Holiday Schedule
Closed for Christmas and New Years
Reopening weekend of Jan 10 & 11
Open only Saturdays & Sundays thru January
Regular Hours starting Feb. 1: Thursday: 11-6 • Friday: 11-10 • Saturday & Sunday: 9-4
Category Archives: News
The Nellies at Carmen’s Cafe – Troy Victorian Stroll
The Nellies at Carmen’s Cafe – Troy Victorian Stroll:
When: Sun, Dec 7, 2014 | 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Where: Carmen’s Cafe, Troy, NY
Cost: FREE ADMISSION
The Nellies will be playing as part of Troy’s fabulous Victorian Stroll at Carmens Cafe in Troy, NY. The Nellies will feature Karen Ann on guitar, Peggy Lecuyer on mandolin, Kevin Maul on dobro and the amazing Gene Lemme on the bass.
Carmen’s Cafe serves wine, beer and delicious eclectic small plates and is located at 198 First Street, Troy, NY 12180 – phone – (518) 326-2064. Note that First Street runs one-way heading south.
For More Information Call: (518) 326-2064
Happy Thanksgiving— See You Saturday!
Week of Sat. Nov. 29 to Sun. Nov. 30
Carmen’s is closed on Thurs. & Fri the 27th & 28th
We’ll Be Open Sat. & Sun!
Everyone needs time to be with their families. So, if we may suggest, schedule some downtime. Take that after-dinner nap, then talk– play a game– call someone you haven’t talked to in a bit. Enjoy Thanksgiving!
100% Pure
Did you know that Carmen’s offers nothing but 100% pure maple syrup for their pancakes and French toast?
Well, we do put homemade caramel on the Flan French Toast, but that’s another story.
We spend the extra money because it makes a difference— it tastes better, it’s better for you, and we love supporting family farms.
We are happy to get our maple syrup from the Davis Family Farm in Cambridge. If you want us to get you some, you know where to find us.
Kasius & Heard bring World Beat Jazz to Carmen’s
Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius and Heard will play Carmen’s, Friday night, Nov. 21 at 6 & 8 moving us with their wonderful music. Two sets, reservations suggested. $5 cover.
1-518-326-2064
Check out their website to get a listen. Every time they visit, they make amazing tunes.
Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius – composer-pianist
HEARD New World Jazz The original repertoire of HEARD is the work of composer-arranger-pianist ELIZABETH WOODBURY KASIUS who brings a wide array of styles –jazz, classical and world music– into her captivating soundscape.
Jonathan Greene – woodwinds. Woodwinds player Jonathan is an active freelance musician in the New York Capital Region’s jazz, world and classical scenes.
Bobby Kendall – Bass. Bobby Kendall, bass, brings his great experience as a jazz, rock, and post-rock stand-up and electric bass player to HEARD.
Brian Melick – drums/percussion. Brian Melick is a percussive treasure who is known for his unique “hybrid” sound, built from his incredible collection of world music instruments.
Zorkie Nelson – drums/percussion/vocal. West African drummer Zorkie Nelson comes from a long line of Ghanaian master drummers and brings an exciting and deep richness to the music of Heard.
Xocolate Season Is Upon Us!
Spanish Hot Chocolate
Whipping down from the North Pole, the bitter wind of winter brings the cold. Our only recourse, the only way to fight back, is with Piping Hot Xocolate from the sunny plains of España.
The gentle taste of sweet Orange and spicy Cinnamon distracts the cold while the hot milk and cream revive you, until the heady rush of fine 75% cacao German chocolate steps in to finish the job. Revived! Or the biggest buzz ever!
Whichever. Old Man Winter defeated before he even grabs hold!
Week of Thurs. Nov. 13 to Sun. Nov. 16
¡Lunch!
By which we mean, breakfast any time, PLUS our lunchtime menu!
Cubano Sandwich: by popular demand— pork, ham & swiss w/ mustard & pickle on Cuban bread
Picadillo
Though for a real treat, come in and see what’s on our Specials Board
Dinners
Arroz con Pollo traditionally stewed chicken cooked with rice
Pan-Seared Tilapia w/ lemon-white wine- cilantro sauce over rice
Carne Guisada: Spanish beef stew, marinated and slow cooked, just the way
you love it
Desserts: expanded offerings:
Chocolate Mousse
Pear Apple Tart
New York Cheesecake
Flan
Art Night / Street Painting / Prix Fixe Menu / Faces and Places
Week of Thurs. Oct. 30 to Sun. Nov. 2
Art Night at Carmen’s!
- Crosswalk Painting at First & Adams
- Gary Masline Artist’s Reception
- Tapas Samples
- Dinner Available till 9!
