Late Night Dinner at the Ginger Man (Albany, NY)

And no, there are no pictures. It's too dark to take them... and it didn't seem like it was food picture approving. So this is just a quick recap. I've got a meeting to run off to.


The last time I hit up the Ginger Man was when I was graduating from college. The first time. I was out with my RPI friends and my then boyfriend. I don't really remember much, other than I ran into my TA and someone in our group having their leather jacket stolen.


M and I have been attempting to check the place out, but it always closed. Finally I wised up and just checked their hours. And they just changed to their summer menu. So a visit was in order.


Just like the other times, the place looked closed. But now I know I should go right up to the window to look... way too dim in there.


I was planning on ordering the cheese plate, but I ended up just ordering the paella. The server warned that it was spicy, but what's spice to me? Compared to other paellas I've had, this was one of the better ones. I would have preferred more seafood (especially at $24.95) but realistically that wouldn't happen... unless I made it myself.


I asked M to take a look at the menu because of his dietary restrictions. He didn't but apparently he wasn't feeling all that hungry. He ordered the fried artichoke francaise, served on a bed of salad greens and came with a side of rose sauce. It must have been good because he quickly ate that up.


Ordered a bottle of Petrus Aged Red, which I've tried before at a beer and cheese pairing. My bottle of beer cost more than M's appetizer. Anyways, I had about half before I gave it to him to finish.


Dinner before tip came out to about 46 dollars.

Even Turning the Faucet On Costs Money

So I'm here at work, doing the work thing when a co-worker started talking about her most recent visit to Clinton's Ditch in Schenectady. She was out with friends for a meal, and they asked for just water. Not all of them, one also asked for a soda. So four waters and a soda to be exact. When they got the bill, they were shocked that CD had charged $1.50 for water. Fifty cents each for the three that just had water. The person who ordered the soda along with their water was not charged. They talked to the manager/person in charge and he took it off their bill, but told them that the restaurant's policy was to charge for water. Something to do with people buying a small item with water and sitting there for hours. Whatever, it's sounds silly to me. But it's their business, they can run it however they want.

One of co-workers friends e-mailed CD about the incident and the response was... not very business like. I'm waiting for her to send me a copy of the response but basically the writer had said something along the lines of "lemons cost money... straws cost money... we have to pay Schenectady for water... washing glasses costs money." It infuriated my co-worker enough to respond to that response and I believe that e-mail may be circulating on facebook. Or Yelp. Hey, I mentioned it here... not that anyone is reading this.

I doubt they will be going back soon. If ever.

Kaptain Jimmy’s Restaurant & Distillery (Agawam, MA)

For Labor Day M and I decided to spend our time out in Western Massachusetts. One of his friends lives out that way and was in the process of moving down south. So we decided to visit before she leaves... and possibly get a sink for the kitchen.

We didn't get the sink. But we did take her out for a late lunch. 

If you are planning on visiting Six Flags New England in the near future (Fright Fest anyone?) you may want to check this place out for some post coaster dining. It's just a couple of miles away from the park, and traffic permitting shouldn't take you more than five minutes to get there. There was no traffic at all when we were there... shocking since it was the last day of freedom before the kiddies had to go back to school. I could hear the screams from the riders, but no slow crawl of traffic. Go figure.

Best way to explain how to get there - on Main Street there's that pizza/ice cream joint just outside the park - that's South Street and you turn there. Take that down until you hit Suffield Street (Rt. 75) and hang a right. Take that down a ways and the restaurant will be on your left. 

I may be getting the facts wrong here, but the restaurant is owned by the same people who own Opa Opa Steakhouse and Brewmaster's Tavern. And like Brewmaster's, they make their own liquor on site. Their website says they make "vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, and ouzo." Our waitress gave us samples of their vodka which went down very smooth. I don't know really how you judge liquors, but that was easy to drink straight. I ordered a couple of Bloody Mary's with their vodka - not bad. For three bucks more you can add a couple of shrimp with your drink. 

After we gave our food orders our waitress brought over some bread to nibble on. You can't really tell in the picture, but there is this thick syrupy stuff on it. I must have made a face because the waitress explained it was honey or maple syrup they drizzle on their breads and served with butter whipped with maple syrup. Whatever it was it was devoured quickly. I really liked the butter and wouldn't mind having some at home. Maybe not to go with my bread, but definitely waffles.

