Via Fresca

I have a new favorite sandwich. It's more of a crush, really. The kind of thing where you find yourself coming up with excuses to drive by. Just happened to be in the neighborhood you know, and well, since I'm here, (several miles from my home and not on the way to anywhere I'm supposed to be today), I guess I'll get something.

And that is how I've landed once again at Via Fresca on Western Avenue staring up at the menu board as if I'm casually considering what to have for lunch. Were I not in such a state of infatuation there would be a lot to consider. There is the Via Fresca BLT panini, for example, with apple-smoked bacon, grilled portabello, lettuce, tomato and garlic aioli ($6.70). Or perhaps the 12-inch prosciutto sub with fresh mozzarella, sweet or hot peppers and balsamic glaze ($7.99). I know I'm in it bad when I don't even pause for the prosciutto.

After what I hope is a decent amount of time, so I don't come across like the addled greens junkie that I am, I order. One broccoli rabe and provolone panini, pleeeeeeeaaase.

I think part of any infatuation is surprise. I love brown rice and if I had to go to Mars with only a few foods from earth, I would take the biggest bag of short-grain brown rice that the rocket ship could carry. But I have yet to find myself circling the Honest Weight Coop looking for rice when I should be working. You can't have a crush on something predictable and familiar.

There was nothing predicable about Via Fresca or its panini.

Most panini bread seems like a sorry cousin to corn bread in consistency and has a powerful blandness that can overwhelm even nicely flavored insides. As a result, I rarely order panini even if the stuffing is tempting. I don't eat bread that often, so when I do, I want to make it count. Via Fresca uses a ciabatta from Napoli Bakery in Rotterdam. This bread is worth the trip alone. It is chewy and crispy in all the right places. When it is warm from the grill, its yeasty scent enhances everything between it.

The other surprise at Via Fresca is that everything is just a little better than you expect it to be. A simple white bean and string bean salad bursts to life with fresh dill and beans that taste like they've just come from a vine. My sandwich is no exception. The broccoli rabe is cooked perfectly, tender, a brilliant green with a little bite, but no bitterness. The sandwich is finished with a balsamic glaze that zings things up with overpowering everything.

While you are at Via Fresca, it is worth a few minutes to check out the coolers. There's a small, but nice selection of cheeses, and on occasion they carry strained Greek yogurt, which really deserves its own post.

Other nice finds in the deli are locally smoked roast beef, white anchovies and a beautiful looking stuffed eggplant. I haven't tried them yet, but the small pizzas also look good, and I heard someone mentioning that one might have anchovy paste on it. Yummm.

One note: Via Fresca can be tough to find. The building is a former house in a line of houses that now all seem to have little stores and offices in them. On my first visit, I drove by three times before finding it. It is located at 1666 Western Avenue. If you are heading out of Albany it is just past Crossgates. You will see Wendy's on your right. Via Fresca is just ahead on the left. There is a big blue sign out front. The driveway is right before the store.

Hours
Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 - 5 p.m.
www.viafresca.net
Phone: (518) 452-1179
Fax: (518) 452-1180