CRITIC’S GUIDE
Farmer’s Hardware boxes please; Nani’s a gem of an upstate find
With restaurants putting on dogand-pony shows to hold our attention and keep orders coming in, the Critic’s Notebook checks out brunch and Indian options.
The good people of the Capital Region are no strangers to the slap of winter upstate. Who hasn’t worn a full-length down coat to dinner or snow boots on a date? Sprinkle on a pandemic, work-athome sweats and the convenience of delivery, and your commute shrinks to zero turns between couch and front door. But your Instant Pot can only do so much, and restaurants are out there putting on dog-and-pony shows to hold our attention and keep orders coming in. You just have to stay ahead of their pre-order moves.
If you’re not tracking weekly offerings on social media, you might not know the owners of Seneca in Saratoga Springs launched The Pierogi Shoppe, a delivery-only ghost kitchen selling frozen dumplings, or that Delaware Supply in Albany's Delso neighborhood improved operations online, so you’ll have more fun than expected customizing your four-pack of draft crowlers. Soleil, a Hudson Valley Brewing Sour IPA made with pineapple, marigold flowers and rose petals, sounds like sunshine in a glass, and Oxbow Sap Haus, a smoked lager with maple syrup, is a convincing reason to get in the car. Tala Bistro in Latham is cleverly appealing to overtaxed parents with family-style comfort food (meatloaf, piccata or bolognese) boxed with salad and bread for four. Even Jack’s Oyster House, voluntarily closed for indoor
dining, has new executive chef Elliott Vogel packing up lobsterand-scallop agnolotti and beef tenderloin to go.
What we had: This week I couldn’t resist the boozy brunch-in-a-box from Farmers Hardware in Saratoga Springs, and it turns out a 40-minute drive to Ballston Spa is worth it for Hyderabadi takeout from the month-old Nani’s Indian Kitchen. Farmer’s Hardware Boozy
Brunch-in-a-box: Chef Julia Sanzen and her husband and co-owner, Tyler Russell, have the boxed meal locked up. Born in the pandemic as a businesssaving pivot and revived last October, their ready-to-heat brunches are a slick fit. With gluten-free and vegetarian options, with allergens noted, boxes come in basic or boozy, feed four to six for $45 ($65 with booze) and are a steal.
Each box balances sweet and savory, with a signature Farmers Hardware frittata, bread pudding, soup, salad or veggie side in flavors that change weekly. I delayed ordering twice to skip their popular peanut butter cup yogurt (I know, I’m alone in my hatred of peanut butter cups) and scored big on a box dubbed Sweet, Spicy, Savory and Sparkling. My kind of week.
I confess I shared mine with quarantine-company on Sunday night. Who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? Out of the box, anything requiring heat is an easy 10 to 15 minute blast in the oven. Two quarts of ribollita soup bopping with bread, diced vegetables and an unmissable blast of spicy heat was a perfect match with a fluffy, spicy Italian sausage frittata and garlicky green beans. I’m a fan of bread pudding in its natural state, but a cannoli version topped in chocolate chips was up there in my best-of lists. We followed the spiked sparkling lemonade instructions to layer the fresh-cut citrus, fresh lemonade and vodka miniatures, and top with sparkling Saratoga water (bottle included), though we balked at the idea of half a miniature per drink. Anyone who has ever flown knows miniatures are one per person, no matter the time zone.
Previous boxes featured cheesy spinach frittatas, clam chowder, bourbon-peach bread pudding and Moscow mules. I’m only slightly sad to have missed the winter whiskey sours, but you can always buy their deliciously creamy, house-made hot chocolate bar-in-a-box, available spiked.
Info: Farmers Hardware, 35 Maple Ave. Saratoga Springs. Currently closed for indoor dining. Brunch-in-a-box preorders: farmershardware.com Brunches must be ordered online by Friday. Weekend pick up: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Nani’s Indian Kitchen: During lockdown, "Nani,” a rap video by British-indian MC Mr. Cardamom, gave me life. Octogenarian cookbook author and actor Madhur Jaffrey starred in the expletive-laden hip-hop tribute to the artist's grandma, whispering, “I’m the best damn Nani you ever done see,” waving cash and dancing in a kebab van. So I took close interest in news that Nani’s Indian Kitchen was under development in Ballston Spa.
Owner Nefeesa Koslik isn’t spitting lyrics, but she has opened an assuming little eatery on Milton Avenue. For now, only two can enter at a time for takeout, but front window seats, decorated the vivid yellow and red of turmeric and garam masala spice, will be cute for future dining-in, and a tiny box kitchen turns out such heaving quantities of takeout that my curbside pickup entailed a lengthy wait. Don’t be discouraged. Despite the small menu, Koslik’s Hyderabadi roots are on display in the Nizami dishes of Deccani cuisine, a gem to find upstate.
True to Arabic influences, biryanis are unsauced meats and rice delicately fragrant with saffron, cumin and glistening with ghee. Traditional slowcooked lamb is flawless, juicy chunks easily pushed apart by fork. Nani’s offers creamy Goanstyle kormas and familiar Indian cheese paneers, but there are spicier Hyderabadi dishes like the sweat-inducing stuffed mirchi: deep-fried, long hot chile peppers filled with potato and tamarind. Milder but no less tasty are Hyderabadi palak chicken (with spinach), bhindi masala (okra in tomato sauce) and batata vada (mashed potato fritters fried in chickpea batter and served with chutney). To round out our feast, we added whiskery, crisp cabbage and onion pakora, spiced yogurt samosa chaat, cooling raita and naan to sop up a rich lentil daal. I’d spotted baghara baingan (stuffed eggplant in a creamy coconut paste) as a holiday special on Facebook, but will have to hope it joins the regular menu.
A complementary mango lassi and rice pudding were my reward for a long wait — both absolutely banging with crushed cardamom, to my proper delight.
Info: Nani’s Indian Kitchen, 256 Milton Ave., Ballston Spa. 518-490-2019 and nanisindian.com. Menu is online but call to place an order.