CRFoodies: Your Source for News, Reviews, Events, and all things food!

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Foodies of the Capital Region! Your source for news, events, and reviews of all things food.

CRFoodies is an independently run site with all content created by food loving people in and around the Capital Region. Our reviews are unbiased, and written from individual perspectives, neither swayed nor influenced by any restaurant or purveyor. Comments on the site are moderated, but all non-offensive comments will be approved and displayed. If you are interested in writing reviews for the site, please create an account, and you will have the ability to submit news, events, or reviews.

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Bacon Bash

Details: Category: News; Written by Brian

O'tooles held their "Bacon Bash part deux" on Nov. 17th. The event was co-sponsored by Rock 100.9.

Highlighting the night was a special menu featuring bacon, including bacon martinis, bacon wrapped hotdogs, and more traditional bacon dishes such as BLTs and bacon cheeseburgers. They were also giving out 1 pound of bacon from the meat house every 10 minutes. Oh, and of course they had bacon dipped in chocolate.

I went with a few of my friends, we all ordered the bacon wrapped deep fried hot dogs, and we were mildly disappointed that they just fried the hotdog then put a slice of bacon on top, but it was still good. I had to try the bacon martini, which because of my very low expectations was surprisingly drinkable, but I would probably never get it again.

It was a fun event that everyone got into, the manager walking around was excited about the event, and friendly. He made sure to give pig noses to all the kids he saw. They had staff walking around giving out samples of bacon, and after our meal they came and gave out chocolated dipped bacon (normally costs $2). It was a fun excuse to go out and eat bacon.

Click 'more' below to view more pictures from the event. Including the event's mascot, Willie, a pig.


Bacon Bash Menu	Bacon Martini	Pork slap beer	Bacon giveaway! I won

Pride of New York Harvest Festival

Details: Category: News; Written by Brian

The Pride of New York Harvest Festival was held at the Desmond on Saturday, Nov. 17th (it is also still running on the 18th)

The event featured over 50 vendors, the majority of which being wineries from all over New York. They also held seminars, 4 per day, one was included with admission to the grand tasting (we went to the chocolate and wine one, very informative)

If you have a chance to go on the second day (tomorrow as of the posting date), I would recommed it, lots of good products from all around New York and lots of wine.

Click 'more' below to view more pictures from the event.

The Standard Restaurant

Details: Category: Restaurant Reviews; Written by Michael

standard1

Since this is my first review here on CR Foodies, let me preface the review by saying the following. I am a Chef. I work in or around the Capital Area. I have been wanting to do reviews here but was unable to due to the fact that one of the restaurants on here that was reviewed was owned and operated by my wife and myself. I considered it in bad taste to own a business listed on here and write reviews about others. With that said we have closed our restaurant and, I can now in good faith do objective and accurate reviews.

To describe how I rate restaurants or anything for that matter. I say the following: We all have one common goal when we go out to EAT, that is to EAT, I mainly judge a place on it's food. Good food is good plain and simple, if it comes from a shack or a gold plated building, if it's good then it's good. I base my reviews in the following manner 75% Food is it good? Is it bad? or is it just middle of the road? Had worse but had better. The place of business and ambiance are just 15% of my review as long as the place is clean and no paint chipping into my food or drink I don't care if it's a shack or a palace like I said we go to eat if its good food then I'm happy. Yes and finally the wonderful service that we all expect. I base just 10% of my reviews on service, yes bad service can ruin your experience but why let it? As long as the person is friendly and checks in a few times I'm good.

My First review is on the Standard Restaurant. Yes it's located in a Mall. Thats not the end of the world, it's not a Chain it's not in the "Food Court" so to me it's just another building you don't even have to enter the Mall to get into it. The place is clean and very well decorated. They are trying to bring us back to a time when most of us were not even alive yet or even thought of and I think they do a good job of it.

The Service was just fine no problems at all greeted right away, seated right away and the server was at our table in about two minutes of us arriving. Our party was made up of Myself, my Wife and our two youngest children. We place our drink orders and placed an order for a appetizer at the same time. We each had a soda to drink, and ordered the Buffalo Chicken rolls. We each placed or order for our main course at that time. My wife Cassie ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken that came with Cappilini (angel Hair) with a Tomato Cream Sauce. I ordered the Meat Loaf Stack.

Now on to the Food. The app arrived it was hot and well prepared it was pulled chicken with Buffalo sauce and Blue Cheese all wraped in what seemed to be a Wonton wrapper, and then deep fried, then cut on a bias and served pointing to the sky. They were served with Blue Cheese Dressing, and dressing it was I can see it being used on a salad but not as a dipping sauce it was way to loose to be used as a sauce, but overall the app was good. Our main courses arrived again my wife ordered the Parmesan Crusted Chicken, I had a taste so I could give a fair and accurate review of the dish. The pasta was cooked to perfection it was Al Dente, not over cooked and mushy. The Cream sauce had a good flavor and left no watery residue on the plate. The chicken was indeed encrusted with Parmesan cheese. It was pan fried and cooked just right the problem was is that just because its encrusted with cheese does not mean to forget to season it, with some basic salt and pepper. The dish was not wiped either before it was served it had a couple of spots of sauce on the outer rim of the plate no it did not detract from the taste of the dish but attention to detail is all a part of the dishes presentation. Cassie also agreed with my assement of the dish. I had the Meatloaf Stack. It was three slices of Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, caremelized onions, French green beans, and Mushrooms (not mentioned on menu). I love Meatloaf, but not this loaf no it's not for me. First off it had roasted red peppers in it and roasted red peppers bleed through just about anything and that they did. The meat was a low grade at best it reminded me of a Salisbury Steak tv dinner. The rest of the dish was ok and cooked the way it should have been the beans still had a snap to them and the mashed were not sloppy or too thick. The menu made no mention of mushrooms and I don't really care for them or I would have had the server omit them off the dish.

The entire cost was about $75.00 for two, one app and two sodas kind of over priced for what we recieved but I would go back for another visit.

I give it 3.5 forks had worse but had better.