Spring Wind

Until recently, cheesecake was just this other dessert that was often not chocolate but more often mediocre in my mind. Nothing special. Now that has all changed.

This past spring, my friend Javier decided to relocate to Albany for school. Knowing it’d be difficult for him to get to Albany to go apartment hunting, I offered to do some leg work for him and scope out potential digs. One evening I found myself near the New York State Plaza. The apartment itself I felt was a contender so I decided to get a better feel for the area in general – it sits on the edge of a couple of very different neighborhoods and is hard to categorize. What a fateful walk it would turn out to be!
I headed down South Swan Street and turned up Hamilton St by El Mariachi. Hamilton Street to me will always be known as Robinson Square and fondly remembered for The Chocolatier (one of my favorite places as a kid). As I walked, I noticed a little girl playing on the sidewalk in front of a shop with a sign reading ‘Cheesecake Machismo’. The sign also sported a funky picture of a 40’s pin-up type girl. Kitschy, I thought, and it intrigued me. After strolling a bit farther and given the general vicinity a nod of approval, I decided to celebrate the find by checking out this peculiar patisserie.
One step in the door and I was in love: kitsch and tacky-funny toys and pictures everywhere, and two very friendly and welcoming owners!! And that was just the atmosphere! I was snapping pics with my cell phone right and left, trying to soak it all in and share this incredibly awesome find with like-minded friends on Twitter. Then there was the cheesecake!! I’m afraid to admit I don’t recall exactly what flavor my first piece was, but I was amazed! I’d never had its equal! I of course got a few more slices to bring home to my family (I’m always somewhat amazed those pieces make it home).
That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship! One that I hope lasts a long time to come. Since that fateful day, Javier did indeed move into the apartment nearby and he and I have become regulars at Cheesecake. It’s been an integral part of our adventures. In addition to the fantastic cheesecake, Lynn and Bam (the owners) have been so wonderful. I sometimes like to go for the conversation as much as the cheesecake (and conversation has way fewer calories). It’s not often that you get to build a relationship with a business’ proprietors today; in this case not only the owners but the actual creators of the great product they sell. Maybe it’s a bit of an unusual situation that has led to my affinity for the place–now it’s full of personal associations as well-but I still think it’s a fantastic place with a wonderful product.

The cheesecake itself is beyond compare in my opinion. Just the right texture for the cake, neither too dry nor too moist, perfect crusts, and wonderful flavors. There is sure to be something to appeal to everyone. Here is just a smattering of the cakes they have made:
Black Raspberry Chambord * Wild Blueberry * Lemon Black Cherry * Strawberry * Boysenberry Caramel Pumpkin * Frangelico Cappuccino * Grasshopper * Grand Marnier Chocolate * Chocolate Stout * Key Lime * Blood Orange Martini * Gingerbread * Chocolate Malt * Peach * Maple Walnut * Peanut Butter Banana * Wildberry * Peach Crumb * Mocha Caramel * Chocolate Mocha * Dulce de Leche * Caramel Toffee * Kahlua Caramel * Baileys Caramel Chocolate * Double Dutch Dark * Cookies ‘n’ Creme * Green Tea w/ Chocolate * Chai Latte * Candybar * Peanut Butter Chocolate * Chocolate Mint * Chocolate Hazelnut * Chocolate Macadamia * Chocolate Fantasy * PB&J * Chocolate Buzz * Red & Black Currant * Raspberry Chip * Valencia Orange Rhubarb * Strawberry Chip * English Toffee Irish Coffee * Apricot Almond * Eggnog * Butterscotch * French Vanilla * Caramel Apple * Trevor’s Caramel Chocolate Swirl * Blackberry Lemon * Mudslide * Dutch Diamond Mine * Lemon * White Chocolate * Pumpkin Rum Pie (walnut crust) * Gingerbread Biscotti Macadamia * Lemon Ginger Black Cherry * Chocolate Almond Amaretto * Caramel Walnut Brownie * Chocolate Fluffer Nutter * S’mores * PLAIN * Raspberry Pear * Blueberry Waffle * Hot Choclate * Bananas Foster * Black Irish Stout

Now- for my top 5 picks (of those that I have tried so far)…
• Peanut Butter Brownie
• Caramel Pumpkin
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Tandoori
• Blueberry Maple
That was really hard to trim down to only 5!

Want to find out more? Stop on in at 293 Hamilton St, Albany, NY or give them a call at (518) 427-7019.
Hours: Tues – Sat Noon-8pm (or as long as the cheesecake lasts); CLOSED Sun and Mon.
Also read the recent Metroland article about Lynn and Bam’s shop (and other great local food)

More on good friends and good food in future posts.  Stay tuned!

