🥟 Taste The 518: Mystic Momo's Nepalese dumplings

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Happy Tuesday, Capital District! Today, we’re launching our first food review for the newsletter: Taste The 518. And OMG, it’s fire 🔥 so, so good!

Let us know about new restaurants we should review. Leave a comment or get in touch: [email protected].

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Taste The 518: Mystic Momo makes magnificent Nepalese dumplings 🥟 

When the plate finally reaches your table, you can tell right away: Mystic Momo makes dumplings with love. The kind of dumplings your Nepali grammy would make—if you were Nepalese and lucky enough to have a grandma at home stuffing pillowy dumplings with her delicate, practiced hands.

From inside this tidy corner restaurant, you can see out to the busy scene on Albany’s Central Avenue. But once you taste the food, you’ll be transported to a street corner in Kathmandu, pushing your way toward a seller hawking momos—steamed or fried dumplings made with flour and stuffed with meat and/or veggies.

In Nepal, buffalo is the meat of choice for this hugely popular street food. At Mystic Momo, you can choose from chicken, pork or beef. Or make it vegetarian with chives, mushrooms and paneer.

Mystic Momo is the first Nepalese restaurant in the Capital Region, but the food is imminently approachable. The flavors and spices here will be familiar to anyone who loves authentic Chinese and Indian food.

For our tasting, we ordered kothey momo. Glistening with oil, these pan-fried dumplings arrived with the perfect sear—still chewy (not overly crispy)—and stuffed with ground chicken seasoned with ginger, cumin and coriander. They came with a tomato and sesame-based chutney that added just the right amount of heat to the dish.

For our second course, we chose the keema jhol momo, steamed dumplings stuffed with minced pork, bathing in a deeply satisfying broth. Scattered on top were scallions and more of that delicious minced meat. Here you get the assertiveness of fresh black pepper and the warmth of turmeric. It’s a dish you can seriously eat every single day and never want for anything else. In winter, this definitely would be my go-to meal 🔥 

We rounded out the dinner with mango lassi and matka dahi, a slightly sweet Nepalese delicacy made with thick yogurt that’s fermented in a clay pot. So good!

Although we didn’t order it, Mystic Momo’s other main menu item is chow mein, a popular staple in Nepal owing to the Chinese influence.

Do yourself a huge flavor: Get to Mystic Momo right away and taste what is bound to be the next big thing in ethnic eats—momo dumplings!

The deets: Mystic Momo, 40 Central Ave, Albany. Open daily noon-9:30p. Closed on Tuesdays. Cost of our meal without tip: $36.48.

🌞 WEATHER WATCH

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Help Queensboro Lose Money

🎥 Albany’s Madison Theatre is expected to reopen by the end of the year. David Aumand, a 30-year Albany resident, is spearheading the revitalization project with Common Council member Owusu Anane as an investor. The adjoining 70-seat restaurant will also be reopened, and the adjacent cafe will be converted into a retail shop. [Times Union]

🌗 Tuesday’s night sky will offer up a rare treat: A so-called “super harvest” moon that’s slightly larger than usual, plus a partial lunar eclipse. For Northeast residents, the eclipse will begin around 8:40 pm and reach its darkest phase at approximately 10:44 pm. [Space.com].

🐺 Some 60 school districts in New York have until the end of the school year to change their nicknames and logos to something non-indigenous—or risk losing state aid. But there’s no funding from the state to pay for the changes to uniforms and signage. [Spectrum News]

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🎟️ WHAT’S HAPPENING

Note: Our full weekend roundup publishes on Thursdays now. Check your inboxes!

👽️ Have you checked out the free film screenings at No Fun on Tuesday nights? Tonight is your chance with showings of the original 1979 “Alien” movie and 1985’s “Legend.” Free.

🇰🇷 On Wednesday, Lark Hall is hosting a Soju Tasting and Anju Pairing Night with Korean rice wine sommelier Jinsung Chun. Anju is the food that’s traditionally served with soju. Tickets: $53-58.

🍻 Also on Wednesday, the 2024 Hops & Harvest Festival takes over the Empire State Plaza. The annual event features some of New York State’s best craft beers, plus a pie-eating contest, lawn games and live music. Free.

👩‍💼 On Thursday, Albany Professionals Under 40 is hosting its first networking event at the Argus Hotel & Cocktail Lounge. Light food provided and cash bar. Come meet young professionals from around the Capital Region. Tix are just $10!

🎈The 51st Adirondack Balloon Festival returns to Warren County on Thursday. Opening ceremonies begin at Crandall Park in Glens Falls with an evening launch. The festival goes through the weekend. Free.

📜 Trade Days in Rensselaer celebrate Crailo's centennial anniversary of becoming a NYS historic site with 17th and 18th century reenactors, performers, games, crafts and vendors. Free.

🎸 This weekend’s big event is PearlPalooza in Albany. Thousands of people are expected for the 15th annual street festival on Saturday with tons of food and vendor booths, and a rockin’ music stage. Don’t miss the YogaPalooza at 11 am. Free.

🥁 LIVE MUSIC & MORE

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