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.

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.

The War of the Wings

The fourth annual Watervliet Wing Wars is about to go down on March 3 to decide the restaurant with the best chicken wings.  Wing fanatics will decide the victor of the Wing Wars by voting.  Over a dozen restaurants from Watervliet, Troy and Cohoes will be serving up their best wings.  

The war will go down on Saturday, March 3, from 3-7 p.m, at the Watervliet AOH, 1021 9th Ave.  Admission is $15 at the door, the proceeds help fund the Watervliet Civic Center.  You can also expect a cash bar, live DJ and a raffle, hope to see you there.

The loss of my beloved Miss Albany

Average Joe is not ashamed to say he cried on Friday.  No, it wasn't because I watched Old Yeller or was on the wrong end of a basketball to the groin - I cried because of the loss of the Miss Albany Diner.  One of my love affairs in life, outside of Mrs. Average Joe, cheese, Star Wars, vintage snowmobiles and the 1986 New York Mets, is diners.  

The Miss Albany Diner is - was my favorite in the area.  The property was purchased by Matt Baumgartner and partners.  The rights to the name and recipes will remain with the Brown family, which owned the diner since 1988.  Mr. Baumgartner certainly knows his stuff when it comes to cutting-edge restaurants and great food.  While he has said he does not have any plans yet for the space, I'm sure it will be another home run.  He has made it clear that he is not getting into the diner business.  While I absolutely look forward to Mr. Baumgartner's next creation, it is with a heavy heart as the Miss Albany Diner is no-more.  To the Brown Family - thanks for memories, the great food and a cool place with a friendly atmosphere.    

Now I am going to have to go out and find a new #1 diner in the Region.

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.

The Salad Bar Has Returned to Central Steak

Central Steak has announced that it will be bringing back its salad bar along with a new menu.  I was disappointed when the salad bar left, but it seems White Management has heard my cries.

“We are willing to fall on the salad fork on this one,” said Brian White, vice president of White Management, which owns Central Steak.  “For decades as The Butcher Block we were known, in part, for our salad bar.  After making some changes last year, we consistently asked for feedback from our customers and one theme which we heard loud and clear was the desire to bring back the salad bar.”

Along with Central Steak, White Management also owns Mangia, Creo’, Bountiful Bread, the Log Jam in Lake George and Cold Stone Creamery.  The recently updated menu is featuring nearly double the dinner options and some new entrees.  The returning salad bar comes with every lunch and dinner entree.  

Central Steak also recently updated a new bistro lunch menu and expanded it with more specialty sandwiches and big burgers.  “We want a lunch menu that fits every palate and based on our initial feedback we feel that we are accomplishing this,” said Devin Ziemann, executive chef at Central Steak.  “From the specialty sandwiches like the Italian Porchetta to the Pilgrim as well as the Fall Vegetable Pasta to the Bolognese, we feel that we have something for everyone, there is a lot of variety on this lunch menu.” 

 Central Steak is located on Central Avenue in Albany.  I'm looking forward to having the salad bar back, I will see you there.

What's going down this Saturday?

The annual Oktoberfest block party in front of Wolff's Biergarten returns Oct. 1, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on a blocked-off section of the street.  Head on over to Wolff's on Saturday located at 895 Broadway to be a part of the festivities and of course to eat.

The main attraction to this event is the beer and food, but there will also be a stein holding competition as well as live music.  If you want to get tickets in advance at Wolff's, tickets are $5 in advance and $7 if you wait until the day of the event.  The first 4,000 people will receive a free commemorative stein.

For more details on the event click here.