Skyline Diner

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Written by Kent

Category: Restaurant Reviews

Skyline Diner was recently written up in the Times Union, and I've been meaning to try it too.  The TU reviewer wrote about a great expierence with eggs there.  This small diner in Rensselaer, NY has recently been renovated and looks directly at the Albany Skyline, just minutes away from downtown.

Skyline serves full Breakfast from 7 am to 11 am daily and then nearly everything from the breakfast menu is available until closing, at 3 pm.   There is a seperate lunch menu with standard fare.   The server pleasantly explained that items like Waffles, Steak and Eggs, and Breakfast Specials/Combos are not available after 11, when I asked.

I ordered the eggs benedict, a coffee, and a water.   The tables only had sugar on them, not splenda, equal, or sweet n low, which was unusual but were all available upon request.    The food was very good to great.  The side potatoes were just average, but overall, the food was fast to arrive, good portion size, and fresh tasting, I would say 4 forks, and possibly the best Hollandaise Sauce I have ever tasted. 

The service was a little dodgy at times, as I didn't have my coffee filled promptly or when needed, and then when the check was presented, I noticed I was charged higher on my bill then the menu showed for my order. 

When I paid the bill, the hostess/cashier asked how everything was.  I said great food, good service, but mentioned that I thought I may've been charged different (higher) for my meal then the menu showed. She shrugged, replied "oh yea", and rang me out at the higher price. 

For this, I score them overall 3 forks, but I will be trying them again.    

Eggs Benedict

North Country BBQ

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

North Country BBQ recently opened about 6 months in Schenectady.  I had heard some good things so we decided to give it a try for dinner.

Fare here is your traditional BBQ food.  We wanted to try a variety of things, so we both ordered combination platters (comes with two meats, two sides, and a biscuit - $14 (3 meats for $16)).  I went with pulled pork and ribs with sides of mac and cheese and sweet potato tots.  The pulled pork was amazing.  Tender and juicy, with a good flavor.  The ribs were also good, nice and tender, but I wish it had a 'bark' on it.  The flavors were great, but a crunch would have made it even better.  The mac and cheese was a traditional home-made baked mac and cheese.  Great flavors, and still creamy.  Sweet potato tots were nice and crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  They still had the sweet potato flavor you would expect.  They were served with a raspberry sauce that I didn't think was needed.  I have a hard time thinking of anything negative on my plate, it was all done quite well.

My dining partner ordered the pulled pork and brisket with sweet potato tots and bacon ranch potato salad.  Her brisket looked like it was thrown in a microwave to heat it up, so it came out dry and chewy.  She still liked the flavor, but I didn't even finish the piece I was given to try.  The potato salad was done well.  All the advertised flavors were there and no one of them overpowered the others.  The biscuits were fresh out of the oven, still warm, flaky, and fluffy.

There were three different house-made BBQ sauces on the table.  I kept going between each one, trying to figure out which I liked better.  It was a draw, they were all really good.   When we first walked in, we were greeted, but it was unclear whether we should order first, or seat ourselves.  We decided to order since there was absolutely no guidance.  The lady that took our order was nice, but was unable to give any recommendations ("Everything's good").  Even when I pressed "Would you recommend the brisket or the ribs?", she wasn't able to give an answer, making me think she wasn't overly familiar with the menu.

Great food, with an overcooked brisket and some minor service issues earns North Country BBQ a 4 fork rating.  Give it a try, it's good BBQ.

Pulled Pork and Ribs	Pulled Pork and Brisket

Carmine's Italian (Closed)

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Written by Kent

Category: Restaurant Reviews

  Carmine's Albany Restaurant was a Brazilian Churrascaria until recently when it closed and re-opened as an Italian Restaurant.  All 3 Cr Foodies members had been to the old Carmines Grill a few times, and weren't overly impressed, so we didn't go in with high hopes this time.  However, switching back to Italian style was a return to Carmines strengths of the past, so we stopped in for lunch since we work nearby.

When we first wandered in, there was no one present to greet us.  We were just standing there and looking at the vacant bar area.  After a few minutes someone finally appeared and sat us.  The person that sat us was the server and appeared to be covering the entire dining floor. At times, he seemed to be a bit disjointed.  He came over with water, started to walk away, did a quick turn and remembered he should tell us the specials, and came back. It did take some time to place our order.

