|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Anniversary in Albany, NY Something Old, Something New, plus plenty of Chocolate By Sandra Scott |
| ||||
|
The Century House Restaurant was the perfect place for our anniversary dinner, The history of the land dates back to 1790, when the Stephen Van Rensselaer paid five shillings for several hundred acres. In 1816, a Federal-style house was built which was purchased by James and Dorothy O’Hearn in 1949. It became the Century House Restaurant, which grew into the hotel, which has remained in the family.
The next day, fully rested, we set out to
explore Albany, which some people are surprised to find is the
capital of New York State. Our first stop was the Chocolate Gecko
for some comfort snacks.
Luckily there was just enough time to take a tour of the Capitol, an eclectic mix of Gothic Revival, Romanesque and Moorish styles plus the famed Million Dollar Staircase where over 70 famous and not-so-famous faces are carved into the pillars. Before heading back to The Century House, located just outside the city, we decided to have dinner at Jack’s Oyster House, a family-operated restaurant since Jack Rosenstein started it in 1913.
It was a perfect anniversary – something old, something new and a whole lot of chocolate. Visit www.thecenturyhouse.com, www.chocolategecko.com, www.albanyaquaducks.com, www.nysm.nysed.gov, www.jacksoysterhouse.com, and www.albany.com. |
|||||
|
|
|||||
| Back to ChocolateAtlas.com | |||||
|
Visit other F&B Travel Atlas sites: |
|||||
|
|
You might say our celebration was comforting –
with chocolate as our comfort food and the Century House as our
comfort accommodations. The Century house is a wonderful blend of
old and new. The 360-mural in the hotel entrance celebrates the
early days of the Albany area but our room celebrated all that is
new, with puffy duvets and comfy chairs. Just what we needed after
the long drive. The Century House is true to its motto, “Where our
house feels like home.”
The Federal-style dining room has wide-plank
vintage chestnut flooring. Stones salvaged from the old barn were
incorporated into the fireplace and old keys found in the cellar
made their way into the mortar. The setting may be old but the menu
is new and fresh. We started with an exquisite chocolate-inspired
appetizer created by Dave Sheedy, the Station Chef: Chocolate Garlic
Chicken, skewered, served on a slice of fresh pineapple and
garnished with orchids. The Garde Manger, Renee Calicchia, presented
us with The Century House signature dessert: Chocolate Mousse
infused with Godiva-scented Chantilly cream and garnished with
strawberries and chocolate tuile. Too die for!
Terra Stratton, one of the owners, greeted
us with, “Welcome to the Chocolate Gecko. You are in luck. Saturdays
we offer free tastings.” My choice was the hand-molded dark
chocolate Buddha filled with a chai tea dark chocolate ganache and
dusted with edible gold. Decadent and delicious! John’s opted for
the dark chocolate chipotle ganache truffle in a dark chocolate
shell, hand-rolled in Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa. It has a
little bit of a kick. Fortified with our chocolate purchases we
headed for Albany’s newest concept in touring, the Aqua Ducks Tour
that leaves Quackenbush—I kid you not!—Square. Quackenbush Square is
also home to the Albany Heritage Center, where we had time to take a
walk through the history of Albany via the Center’s excellent
displays.
Touring on the Aqua Duck adds some excitement
to history. What starts out as a routine ride, if riding on the
streets of Albany in an amphibious vehicle can be considered
routine, learning about the history of the city followed by a splash
down into the Hudson River for a unique view of the city.
John said, “We’ve been munching on chocolate
all day. Let’s have a salad and cut to the chase and order the
dessert.” That’s exactly what we did. Our Classic Caesar Salad was
followed by dessert. Our waiter, Arnie, presented the dessert
offering a complete description, “Enjoy your Silky Chocolate Mousse Torte with a Cookie Crust Accented with
Raspberry Coulis and Chocolate Paint.” Now that is a mouthful…
and a mighty delicious one at that.