The Day Before The Storm.

 

Hurricane Irene had many people running to the grocery store, buying enough water, bread and toilet paper to last them a week. The stop in shop by CIA was literally sold out of bread and water…. I am not a person who is against precautionary methods; I however spent my day/night before the storm a little differently.

A good friend and I figured, hey since a storm is coming, lets hit this city of Poughkeepsie harder then any Irene could. From this we went on a little culinary/bar tour around Poughkeepsie that turned out to be pretty fantastic.

Our first stop: Formosa

This is honestly a little Taiwanese Gem in Poughkeepsie, located right across the street from Marist. From here we ordered a few appetizers. We ordered the egg rolls, the steam pork bun and finally the small steamed minced pork buns (8pcs). The egg rolls are really good little egg rolls, and the big steam pork bun is decent, but those little steamed minced pork buns that take 18 minutes to prepare, these are worth the trip. Little dumplings, with minced pork and a broth of hot deliciousness inside. All in all, between the two of us the total came up to $6 per person. The prices here are awesome and the food is well worth it. I never leave that place unsatisfied.

Our next stop: Amici’s

There is a bar in the downstairs of the restaurant where you can get decent beer and very simple wines. The place just has a nice little atmosphere if one wants to get a drink at a bar and have good conversation. They also do a pretty good pizza pie.

Stop three: Antonella’s

This is a very local restaurant, where the locals go and the service is always friendly. The reason why the locals go there is because they are felt at home. This is their bar, and it is a very friendly place. My friend and I enjoyed some Campari and soda, while waiting for baby cakes to open for dinner.

Our last stop: Babycakes Café

Considering that one of our previous professors at the CIA owns Babycakes Café, we figured it was about time we checked this place out.  We sat at the bar and ordered some aperitifs.  I ordered a "Labrusca" Lambrusco Rosé NV (Emilia Romagna, Italy) by the glass. It was light and very fruity. Nice acidity that definitely wet my appetite. I then ordered their burger cooked rare, served with avocado and Brie cheese. This is also served along with french-fries and mayonnaise for dipping.  I ordered a bottle of wine to pair with the burger and share with a friend. The wine was Castello Fageto Rusus Rosso Piceno 2005. It's a DOC wine and the grapes are 50% Montepulciano 50% Sangiovese. It was a very good wine for the price with nice complexity. On the nose, there was a lot of earth, leather, and serious cigar box, along with deep black fruits, such as dark cherries and black berries. The palate mirrored the nose and it was honestly a great buy for $30 a bottle. This is after it has been marked up. Well worth it. The burger was cooked great and all in all, a nice experience.  Babycakes for me is a place to get a good burger, a good bottle of wine, for a good price. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing.

The After Party- CIA

So it was getting late and we have had our share of food and wine, but there is a magnum of Cava in my fridge and a bottle of a Bordeaux blanc in my buddies fridge so we decided to keep the party going. The Cordon Negro Brut by Freixent was delicious and well worth the price tag at $18 . A nice dry sparkling wine, with hints of apple and pear. Great acidity, that came off as very refreshing with great bubbles that lasted.

We got some people together and ended up playing a great game of Kings Cup with the Cava. When a player pulled the waterfall card it was always appreciated.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Great food, Great wine, spent with great people is what life is all about. And now, hurricane Irene is here and it has been a great excuse to stay in doors and nurse this little hangover. But man, it was worth it.