Just When I Was About To Give Up On Chinese Food

What is a town without good Chinese food? Extremely depressing, that’s what it is.

I can’t deny that New Paltz has plenty of great places to eat, but I was absolutely heart broken after my two attempts at enjoying a Chinese American meal. There were two Chinese restaurants; one of which I couldn’t even bear to finish the meal, and the other that I could finish but never wanted to return.

Chinese food is a delicacy for Americans. The greatest of all takeout foods. I had no idea what I was going to do for the next 3 ½ years of college. That is, until the grand opening of Asian Fusion! Not only was this place delicious for Chinese restaurants in New Paltz, it was delicious in general. It was almost good enough to compare to NYC Chinese food (but nothing beats anything from the city).

Check our their Facebook page for the menu!

The day that had changed my life, a few of my sorority sisters were spreading the word about a free Chinese buffet at the grand opening of Asian Fusion. Free Chinese buffet in New Paltz? If the other two restaurants were charging money for their low quality food I could only imagine how terrible this food would be. But they kept insisting on how great the food was; and let’s face it, as a college student I can never turn down free food.

Asian Fusion immediately had this nightclub feel to it. The bar was glowing colors, colorful lights were flashing on the walls and the Techno/Dance music was bumpin’, just like they do in Express Stores. The buffet was set up in the back with fried rice, Lo Mein, spring rolls, chicken and broccoli, sushi and more. There was even a table for water and iced tea. The seating was a little awkward (seats lined in an open square so that we were all watching each other obscenely scarf down the food) but it was clear this place wasn’t normally a buffet.

We have no shame in enjoying Chinese food

I grabbed my plate as it was time for the moment of truth. The plates were awfully small – probably to insinuate that the free buffet was just for taste – but I made sure to stack up. I sat down, took a bite, and instantly knew I would be up for seconds and maybe even thirds. The cooks definitely didn’t half-ass this meal. I ate until I was full and had a subtle feeling of regret: Was this meal only so delicious because it was free and I was starving? I knew I had to go back.

And so I did. Two more times within a week and a half. It was so worth it. The second time I had ordered takeout for dinner. Sweet and sour chicken with shrimp fried rice and an egg roll. Stupid me – I meant to order sesame chicken but I’m so glad I didn’t! I can’t remember the last time I ordered sweet and sour chicken but I’ve definitely been missing out! The chicken wasn’t overly battered and I definitely did not have to question the quality of the meat. Unfortunately I had to scarf my food down because I had a full packed schedule and needed to go somewhere but I would have loved to savor every moment of that meal.

The food was almost devoured before
we remembered to take a picture

The third time I decided to enjoy the lunch special with a few of my sorority sisters. I ordered the General Tso Chicken with fried rice and an egg roll (only $7!) as a test. I had tried it once off my boyfriend’s plate but I’ve never ordered it myself. I knew if I were to go to Asian Fusion with my boyfriend he would order this, so I wanted to see if it was good. And of course, it did everything but fail me. This chicken also didn’t have too much batter and it was the perfect balance of sweet flavor included. I even tried sesame chicken off of my friend’s plate and was still surprised at how great everything turned out. 

Knowing that there is an amazing Asian restaurant in New Paltz basically makes this town perfect. The only downfall was my fortune cookie. The fortune was misspelled and didn’t make much sense (I take fortune cookies seriously), but I have faith that that won’t happen again. If you’re strongly craving some good Chinese food, or if you are just deciding what you want to grab for your next meal, I strongly suggest you go to Asian Fusion. You will not be disappointed.

A Chocolate Lover's Dream

What is better after a long day of classes than a leisurely walk into town to get some chocolate? Probably nothing if you were looking for a definitive answer. The weather may not be ideal, a little chilly and gloomy but, like many other things, chocolate can quickly fix the mood.

If you don’t know where the best place to get chocolate in New Paltz is then I am here, coming to your rescue. Krause’s Chocolates on Church Street in New Paltz across from Suruchi Indian Restaurant is a chocolate lover’s wet dream. 

