Yesterday I dragged the younger Page all the way to Saratoga for a visit.

Holy wow.

Plum Dandy’s is a completely do-it-yourself frozen yogurt bar. You pick from 8 daily flavors of fat-free tart yogurt, fill up your bowl as much as you please, then top with anything from blackberries to gummi bears to flax seeds to carob chips to hot fudge.

It was a big day.

Anyway, renowned chef Dale Miller, owner of an Albany restaurant by the same name, did a cooking demonstration for us GenNEXTers followed by some shmoozin’ and boozin’ (my term, not theirs).

Yours truly is on antibiotics for a sinus infection so I skipped the booze part of the evening and made some new friends instead. While the conversation was great, the highlight was Dale Miller’s demonstration. It wasn’t anyway mind-blowing; he prepared a simple salmon filet with a miso glaze. But I love watching people cook, food nerd that I am, and he was a quiet yet funny guy. He reminds me a lot of one of my best friends fathers: short, sweet, and wonderfully corny.

The glaze was simple: sake, oil, sugar, miso paste, all simmered together in a pot. We sampled small portions. It was delicious. I’m a little biased though, because I love salmon but never have it unless the Boyfriend cooks it.

I was most surprised to learn that miso applies to our fifth taste. You know the four: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Apparently scientists have recently identified a new taste: umami. It could also be called “savoriness.” I’m clearly not a reliable source on the matter, so follow the link for some better information for you. From Wikipedia. Of course.

The following appeal to our umami tastes: miso, mushrooms, ketchup, and cured pork. Go figure.

After the demonstration and before bidding us adieu, Chef Miller left us with one more corny tale. While he was visiting Japan, the tour guide reminded them how important it is to chill out every once in a while and “lerax.” “So tonight, don’t forget to chirr out and lerax,” he instructed us.

Fair enough. Between umami and lerax-ing, tonight was just about the craziest Wednesday night I’ve had in a while. If you’re in the Albany area, check out Dale Miller or the soon-to-be-reopened Sperry’s in Saratoga.

Like Chef Miller, I’m keeping this post short and sweet because it’s sweltering in our office. The Boyfriend insists he did NOT break the ceiling fan when he crashed into it during a victory jump over the U.S. win during the World Cup preliminaries today. But I know better.

March 23 is looking soooo good all of a sudden.

Sbux, we needed this.  And we thank you.

With the Boyfriend, of course.

Here is my advice for men who are looking to plan a great date and score some major bonus points with the little lady: plan a date around her interests. It’s incredibly flattering to know that you’re paying attention and it guarantees she will have a good time. And unless you’re dating, I don’t know, Lady Gaga or some other wackadoo, chances are she likes some pretty cool stuff and you’ll both end up enjoying yourselves.

Personally, my interests include wine and old movies. The Boyfriend planned accordingly.

We started the evening at the Palace theater in Albany to see a screening of To Kill A Mockingbird. I love watching old movies at the Palace. It’s this grand old theater and I imagine this is what it was like to go to the movie theater when the movies first started. It’s just such a fun, classy atmosphere. I also have to give major props to the ticket people. Upon arriving we discovered the “cash only” rule and could only scrounge eight bucks between the two of us, which left us each a dollar short for a ticket. The ticket people took pity on us and charged us the senior ticket price of four dollars each, thus scoring some major karma for themselves.

I read the book in high school but never got around to seeing the movie. However, I loved the story, wanted to be Scout, and I have a secret crush on Gregory Peck, so the film was on my must-see list. The movie was incredible. The Boyfriend seemed to enjoy it, too, and I always give props to people who are open to watching old black and white movies. I was raised on Bringing Up Baby and Notorious, but I realize this is unusual. There was no Quentin Tarrantino or Michael Bay in the 40s or 50s.

When we were in college a friend of mine had the idea to re-read all the books they forced him to read in high school. While you’ll never get me near Lord of the Flies again and though I’ll be good without re-reading Ellen Foster, generally this turned out to be a good idea. To Kill A Mockingbird was one of the books he read for a second time and he quite enjoyed it. In truth high schoolers are way too busy freaking out about EVERYTHING to bother with understanding books anyway. Not that I blame them; I was the same way. But nowadays, rather than bemoaning the fact that I’m a nerd, I accept it. Nerds read books. Point me to the nearest copy of Harper Lee’s classic.

