New Deli

If ya love a big, fat sandwich at a great price, I have the place for you.

Those who live in the Capitol District of NY may be familiar with Krause's Grove, as much a symbol of Summertime in our area as the Track in Saratoga.   In business for almost 50 years, Krause's offers picnics and dinners for groups of all sizes.  It is impossible to leave Krause's hungry and the quality of the food you receive is unsurpassed by other Klamsteams.   Your group may also opt to have a raw clam bar available.  If you do, you will be serviced by an Olympic-level clam shucker.  Tip him well, please, we need the money.

Gary Krause has now taken on a new venture by opening a deli inside Ryan's Farmers Market  in Colonie.  Simply called "The Deli", it's been open about a month now and already he has regular customers with local businesses and offices.  He has a sizeable menu offering sizeable sandwiches and panninis, along with fresh salads and 2 homemade soups every day.   Feel free to order off the menu or make suggestions to suit you.  Gary and his staff will be glad to accommodate you.

The Deli piles on the Boars Head meat and cheese with gusto.  There's even a sandwich called "Pile It On".  Gary himself told me that he makes his sandwiches they way HE would want them made for him.  The Club is literally inches high with any meats and cheese you choose.  The chicken Caesar wrap, called "The Victoria" after his daughter, is the girth of a small log when done; the wrap bursting with fresh chicken, bacon, provolone and homemade Caeser dressing.  It could be shared comfortably between 2 adults, or a small crowd of children.  Every sandwich comes with Kay and Dan's dark chips (addicting!) and a dill spear.   Other items you'll find are The Giuseppe, The Rueben, The Steak Torpedo (an homage to his father, Steve, who first brought us this delictible creation), The Jerk, The Hit, and The Italian One.  These creatively-named sandwiches are available at the bargain price of $6.95 each. 


The Deli has another feature that I think is terrific.  They have delicious French Onion Soup daily and even if it's to go, you will receive it in a ceramic crock complete with croutons and melted Swiss cheese on top.  "But what happens to the crocks?", you ask?   People bring them back.  I swear, they do.  I've seen it.  Most of the time they also come back clean, but that is not necessary.   The Deli does not make you sign anything or leave a deposit, but really do appreciate it when they come back.  More importantly, they appreciate that YOU come back.


The Deli (at Ryan's Farmers Market)
114 Railroad Ave., Albany
482-DELI (3354)
Owner: Gary Krause

http://www.krausesgrove.com/
http://www.ryansproduce.com/

 

 

Moose in Hoosick?

I've driven Rte. 7 from Troy to Bennington hundreds of times, easily.  I remember passing a deli with a smoking metal pig out front, but we never stopped to check it out.  It was just one of those things we noticed, but didn't take interest in.  We were more interested in getting through the traffic to get camping in Bennington. 

Last week, Chris and I decided to stop and check it out.  We took notice of it in recent months not because of the smoking pig (which he and I didn't see) but because of the "bling" all over the store.  We're not sure exactly what's different about the place:  did they extend the awning over the porch?  Are there more moose adorning the outside?  More signs?  More...more...something?   Whatever it was, we noticed and on a sunny fall day we stopped in to check it all out.

The Big Moose Deli and Country Store is small.  I have no other way of stating it.  If you are clausterphobic, you may want to remember this.  I do have a touch of clausterphobia, but since we were the only ones inside the store at the time we were there, I did ok.  It is a mini-maze of souveniers, kitsch, and food.  If you need a gift of moose, this is the place to go.  Magnets, stuffed animals, cutesy statuettes, salt and pepper shakers, back scratchers...you get the idea.  The store pays homage to Vermont and it's not even near the border.  In addition to moose, there are dozens of brands and flavors of jellies, jams, pepper jellies and of course maple syrup.   For a small store, they had an impressive selection.  There was syrup from Vermont and New York, as well as a few from Pennsylvania.   Jugs and bottles of various sizes as well as decorative bottles in fun and beautiful shapes.   I thought the gingerbread man and penguin syrup decanters were particularly cute.   We saw jelly made of dandelion and corn cob.  Chris bought the corn cob jelly, I will have him report back when he tries it.   They also carry an array of candy including some not seen very often, like Nut Goodies, Turkish Taffy, and Candy Buttons. 

