Hello All,
According to this website I have not posted on here since last September, which is accurate and pathetic. Obviously the rush and business of a new school pushed any thought of updates out of my overly-full mind. I, however, am back and have survived the first year of my grad program, along the way making some great friends, and having some amazing experiences in new, wonderful places.
I have decided to revive this blog to the best of my abilities (hoping it doesn't peter out again in a few months) and add a bit of a twist to its original concept. I originally started, as you may remember, this blog as a place to catalog my adventures finding, eating, and subsequently rating spicy food. The search went on, the blog did not. I found some spicy food, it was great...but I think a broader scope is a better idea for this blog. So, I present you the new and improved Spice Search, where I will catalog my adventures in a still somewhat foreign land, and my adventures will be to find not only good food (SPICY!), but to meet good people and experience new places. The search will be more for the cliche "Spice of Life" than for my spicy food fetish, but I will definitely continue to catalog any run-ins with mouth-burning, face-melting spicy food.
So with that in mind, how about an update and hopefully I will get in the swing of things over the coming weeks...
There have been many adventures this past year, whether it be driving to Boston for a night for a friends birthday or sledding at 3 in the morning (for the first time ever in my life) after the bars close, but we will start with one highlight and go from there.
Saratoga:
My good friend Phil, a fellow masters student, lives and works in Saratoga Springs, NY when he isn't here at school and invited me up for a New Year's Eve celebracion. I gladly joined and we immediately went to this Indian food restaurant Karavalli. This is where an interesting phenomenon in spicy food culture occurred, I was tested. I was in Saratoga for four days over that weekend, and I'm not afraid to admit (because it was so damn good) went to Karavalli with Phil all four of those days. The first night I told them I really liked spicy food and could handle the heat, and ordered some of their Chicken Phaal (a spicy, gravy like sauce that I loveeeeee). It was sorta, maybe hot, in the way that jarred salsa is hot, but damn was it delicious and perfectly authentic. Whatever, they didn't believe that the white boy from Texas could handle the heat. The next day was New Years Eve and we and several of our friends joined Karavalli for their New Years Buffet. All the same amazing food on an all you can eat buffet. Can't go wrong with that. They brought me a hot sauce to add to my Tika Masala, that rose the heat just a tad, but still I could tell they were testing my abilities. The third day we attended their restaurant later in the evening for a drink and to say hi to the guys that work there. They surprised us with a free dish of some of the freshest tasting delicious fish curry I've ever had and brought out something else with some kick to it to see how I handled it. One word... Pro. Hardly even phased me. They gave us a tour of the kitchen and showed us the Tandoor (I really want one of these) and wouldn't accept any of our attempts to pay or tip them. Truly gracious and generous people at this restaurant. So in order to repay their hospitality we returned Sunday morning for their lunch buffet. In true Karavalli style after I had already started in on my first plate of a myriad of delicious indian foods and some of the BEST rice you will ever eat, they brought over a dish of some Tika Masala that was a darker shade of reddish-orange than you usually see, complete with CHUNKS of fresh, uncooked chili peppers. Never have I ate something so hot that actually had such distinct flavors. It tasted amazing but it was hotter than hell and I loved every minute of it. This was a great food experience! and I feel like I passed their test with flying colors. I ate every last bite of that blazing sauce and chicken, and smiled and sweat through ever second of it. I've been back to Saratoga for multiple ridiculous adventures since and every single time this place has been a constant and never ceases to amaze me with their food and hospitality. In fact I was just there this a few weekends ago and had the Chicken Phaal again (or how I ordered it "I'll take something spicy with chicken) and they brought out a fiery dish that had me sweating but loving it till the last bite. Highly recommended if you are in the Saratoga/Albany area in New York, other places to check out: Gaffney's (watch out for Evelyn's drinks), Nine Maple, Legend's Cafe, The Wine Bar, and Phil's Apartment (watch out for Rue, guy is weird).
So as my journey and travels continue in New England and beyond, I hope you will join me for some laughs, some great food, a beer or two, and a hunt for the truly unique experiences I have wherever the road takes me.
Stay Spicy ya'll,
Dave