Krause's Chocolates: Church Street, New Paltz

My boyfriend and I traipsed into town on a Monday afternoon, knowing that the shop was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays oddly enough. I know that the chilly walk into town was going to be worth the potent flavors that awaited my taste buds inside the quaint brick building.

            Upon entering the shop my senses were overwhelmed, in a good way. The place is relatively new so the smell of carpentry, pungent scents of wood and art supplies crept into my nose, but on top of that the luscious smell of gooey, melty chocolate took center stage. The décor was simple and the people were friendly, very fitting in the town of New Paltz.

            I knew I was going into the store to buy my father a birthday present because, like me, he is a chocoholic. But could I really leave without something for myself? Hardly. So Greg (the aforementioned boyfriend) and I chose about 11 chocolates to fill up the half pound box (about $7.25 depending on weight) which was much harder than expected, considering there were a myriad of choices.

Inside of Krause's Chocolates; a myriad of choices

Of course we were somehow able to make the necessary choices and move on to the more exciting part of the experience, taste testing! The first thing that we noticed was that all of the chocolates looked so homey and rustic, they obviously didn’t contain any kind of preservatives or the traditional chemicals that are found in your typical Mars bar. Even the pickiest of eaters (Greg) would have been excited to delve into this cornucopia of treats.

We devised a system to go about testing each of these treats and because we couldn’t remember what each one contained it was a little bit mysterious and slightly daunting. It was decided that we would cut each in half and each take a taste of each.

And now I will do you the favor and save you the time of doing this taste test yourself (although I know I would want to take the challenge on for myself, the chocolate is just that good)!

A Tour For Your Taste Buds

The chocolate covered graham cracker: This was one of the most simple chocolates of the bunch, the layer of chocolate was a little on the thicker side but had a very smooth and milky texture.

The coconut cream: Definitely Greg’s second favorite; this chocolate is reminiscent of a classic Mounds bar, only homemade and a much more pungent coconut flavor.

The chocolate cream: To me, this chocolate was a little odd. I bit into it not remembering what exactly the flavor was supposed to be. Greg told me it was in fact chocolate cream but I could have sworn there was some other flavor in there, maybe almond? But regardless the chocolate was still delicious, just a bit confusing to my amateur taste. 

The chocolate raspberry: This chocolate was very flavorful and contained much more raspberry flavor than I was expecting (but lots of pretty pink dust), and too much for Greg’s liking. Continually the strong flavors amazed me because apparently I am not well versed in gourmet chocolates.

The orange cream: This was another super flavorful chocolate and quite messy having radioactive orange color oozing out of the dark chocolate coating, but still quite delicious (not that I really found one particularly gross).

The chocolate mocha: This chocolate tasted like I had been given a cup of coffee straight from Starbucks, I really enjoyed how strong the coffee flavor was and any avid coffee drinker or even barista would definitely agree.

The chocolate and peanut butter: This is simple and relatable, just think classy Reeses.

The chocolate marshmallow: I bet if you combined this chocolate with the graham cracker chocolate and sit in front of a fire you’ve got yourself the making of some delectable s’mores, bringing it back to our childhood.

The buttercream chocolate: This is one chocolate that confused me personally. I’m not entirely sure what buttercream flavor is supposed to be and I’m still not. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the taste; I just couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. If you try it and figure it out, let me know!

The caramel: Another chocolate Greg won’t touch but for anyone who enjoys the simple things then this is it, classic chocolate and caramel.

The cookie dough: Greg’s all-time favorite of the night. Eating the cookie dough is everyone’s favorite part of making cookies and now here’s the opportunity to eat it covered in chocolate, there is nothing better than that.

If you like chocolates and are looking for either a gift or just something to satiate that sweet tooth and the child within Krause’s is the place to go. From gummies to truffles to chocolate covered potato chips they offer it all. Along with a pleasant and helpful staff this quaint, local stop should be on every foodies list.