Next, He delivered out warm bread and a toppings tray which had a tomato basil butter, an oil and basil dip, sea salt, and Parmesan cheese. Both the dip and the butter were fresh and flavorful.  It was nice to have that tray of toppings remain for the entire meal.

We asked about then ordered the Arancine Del Giorno as an appetizer ($6).  It is basically a lightly fried risotto ball with an ingredient that changes periodically.  This time it was bolognese.  We both found it to be a bit bland in flavor, and wouldn't have known it was bolognese if the waiter hadn't told us.  The risotto was a little overcooked.  Overall it was just ok.

Brian's entree was Crispy Parmesan Gnocchi Bolognese ($10).  The gnocchi was cooked perfectly as it was lightly pan seared with parmesan added.  It was amazing.  It had a strong flavor and a nice crunch.  The bolognese sauce was good, and complimented the gnocchi well.

Kent ordered Dave's Beans and Greens ($11).   The flavor was fantastic and the portion size was just right.  The pasta was al dente and the greens and the homemade meatballs were fresh tasting and flavorful. He would recommend it and order it again.

When we got the bill, it was a bit higher than we had expected.  They had charged us $9 for the appetizer that was listed as $6 on the menu.  Later, we noticed that the dinner price for the same appetizer was $9, so it was probably just the wrong button pushed on the pos system.  The credit card charge also says Carmines Brazilian Grill, which to us both showed that they have some kinks they still need to work out. Service will also need to improve if they plan to keep a return lunch crowd.  From the time we walked in to the time we got our bill was over an hour, which rules it out as a standard locale for many downtown workers.  Even with the various issues with service and the mediocre appetizer, our entrees were good enough that we will be trying Carmines again in the future.

Website and Menu here: http://www.carminesrestaurant.com/

Toppings Tray	Arancine Del Giorno
Crispy Parmesan Gnocchi Bolognese	Dave's Beans and Greens

Cafe 217

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Cafe 217 sits at 12.5 Delaware Avenue in Albany. It's one block from Madison Avenue. There's a sign hanging above the building, but it's at an angle that can't always be seen. When we went to visit, we weren't even sure if 217 was open at first. There was little to no lighting inside. Alas, we tried the door, and it opened. We were greeted, and ushered to a booth.

The decor is very "Secret Garden." The drapes have a Euro feel, and there are wrought iron gates affixed to the walls. Cafe 217 presents a laid back atmosphere (the sparse lighting), mixed with mild sophistication (cloth napkins with napkin rings).

Our visit was interesting, in many ways. We were intrigued by the homemade corned beef hash, and chipotle sweet potato hash on their online menu. Brian, who's not a fan of onions, asked if the hash had onions. Our server didn't know so he went back to check. It was a plus that he went to check. We felt it was a minus that he did not know the menu. The server came back to report that the hash did have onions and peppers.

With this in mind, Brian ordered their Strawberry Cream Stuffed French Toast. I ordered the Corned Beef Hash & Eggs, with a side of Chipotle Sweet Potato Hash. I enjoy the flavor enhancement of onions, so I was excited to try both their hash offerings. For my eggs, I asked for them to be scrambled soft.

Brian's French Toast was not stuffed. They were two slices of thick french toast, with a strawberry cream sauce ladeled over the top. That said, the french toast was by far the most amazing french toast he's ever had (too bad it was on special, and not the regular menu). The sauce was immensely flavorful, without being too sweet. The batter went throughout the bread, and it was rich and flavorful. The dish came with a side of homefries. Honestly, they added nothing to the dish. Though cooked well, the potatoes had zero flavor.

My dish was a disappointment. The eggs were not scrambled soft. They were scrambled through, which presents a firm, almost tough, texture which was not what I wanted. The hash was also disappointing. While the Corned Beef Hash had flavor, what I enjoy most about a homemade Corned Beef Hash is the briney, fatty taste of the corned beef. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of peppers and onions completely overpowered any other flavor. I knew I was chewing on protein, but I would have been hard pressed to identify it as corned beef.

Equally disappointing was the Chipotle Hash. It had a nice kick, but my expectation was to taste the corned beef, and the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Most of what I tasted was spice, with a touch of the sweet potato sweetness. Then, there was the abundance of peppers and onions. For me, it was a sad state of affairs for Corned Beef & Sweet Potato Hash. Brian was able to taste the corned beef, from the spoonful he took, but that was only because he picked everything else out first. Quite honestly, the best part about my dish was the wheat toast. It was buttered, and grilled to perfection on the flat top.

