Supermarket Supper
Article By: Vice Chargée de Presse Ilona Weisman
Photos By: Bailli William Harris, Vice Chargée de Médias Sociaux Christina Richards and Vice Chancelier-Argentier Holly Katz
Sounds like it was meatloaf night, or pizza night. Yes, the Albany Chaîne’s latest affair was at a supermarket, and both pizza andmeatloaf managed to make their way onto the menu. But an evening at Franklin Square Market is nothing like a stop for groceries: no soulless aisles or half-filled shelves here, no fluorescent glare. This emporium for gastronomes is a swank behemoth of a place with polished cement floors, antique industrial display tables, verdant florals, a luxe velvet sofa for lounging, and every item under the sun to entice foodies and home cooks. Plus, it has a serious eatery, The Market Bar and Restaurant, an oasis within a marvel. At one end the restaurant boasts a test kitchen worthy of HGTV, where live screens that night showed the Toronto Blue Jays having their way with the New York Yankees. A café with long marble high-tops for communal dining is situated by a cool, contempo bar. The dining room is edged by tasting room shelves of quarter-sawn oak that house the restaurant’s wines.
Six months after Franklin Square Market opened, its founding partner left. Enter two veterans of the Capital Region food scene, Maître Rôtisseur Mark Delos, the market’s Director of Culinary, and wife Jullie, Director of Hospitality and Operations. For the Albany Chaîne’s visit, Chef Delos devised a menu that bestowed whimsy on classics, and Jullie added the warmth of a haybarn party in autumn. Colossal dried hydrangeas proclaimed the season on a reception table where leaf-patterned Candelaria burned. Light bounced off rows of gleaming stemware on side tables, omens of seven wines to come at dinner. Tall cornstalks, mums, and pumpkins adorned a canapé table—my favorite was burrata with grilled peaches and plums, roasted onion, and mint. And then there was pizza, tada! Billed as ‘Mini Tomato Torta,’ slim triangles of moist, featherweight dough underpinned warm ricotta, parmesan and heirloom tomato confit. Inches away rested a platter of oysters grilled with pancetta herb garlic butter, and a nearby elaborate raw oyster bar drew fans. Crab cakes passed by on trays, while at each place setting a party favor waited: a bar of Fleur de Sel from Saratoga Chocolate Company.
Bailli William Harris tapped Maître Rôtisseur A.J. Richards, chef/owner of [farmacy] restobar in Glens Falls, New York to comment on the first course, ahi tuna in crispy wonton plated with avocado and white miso, burnt pineapple, and black vinegar caramel. Richards applauded the pairing of Tozai “Snow Maiden” Junmai Nigori Sake, noting “…the brightness of this dish, the creaminess of the avocado, and the acid and bite of the pineapple taste amazing together…the unfiltered sake leaves a nice texture on your palate while cooling off the heat.”
A second course of grilled octopus brought a controlled whiff of smoke from the grate, the seafood’s plush texture contrasted by Castelvetrano tapenade, guanciale, and preserved blood orange. Chef Richards explained, “I look at these pairings from a chef’s perspective. Not what the wine is, but what the wine does for the food, and the food to the wine.” In this case the octopus paired with Domaine Sangouard-Guyot Pouilly-Fuissé “Quintessence” 2021, a wine Richards added, “…has depth and acid to hold up to the salt…blood orange is the bridge between this dish and the wine.”
Garlic in pistachio gremolata made for a striking foil to Chioggia beets, red sorrel, and fresh figs showered in sherry vinaigrette. Two wines were poured with the salad: Chateau Gaudrelle “Clos le Vigneau” Vouvray 2022, and Kenwood “Six Ridges” Chardonnay, Russian River Valley 2020. Asked to vote that evening, cries of “Vouvray” rose from the crowd though a less rowdy few found the chardonnay’s oak a better fit.
In a playful take on pasta, Chef Delos fashioned a waffle from polenta and mascarpone to anchor his rabbit and veal bolognese. Spiked with pungent taleggio fundido, the ragu meshed well with the full-bodied Château Barde Haut Saint Emilion 2018.
Next on the carte was—you guessed it—meatloaf. Wagyu beef sliders and tangy melted cheddar came swathed in cippolini onion gravy with mushrooms from a local grower, topped by a slider bun look-alike of potatoes duchesse, and paired with Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2013. As Echanson Provincial Hon. Joel Hodes observed, “It was fully mature, ready to drink, and all about fruit. Sweet red cherries, hints of cranberry and red currants…the wine paired beautifully with the seasonings in the Wagyu.”
Now how to follow waffles and meatloaf? Peanut butter and raspberry jelly, of course, layered inside an ambitious little deep-fried disk crusted with cornflakes, cinnamon, and sugar, and accompanied by chocolate mousse gelato and Graham’s Ten-Year Tawny Port. Thus, the evening ended, though someone, somewhere still shouts “Vouvray, Vouvray.”
Rhymes nicely with ‘Hooray.’
Notes on the Cast
At the close of the evening, Mark and Jullie Delos and the kitchen staff and servers assembled for a round of applause from Chaîne members and guests. As is custom, Bailli William Harris presented a Chaîne plaque to the The Market Restaurant and Bar, as well as a Chaîne pin to each employee.
Notably, in attendance at this dinner were six soon to be members. Chris and Alexis Connor’s applications were recently submitted to the Chaine headquarters in New Jersey and Josh and Tiffany’s applications are in the works. These four were recruited by A.J. and Christina Richards. Vice Conseiller Gastronomique Hon. Michael Nofal introduced Gretchen Meyer to Bailli Harris at a recent classical concert and Gretchen is enthusiastically filling out application forms for herself and her husband, Chris Thornton.
Vice Chargée de Médias Sociaux Christina L. Richards announced the chapter’s next event Sunday, November 23 at the exciting new French brasserie Regent Restaurant & Bar in the Hotel Brookmere, Saratoga Springs.
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