Marotta's Bar-Risto

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Marotta's Bar-Risto is located on 611 Union Street in Schenectady. From the moment you see the building on the street, through to when you walk in and are seated, the decor, atmosphere keep you guessing. It looks like a bar on the outside. When you enter the vestibule, and are greeted by the (very stoic) host, it suddenly takes on a very snooty feel. There was also the matter of an odd, unpleasant, odor from the restaurant that had Brian and I exchanging worried glances about what could possibly be in store.

Then you're led through the inner door, to your seat, and everything changes. You're surrounded by warm, welcoming, comfy tones that strike a balance between upscale Italian restaurant and modern bistro. Additional details that bring it over the top include the frosted glass signage towards the back of the seating area, the open style kitchen complete with wood fired oven, and the iPads at select tables that offer a visual menu (pictures of what you're ordering, before you order it? Yes please!).

Our visit was during Schenectady Restaurant Week, so we chose to order from the Prix Fix Menu. When we first looked at the menu, I'll admit to being confused and disappointed. I'd chozen Marotta's from the Restaurant Week menu that was posted online, but the one in front of us was almost entirely different.

For appetizers, Brian and I ordered the Crab Cake. For entrees, I ordered their Gambari Tuscana (Tuscan Shrimp) artisan pizza, and Brian ordered the Pan-Fried Tilapia over Spinach Risotto.

The Crab Cake had an amazing flavor. There was a very good amount of crab inside, and it came with a chipotle remoulade of sorts that added a great kick while not overpowering the flavor of the crab. Our main issue was that one crab cake, does not an appetizer make. While we understand that Restaurant Week's 3 course Prix Fix is a mere $20.13, we were still very disappointed by the portion size of the appetizer.

The entrees were a completely different story. My pizza was their full size gourmet pizza listed on their menu. The crust was perfectly done. It was crispy on the outside, without being dry. It was also thin and delicious. The shrimp were delectably juicy. Managing that, in a hot pizza oven, takes skill. Other toppings on the pizza included spinach, a tomato pesto, mozzarella, and shaved parmesan. Every flavor worked perfectly together, complementing each other, making every bite as good as the last.

Brian's dish had great points, and some detractors. The tilapia was cooked perfectly. The batter was light, which added flavor while keeping it moist. The texture was flaky, and light. The spinach risotto, while tasty, was just a bit overcooked. The dish was topped with a lemon butter sauce. This was the main detractor, because the concentration of lemon arguably overpowered everything else in the dish. I enjoyed the couple of bites I had, more than Brian. However, I can see how - had I eaten an entire dish of it - I would also find the lemon to be too strong to be complementary.

Also not to be overlooked was our experience with the service. Without question, this was by far the best service we've had in a very long time. Our server, Jessica, was attentive and not overbearing. She was wonderfully pleasant and made sure we had everything we needed. She also explained why the menu was vastly different than the one that was online. The earlier dishes were so popular, that they ran out and had to make substitutions.

The entire experience makes Marotta's a gem that deserves attention. This was our first visit there, and we can easily see being repeat customers. We were so impressed, that we asked if the owner was available. Chris, the owner, came out to greet us and was very glad to hear our feedback. He was personable, pleasant, and conversational. We greatly enjoyed chatting with him.

If you haven't visited Marotta's yet, you should.

Note: cost per plate below is based on their normal menu.

Crab Cake	Gambari Tuscana Pizza

Tilapia over Spinach Risotto

Hibachi X

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Hibachi X is located at 1893 Central Avenue in Colonie. This is the second location by the same owners of Sushi X in Latham. So, when you walk in, expect to see similar funky colors and dimmer lighting reminiscent of the Latham locale. While Sushi X focuses on the sushi rolls and appetizers, Hibachi X offers a choice of that or a 5 course hibachi dinner at one of their many hibachi tables.

When Hibachi X first opened, their sushi was not all you can eat, as their Latham customers had become accustomed to. With some time, they began to offer the 5 course prix fix hibachi meal option, as well as daily happy hour 2 for 1 sushi roll, appetizer, and drink specials. Since then, Hibachi X has decided to adopt the same all you can eat sushi model as their Latham location.

