Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Fancy Flavor, Cozy Setting

This may be hard for some of you long-time area residents to believe, but I just took my first ever visit to the Barnsider restaurant in Albany.  From what I had heard about it, I expected a formal setting with an exclusive type of feel to it. 

But after arriving there, I don’t know whether it was the warm cottage-like atmosphere with its vintage wooden floors or the extremely friendly service, but the Barnsider made me feel like I was enjoying a cozy family meal right at home. 

Don’t get me wrong though; the dishes at the Barnsider are nothing but ordinary.  There is an on-premise butcher shop where the beef is carefully aged for a minimum of 28 days in a special temperature and humidity controlled environment.  You can tell that people come here for the meat 

– each table I surveyed in my immediate area had at least one of the Barnsider’s lean and tender steak dishes.

The fresh fish was delicious.  I had the Baked Scallops that were so flavorful and tender that they just melted in my mouth.  The Barnsider receives fresh fish daily from a special supplier.

If you can’t decide between the steak and fish, no need to worry; there are plenty of combination dishes to try.  All entrees are served with your choice of fresh sides and a salad bar as well.

For more information on the Barnsider, visit their website at:


Thursday, November 10, 2011

An Uncommon Breakfast

Why would I consider this tasty looking bagel and espresso frappe an uncommon breakfast?  For one I was eating it in the afternoon, but also I was enjoying a custom bagel sandwich at Uncommon Grounds on Western Ave in Albany.  There is nothing like the freshness of a bagel.

The bagels here are all baked from scratch every single day and they offer a variety of toppings and bagel types.  This gives you the chance to build the perfect bagel sandwich  The atmosphere is lively, but comfortable and there is always music playing. 

They're open late and have two locations, one in Albany and one in Saratoga Springs. You can check out their menu here.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

A Silver Anniversary for Paolo Lombardi's Ristorante

I have blogged a lot about Paolo Lombardi's in the past.  Today the Troy Record had a great article to mark its silver anniversary.

Click here to check it out.