The restaraunts showed up all of em showed up for Troy. I enjoyed myself went to work with a full…read morestomach. Kant lie though, Bucchus wood fire pizzeria had the best wings out last year 2023 pigg out. The funny part is I didn't notice the restaurant. At the time I was new toTroy. Me and my fiance at the time saw everybody licking fingers

After missing it for a couple of years, my wife and I came back and I was a bit underwhelmed. It…read moreused to be focused on the barbeque rib competition, with a festival thrown alongside to sweeten the pot. Now, it seems to be more of a food truck festival with free music, and the barbeque competition has fallen by the wayside. Whereas once you could walk through the competition area and meet the competitors, stand amazed in awe of their three-foot tall golden trophies from culinary conquests of the past, and smell the ribs from a block or two away, now the competition has all but disappeared. Also, it has morphed from a 2-day event to a 1-day event. The food trucks now are about 20% barbeque themed, with the regular fried sausage, popcorn, fried dough, pizza, etc mixed in. The craft vendors seem to be fewer in number and mostly related to jewelry (boring). The free music is still a "you get what you pay for" proposition: the first band we heard was country/blues cover band and I thought they were decent. The next band we heard was an indie-pop band and their lead singer was terribly off key. After about an hour of being there, we had eaten some food, listened to some music, and had no real reason to stay. It was hot (it always is) despite the slight rain that came and went. It is a shell of what it once was. A fun time can still be had here, but instead of calling it the "Pig Out" they should just call it a "River Festival."

Creme de laCreme Cream Puffs are to die for, the Vanilla Cream Puff is decidedly vanilla, the…read morepastry creamy without being soggy. Tge fudge drizzle topping pairs well and doesn't overpower the other flavors. 2nd bakery is Nostalgia Bakery. This Baker blends sweet with savory and a heap of vegetables to make decadent desserts, cookies, pastries and muffins. Today I selected a fudge chocolate I late/spinach brownie and an O.G cookie.

Yes, it's only taken us about 5 years to make it, but we finally got to see what the fuss was all…read moreabout! Of course, by early November the outdoor market has moved indoors and we have little idea what the waterfront outdoor market looks like, but I've gotta say I'm impressed. I'm impressed with the organisation of the so many vendors in different corners of the two-floor space, and the variety and quality of the goodies available. Pretty much all cooked foods were upstairs with tables and chairs dotted amongst vendors, and the offerings ranged from West African and Caribbean American to dumplings, crepes, and empanadas. There was a "makers" room with clothing, jewlery, pottery, and other knickknacks, and produce, Belgian sugar waffles, and dried flower arrangements lined the middle section of the ground level. Probably the biggest room was in the back corner across from the 'booze' section, and this is where we see the dairy, dips, honey, peanut butter, gourds, pickles, and lots of baked goods, some of which we couldn't resist. We ended up with a small haul from Golden Blend Bakehouse, Our Daily Bread, and The Placid Baker. I'm be sure to follow up on how the baked goods go but the farmers market was impressive and I'm glad this has become a real landmark in the Capital Region. Parking is available among the street (mostly metred) and near the waterfront. We'll be back.

Many good things about this event and venue, some not so good. The good: it's FREE. Parking in the…read moregarage across the street is FREE. The setting is nice, the amphitheater is cool, there are plenty of police and porta-potties. There is beer sold and lots of verities of food stands. Not so good: It looked like people had to get in a long line to pay for beer tickets, then get in another long line to redeem the tickets for beers. Other one- no wine or any other alcoholic beverage other than beer. Not enough dessert trucks. Churros looked good, though I'll surely go another Wednesday, and when I do? My dinner will be lobster salad in a lemon chive waffle cone. Wow!

What a fun experience! Oh course, I bought so much chowder that I wound up spending more than I…read morenormally would for a bowl of chowder but it was all so delicious and there was so much variety. The organizers could not have picked a nicer fall day for such an event. It was not just the food. It was nice to walk around River St. in Troy and take in the beautiful architecture, the cute shops, listen to live music and people watch. In some cases, the soup lines were long but no one seemed to mind. If you came with friends or family, you'd just hang out and chat until your turn came up. My daughter, who came with me, was so excited about the Troy Chowder Fest that she told all of her friends. She also told them that it was every bit as fun and delicious as she had hoped it would be.

I was REALLY looking forward to Chowder Fest. I was let down. The event was from 12-4 and I got…read morethere around 2:30. The lines to try to chowder were insanely long (anywhere from 1-3 blocks). And then the restaurants started to run out. So we were left with tickets and nowhere to use them. An unfortunate situation because this could have been a really really fun day. The only reason this event gets two stars is because they had Cryin' Out Loud performing on the main stage... LOVE them!

I recently became a supporter of the Ukrainian-American Citizens Club by invitation to line dance…read more It's located in a park like setting between the city of Cohoes and VanSchiack island with the Mohawk on the one side and the Hudson on the other. The club has a very large open dance floor which supports dancing for the masses. The bar is available during lessons (Tuesday and Wednesday) and for Friday night dances - beer, wine, soda and water are purchasable. Parking is amble.

A real gem in the capital district. Large party, small party, lots of room for dancing, easy…read moreaccess, good food and bar, great hosts.

This Farmers Market is a hidden gem! All of the vendors are super friendly, the produce is great,…read morethe pastries from Made by Linda are the best I've ever had! The coolest thing about this market is the location though, It's in a covered but open air building so you get the breeze and the outside air without getting a sunburn or getting rained on if the weather is bad. The parking is also in a lot right next to the market so you don't have to worry about street parking blocks away like you would at the Troy Market.

Wow! This is a great farmer's market. I'm not sure if the produce is quite as good as the Troy…read moreplace, but I like the real salt-of-the earth atmosphere here. During the week, it's wholesale only, but on Saturdays they open it up for retail to the public. This doesn't seem to be the place for the academic-type farmers, if you know what I mean. You know, the Michael Pollan reading ones who can recite an entire thesis on the definitions of organic. I love those people too, but most of the farmers here are of a different variety. The ones I saw today are the farmers who have been doing it forever, and who haven't bothered to scrub the soil out of their finger nails before coming to hawk their wares. When I went today, there weren't a whole lot of fruits and veggies, but there were a ton of plants. The plants alone were definitely worth the trip. I restrained myself and only purchased a nice rosemary plant. A great farm near my mother's house - Stanton's - also had a gorgeous array of strawberries. There's nothing like a good early June strawberry. They're smaller than those hulking California ones but the taste is a thousand times better. At 5.75 for a quart, it might seem a bit pricey but I think the quality makes it worth the price. There are also several little craft stands, along with vendors selling nut butters, jams and the like. Oh, and they take credit cards. I can't wait to come back when it's full-on summer.