some! They pride themselves on getting their milk only from local dairies--no wonder it tasted so good. Oh yeah, the other flavors were pistachio and orange pineapple.
The other two desserts on the table were a hazelnut torte and a Lively Run goat and marscapone cheesecake. I didn't care too much for the torte--the cake beneath the ganache was a bit dry for my liking--it wasn't horrible--just okay. But the cheesecake was wonderful. I'd never had a cheesecake made with goat cheese before. This one was super creamy with a complexity of flavor that had me going back for more and more--I was supposed to be sharing! It wasn't cloying as some cheesecake can be either.
A complaint? Just a little one. Well, maybe it is pretty big given the aim of the Center to educate people on the New York foodshed. No one could tell me where those strawberries and blueberries were from. I was hoping the blueberries might be local but I can't believe the strawberries were--the rains killed the strawberry season nearly two months ago. The kitchen, however, was unable to tell me anything about them. In fact, it was pretty difficult to get any information about the source of some of the food that was on our table.
Like many restaurants who have come to understand how interested people are becoming about where there food comes from, a Center that aims to source the majority of its food from within the state should proudly identify its farms and purveyors on the menu or at least inform the wait staff. I ate the strawberries anyway, but with just a little bit of suspicion...
This lack of information held true for our main course as well. There was an heirloom tomato salad on the menu but no real info on where the tomatoes were from. We were told they were from Dusty Acres farm but I can't seem to find a listing for them in New York state.
Nevertheless, our lunch entrees were pleasing if not spectacular. I had the smoked salmon grilled cheese sandwich made with McAdam Munster cheese with a couple of tablespoons of pickled red onion on the side. The sandwich was okay--I'd like to try this with a flakey smoked salmon or trout instead of the "lox" style. The pickled onion was scrumptious--could have eaten that all day--it was a nice, sweet, complement to the savory cheese sandwich. All the sandwiches came with a side of "old world style" potato salad--basically a German style potato salad which was very tasty. If the juices from the potato salad hadn't made my grilled cheese sandwich soggy, it would have been a perfectly good dish.
The other sandwiches, though not listed as such, were served open face. We had a tarragon roasted chicken salad on the table as well as a grilled and chilled vegetable sandwich and a crab salad special. We were all happy with our meals but I have the sense that they can do better. Still, I can see the balancing act they may be attempting in striving for a menu that reaches out to a wide range of tastes using ingredients and recipes from around New York state. And the prices were pretty good--we had five entrees, three desserts and two glasses of wine for under $100.00 not including tip.
Now if they get the food source info thing worked out and change the menu seasonally, I'll be back soon.
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