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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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Written by Brian

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

Buffalo Wagon

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Buffalo Wagon is located off of Wolf Road, on Metro Park Road. For those who are unfamiliar with Metro Park Road, it's the street that borders Macaroni Grill. Buffalo Wagon sits in the second strip mall down Metro Park Road, and serves some of the most delicious Asian cuisine.

I've been to Buffalo Wagon a few times, and feel it's a hidden gem that could really use some attention. On this visit I was with a few friends, which is a great way to sample a lot of the menu. Among our orders was a sauteed chicken dish with fresh mushrooms ($8.95), a pineapple fried rice ($8.45), and a shield & spear roll ($13.95). Other items included a roast leg of duck appetizer, and a spare rib appetizer.

The large chicken & mushrooms, and large pineapple fried rice were easily enough to feed the entire table. They were delivered piping hot, and were absolutely fresh, and delicious. Every dish we had was filled with flavor. On top of that, all entrees are served with a side of white rice. Buffalo Wagon gives you a great bang for your buck. The shield and spear roll was also inventive and delicious.  I believe you'll have a wonderful meal, whatever you order.

I have only a couple of picky notes. The duck appetizer could have gone without the bed of lettuce. It added nothing to the dish. Also, there's an unfortunate language barrier when trying to ask questions of the staff. The staff is very friendly, but when they don't understand what you're saying it makes the ordering process arduous. That makes it a shame when looking at a menu of authentic cuisine, and having questions on how some of the more unique items are prepared. The language barrier is what really took a fork off of this rating.

Chicken with Mushrooms	Short Ribs
Pineapple Fried Rice	Shield and Spear Roll (left)

Xin Fu

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Xin Fu is located on Route 7 in Latham, inside a pseudo strip mall, next to a Subway. You won't miss the building though, as it's situated closest to the road.

I stopped by for lunch, and was less than impressed. In times past, for dinner, their good quality sushi was usually showcased by wonderfully artistic designs, hand-drawn using their special sauces. Unfortunately, it seems that technique doesn't carry over for lunch.

On this visit I ordered the kani shumai ($5), and ebi gyoza ($5) appetizers and followed up with a freeman roll ($10.00) and sunset roll ($9). The shumai were not good at all. I've tasted some shumai in my time, even some from this restaurtant during a dinner visit long ago. So there are flavors, and a consistency, I expect. The consistency here was off putting, and I couldn't finish it.

The gyoza were cooked okay, but could have been crispier on the outside. The filling inside lacked flavor, and I don't recall there being the dipping sauce that normally comes with it. The sushi rolls were decent, but they just lacked in extra flavor that I expect sushi rolls to have. The sunset roll was the tastiest of the two, but nothing that would bring be back for a second visit. The freeman roll had asparagus on the inside, which wasn't listed on the menu.

Service was lacking. It took several minutes, after I had finished my meal, for me to get the attention of the wait staff in order to pay. They weren't very attentive at all. From what I observed, it looked like their lunch focus was really on a sub par Chinese buffet station situated towards the front of the restaurant. I'd had high hopes, but they fell flat. The only saving grace here was that the fish was fresh.

Ebi Gyoza	Freeman Roll (top) and Sunset Roll (bottom)