Prix Fixe Dinners
Thursday and Friday this week, 10/30 & 31 Served 5-9
Braised Oxtail fontina grits, apple gastrique, fried leeks, cilantro
Smoked Baby Pork Loin whipped plantains w coconut, butternut squash hay, pineapple rosemary demiglace
Butter Poached Monkfish fried green tomatoes, pine nut couscous, pink lemon pearls, white wine syrup
Includes Choice of Dessert:
- Flan
- Chocolate Satin Cake
- Pear-Apple Tart
30, or w/ red or white sangria 35
Full Tapas Menu Also Available as is wine, beer, and Jim-Gerale
Gary Masline’s Artist’s Reception Faces and Places
a show of fairly recent work
5-9 Thursday 10/30
Meet the Artist, See the Work!
tapas hors d’oeuvres and sangria will be served
Intersection Art
Alley Action leads all-volunteer fun
First and Adams has no crosswalks, so we’ll be painting them in for Halloween
Bees, Hives and Flowers theme in honor of Adams Street Apiary
Painting starts at 4— Be there or be square!
Art Night Thursday 10/30
Carmen’s Cafe will host an “Art Night” this Thursday, Oct. 30 featuring: a honeybee themed intersection artwork project, an art opening with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a special dinner menu.
While community members create the chalk murals outside, Carmen’s Cafe will also host a tapas and sangria reception from 5 p.m. till 8 p.m. for artist Gary Masline. The restaurant will be open until 9 p.m.
Masline’s exhibit of 12 oil paintings is titled “Faces & Places.”
Based in East Greenbush, Masline’s paintings of oils on canvas have received awards from the Mohawk-Hudson Regional Exhibition, Albany Center Gallery, and the Arts Center of the Capital Region. In 2010, the Albany Institute of Art and History named him one of “Tomorrow’s Masters Today,” and in 2001 he won the Metroland readers’ poll for “Best Visual Artist.”
The paintings, on display at Carmen’s from Oct. 30 through the end of the year, use the colors and light of the American southwest, combining people and landscape images to create “stories on the walls.”
(Note: Contact Jim Lewis for publicity images of Masline’s artwork.)
SPECIAL MENU
Carmen’s guest chef, Ross Tuskey, will be preparing the following special menu for Thursday and Friday nights:
- Braised Oxtail; Fontina Grits, Apple Gastrique, Fried Leeks, Cilantro
- Butter Poached Monk Fish Medallions; Fried Green Tomatoes, Pine Nut Couscous, Pink lemon pearls, White Wine Syrup
- Smoked Baby Pork-loin; Whipped Plantains with Coconut, Butternut Squash Hay, Pineapple Rosemary Demi
- Grilled Halibut; Jicama Slaw or Yuka Fries, Pea Puree, Chorizo Cream (optional, depending on market)
Tuskey is a culinary trained chef who prepares food for Carmen’s Cafe on music nights.
Mundo Nuevo Returns! 2 Shows Friday 10/24
Bringing you Specials and Events from Carmen’s Cafe, a Cuban-American Bistro in the Heart of South Troy
Week of Fri. Oct. 24 to Sun. Oct. 26
(Sorry, Closed Thursday–
See you Friday for Mundo Nuevo
¡Lunch!
By which we mean, breakfast any time, PLUS our lunchtime menu! Which is why we are showing you a picture of French Toast with Fresh Fruit and Real Whipped Cream
Cubano Sandwich by popular demand— pork, ham & swiss w/ mustard & pickle on Cuban bread
Picadillo
Check out our full menu! Though for a real treat, come in and see what’s on our Specials Board
Tapas Menu
Beef Stew slow cooked in a tomato herb broth
Costillitas de Cerdo baby back spareribs, dry rubbed and s-l-o-w roasted
Pan Seared Tilapia w/ garlic-wine-cilantro sauce
Grilled Lamb Chops w/ rosemary glaze
Flamenco Stew
Craft Beer
Check out this list and help us grow it over time. Tell us what you love and we’ll keep adding!
Nine Pin Cider by Nine Pin Cider Works, Albany, NY
Leisure Time and Hoponius Union by Jack’s Abbey
Raspberry Ale by Dark Horse
Scotch Ale by Black Isle
Desserts: expanded offerings
Chocolate Satin Cake
Pear Apple Tart
New York Cheesecake
Flan
Upcoming Events Calendar
Mundo Nuevo Returns! Two shows, Friday, 10/24starting @ 6 & 8, cover 5
Mundo Nuevo 10/24
Elizabeth Kasius & Heard 11/21
The Nellies Victorian Stroll 12/7
Mundo Nuevo 12/19
Art Night at Carmen’s Next Thurs, 10/30
Gary Masline Artist’s Reception 5 till 9
Open for Dinner! 5 to 9 Chef Ross is whipping up a special menu, we’ll pass out Tapas hors d’oeuvres and Sangria, and we’ll be serving dinner till 9!