Ribbon Candy was the big find for me.  It took me right back to Christmastime with my grandparents and, honestly, I think that's the last time I saw it.   Gram always had ribbon candy out on a fancy dish as part of the holiday decor and snack offerings.  I never ate much of it.  Pure sugar candy like that was never my favorite and we were always warned to be careful and not rip our mouths to shreds because it could be sharp when broken (who doesn't love a candy that results in blood and stitches?).  Regardless, it always looked so pretty just sitting there.  Swirly, sparkly ribbons in Christmas colors of green, red, and pink.  I was tempted to buy some for just that reason, to recapture some of my childhood Christmas experiences.  I did not, but Big Moose is so close that stopping in again between now and Christmas would be an easy thing to do.   Perhaps I can restart the tradition with the nieces.

Before we left, we enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich on a hard roll.   This, of course, is the reason for the smoking pig in the warm weather.   The pork was tender and offered either on a 12" sub roll, 6" sub roll, or the hard roll.  You can get cole slaw on the sandwich or on the side.  Chris didn't care of the sauce, he felt it was a little too sweet.  I disagreed, I thought it wasn't sweet enough.  It was deliciously messy, though.  They also offered some nice-looking homemade pies, both whole and by the slice, and there was a footed plate of sugary, yummy cider donuts.   In the summer, they have an ice cream stand around the back of the store, and a moose cut out so you can stick your face in the hole and take a picture.  Good, wholesome, family fun. 

Next time you're cruising Rte. 7 in Hoosick, we suggest you stop in and check it out.   You might find just what you weren't looking for. 

Big Moose Country Store and Deli
4956 Rte. 7
Hoosick, NY  12089
518.686.5801
(no website but they are on Facebook)
Mon-Sun 11am-6pm

Ruby Tuesday's

Ok, so, it's not haute cuisine...but Ruby's gave me a free burger for my birthday.  Don't judge me.

We have eaten at RT's before.  We got a coupon (we are fans of the coupon) for a free pair of sliders with the purchase of a beverage.   We got a delicious pomegranate iced tea, the sliders, an order of their Shrimp Fondue, and the Parmesan Shrimp Pasta.  I have no idea what Chris was thinking ordering two cheesy shrimp dishes...but he did.   I also don't know why we ordered an app at all given I eat about a cup of food at any given time...but we did. 

The fondue is pretty good...very rich, cheesy, and heavy with discernable shrimp served with low-salt, colorful tortilla chips.   However, paired with an equally cheesy pasta dish, which was delicious, is not a good idea for someone with a tender stomach to begin with.  Just sayin.

The little sign on the table said that Ruby's was having a 'seafood festival'.  This was easily three months ago and today, November 4, the festival still goes on.   Really?

Somewhere between then and now we stopped in again.  No coupon though.  We also did not get the shrimp fondue because we thought that, and that alone, was the culprit for Chris' belly ache.  However, we did indulge in the complimentary biscuits offered to us: light, a little cheesy (there it is again), and slightly salty.   Yum.  I think we got 6.  My thought at the time was that between the biscuits and the seafood festival they were trying hard to rival Red Lobster.   As far as the biscuits are concerned, I'd say they are succeeding. 

So, after that middle visit Chris decided that the Shrimp Fondue was not the sole (ha ha sole...seafood fest...get it?) reason for his stomach issues and we ordered it again.  And two entrees.   (FYI, if the server does not recommend the Shrimp Fondue you get it for free.)   It's still heavy and creamy and cheesy and good but for us, just way too much with full meals following.  Please remind us of this next time we go there.

Chris ordered the lunch portion of Trout Almondine:  lightly breaded/fried rainbow trout filet topped with lemon butter and slivered almonds served with mashed potatoes and broccolli.   The filet was nicely cooked and the almonds gave it a touch of sweet.  I can have difficulty with fish because it can be dry but this was perfectly cooked and barely breaded which was very nice.   I got (for free) the Avocado Turkey Burger, one of their "Handcrafted Burgers".  It's a generous burger topped with thick slices of avocado along with tomato, red onion, pickles, Swiss Cheese, mayo, and applewood smoked bacon.  The turkey, coupled with the bacon, had a great flavor, and the avocado gave it an interesting texture.   Very tasty, very good, and I had the rest of it for dinner. 

I encourage you to sign up on RT's website so you too can get a free burger for your birthday, it's certainly worth it...and would have been worth the $8.99 had I been expected to pay for it. 

Do not get the Shrimp Fondue if you are lactose intolerant. 
Oh by the way, for whatever reason, the yummy biscuits were held up in the kitchen today so our lovely server brought us 4 as consolation.  I also had one of them for dinner.

http://www.rubytuesday.com/