Daisy Bakers - (closed)

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Written by Brian

I've been wanting to go to Daisy Bakers since I saw their Fall menu with a dish that had a risotto in it.

We got there late on a Friday night.  The place was about 2/3 full.  There was no hostess there, after waiting for about 10 minutes, a waitress eventually wandered over and sat us.  It took her about 5 minutes to come back to take our drink orders.

I ordered the pan seared filet of scottish salmon, crowned with a cippolini/honey gastrique, and set atop a roasted butternut squash/bacon risotto with crunchy pea shoots ($23).  The salmon was well cooked, but very lightly seasoned.  The risotto had basically no squash or bacon flavor to it.  It was good, but lacked the flavor profile promised.  It also had onions in it, which is annoying because they overpower a risotto and were not listed on the menu (although it did say cippolini gastrique, so the onions weren't a shock).  It had a bunch of vegetables with it, that were also not advertised, so the portion size of the fish and risotto was significantly smaller than I had expected.  The vegetables were fresh, but unseasoned.

Josie had the shrimp dish with jumbo white gulf shrimp, oyster mushroom, fresh mozzarella ciliegine, shaved prosciutto and cherry tomato, tossed in a pinot grigio/garlic/herb butter over linguini ($24).  The flavors in this dish were amazing.  Everything was cooked perfectly and well balanced.

Warm bread was brought out with a very garlicy butter (perfect for us, but may be too garlicy for some).  And we had a slice of salted caramel crunch cake for dessert ($7)  A-maz-ing.  My favorite part of the meal.  Highly recommended.

The place is a nice size, but very open making it loud.  The tables are very close together (just about a foot between my table and the one next to us).  It is hard to have a conversation and there is absolutely no privacy.  The waitress was very slow (with us, but she seemed fine with the table next to us with people she knew) .  I felt very rushed, with the check coming out with the dessert, but it still took her 5 minutes to run my card.

Parking is on the street, and we found a spot easy enough about a block and a half away.

Salmon with squash/bacon risotto	Shrimp pasta dish	Salted Caramel Crunch Cake

Reel Seafood

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Written by Brian

	Cheddar Crab Dip

2/22/14 - Editors note:  Managment has changed and they have revamped the menu.  This review is out-dated, and none of the food reviewed remains on the menu.

This is an updated review with additional information and pictures:

I have fallen in love with this place the last few months.  If it was just a bit cheaper,  I think I would live here.

I usually get one of the risotto dishes when I'm here.  Most commonly the blackened mahi over a pineapple risotto with a honey ginger reduction (pictured below).  I love the sweet with the spicy (although sometimes there is too much sweet)

I have also ordered the grouper with a lobster risotto (pictured below).  Very good, with big pieces of lobster in the risotto, the fish is prepared well and flaky, but once (out of 4 times) we found a small bone in the fish, and the dish costs almost $26.

And I have had one of their specials, it was some kind of fish with a cinnamon glaze and a squash or pumpkin risotto.  This lacked a bit in flavor, and I wouldn't have ordered it again, but I think it is off the menu now anyway.

I would also recommend the cheddar crab dip as an appetizer (pictured above), good size pieces of crab, and just a nice flavor.  Even the chips are slightly seasoning and the avacado on top of the dip adds a nice creamy contrast.

Bread is always too hot, and a bit too crunchy for my liking, but it is free and there is a lot of it.  I personally don't think the upgrade to a salad is worth it, but that is just me.

Blackened Mahi on a pineapple risotto with a honey ginger reduction	Pan seared grouper on a lobster risotto and crunchy / fried green beans on top

Harvest Festival - Review

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Category: News

Written by Brian

Honest Weight Food Co-op held it's Local Harvest Festival on Sunday, Sept. 8th from 12-4.

The event featured over 40 vendors, live music, cooking demonstrations and a cookoff between Steve Barnes (Times Union) and B.A. Nellson (Metroland)

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Jake Moon

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Written by Brian

For the first time, all three foodies (and Kent's better half) all got together to review a restaurant.  Jake Moon in New Scotland was recommended by a friend, so we decided we would give it a try.

When the waitress came over with our menus she said, "We have a small menu, but everything on it is amazing".  We took that as a bit of a challenge, but our conclusion was unanimous - she was right.

We ordered a few appetizers to share: a cup of the lobster bisque ($4), crisp fried bluepoint oysters with a chipotle aioli ($9), and goat cheese pillow with a rhubarb chutney ($8).  The lobster bisque had a great flavor, with a slight peppery finish.  The oysters were crunchy on the outside, but moist inside and the aioli was smooth with a nice spice.  The cheese pillow had a nice flaky phyllo dough outside with a creamy goat cheese inside.  The arugula and rhubarb chutney with the pillow made for the perfect bite.

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