I have decided the key to surviving these crazy New York winters is warm food. Gone are the days when a simple ham sandwich would suffice for lunch…I gotta have something to keep me warm! Stuffing your face on soup seems a little far fetched, but we’ve just learned our lesson in chowder. (also known as “chowda”)
Saturdays in Saratoga Springs are always fun, but when they are handing out food…look out! I had no trouble talking my husband Brett into checking out their annual Chowder Fest as part of their Winter Festival.
Coming from the South, the only chowder I’ve ever been exposed to came out of the Campbell’s soup can…and I never really thought it was all that great. You’d open the can and it was a thick mess of white stuff that smelled a little fishy. Oh…how I have learned my lesson on chowder since moving to Yankee-land!
For starters, their are way more types of chowder than just clam! At the Chowder Fest Brett and I sampled lobster, corn and even ice cream “chowder” in a tough decision of choosing our favorites.
The Chowder Fest featured more than 70 restaurants across Saratoga, all vying for the “Best Chowder” award. We started our chowder chomping journey on Broadway and made our rounds. For a buck a cup, we received 3 oz. samples from some of the top chefs in the area. Some places were dishing up vegetarian and gluten free samples and a couple of joints even had chowder for your doggies!
Guess what lesson we learned in our little adventure? Chowda really is mmm, mmm good!
