Albany, NY
Here we are a little outside of Albany at the GE Betz complex.
The lodge, which is on the GE company site, is gorgeous. It's a recently built (2 year old) company owned lodge to house guests and visting GE staff. There's a fitness club, but it's a separate building and the tall trees between the lodge's deck and the club hid it from mhy view.
The complex is huge, with 1850 employees. The lodge is like a hotel, but alas, without a pool. I spent yesterday alternately in the beautiful air conditioned lounge and on the deck, which overlooks the brilliant blue Mohawk River below. When the heat got too much, I'd go back inside and sip a cool drink.
Every morning there's a continental breakfast with beautifully sliced, peeled and presented cold fruit, bagels, muffins, coffee, juice, etc. There's also a 24 hour pantry where you can get snacks, make specialty coffees (I tried cashew caramel) and help yourself to what's in the fridge. There's an open bar too. In the evenings we meet in the lounge have a glass or two of wine, then out to dinner.
Last night we dined in town at cafe capriccio where we were guests at the chef's table. This is upstairs in what appears to be the owner's dining room. A bar separates us from the kitchen where he and his wife cook for their guests, in this case, our group of 9. The rest of the restaurant is downstairs, but this upper area is special.
Jim, the owner chef, brought out platter after platter of exquisite tasting Italian appetizers, explaining what went into each as he presented each one with a flourish.
"Garlic scape with olive oil, zucchini with goat cheese and roasted red pepper. Here we have white beans Tuscan style with herbs and kale from the garden. There's a little more juice than I'd like but hey, that happens". There were golden beats with basil and nasturtium leaves and flowers, homebake bread, and a crisp Italian white to help it all down.
"This is home cooking, and you are like my family tonight", said Jim, whereupon I promply knocked over my wine glass.
"The bad daughter has spilled her wine", I called out, whereupon the attentive waiter immediately mopped up my spill and refilled my glass.
The appetizer were so good it was a struggle not to fill up on them, but Jim had warned us at the beginning that we would have a large meal and to leave room. Sadly, I pushed away my plate to await the next dish.
"These tomatoes have been blanched and sitting in herbs and oil. It's a light tomato sauce which I will cook in the time the penne is cooking, so it's just gently sauteed." This sauce topped a small bowl of penne and then covered with breadcrumbs crisply fried in olive oil. It was delicious.
Finally, we had butter-tender beef in a port and balsamic vinegar sauce, fresh beans picked from his garden out back, mushrooms and roasted potatoes with a mystery spice. We all thought it tasted familiar but couldn't identify it. Turns out it was lavendar. Fresh lavendar, just sprinkled on the potatoes. You couldn't see it, but the delicate taste was there and reminiscent of a light tarragon. Wow.
In honour of Hans' upcoming 60th birthday on July 23, Jim's wife made a light pastry wrapped around a horn and baked, then stuffed with Chantilly cream and accompanied by sweetened, sliced strawberries. Hans got a candle in his but was so full, he had a hard time blowing it out.
At the end of dinner, Jim presented each of us with a signed copy of his first cookbook which I browed through this morning. He's a delightful raconteur.
This afternoon we're off to a golf course where I plan to enjoy myself in the air conditioned lounge sipping wine and reading a good book!
The lodge, which is on the GE company site, is gorgeous. It's a recently built (2 year old) company owned lodge to house guests and visting GE staff. There's a fitness club, but it's a separate building and the tall trees between the lodge's deck and the club hid it from mhy view.
The complex is huge, with 1850 employees. The lodge is like a hotel, but alas, without a pool. I spent yesterday alternately in the beautiful air conditioned lounge and on the deck, which overlooks the brilliant blue Mohawk River below. When the heat got too much, I'd go back inside and sip a cool drink.
Every morning there's a continental breakfast with beautifully sliced, peeled and presented cold fruit, bagels, muffins, coffee, juice, etc. There's also a 24 hour pantry where you can get snacks, make specialty coffees (I tried cashew caramel) and help yourself to what's in the fridge. There's an open bar too. In the evenings we meet in the lounge have a glass or two of wine, then out to dinner.
Last night we dined in town at cafe capriccio where we were guests at the chef's table. This is upstairs in what appears to be the owner's dining room. A bar separates us from the kitchen where he and his wife cook for their guests, in this case, our group of 9. The rest of the restaurant is downstairs, but this upper area is special.
Jim, the owner chef, brought out platter after platter of exquisite tasting Italian appetizers, explaining what went into each as he presented each one with a flourish.
"Garlic scape with olive oil, zucchini with goat cheese and roasted red pepper. Here we have white beans Tuscan style with herbs and kale from the garden. There's a little more juice than I'd like but hey, that happens". There were golden beats with basil and nasturtium leaves and flowers, homebake bread, and a crisp Italian white to help it all down.
"This is home cooking, and you are like my family tonight", said Jim, whereupon I promply knocked over my wine glass.
"The bad daughter has spilled her wine", I called out, whereupon the attentive waiter immediately mopped up my spill and refilled my glass.
The appetizer were so good it was a struggle not to fill up on them, but Jim had warned us at the beginning that we would have a large meal and to leave room. Sadly, I pushed away my plate to await the next dish.
"These tomatoes have been blanched and sitting in herbs and oil. It's a light tomato sauce which I will cook in the time the penne is cooking, so it's just gently sauteed." This sauce topped a small bowl of penne and then covered with breadcrumbs crisply fried in olive oil. It was delicious.
Finally, we had butter-tender beef in a port and balsamic vinegar sauce, fresh beans picked from his garden out back, mushrooms and roasted potatoes with a mystery spice. We all thought it tasted familiar but couldn't identify it. Turns out it was lavendar. Fresh lavendar, just sprinkled on the potatoes. You couldn't see it, but the delicate taste was there and reminiscent of a light tarragon. Wow.
In honour of Hans' upcoming 60th birthday on July 23, Jim's wife made a light pastry wrapped around a horn and baked, then stuffed with Chantilly cream and accompanied by sweetened, sliced strawberries. Hans got a candle in his but was so full, he had a hard time blowing it out.
At the end of dinner, Jim presented each of us with a signed copy of his first cookbook which I browed through this morning. He's a delightful raconteur.
This afternoon we're off to a golf course where I plan to enjoy myself in the air conditioned lounge sipping wine and reading a good book!
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