Location Means Nothing When There's Good Food

I remember a few years back when I heard a restaurant had opened in a small strip mall in North Greenbush right on Route 4.  I thought that's a tough place for a restaurant.  Luckily, a friend insisted that I go try it out and I'm still grateful for that advice.  Garlic Lovers Corner is a quaint Mediterranean restaurant with amazing food.  It used to be a best kept secret, but that secret is out of the bag.
 

If you go there on a Friday or Saturday night, you had better make a reservation because it gets packed.  Garlic Lovers has a fierce following and has created some truly unique dishes, I used to get the flat-iron steak with blue cheese and was sad when they moved it off the menu.  Recently I have found a new favorite, the seafood fri-diablo.  We stopped in recently and I wanted to try something new, with memories of my former favorite, I almost went with the ribeye but then the chicken dijon caught my eye.  Fried chicken layered with mozzarella cheese, spinach, tomatoes and a dijon sauce over garlic mashed potatoes.   I was very happy that I decided to try something new.  It was an amazing dish and, as always, Garlic Lovers is not skimpy on their portions so I decided to not over do it and I saved some for lunch the next day.   

Average Joe learned an important lesson years ago, in the restaurant business location means very little when the food is so good that it will keep you coming back and back and back.

The Ultimate Meat Lover's Pizza

Hot dogs, pizza, I love both. But, do I love them together? Thanks (or possibly no thanks) to Pizza Hut, I will soon be able to find out. Unfortunately I will have to pack my suitcase and hop on a flight to Great Britain to try the newest invention by Pizza Hut: Hot Dog Stuffed Crust. I would be lying if I didn’t admit my hesitation, but keep in mind I am the same guy who recently tried a Doritos shell taco at Taco Bell. 

What unique food combination do you want to see next? 

Caught Up in the Hype

I can’t remember the last time I watched TV and didn’t see an ad for the new Doritos taco at Taco Bell.  So being the curious food lover that I am, I had to make a 1am trip to the drive-through.  We all know that Taco Bell food tastes great when you eat it, but can backfire later on.  Well the Doritos taco didn’t even give me that satisfaction of eating it.  All the hype and it didn’t taste like a Dorito?  It was a taco shell with orange coloring.  That’s what I get for being inspired by a commercial.  What commercial should I follow next?

A New Pub With My Kind of Atmosphere

I hope everyone is having a great St. Patrick's Day. Average Joe has some plans later, but we can talk about the results of that another day.  

Brown's Brewing Co. is shooting for a May 1 opening date for its newest pub, The Malt Room. Brown's is investing $150,000 dollars to open up this new place,  a 2,500 square foot space, right next door to Brown’s existing pub, located beneath the storied Revolution Hall at 425 River St.

I think this will be my kind of place, the atmosphere is expected to attract an older crowd or people who want a place for quiet conversation. Nothing crazy for me.

My Surprise Pick at Mac 'N Cheese Bowl

I always enjoy attending the Mac ‘N Cheese Bowl. It’s a fun event and the Regional Food Bank is a worthy cause. This year, some 2,000 people came to taste the cheesy delights put forth by roughly 30 entrants.

I am always a sucker for Valente’s. They consistently win and they deserve it.  I have actually ordered Mac ‘N Cheese in the restaurant, something I would not do at many other places. However, this year, another famous local restaurant brand caught the corner of my eye and I had to try.

As I approached the Latham ’76 Diner table, the first thoughts that rang through my head were, “It’s not 3:00am and I’m sober.”  The thoughts alone served as a palate cleanser.

Here’s why they rocked: Homemade, traditional, old school, just like mom would make.  That’s it. Simple.  Just like the ham & cheese omelette I used to rock at 3:00am.

Hibernating For Winter?

The snow hasn't been so bad yet here in the Capital Region, which means there is still time to get your fill before going into hibernation for the long and cold winter.  I thought to myself, if I were a bear, what would be the last thing I would want to eat before going into hibernation?  Of course the answer was none other than Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy.

Taking a look at the photo of my feast, which I viciously attacked, I think any bear would be satisfied.  This is why I enjoy going here, not only is it great Bar-B-Que, but also there's plenty of it.  So for the remainder of this winter, if you're hungry here is the place to go.

