Cooperstown Cheese Company display at the Little Falls Cheese Festival.
Do you like to fill your leisure time with food-related activities and pursuits? Check here regularly for Central New York- and Upstate New York-focused ideas and itineraries. And feel free to leave ideas for future visits/posts in the Comments, below.
Destination: Little Falls Cheese Festival
The line was so long at the Jake's Gouda stand at the Little Falls Cheese Festival that it would have taken 15 minutes or more to get a sample and make a purchase. That's not a complaint as much as an observation: the annual celebration of New York State-made artisan cheese has become wildly popular.
The festival, now in its fifth year, is held each July on Main Street in the city of Little Falls (Herkimer County; about 65 miles east of Syracuse). This year's festival was on July 13. It featured hard cheeses, soft, spreadable cheeses, fragrant blue cheeses, cheese curds, cow, goat and sheep milk cheeses, yogurts -- and all sorts of things to complement cheese, including beer, wine, cider, crackers, breads, honey, maple products, spices and hand-crafted wooden serving boards. The festival covers about five city blocks and features about 120 cheeses from more than 20 cheesemakers.
Utica Bread was scheduled to be a vendor at the Little Falls Cheese Festival but canceled at the last minute, leaving festival organizers and attendees disappointed. I didn't know that when I made plans to go there. If you've ever had the pleasure of dining at The Tailor and the Cook in Utica, you've probably sampled Utica Bread. A basket filled with several varieties of bread from the bakery makes a great first impression at dinner. The bakery is owned by The T&C's owners and is next door to the restaurant. With a menu that includes baguette, brioche, sour dough, ciabatta, sesame Italian, deli rye, raisin walnut and multi-grain loaves -- plus croissants and other pastries -- it's a carb lover's dream.
The menu at Pho Mekong is extensive, with rice dishes, vermicelli dishes and 12 varieties of pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), among other things. To start, I settled on an order of fresh spring rolls, stuffed with lettuce, mint, cucumber, vermicelli, shrimp and chicken, served with a thick peanut hoisin sauce for dipping.
The drunken noodles, a specialty of the house, will long linger in my memory. The dish features fat, wok-fried egg noodles, tossed with onion, peppers and Chinese broccoli (bok choy) and a chili-garlic sauce that's full of flavor and mild heat. I ordered the dish with minced chicken, but it's also available with beef and without meat.
The festival, now in its fifth year, is held each July on Main Street in the city of Little Falls (Herkimer County; about 65 miles east of Syracuse). This year's festival was on July 13. It featured hard cheeses, soft, spreadable cheeses, fragrant blue cheeses, cheese curds, cow, goat and sheep milk cheeses, yogurts -- and all sorts of things to complement cheese, including beer, wine, cider, crackers, breads, honey, maple products, spices and hand-crafted wooden serving boards. The festival covers about five city blocks and features about 120 cheeses from more than 20 cheesemakers.
These are not cheeses one finds in the grocery store, as a rule -- and that's the fun of the Little Falls Cheese Festival. I came home with:
• Cooperstown Cheese Company Toma Celena: a rich, Italian-style "table" cheese with a slightly nutty flavor.
• Three Village Cheese Co. dill havarti: A buttery, Danish-style cheese that looks lovely on a cheese plate and also melts nicely.
• Windy Hill Goat Dairy herb garden chèvre: a crumbly, slightly tangy, spreadable goats milk cheese.
• East Hill Creamery Underpass and Silver Lake: These European-style raw milk cheeses are recommended for cheese plates -- and melting on everything.
As for Jake's Gouda: I'll hunt them down some Saturday at the Cazenovia Farmers Market.
Destination: Utica Bread
I arrived at the bake shop about an hour and a half before closing time and the bakery shelves and case were close to empty. Just a few baguettes and a couple loaves of ciabatta and multi-grain bread remained. But I was in luck because I had planned to purchase the multi-grain bread anyway. It's a dense, moist loaf, with seeds on the outside and the inside, giving it a really nice texture and chew. It makes excellent toast. Slather on the butter and fruit jam.
Utica Bread is at 106 Genesee St., Utica, in the Bagg's Square neighborhood. It's open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Get there early for best selection.
Destination: Pho Mekong House of Noodles
Usually when we have noodles in Utica, they're the Italian variety: a big plate of pasta or "hats,'' enrobed in tomato sauce or vodka sauce. I wanted to try something different.
The menu at Pho Mekong is extensive, with rice dishes, vermicelli dishes and 12 varieties of pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), among other things. To start, I settled on an order of fresh spring rolls, stuffed with lettuce, mint, cucumber, vermicelli, shrimp and chicken, served with a thick peanut hoisin sauce for dipping.
The drunken noodles, a specialty of the house, will long linger in my memory. The dish features fat, wok-fried egg noodles, tossed with onion, peppers and Chinese broccoli (bok choy) and a chili-garlic sauce that's full of flavor and mild heat. I ordered the dish with minced chicken, but it's also available with beef and without meat.
I headed home with enough leftovers to serve as supper for two the next day -- and a Vietnamese iced coffee to keep me cool and wide awake on the ride home. If you've never had Vietnamese iced coffee, it's a tradition and a treat: a strong brew tempered by sweetened condensed milk, served with lots of ice.
Pho Mekong House of Noodles is at 601 John St., Utica. Hours are 11 to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Information: 315-797-7171.
Note: All photos by Margaret McCormick unless otherwise indicated.
Comments