Mac & Cheese... and Wine!

Spend this Saturday on the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail sampling amazing craft beverages AND home-cooked macaroni and cheese dishes specially prepared for this event. Purchase a Trail Passport at any one of the five venues on the beverage trail for just $20 ($5 for designated drivers)!

If you can't make it on the trail this weekend, you can always head to Hudson-Chatham Winery on Wednesday, April 30, from 5:30 - 7:30 for a Hump Day Happy Hour with complimentary wine and food. This celebration of mid-week and mid-spring is sponsored by Ameriprise, who are opening an office in Valatie. So come out, have a glass of wine, and chat with friends old and new. Oh, and there will be door prizes, too! A reservation is requested and can be made by calling the winery at 518-392-9463.

Other events to add to your calendar:

Saturday, May 3: Vertical Tasting of Hudson-Chatham Merlot from 1-3 pm
A very special wine - and food - event where we sample our Merlots from 2007 up to what's currently aging in the barrel. A fun and fabulous way to compare and contrast some great vintages! $25/person ($20 for Case Club members). Reservations required.

Saturday, May 17: Private Wine Dinner from 6:30-9:30 pm
We're pairing our wines with an outrageous "Southern"-themed, multiple-course menu prepared by Chef David Robinson, founder of the incredible Culinary Command program. We guarantee good eating - and lots of wine-pairing discoveries for your own summer menus. Limited seating. Reservations required. ($75/person; $65/person for Case Club members.)

Saturday and Sunday, May 24 & 25: 2nd Annual Hudson Berkshire Wine & Food Festival at the Chatham Fairgrounds, featuring a dozen wineries, multiple distilleries, breweries, and cider makers - as well as lots of food - at the gorgeous and conveniently located Chatham Fairgrounds. For more information, go to www.hudsonberkshireexperience.com.

Great Spirits Win Award for Albany Distilling!

The Albany Distilling Company has reason to be in great spirits. The distillery located next to the Albany Pump Station in Downtown Albany received top honors for several of their products judged at the American Craft Distillers Association’s convention and trade show in Denver and the American Distilling Institute’s annual Craft Spirits Conference in Seattle this past March.

The Distillery was awarded gold medal and bronze mdesl for their Ironweed Rye Whiskey. The company also recieved bronze medals for their Quackenbush Still House Original Albany Rum and Albany Amber Rum, respectively.

Check out the article from Steve Barnes' Table Hopping Blog on Timesunion.com to find out all of the details.

9th Taste of Albany Benefit to be Held May 1st!

One the area’s top culinary fundraisers is just around the corner. The 9^th Annul A Taste of Albany will be held on Thursday, May 1 at the NYS Museum Terrace Gallery at 5:00 p.m.

A Taste of Albany is a culinary showcase and benefit for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH), featuring more than 30 Capital Region restaurants and chefs, celebrating with entertainment, live and silent auctions, and views of Albany’s Empire State Plaza.  This is the 9th annual A Taste of Albany.

Festivities kick off at 5 p.m. with a red carpet entrance and happy hour. Start the evening with a smile and a pose, then head up the NYS Museum's Terrace Gallery for sampling of hors d'oeuvres from local restaurants, complimentary beer, wine, and soda, and a peek at the silent auction items.

Following happy hour, at 6 p.m. will be the Culinary Showcase. There attendees will be able to enjoy an extensive selection of tastes from more than 30 Capital Region restaurants, entertainment, live and silent auctions, and more!

Participating restaurants includes but is not limited to Albany Pump Station, Angelo's 677 Prime, A Perfect Blend Café, New World Bistro Bar, Portofino's Italian Ristorante, and Yono's. You can find out about all 30 participating restaurants on the A Taste of Albany homepage. 

Tickets for this event are $75 or you can purchase an Honorary Ticket for $175. Honorary Ticket purchasers will receive an "A Taste of Albany Dining Book," featuring coupons and discounts to local Capital Region restaurants.

Proceeds from A Taste of Albany benefit Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH), an Albany-based agency celebrating 30 Years of addressing the needs of the homeless and low-income community. Last year, the event raised more than $100,000 for IPH.

Carey Institute to host Farm to Glass Workshop

The Carey Institute for Global Good it's ever-popular Farm to Glass Classroom on Saturday May 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Honey and Mead Workshop is for novice mead makers, beekeepers interested in selling honey to brewers, brewers and mead makers looking for local honey, and anyone who may just be interested in craft mead production.

Speakers and panelists for the event will include Apiculturist, Paul Cappy, of the NYS Agriculture and Markets. As well as Peter Voelker, the Owner/operator of Helderberg Meadworks, and Jamie Caligure, head brewer from Cave Mountain Brewery.

The workshop is limited and costs $20 per person. Reservations can be made by e-mailing rplatel@careyconferencecenter.org or by calling (518) 797-5100.

Easter's Coming!

Easter is on its way, which means it's time to make plans for your Easter meal. For those hosting a meals at home don't forget today is the last day to order your baked goods from Saint Sophia's Greek Orthodox Greek Church. You can learn more about that here.

If you're looking for an easier option, Taste Albany will offer an East Brunch Buffet from 10:30a.m.-4 p.m. on Easter, Sunday, April 20. The buffet will include a breakfast and carving stations,   an "oceans" sea food table, mashed potato bar, lunch station, and dessert station. A "Little Bunny Station" will also be offered featuring grilled cheese, mac n cheese, chicken fingers, and carrots and ranch for children.

Reservations are required for Easter Brunch. Prices for the meal are as follows:

• $39.95 for Adults (Ages 12+)
• $20 for Children (Ages 6-11)
• Free for Children under age 6

To make reservations go online or call (518) 694-3322. Taste is located at 45 Beaver Street in Downtown Albany.

Seats left for 677 Prime Classics at Different Drummers Kitchen!

There are still a few seats left for the 677 Prime Classics on Wednesday, April 2 from 6pm-8:30pm at Different Drummer's Kitchen Co. 

Different Drummer's Kitchen Co. at Stuyvesant Plaza will bring back Executive Chef Jaime Ortiz of 677 Prime for a night of mouth-watering decadent dishes sure to please all. Chef Jaime brings international influences to crowd favorites that delight the palate and leave you wanting more.  This is a class you won't want to miss!

The nights menu will include:

• Chop salad
• Tempura surf and turf rolls
• Sea bass with shiitake soy butter
• 7-hour cherry pepper pork

The fee for the evening is $69 a person and seating is limited. Reservations for the night can be made by calling (518) 459-7990 or by registering online.

Different Drummers Kitchen will offer a variety of fun and tasty courses over the next week or so including: Spring and Easter Petit Four, Hands-on, on Saturday, April 5. As well as beginner Sushi Hands-on with Sushi 101 on Monday, April 7. For all of the courses coming up check out the Different Drummers Kitchen Albany Calendar.