# 5 Foraging for food + Forging ahead
I'm excited to hit publish an issue 5, and thanks again for reading each week. My goal for this newsletter is for readers who have a connection to areas in The Berkshires, Capital Region, The Hudson Valley, and beyond to find new and exciting places to eat and drink.
Whether it's a weekend day trip or that restaurant right around the corner, within an hour's drive there are a lot of really excellent options. Did you visit a spot that you read about here? I’d love to know how you liked it! Feel free to share this newsletter with folks in your circle, or any hotel and restaurant teams who may be looking for good food news and recommendations.
In the Berkshires:
After Labor Day, the Berkshires enter the brief moment of off-season living before the fall leaves begin to turn, and another wave of tourists come back to view them (all while driving at 30 mph). Here are some stops but I recommend checking out this month whether it's a day trip or right around the corner:
In Richmond, Balderdash Cellars has been making wine with grapes from two California to Vineyard and in the Finger Lakes in New York for almost ten years. It's one of the few wineries in the county, and it's incredible to see what the owners do in addition to working full-time jobs.
The Lost Lamb is a patisserie and bakery in downtown Stockbridge that offers French specialties, coffee, and delicious sandwiches. A small but sweet spot and worth the visit if you are in the area.
A-OK Berkshire Barbecue is located on the MASS MoCA campus and is the result of "a butcher and a baker move to a little town in far western Massachusetts." All of their bread is baked in house from scratch every day, and they tend to run out, so best to check in and order ahead!
The Capital Region:
Troy Restaurant Week is in full swing, running until the 13th of this month. Area restaurants have brought together a selection of discounts, multi-course meals, pairings, and more. Here are a few offers I'm super excited about:
First Choice Caribbean is offering a $10 lunch special. They offer authentic Jamaican food and Caribbean vegan cuisine.
Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen is offering Korean BBQ Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is a family-owned Korean counter-service restaurant in the marketplace that does a lot of good work in the community.
Tara Kitchen is offering a $25 prix fixe menu with appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for menu options.
Published work:
Yay! a couple of articles went live this week on two very different topics
The first article for The Albany Times Union is about how I spent this summer foraging in my backyard. I haven't strayed too far this summer, and being outside on those early mornings brought down my stress level. I have to shout out to my editor at the TU, Sara Tracey, who gives me space to do this kind of work.
For the beverage website VinePair, my long-awaited article on the Black is Beautiful beer collaboration. I had a chance to speak with the creator of the BIB movement and folks in the craft beer community who have important thoughts on what it means for a brewery to support racial justice and how brewing and selling a beer is not enough.
What I'm cooking/eating/reading:
For something to take your mind off…anything really, my friend Darcie told me about Neal.fun, a site where you can play games that's good for adults and kids. How does it relate to food? The first game, Macaroni Draw, is where you are creating images with pasta shapes and other pieces of food. I may be late to the game on this, but I am happy to know about things like this.
From Eater, "What Is an Anti-Gentrification Restaurant?" which is a deep dive on gentrification and how restaurants have a role in driving and benefiting from it.
If you have a spot you think should be featured, food news to share, or a great food day trip from the Berkshires or Capital Region, please email me at thestephanita@gmail.com or message me on Instagram at StephanitaEats.