On our visit, Brian and I ordered 2 sushi rolls, and a host of appetizers; rock shrimp, crab wontons, gyoza, tuna tartar, pepper tuna, mango tango, and ribs. The rock shrimp came out hot, crisp, and flavorful. Brian, who's a fan of crab wontons, absolutely loved them. The mix of warm crab and cream cheese went well with the crispily fried outer wonton shell. I love gyoza, and most specifically I love the gyoza at Hibachi X/Sushi X. Both locations use the same recipe which is a meat mixture on the inside, complimented by a thin and crispily fried outer shell. What puts the gyoza over the top, for me, is the ponzu dipping sauce. It's sweet with just the right amount of tartness and very flavorful.

The tuna tartar used to be a different recipe than the sister location in Latham but that's no longer the case, and I think the decision was for the better. While fresh, and delicious, our only critique of the tuna tartar would be that it seemed dry, even with the sauce. The ratio of tuna to bread crunch was out of balance. The pepper tuna though fresh, tender, with a solid pepper flavor, had an accompanying sauce with an overpowering citrus note that overtook everything else. The mango tango was a split review. Brian liked the dish better than I did. The mix of diced salmon, tuna, avocado, mango, and sweet sauce was fresh but I don't agree that they go well together in the dish. Lastly, the short ribs, while hot and flavorful, were also a little chewy.

For sushi, we ordered the Crazy Tuna Roll, and the Sakura Roll. The rolls were fresh, and put together very well. Our one critique would have to be that they seemed overpopulated with rice. We suspect that to be by design for an all you can eat sushi restaurant. More rice fills you up faster, while not detracting from what the dish should be.

All meals come with an ice cream dessert, with a variety of flavors to choose from.

Hibachi X offers a great bang for your buck. Fresh sushi, appetizers, and rolls that are all you can eat, topped off with dessert for one price. Monday thru Thursday offers 2 for 1 martini specials. Friday thru Sunday offers 2 for 1 beer and regular sake specials. Service was slow at first, but this was because they were attempting to bring out the entire inital order at once, rather than plate by plate as each became ready. That said, it quickly changed food started coming out faster than we could keep up with.

Pepper Tuna (bottom), Mango Tango (left) Gyoza (upper right), Crazy Tuna & Sakura Rolls (upper left)	Closeup of Crazy Tuna (top), and Sakura (bottom) Rolls

Van Dyck Restaurant

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

We decided to make the best of Schenectady Restaurant Week and try a few places we haven't been before.  On this busy Friday evening, we decided to visit The Van Dyck Restaurant and Lounge.  Restaurant week features an appetizer, an entree and a dessert for a set price of $20.13

Keep in mind that restaurants are usually booked solid and quite busy for restaurant week, and on top of that, this was a Friday night.

For our appetizers, I orderd the Mini Pork Shanks (pork shanks with an apple cider glaze) and my date ordered the Fried Calamari (calamari strips, fried and topped with a chipotle lime aioli).  We also moved to their normal menu to try something they typically offer - the Dip Trio -$12 (you pick three dips from the list, it comes with chips).  My pork shanks were cooked perfectly, nice and juicy, and the glaze was a great flavor, but it was very viscous.  It suck to the plate and to your teeth, it took away from the dish.  The fried calamari was crispy and tender but lacked favor.  The aioli had a good flavor, and made the dish, we wish they hadn't used it so sparingly.  For the dip trio, we picked buffalo chicken, crab, and spinach with artichoke.  The chips are all made in house, and they aren't your typical tortilla chips.  These are light, crispy and kind of fall apart in your mouth.  Amazing.  This appetizer was the highlight of our meal.  In fact we ate too much of it, and were pretty much full before our entree arrived.

For our entree, we both got the Fried Grouper.  It was described as 8 oz. grouper filet lightly fried in Cajun seasoning with strawberry salsa and creamy risotto.  I liked the dish, but it had several mistakes in it.  First off, the grouper was deep fried, not lightly fried.  It was crispy, so much so that if there was cajun seasoning on it, it was long gone before it saw the plate.  The risotto was slightly undercooked and very bland, still worked well with the fish, but not good on it's own.  The strawberry salsa was pretty much strawberries and red onions, the two compliment each other in this salsa, but the salsa itself didn't really fit with the dish.