For hours and to take a look at their menu, Click Here.

 

Like Father, Like Son

Brandon Williams, son of former restaurant owner Don Williams, has opened a new version of a restaurant started by his father in the early 1990s going by the same name, Brandon’s Steak & Seafood. 

The restaurant is located in Schenectady at 1702 Chrisler Avenue.  Brandon invested into the property that was recently occupied by a Shalimar restaurant and has turned it into a contemporary steak and seafood restaurant, with the intention of carrying on the tradition of his fathers’ business.  Brandon’s Steak & Seafood is open for lunch and dinner and serves a assortment of dishes including lamb chops, pasta dishes, stuffed sirloin and a great variety of seafood.

Don Williams operated Brandon’s Ritz Terrace for 17 years until 2009 and opened the short-lived first version of Brandon’s Steak and Seafood in the early 1990s. 

Brandon grew up in Schenectady and formerly worked for the Mallozzi Group as a general manager of the company’s Brown Derby restaurant in Albany. 

The restaurant currently has a website under construction, for more information check out this article in The Business Review.

A Vortex to Brooklyn in Albany

Whenever I have dinner at New World Bistro on Delaware Ave, I feel like I’ve found a vortex to Brooklyn or the East Village right here in Albany—and no matter where you have or haven’t lived in your past, you should know that’s a really good thing.  From the celebrity chef (Ric Orlando has twice proven his prowess on the Food Network’s Chopped series) to the creative menu, the trendy gastro pub welcomes fancy diners and average Joes alike on any given night.

On Friday, my friends and I slid into a booth against the exposed brick of the 1910 building, equally as hungry, but each with very different culinary preferences.  The most adventurous of the group said the Maui Poke of Ahi Tuna (or, raw tuna, for the rest of us) was perfect.  I personally enjoyed the Saigon Street Style Fried Calamari, not minding the twist of peanut and chile-garlic sauces.  (Listen, we can’t rely on marinara sauce forever).  For our main meals, the Hudson Valley salad was a hit, as was the Thai Italian Love – Panang Curry Bolognese.  Think meat sauce and pasta, but with coconut and kaffir lime sauce.  The only miss was the pasta special, but it has already been rotated out and we’ll chalk it up to the diner just not loving the sauce.  Overall, it was all really great, including the dessert.

Whether you’ve skipped New World in the past due to prices or other assumptions, take it from me.  It can be affordable if you’re good at ordering, and it’s extremely welcoming and inviting inside.  If a ‘creative menu’ scares you off, fret not—pizzas and burgers and other ‘normal’ fare are available, too.  But it’s almost a new year; why not try something different?

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:

http://www.barnsiderrestaurant.com/index.html .

Some Great Free Starter Apps for Eaters

Feel hesitant about just walking in somewhere and trying out a new restaurant?  Or maybe you're looking for a place your friend recommended and aren't sure where to go, well I have the solution for you eaters out there.   I am seeing more and more people becoming new smart phone users and there are a lot of great apps out there that are free for restaurant goers. 

Yelp

Yelp is a great starter app for the restaurant goer.  When you're out looking for something to eat and you're either new to the area or you just can't decide where you want to go, Yelp will help you locate a restaurant and you can grab the latest reviews so you'll know what you're walking into.  When you're out on the hunt for some local food you can narrow your search down to the neighborhood you're in or the distance away it is, prices and what is currently open.

OpenTable

OpenTable is an app that is free for smart phone users.  One of its most interesting features is that it allows you to not only search for restaurants, but even lets you book a reservation right from your phone.  This can come in handy when you need to make a last minute reservation and aren't sure what places are full already.  However not all restaurants are OpenTable enabled.


TruxMap

This app caters to you food truck enthusiasts, it includes a real time gourmet food truck map.  The app is free and it allows you to select a city and will show you the location of currently open food trucks as well as soon to be open food trucks.  You can look at menus and directions and even submit your own truck reviews.  This app only has maps available for major cities, but is good to have handy when traveling if your home city doesn't have one.

These are just a few of the free applications out there for food enthusiasts.  If you're curious about  a restaurant's review or are trying to locate where you want to go these are great tools to help you out.