Culinary with a Cause: LLS Taste of Compassion

The ninth annual Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Taste of Compassion event will be held on Saturday, February 2 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy.

If you haven't been to this event, you'll definitely want to put this on your calendar. The evening is centered around wine, and you'll have the opportunity to taste a number of exquisite wines from renowned vintners. Light fare and great music will complete the sensory experience, while a live and silent auction will add some additional excitement to the evening.

Of course, the event supports a very important mission through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and your attendance at the event will help support the greater mission of the LLS in curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improving the quality of life of patients and their families.

To get the most out of the evening, special honorary committee tickets are being sold. This offer includes a VIP wine tasting one hour prior to the event, general admission into the main event, and your name included on the invitation which goes out to over 2,500 people in the Capital Region! Reservations for the honorary committee need to be made by December 14.

Tickets are available for purchase here. Honorary Committee Tickets are $125; General Admission is $85; and Young Professional tickets (35 and under) are a very reasonable $65.

For more information, contact Andrea Googas at 518-438-3583 or andrea.googas@lls.org.

No need to cook this Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is the official kick off to the Holiday season. For more than a month you’ll be shopping, decorating, attending parties, trying to work, and more. So who has time to cook a big meal at home? If you’re looking for a more relaxing Thanksgiving we’ve compiled a list of restaurants offering holiday-themed menus for Thanksgiving Day.

AlbanyMarriott

189 Wolf Rd, 458-8444

Thanksgiving Day Buffet- $12.95 for kids, $34.95

Noon-6 p.m.

The Desmond

660 Albany Shaker Road, 452-5801

Holiday Buffet $43.95 per person (19.95 for Children ages 4-12, Children under 4 -Free)

Seatings: Noon, 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4 p.m.

ALSO- Four course menu’s available Scrimshaw Dining Room and Simpson’s Grill

Jack’s Oyster House

42 State Street, 465-8854

Full Thanksgiving Meal starting at $24.99 a person

Marche’

74 State Street, 434-7410
Four Course Meal including entrée choices: roasted free range turkey, braised lamb, shank, and crab encrusted halibut for $40 a person.  

ALSO-20% off all bottles of wine!

If you still want the charm of Thanksgiving at home but don’t want to cook everything two local restaurants are offering pre-ordered to go meals specialized for the holiday:

Jack’s Oyster House

42 State Street, 465-8854

Order out Thanksgiving meals with serving sizes suitable for any groups of two to twenty. (Orders must be submitted by Monday, November 19).

New World Bistro Bar

300 Delaware Ave, 434-7410

Offers an “Everything but the bird special” all made to go which includes soups, stuffing, blackened string beans, sauces, desserts, etc. Orders must be made by 5p.m. on Monday, November 19. All orders will be ready for pick up no later than 5p.m. Wednesday, November 21.

Chefs Supporting Disaster Relief

Join in the relief effort and enjoy a 5-course tasting with wine pairing and a champagne toast reception for $100. All proceeds go the the American Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Relief and dp An American Brasserie will be donating 20% of the evening's sales to the Red Cross, as well as accepting additional donations.

Participating chefs include Yono Purnomo from Yono's, Alex Ursprung from Yono's, Jason Baker from Adventure In Food, Mark Graham from Max London's, Brian Molino from Prime Business Dining, and Steve Barnes from the Albany Times Union.

For more information or for reservations, call (518) 436-7747.

Red Poppies: A Polish Pantry now open on Lark Street

The Lark Street BID announced today that a new business, The Red Poppies: A Polish Pantry, has opened at 227 Lark Street. An official ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Jennings will take place on Wednesday, November 7th at 2pm. The Lark Street BID is thrilled with the addition to the neighborhood and the new culture it will make accessible.

Red Poppies: A Polish Pantry, is a gourmet deli specializing in foods of Polish origin, including deli meats, prepared meals like gołąbki or pierogi, and prepackaged imports from Poland. Beyond selling traditional Polish food, founder Joanna Keblinski hopes to provide Albany with a venue that presents a more complete picture of Polish culinary and cultural traditions.

Born and educated in Poland, Keblinski has the unique perspective of a Polish native living in America. After years of cooking around the country, she found that people seem to enjoy Polish food, but have very little exposure to it. Her experiences inspired her to open a “pantry” shop. Keblinski stocks a variety of Polish ingredients for the adventurous cook, but realizes that not everyone is eager to jump into the kitchen. Freshly baked bread, pastries, prepared sandwiches, soups, and full meals are also available. Pictures of Red Poppies’ offerings can be found at Facebook.com/redpoppiesapolishpantry. 

 

 “The Lark Street BID is thrilled with the recent addition of Red Poppies to the Lark Street business community. The Lark Street neighborhood has lacked the sort of cultural experience that Red Poppies offers. I have no doubt that Joanna and her staff will be successful here. Just look at the positive reviews they already have on Facebook! ” said Meghan McGrath, Director of Operations of the Lark Street Business Improvement District.

City Dining Cards Hit the Capital Region!

Announcing the launch of the new City Dining Cards: Capital Region Edition!

Each deck of City Dining Cards: Capital Region Edition contains 50 $10 discount cards to our favorite locally owned restaurants like Albany Pump Station, Creo’, Provence, Bombers Burrito Bar, DeJohn’s and The Point.

Decks are printed on FSC-certified paper and 5% of the sales are donated to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

A deck of cards costs only $20, and you can find out where to buy them by clicking here. Or, stop by the Gift Shop at the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center to buy a pack! We're conveniently located at Quackenbush Square with free parking near the Albany Pump Station (just look for the signs!)

Check out citydiningcards.com for more information.