A couple of odd tid bits (apart from anything that's factored into this review) include a notice on their menu that state they "reserve the right to add 18% gratuity to any bill." That raises an eyebrow (or two) for me. There seems to be a "nickle and dime" theme with this restaurant. Sodas are not ree refills, but they don't tell you that up front (you have to ask). When asking for condiments (other than salt and pepper) you receive tobasco for free, but Frank's Red Hot Sauce is a $0.50 up charge. Last, the coffee is the most expensive breakfast coffee I think I've ever seen. It's $2.25. I don't normally mention coffee at a breakfast shop, but this just astounded me enough to. I wonder if coffee refills were also not free. I'd have asked, but I only drink 1 cup with breakfast.

All in all, this visit was intriguing, but we're not sure if it was intrguing enough to return.

Corned Beef Hash & Eggs	Strawberry Cream Stuffed French Toast

Samurai

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Samurai Japanese Steakhouse is located on Wolf Road in Colonie, in the old Burger King building, next to the Hess gas station. When you walk in, you're momentarily confused because technically you can walk to the left or the right. After a moment, you realize the hostess station is on the right hand side. Aside from that momentary confusion, there's a wonderfully decorative waterfall at the front door that's done quite nicely.

The rest of the decor is tastefully done, and on par with most Japanese Steakhouses I've been in. The seated dinner area is separate from the hibachi area. There's a mixture of dark Earth tones, with pops of color here and there, andthe overall theme is one of sharp lines (square, rectangle) versus rounded curves.

The service was odd, almost overbearing. One server came to take our drink order. Then, two minutes later, another server asked us if we ordered drinks yet. I thought it was just our table at first, but then noticed it happen with another table as well. Disorganized at best. A second issue I had, which I found to be a theme in Japanese Restaurants (and one Chinese Restaurant) of the area, was the language barrier. Asking questions of our server was an exercise in futility. They're not knowledgeable, and are literally there just to write down the items from the menu as you order them.

On to the food. For appetizers, we ordered Rock Shrimp ($7.95), and Spicy Tuna Tar Tar ($8.95). The Rock Shrimp had an off-putting batter texture. It was soft, and greasy, and indicative of not being properly drained after frying. The sauce was haphazardly put on, which meant only the pieces with sauce were flavorful. Some of the greens had more sauce than the actual shrimp.

By contrast, the Tuna Tar Tar was delightfully fresh. There was amazing presentation, which included very skilled knife work. Our main issue with the dish was that the tuna itself, outside of the spicy sauce, was very bland. At first, I thought it was just me holding an expectation to sushi grade fish that shouldn't be had. However, the more I thought about some of my favorite sushi experiences, I knew it wasn't asking much for the actual fish to hold a distinct flavor. The tuna had no flavor of its own.

For our entrees we ordered three rolls; The Fire House Roll ($11.95), The Fantastic Roll ($12.95), and a Spicy Yellowtail Roll ($4.95). The Fire House Roll became a source of some issue. It was supposed to be shrimp tempura inside, with a spicy tuna and crunch mixture on top. When it arrived, there were also cucumbers inside which was nowhere on the menu. Since this was one of Brian's rolls, and he doesn't like cucumber in his sushi rolls, he brought it up to the attention of the staff.

The staff promptly got to work on a second roll, and left the first one at our table because it couldn't be reused. Since I don't mind cucumbers in sushi rolls, I picked at a couple of pieces, and enjoyed the flavor of the roll greatly. Oddly enough, when the second roll arrived, I liked it a lot less than the first. The problem was the same that was had with the Rock Shrimp appetizer. The shrimp tempura was fried, wrapped immediately, topped with the cold topping, and served. The lack of draining the grease, and letting the shrimp cool, resulted in the roll having two extreme tempuratures (hot inside, and cold outside). Additionally, the batter was greasy and soft, as opposed to light and crispy.

The Fantastic Roll, while presented well, was just too large to manage. The fish inside (tuna, and salmon among them) had no flavor of its own, necessitating the use of soy but then the soy pretty much overpowered everything, being the only flavor of the roll (rather than complimenting it). Plus, the special seaweed it was wrapped in tasted like a tortilla roll. Not seaweed. I couldn't finish it.

Saving grace? The Spicy Yellowtail was actually enjoyable, flavorful, and delicious.

Spicy Tuna Tar Tar	Rock Shrimp

Fire House Roll (top left), Spicy Yellowtail (top right), Fantastic Roll (bottom)