All Good Bakers (closed)

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

AGB sits back in a nook next to and behind Mingle restaurant. There's dedicated parking (off of busy Delaware avenue) for patrons of the two and a half shops; All Good Bakers, the Yoga Loft, and (coming soon) The Cheese Traveler (Who will be partnering with an organic meat farmer).

Their dedication to local, farm to table, fresh, homemade, vegan and vegetarian is second to none. Their menu each week is driven by what they pick up from the Saturday Delmar Farmer's Market. With the exception of their cookies, which are sourced locally from Bake For You (another privately run Albany shop), everything sold in All Good Bakers is also made fresh in their kitchen. I consider All Good Bakers to be the gold standard in farm-to-table, by which all other shops are measured.

Inside, the shop comfortably seats ten patrons. To your right hand side is a clear glass window where you see their prep board, and bakers hard at work. Farther down is the kitchen. In front of you is their menu board. On the left hand wall is their source list (what items were acquired from which farms during their last run).

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Londonderry Cafe (closed)

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

	Front of menu

EDIT: Londonderry Deli Closed on 12/31/12 after 14 years of business.

Londonderry Cafe is located in the back of Stuyvesant Plaza.  It is easy to get to, and parking is plentiful.

That is basically where the positives end.  Bread comes with the meal, it was a sesame bread served mostly warm.  Salads were bland and inconsistent (I had several tomatoes, Josie didn't have any)  We both had the house dressing, it was a creamy basil.  It wasn't bad, but it didn't add anything to the salad. 

Both Josie and I ordered one of their specials for the evening.  My dish was Chicken and Crab Tortellini with fresh basil and pesto.  There was a bunch of crab in the dish, but it was mixed with the pesto, so it was a little difficult to get crab flavor since the pesto was a much stronger flavor.  There was a ton of chicken in it (more chicken than tortellini) but the chicken was so overcooked it was dry and tough to eat.  The tortellini was cooked well, and the pesto was pretty good.  Presentation of the dish was not very appealing, but if the chicken hadn't been murdered, I would have recommended the dish.

Josie ordered Greek tuna (sushi grade) served with kalamara olives, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts, sauteed in white wine, garlic, and butter.  She ordered her tuna rare.  The plate was beautiful, but what they did to the tuna was a crime.  The fish was massively overcooked and didn't taste fresh.  Having a special made with food that was frozen is inexcusable.  The olives seemed out of place and didn't belong in this dish.  The vegetables that came with the dish had a bitter taste to them.  The kuskus had a nice soft texture, it was perfectly cooked with a mild peppery flavor.  This was her favorite part of her dish.

Both specials cost $21 which is on the high side (also prices for specials weren't marked).  Service was friendly, but not necessarily speedy, although my drink was refilled before it was completely empty.

Total for the meal and sodas for the two of us with tax came out to be just over $50.

Chicken and Crab Tortellini	Greek Tuna

El Mariachi I - Hamilton St.

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Written by Chuck

Category: Restaurant Reviews

El Mariachi I is located directly adjacent to the Empire State Plaza at the end of Hamilton St. in Albany. It bills itself as authentic Mexican and usually never fails to succeed. The space is somewhat cramped and can be noisy when busy, but the atmosphere and food make the scene.

On a recent Tuesday night visit we were able to find parking right in front of the restaurant and walk right in. Beware, on busy nights parking can be a premium and several trips around the block may be necessary to avoid a long walk just to get in and find a long wait. This is especially true since the parking lot directly across the street from the restaurant has put up gates to keep after hours parkers at bay. Sadly, this has made the parking conditions sometimes inconvenient.

Now on to the food. As is typical of most (if not all) local, Mexican eateries you are welcomed at your table by a basket of tortilla chips and a side of house made salsa. The salsa was very tasty and had a nice zip to it. Lots of garlic, onion and cilantro made for a nice flavor. My sole complaint with it was that it was a bit watery for my taste. I find watery salsas hard to keep on the chip, but easy to keep on my shirt... My wife ordered carnitas which are chunks of marinated, slow cooked pork served with mexican rice. black beans, a small salad and soft tortillas. For my money, this is the best dish on their menu and has never disappointed in any way. It is a large dish and she was able to make two meals out of it. The pork is very tender and nicely spiced. It can sometimes be a little dry but not on this occasion. It is not the least bit spicy hot, but just a really full, flavorful taste.

I decided to branch out and try their shrimp chimichanga. It was not something that I would order again. It was just a little bland for me, but it was by no means bad. It was filled with a good amount of large, tender shrimp, so that was a plus. You have the choice of having it topped with red, green or white sauce. I opted for half red and half white and it was nicely presented on the plate. The chimichanga also comes with beans, rice and a small scoop of guacamole. I was quite full after eating and wasn't able to finish everything on my plate, so bring an appetite.

On a side note, their guac is really, really good. As noted, it is served on some dishes and can also be ordered as an appetizer. It comes highly recommended. To sum up, El Mariachi remains one of the better and most consistent Mexican restaurants in the area and offers good value for the money.