As we were walking out of the theater, The Boyfriend turned to me and said, “I imagine you exactly like Scout when you were little.” Scrappy and opinionated? I’d say he might be onto something…

The second half of the date centered around another interest of mine: booze. We went to the Wine Bar and Bistro on Lark, which I have been dying to get to. Without knowing it, we picked the perfect date spot! The Wine Bar is located in a warm and romantic brick-covered basement, accented with fireplaces, candles, and local artwork.

They also have a little something called Wine After Work (yes, please).

“You Know You Need It!!”

Since we went on a Monday night, we enjoyed $5 glasses of wine. I tried a Vouvray which is now a new favorite of mine.

A little sweet, but quite crisp and incredibly fresh. The Boyfriend ordered a glass of Chardonnay, but we both agreed that my wine choice was the winner of the evening. We weren’t planning on eating, but before I knew it I found myself ordering butternut squash ravioli with pancetta. I mean, come on.

The Boyfriend got a stew with chicken confit, bacon, sausage, and white beans, all with a side of garlic crostini. This was absolutely incredible.

As soon as the server set down the bowl he said, “Baby, you better take a picture FAST because this isn’t gonna last long!”

They also brought us a carafe of water right away, which is awesome since I drink water like a beast when I go out to eat. I definitely judge a restaurant by how much water they give you.

My blurry Valentine

With its intimate layout, the Wine Bar is decidedly ideal for couples, but I foresee a girls night out with my lady friends there soon. You can’t beat the $20 bottle Wine After Work deal, and the food is good, too. The glasses of wine are plentiful and the hassle of the workweek seem far away.

It was heavenly to slurp soup, sip wine, and chat with my love. I spied a little on the only other couple in the dining room who were clearly on a second date. They knew each other, but they were asking basic questions: Where are you from, What’s your family like, What do you do for a living? I was suddenly very thankful to be sitting across from someone who has known me for years, someone who has seen me cry and makes me laugh, someone who cheered me on at my college graduation and knows my friends. Someone my mother likes. Someone with whom I have a song and a dog and a common obsession with Criminal Minds.

First dates are nice. Anniversaries are pleasant. But a random Monday night out with your sweetheart is something to cherish.

The two of us spent about a week with his family between Christmas and New Years.  On Monday we planned a date day in Manhattan which commenced with a very necessary trip to Rockefeller Center so I could pretend to be Liz Lemon.

30 Rock is my absolute favorite show. I have been telling people since season 1 to watch and, thank goodness, they are starting to listen to my good advice.

The tree was pretty cool, I guess.  The Boyfriend finally dragged me away from the 30 Rock sign for a festive couples shot in front of the tree.

Next we scooted over to MOMA.  Did you know that if you are (or, cough, were) a SUNY student, you can get into MOMA and other NYC museums for free?? Just show your student ID card at information.  It’s pretty sweet.

We wanted to see the Tim Burton exhibit there, but it was sold out for the day.  Boo! So instead we strolled the floors.  And then made some art of our own using my camera, a MOMA window, and city lights:

We had plans to see Avatar in 3-D after the MOMA trip.  Before the movie we stopped for dinner at an Italian restaurant near Union Square.

We were hungry so we started with garlic bread and salads.

I ordered the arugula salad as I have been craving arugula since Mom’s Christmas dinner.  The thing is, I sort of expected there might be more to the “Arugula Salad” than just lettuce.  I was wrong in my assumptions.  The salad was okay, but that was it.  I did eat it all, though, because I do love me some leafy greens.

While we waited for dinner I played with the settings on my camera and had a photoshoot with my wine glass.

I’m such a little kid.  I need something to keep my wandering mind busy when I’m sitting still.

Dinner arrived on huge platters and there was much rejoicing.  The Boyfriend got chicken parmesan and it was amazing.

I had one of the specials which was chicken with mushrooms, artichokes, red peppers, and olives with a marsala wine sauce.

Plus a side of pasta.  This is my favorite part about Italian restaurants.

Two clean plates and one stop at a bar for martinis later, we headed over to the theater for Avatar. The animation in that movie was insane! Your brain gets tricked into forgetting that you’re not watching live action for most of the movie. Plus you get these sweet 3-D glasses.

New fashion trend for 2010? I think so.