Artist’s Reception—Gary Masline: Faces & Places October 30th 5–9
New Art Exhibit: Faces & Places, works by Gary Masline Showing Thru 2014
Reception—Gary Masline: Faces & Places
Thursday, October 30th 5PM till 9PM
Dinner is Served!
Chef Ross is whipping up a special menu, we’ll pass out Tapas hors d’oeuvres and Sangria, and we’ll be serving dinner till 9!
Gary Masline is a painter who works exclusively with oils on canvas. A resident since 1979 of the Capital District, his paintings have been included in juried exhibitions across New York State, receiving awards at the Mohawk-Hudson Regional Exhibition, the Arts Center of the Capital Region’s “Fence Select Exhibition”, and from Albany Center Gallery. In 2010, the Albany Institute of History and Art, America’s oldest art museum, named Gary one of “Tomorrow’s Masters Today”, and in 2001 he won the readers’ poll for “Best Visual Artist” in “Metroland”, the Capital Region’s weekly arts and entertainment newspaper.
Gary paints with the understanding that art is meant to provoke a response, and his hope is to stimulate a dialogue with viewers responding to his use of color, light, and even body language, to establish image, illusion, or icon. The vibrant palette and intense light of the American Southwest have affected his work, and Gary believes the Southwest is one of the earth’s centers of spiritual energy, which animates artistic awareness. Realizing that a painting can feign a reality which the viewer may never have experienced or seen, Gary asserts that people can nonetheless be profoundly affected by southwestern images serving as emblems or totems, with the symbols or gestures in paintings generating highly individual “stories.”
Gary Masline’s previous creative incarnation was as a screenwriter, and he reasons that painting is a consistent development stemming from that history. If one thinks of Gary’s paintings as consisting of line/drawing, pigment/color, and story/narrative, his work reveals him still “making films”…now just one frame at a time.
Gary currently is a member of the board of directors of the Upstate Artists Guild, and formerly served on the board of Troy’s Fulton Street Gallery. His studio is in Troy. Trained as a lawyer, Gary in 2010 retired from a longtime position as assistant counsel and press spokesman for a governor’s investigatory commission. He lives in East Greenbush with his wife Sharon.
Tapas / Win Lunch / Artist Reception / Mundo Nuevo
Week of Thurs. Oct. 16 to Sun. Oct. 19
Paradise on Earth
This is what our chickens wake up to every day. See? Already we are getting possessive. But if this is the first thing those hens see in the morning, no wonder their eggs taste so good.
Get Your Leaf Peeping In this week, or you will miss it!
And here’s the weekly hoop-de-raw from Carmen’s:
Friday Tapas Specials
Beef Stew slow cooked in a tomato herb broth
Costillitas de Cerdo baby back spareribs, dry rubbed and s-l-o-w roasted
Pan Seared Salmon over herbed couscous
Tell Me Where–Win A Prize
A Cubano and a Cortado
That’s a Cuban Sandwich with Cuban Coffee, to you Anglos
Walking the streets of downtown Troy today, and I happened to look down. I saw these beauties: someone planted them to make the City look good, to bring a smile to a passerby’s face. And it worked!
Relax, slow down, enjoy life while you can.
So tell me where the flowers are, and be precise. The winner gets to RELAX over a tasty lunch with us— on us.
¡Lunch!
By which we mean, breakfast any time, PLUS our lunchtime menu!
Cubano Sandwich by popular demand— pork, ham & swiss w/ mustard & pickle on Cuban bread
Picadillo
Though for a real treat, come in and see what’s on our Specials Board
Reception—Gary Masline: Faces & Places
Showing Thru 2014
Artist’s Reception Thursday, October 30 5 till 9
Dinner is Served!
Chef Ross is whipping up a special menu, we’ll pass out Tapas hors d’oeuvres and Sangria, and we’ll be serving dinner till 9!
Mundo Nuevo Next Week
Shows @ 6 & 8, $5 cover each
Music This Fall:
Mundo Nuevo – 10/24
Elizabeth Kasius & Heard– 11/21
The Nellies – Victorian Stroll
Mundo Nuevo – 12/19
Preview: Coming in November!
The Kitty Cat carving adorns the headboard of this king size bed. Springwood Studios, the former Icarus Furniture, will host a reception soon to show off Jim’s new gallery-showroom.
Carmen's Bistro 