Page 25 - Valley Table - Spring 2022

WIZARD BURGER
74 North Pearl Street, Albany wizardburger.com
The new (vegan) kid on the block, this Capital Region burger bar is a must-visit. With the motto “eat clean and prosper,” all burgers, chicken sandwiches, and desserts
are devoid of animal products. The eatery’s vibe is ideal
for all the spooky friends in your life, with references to pop culture, mythological creatures, and wizarding lore. The menu is right out of a Dungeons and Dragons game, with juicy bites like the popular Sorcerer Supreme and the Barbarian, both made with Impossible patties, American “cheese,” onions, pickles, and a potato bun. The Barbarian comes with “Mad Mayo” sauce, a wicked, plant-based twist on mayochup.
Lord of the Rings fans will be delighted by burgers from Middle Earth itself: the Orc Popper, with a potato bun, Impossible patty, cream “cheese,” American “cheese,” pickled jalapeño, beer-battered onion rings, and melba sauce (a French dressing made with pureed and strained raspberries and currant jelly), and the Bilbo-Q, with American “cheese,” onion rings, jalapeño, and BBQ sauce. If faux red meat isn’t your thing, check out The Raptor,
a potato bun piled high with plant-based fried chicken, lettuce, and mayo. All burgers and sandwiches can be ordered “Wizard Style,” (aka making it a double). Pair
your meals with crunchy tater tots that can be topped with vegan chili cheese and pulled pork, or the super-sweet Pixie Swarm—sweet potato tots with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, and marshmallows, which might as well be dessert.
Wizard Burger goes beyond, well, burgers with a variety of espresso drinks, canned and bottled beer, and even breakfast sandwiches. The Second Breakfast sandwich (another LOTR reference) is the perfect morning treat (or hangover cure): A potato bun loaded with Just Egg (egg substitute), an Impossible sausage patty, tater tots, American “cheese,” maple syrup, and jalapeño garlic crema.
Be sure to follow their gorgeous Instagram (@thewizardburger) for specials and fun events like Black Sabbath trivia, featuring fantastic and fun $6
MOONRISE BAGELS
68 Tinker Street, Woodstock moonrisebagels.com
There’s nothing better than a piping hot BEC in the morning. Except, what if our favorite morning bread was stuffed instead? That’s exactly what Ali Chetkof and Jeremy Rhodes thought when they opened Moonrise Bagels in Woodstock. “We’re here to change the way you eat bagels,” they say.
The two—who got engaged in October—were both born and bred in New York. Chetkof, a lifelong Woodstocker, serves as the senior director of fashion at Jennifer Bett Communications, a Manhattan-based PR firm. Rhodes, a Long Island native, knows the ins and outs of restaurant revenue, with a seven-year tenure as director of accounting at Union Square Hospitality Group (owned by premier restaurateur Danny Meyer). A little over a year ago, the couple put their heads together and brainstormed zany food concoctions and thought, what if we could put pizza inside a bagel? There’s nothing more New York than that.
While working remotely, Chetkof and Rhodes began experimenting with bagels and pizza filling in Woodstock, where they moved at the start of the pandemic. After months of trial and error (and plying friends and family with prototypes to try), they finally cracked the Stuffed Pizza Bagel code in mid-2021. It was especially promising when the owner of a Woodstock bakery bought some for her family. By the summer, this bagel biz was given the name “Moonrise Bagels” (to remind patrons that stuffed bagels can be an all-day affair) and made appearances at local mainstays like Overlook Bakery, Tinker Street Tavern, and Woodstock Way Hotel—all while they sold wholesale to Instagram followers from their apartment. Then finally, in December 2021, Moonrise Bagels opened a shop in the heart of town.
The instantly popular eatery has gone way beyond pizza bagels. Thursday through Sunday, bagel lovers can enjoy fillings like buffalo chicken, BBQ chicken, hot honey soppressata, eggplant parm, pastrami Reuben, and Philly cheesesteak. But if you’re not interested in straying from the classics, don’t worry—BEC- and pizza-stuffed bagels will always be on the menu.
—Francesca Furey
purple margaritas.
—Francesca Furey
24 the valley table
march – may 2022
photos (from top to bottom) courtesy of moonrise bagels; by beth mickalonis