]]> http://notesonapage.com/2010/01/the-city-so-nice-they-named-it-twice/feed/ 1 http://notesonapage.com/2009/11/scratch-bakery-cafe/ http://notesonapage.com/2009/11/scratch-bakery-cafe/#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:13:10 +0000 Page http://notesonapage.com/?p=852 I had the afternoon off on Wednesday, so I went to the laundromat.  I really know how to have a good time, I know.  To sweeten the deal a little, The Boyfriend and I got lunch across the street at Scratch Bakery Cafe.

Scratch just looks so cute from the outside that I’ve been wanting to eat there for ages.  It’s a really low-key bakery and sandwich shop with some surprising menu items. The sandwich fare is basic, but delicious.  I got a turkey sandwich with tomato, lettuce, avocado, Swiss cheese, and pesto mayonnaise.

The pesto definitely made the sandwich.  And can we just take a moment to appreciate the glorious things avocados do for any sandwich? Mmm! It came on soft wheat foccacia with a pickle and carrot sticks, which upped the cute factor for me.  The Boyfriend got a turkey panini with sundried tomatoes and Provolone cheese which left him, to quote, “full.”  (This is a big deal in The Boyfriend’s book.)

I was all about the sandwiches, but I did notice a small selection of notable lunch options: Chobani and granola to go, sundried tomato macaroni and cheese, and quinoa and cranberry salad.  They do some regular off-site catering gigs, too, which probably helps business.  There were only two other people in the cafe when The Boyf and I walked in and a few passers-by popped in for coffee.  The place seems like a great little neighborhood haunt.

I was already sold on Scratch’s sandwiches, but I stopped to admire the small selection of homemade baked goods.  They have the typical pastry and cake as well as some vegan and gluten-free options. The Boyfriend caught me drooling over the Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and bought slices for The Roommate and myself.  There’s just something about the combo of pumpkin and cream cheese that really does it for me I guess.  I ate my slice for dinner (pumpkin is a vegetable!) while folding our laundry.

The cake was divine and presumably the same thing could be said about the other baked goods at Scratch Bakery.  I’m willing to be the guinea pig and test them out. Just a team player like that.

If you’re in the Albany area, definitely check out Scratch Bakery and Cafe for a laid-back lunch.  Take your own boyfriend or a friend you haven’t seen in a while.  Scratch has a quiet, casual atmosphere that is perfect for catching up.  They also have a nice selection of beverages including tea and coffee, and some items from the cooler.  I’ll leave you with my Honest T bottle cap quote:

I really enjoy this quote. And I’m glad I snapped a photo because I totally threw the bottle cap away even though I was going to save it as a reminder to my scatterbrained self…

**Chobani Giveaway

Don’t forget there is still time to enter the Chobani Giveaway! Enter via comment or tweet!

The four of us (the lady roommates and their respective boyfriends) went over to Cafe Madison for a laid-back Halloween brunch.  I probably cannot say greater things about Cafe Madison.

It’s casual-chic inside, but the food is anything but casual.   We started off with something I haven’t had in a long time: coffee!

And of course we toasted Halloween with mimosas.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

There was a little of this in the morning:

And a little of this in the evening:

And then, later in the evening, there was even more of that.  A bunch of us went on down to Wolff’s Biergarten to celebrate The Roommate’s Boyfriend’s birthday.  You may remember Wolff’s from Oktoberfest a while back.  It’s a fun bar and if you go on your birthday, you get a boot full of beer! (Way cooler than it sounds).  Behold Das Boot:

It is not as easy as it looks and this guy was a champ! Treat yourself to a boot on your birthday or at least head down to Wolff’s for some Oktoberfest before snowshoe season.

To celebrate, The Boyfriend and I planned a picnic sans dogs, friends, cell phones, or work.  It was glorious.

The weather was warm, but the leaves had already begun to change with the cold weather of last week.

My dad, who lives in England, always asks about the leaves here this time of year.  I suppose I take them for granted — I’ve seen it every fall for my entire life — but they certainly are stunning.

We spread out a blanket, munched on sandwiches from Uncommon Grounds plus a thermos of coffee, and enjoyed each other’s company.

Uncommon Grounds always has such fresh, bright veggies.

There was a playground at the park, which we completely avoided, of course.

We are adults, after all.