What to do to get out of town for a day? Go explore the weird locations in your area. Following up on a lead in “Weird New York” (edited by Chris Gethard et al), we were amazed by an acoustical oddity in the village of Lake George.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in early August. The little village of Lake George was teaming with life. The influx of seasonal visitors was at its peak after a wet start to the summer. Many different varieties of Homo sapien – Rednecked Mullets, Blue-collared Prols, and even a few Abercombie’s Long Beaks – were all easily spotted on the main thoroughfare. Many were out acquiring new body coverings or home goods from the local merchants. Knick-knacks and whatnots galore were on display in every window. The local watering holes were fairly empty at this point in the day, save a few stragglers from the night prior. The roads were packed with vehicles transporting even more tourists to the nearby bazaars and amusements.
Ambling down the street, we perused the “local” goods (largely produced thousands of miles away) and took refreshments in a small dining establishment. As we walked, we kept our eyes and ears open for any sign of the famed location mentioned in our guide book. Our clues to the spot: off Canada St, a large compass on the ground. Just those facts and the knowledge that this spot was reported to cause strange changes to one’s voice were all we had to go by.
We finally stopped and asked a local guide if she was familiar at least with the compass we sought. And, of course she was. She eyed us knowingly. “It’s right out at the end of the building. Just head out that door. You can’t miss it.” Her expression seemed to say “You two travelers are wise and learned. Share in our knowledge of ‘the spot’; experience the awe. Will you grow to understand its meaning?”, however, without further explanation she turned back to her other tasks leaving us to wonder at what she had left unspoken.
And without further hesitation or delay we exited the premises by the door she had indicated and quickly found ourselves standing in the center of a small, circular clearing. Most of the area was edged with a short stone wall and flowering shrubs and trees. One section was open to steps leading to the street a few feet below. Under our feet was a map of Lake George itself, with a few of the larger towns along its shores labeled. On closer inspection, we realized that the triangular and rectangular shapes made by a network of metal strips inlayed in the rock below our feet were actually the compass we were searching for!
The auditory oddity? An echo where there is no apparent reason for one. The overall sound sensation is that you are standing in a very small, very empty room made of tin, or maybe that your head is covered by a large galvanized tub. The sound of your own voice seemed repeated the most to me, but others voices in the vicinity took on the same quality. At the same time, sound seemed somewhat muted. There were plenty of people on the periphery of the circular area but they sounded in a way more distant than they actually were. What was also odd to us was that no one else seemed to notice this bizarre phenomenon. A few did stare at us in wonder as we stood on the center of the circle speaking in very animated voices, but not a soul appeared aware of anything unusual besides our behavior.
So, what are the reasons for the strange acoustic properties of this spot? Admittedly our hypotheses need further research and development, but we’d like to believe it has something to do with aliens or George, the Lake George monster. We just like those ideas better than anything that physics might come up with and decided not to over-think it too much. No matter what the reason for this phenomenon, it was very intriguing and well worth the trip.

You Tube video of weird spot
Lake George Monster

I’m a country girl.  Born and raised in the hills of Columbia County.  Learned the three R’s, somehow, despite our school (the infamous Ichabod Crane) “always” being closed.  And I still think Columbia County is beautiful and enjoy my peace and quite in the woods of the Taconic range.  While my outside-of-work-and-school-life has been rural, the bulk of my workaday world revolves around Albany.  I’ve always thought I knew Albany pretty well, until recently when a good friend moved to Albany. As I’ve been showing him around, I’ve learned that there is a HUGE difference between knowing your way around a city and knowing the city (mind you, this friend is from THE CITY and seems to consider Albany rural despite having lived in real hillbilly country for a while).  It’s been a trip, re-discovering Albany!  I’m really enjoying it.

OK, OK yes, it is just another smallish city, nothing terribly special, I admit.  But it has people, and the people are what make a city.  The people provide the stories and the histories and the places and events.  And while I enjoy my peace and solitude and tend to avoid crowds, I also enjoy observing and meeting the individuals that make these cities.  Some might consider me naive, that these feelings are just an expression of my bumpkinish.  Possibly.  Maybe it makes me a voyeur in some ways, but I feel it also makes me a more compassionate and understanding human.  There is so much to see, so much to learn!  Things that I never even knew existed! Experiences beyond our normal everyday lives, experiences that expand our minds and hearts help us grow and keep us alive and part of the world.  Sometimes that connection for me seems very tenuous so these new experiences are wonderful.  I know the novelty probably won’t last, but I’m enjoying the journey for now.  I’ll share some of my findings with you along the way…

Welcome back!   Spring Wind is back and better than ever with new improved cleaning power and stain-fighting ingredients.  With a smile this bright, he’s sure to notice!  Great for loosening stubborn bolts and sharpens knives like a dream.  Also guaranteed to break the ice at parties!