We were way too full for dessert, so we each took Tiramisu home and haven't tried it yet.

Service was good, they were incredibly busy, but our waitress always had a smile on her face.  She was quite knowledgable on their normal menu, and stopped by a few times to make sure we were doing ok.

I consider restaurant week to be a sampling of a restaurants potential, some places utilize it to promote themselves, others just to make some money.  I feel like Van Dyck tried to show you what they had to offer, but missed the mark a little bit.  The bright side, is that I loved the one dish we ordered off of the restaurant week menu, so much so that I'll be back to try them again.

Note: cost per plate below is based on their normal menu.

Fried Calamari and Mini Pork Shanks	Dip Trio

Fried Grouper over risotto with strawberry salsa

The Flying Chicken

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

I went to The Flying Chicken with a couple who are good friends of mine. They absolutely rave about the place, and have been trying to get me to go there for weeks. Located on 4th Street in Troy, The Flying Chicken is just down the block from The Brown Bag.

Being something of a fried chicken snob, I set a high bar for any fried chicken establishment. I've always been of the mindset that it's immensely difficult to produce top quality, flavorful fried chicken en masse. Up to this point only one restaurant in the region has managed to exceed that bar and impress me with moist, crisp, flavorful fried chicken.

After The Flying Chicken, that list of one is now a list of two. Their chicken is moist on the inside, crispy on the outside, and filled with flavor throughout. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my dish (and my friend's). I ordered the Fathead Biscuit Sandwich. My friend ordered the chicken & waffles, and his wife ordered a three piece meal with mashed potatoes and baked beans.

I'll start with my sandwich. What can possibly be bad about a huge fried chicken breast, slathered in homemade  sausage gravy, topped with bacon, sitting inside a massive homemade biscuit that was first toasted on the flat top? The chicken was crisp, moist, and flavorful and I could not get enough of that gravy.

My friend enjoyed his chicken and waffle. The waffle was almost like a bun for the large piece of chicken perched on top. What made it better was the option for pure maple syrup for your dish (regular syrup comes standard).

The three piece chicken meal requires something of a short story. When my friend's wife received her meal, it was not of the quality they were used to. It was greasy and soggy (this was bad). Although she was hesitant to say anything, we prodded her into bringing it to their attention. What happened next is what adds that final fork to my rating. The employee took one look at the dish and whole heartedly agreed it was not the quality they serve. Not only did he immediately take the dish back, and quickly replace it with a fresh order, but he brought her a $10 voucher for her next meal.

If that's not enough, The Flying Chicken boasts a menu that's more than just chicken. There are always specials that range from po' boys, to fried jalepeno cheddar grits, to peanut butter, chocolate, bacon cookies, and all of it at a very feasible price.

Well done, Flying Chicken.

Fathead Biscuit Sandwich	Chicken & Waffle

Alexis Diner

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

Alexis Diner is located in East Greenbush near Hudson Valley Community College on Route 4.

We wandered into Alexis Diner on a busy Saturday morning.  We were greeted and seated immediately.  I ordered a meat skillet, it came with three eggs on a bed of hashbrowns, bacon, sausage, ham, and cheese.  The scrambled eggs were cooked well, and they put some extra cheese on top, which was a nice touch.  The hashbrowns in the skillet lacked any seasoning, and the meats were completely out of proportion (tons of ham, barely any bacon, moderate amount of sausage).  It was a lot of food, but the dish as whole wasn't nearly as good as I had hoped it would be.

Josie ordered the french toast (short stack) with a side of bacon.  The french toast batter didn't soak completely through, so there was a dry, flavorless section in the middle.  The section of french toast that was battered and cooked had a good flavor, and they used a good bread.  Her bacon was cooked to order.

Service was great, even though it was busy.  I have a work office near this diner, so I have been there quite a few times in the past, the waitress often remembers me, and has my drink order before I even sit down.  I am normally more impressed with the quality of food than I was for this particular time.  Next time I am there I will be sure to write a follow up, hopefully this trip was not the norm.

French Toast with Bacon	Meat Skillet