Peaberrys Catering and Cafe: A mystery solved

The drumroll please……

We have a winner of the first Celinabean mystery brownie contest. Elaine, there will be a box of brownies waiting for you at Peaberrys Cafe on Delaware Avenue in Albany. (I will send you an email with the details.) To keep things official and to avoid any Browniegate scenarios, I put the correct answers on napkins and shuffled them. My good friends at All Over Albany selected the winner.

A couple of you were very close. Peaberry’s is located right next to The Chocolate Gecko, or, technically speaking, the florist shop that sells Chocolate Gecko goodies. Peaberrys is also right under The Yoga Loft, where sometimes the fudgy smell of brownies comes wafting up to surround you as you are trying to twist all the toxins out of your body. I usually go to yoga class to have 90 minutes of the day when I am not thinking about brownies. Ohmmmmmm, I am one with the universe, brownies and all. Ohmmmmmmmmm. I’m trying to embrace the universe, but if it could please not be one with my hips, Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

But the stalking brownies aside, Peaberry’s is worth a visit.

There is a decadent wrap of warm breaded eggplant, fresh mozzarella and sun-dried tomato mayo. The sandwich is the budget-vegetarian equivalent of eating steak with béarnaise sauce or lobster tail with butter. Super rich and filling and best done in small portions. It is especially nice on these cold winter days when you want to feel toasty and deep-in-the-belly full. Not bad for $6.50.

Speaking of keeping warm, the coffee is from Caffé Vita in Seattle and so good I considered drinking it black. A note to those who like the burnt acidy taste of Starbucks and some local roasters, this may not be the coffee for you. It is full-bodied and rich, but the hit is smooth with almost a hint of sweet coming in at the end. I love it, but for acid lovers, like my husband and half the guys at work, well, you probably want to stick to The Daily Grind.

The soups can be a little inconsistent, but I’ve gone back twice for the New England clam chowder, which usually makes an appearance on Fridays. The soup is a lighter version than you usually find, no gloppy pile of cream and potatoes here. The broth is clearer than most, very rich and full of large hunks of tender clams.

My husband, the baker and sweet tooth, also sampled the raspberry scones and between mumbled bites and yum-yum sounds gave hearty approval. The scones are very moist and buttery and a little on the sweet side, which is not a fault in his book.

For us savory folks, there is a new cheddar-thyme scone, but you may want to call ahead as it sells out quickly.

And as for the double-chocolate brownies, well, I would tell you how good they are, but I am trying to avoid them while becoming one with the universe. Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Details:

Peaberrys Catering and Cafe
540 Delaware Avenue, Albany
(518) 443-0400

Hours: 8 - 3, Monday - Saturday

One note: The sign for the cafe is almost imposible to read from the road (or maybe I'm just getting old). Look for the sign for the Yoga Loft and turn in to the parking lot. The cafe is the door in the middle.