LT's Grill

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

It's ok, you can admit it, you have never heard of LT's Grill in Schenectady before this second.  That's ok, I hadn't either.  I saw their menu online and we decided to give it a try.  Armed with an address and a GPS, we still felt like we were looking for platform 9 3/4.  We circled the plaza twice before it just magically appeared to us, clear as day.  When you first walk inside, you get the feeling that LT's wasn't really sure what it wanted to be.  It was basically half BBQ joint / half sports bar.  Well... 1/2 BBQ joint / 1/2 sports bar with seafood.  You are greeted by a lobster tank when you first walk in.  After you get to the dining floor, you will see your typical white top tables that scream BBQ, and on the far side you'll see a large bar with half a dozen flat screen TVs with sporting events on.

On the Saturday night we were there, they were running a special:  1/2 priced appetizer with the purchase of an entree.  I had heard their dry rub was good, so we ordered some boneless wings with their homemade dry rub on them. (normally $8).  They were served with blue cheese and celery.  Josie and I both agreed that the dry rub was amazing.  Very complex flavors, with a bit of tang and a bit of spice.  The chicken was moist with a thick breading (Josie thought it was too thick, I liked the crunch)

For my entree, I picked the 1/2 rack of ribs with the Kansas City BBQ sauce on it.  For my sides, I had the dry rub fries and big man chips (both potatoes, but there are only really 9 sides to choose from, and 4 are potatoes, Josie had already ordered and I wanted to be different).  The ribs were fantastic.  They had a smokey flavor, nice and tender inside and the BBQ sauce truly complemented them without overwhelming them.  The fries were good, but without the dry rub I wouldn't have wasted stomach space on them.  The chips were homemade, and tasted like unseasoned kettle chips.  They did come with a horseradish cream sauce that was very good.  the cornbread was really fluffy with a great flavor, but I would have preferred it warm.  The 1/2 rack with the sides was $12 with is an amazing value.

Josie ordered the pulled pork platter with baked beans and garlic cheddar smashed pototes.  The pork was incredibly moist but lacked flavor without the aid of the bbq sauce.  The mashed potatoes were incredibly garlicy, too garlicy to even eat.  And Josie loves her garlic.  The beans were good with a unique flavor she couldn't quite place, but eventually decided it was probably molasses.  She loved the corn bread so much I had to give her my piece.  The pulled pork platter costs $14

For my drink, I ordered the sweet tea, but it was really more of your standard Lipton tea out of a soda fountain, not what I would consider your typical sweet tea.  Our server was great, very friendly and attentive, she offered us suggestions on what to try and refilled drinks without having to be asked.

Total for the meal and drinks for the two of us with tax was $36.   Website: http://www.ltsgrillny.com

1/2 Rack of ribs	Boneless wings with dry rub	Pulled pork platter

Sweet Basil

Details

Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

	Front of menu

Sweet Basil is a new Thai restaurant that opened in August of 2012 (last month)  It is located on Delaware Ave in Albany.  I have been to most of the Thai places in the area, so when a new one opened up, I was eager to try it to see how it stacked up.

Parking on Delaware can often be a pain, but on the Friday evening when we went, there was plenty of parking on the street nearby.  We were there during the typical busy time for restaurants, so I can reasonably assume parking won't be an issue for this location.  The restaurant itself is quite small, inside there are 6 tables, 4 - 4 person tables, and 2 - 2 person.  There is also limited seating outside for the warmer months (one table is partially pictured above).  We were immediately greeted by a friendly employee as soon as we walked in which is always a plus.

Now, lets get down to the food.  I ordered one of their specials, called Yellow Twin.  It consists of duck and shrimp in a pineapple curry sauce with tomato and basil.  It is complimented with grilled pumpkin and jasmine rice.  So much to say about this dish.  The shrimp in the dish was cooked well, but lacked flavor on it's own.  Duck was cooked perfectly, and the crispy skin was just amazing.  The curry sauce was very flavorful with a mild spice.  The grilled pumpkin was actually acorn squash, and it felt out of place.  It was bland, and didn't really work with the dish.  The shrimp and duck pieces were all too big, and as with most Thai food places, they don't give you a knife, so you have to try to cut it with a fork, which proved to be difficult and inconvenient.  I am also not a big fan of leaving the tail on shrimp in a prepared dish, even though it is quite common.  This dish was one of the most expensive items on the menu at $22.

Josie ordered the pineapple fried rice with duck.  This dish had everything in it.  I don't remember all the ingredients, but there it included: rice, egg, cashews, tomatoes, onions, pineapple, and shallots.  The duck in her dish was dry and overcooked, but the dish as a whole was flavorful, and the pineapple was cooked perfectly:  warm without getting mushy.  She felt the cashews in the dish were a little out of place, but it isn't abnormal to find them in a fried rice dish.  With the duck, the pineapple fried rice cost $15.

We both had Thai iced tea with our meals, and we agreed it was a bit too sweet.  Service was fast and friendly, and presentation was very nice, the rice being served in the pineapple shell is a nice touch.

Total for the meal and drinks for the two of us with tax came out to be just over $45.

Yellow Twin	Pineapple Fried Rice