Just a quick shot of the bar side of the restaurant. Plenty of bar space... plenty of taps. M was pretty impressed with their offerings. Along with the Opa Opa beers they had beers that we normally don't see out here. The other side of the restaurant (which I only saw briefly) was just a dining area. I guess they were aiming for a classy lounge style - and don't get me wrong, it is very nice in there - but with a splash of pirate. Behind the bar it looks like the masts of a boat; the servers clad in red and black pirate-esque fashion; and the picture on the outside of the building is Captain Jack Sparrow... sort of. 

Aside from their Monday burger special (any of their burgers single patty with a pint of beer for $5) Jimmy's had a ten dollar surf and turf meal. I got the 8 oz. bistro steak with calamari drizzled in a malt vinegar aioli. Vegetable of the day and garlic mashed potatoes. I thought the aioli would be weird, but it was good. But then again, the British eat their fries with malt vinegar... so it isn't really a stretch they would use it on other fried things. 

You take M to a pirate cove and he gets nachos ($8.99). Demands them. It's a safe vegetarian option. The chili that normally comes with it is not vegetarian, and he was about to ask for it without but his friend and I convinced him to just ask for it on the side so we could have it. M thought it was okay, but would have liked more toppings. The bottom of the bowl was just chips and he ended up not eating them. So better layering or offer a vegetarian chili.

M's friend was planning on just ordering a side of mac & cheese ($5.95) but chicken mac & cheese was... maybe a buck more so she ordered that and asked for the chicken on the side. So M could have some of the mac. I nibbled on some, and she was right in saying it was both very rich and very good. Maybe too rich. My lactose sensitive stomach was unhappy with just one noodle. But I don't regret it... I'll just bring lactose defender next time we go.

Kay’s Pizza (Burden Lake, NY)

Now it may be a bit presumptuous, but I have had the unofficial official best pizza of the summer. If there was a tournament for seasonal pizza, this would take the cake. If it were running for office, I would sign up and volunteer… you get my point. I like their pizza.

And all it took was a holiday to finally get me to try it.

If you grew up around here, then surely you heard about Kay’s. Heck, you may have even gone there for dinner after a long day at the lake! I only learned of it’s existence when a former co-worker had mentioned they were open for the season. I added that to my “places to check out” list and promptly forgot about it. Until one of M’s co-workers had brought up Kay’s with him, and insisted we try their pizza. We had to stay local for the 4th, all the more reason to make a trip out to Burden Lake.

And when I say trip, it is a trip. Driving out there seemed to take forever, and the hills and bends in the road were making the car ride not pleasant. You’ll want to keep a sharp eye out for the signs – there were a few that were hidden behind branches. Going back, the ride seemed like nothing… so who knows? Maybe or next trip back will be quicker.

Kay’s has been around since the late 1950’s, and before that was a hotel. Control of the restaurant has changed hands over the years, and in 2004 the building underwent a renovation. There’s the main dining area where we were seated, and in the next room is the bar with a dining area, and a very small game area. All the take out was done at the bar, and it was a pretty regular scene of seeing people walk out the screen doors with a stack of pizza boxes. The main dining area has plenty of windows, which were all open to allow the breezes off the lake to come in and help circulate the air. Unfortunately, the humidity on the 4th was oppressive and no amount of winds off the lake was helping correct that.

We ordered a pitcher of Sierra Nevada IPA. I am slowly working my way back to liking IPAs. You can order full and half-pitchers, which we found out only after our pitcher was brought to the table. And it’s not like we could send it back and ask for the half. Where would that beer go? Beer abuse!

Maybe it’s just me, but whenever I’m near a body of water I am so inclined to have seafood. Even if that said body of water most likely does not contain the seafood I consume. It must be something about the presence of a shoreline; the breezes that come off the water, that pulls at my seafood-y heart strings. Also, I noticed a few tables had ordered the steam clams and I got suckered in.

A dozen Rhode Island Little Necks cost about eight dollars and comes with melted butter. Melted salted butter. The clams didn’t seem too overcooked, and were delicious. Did not receive a full dozen clams, as you can see the one on the right was just filled with broken shells and sand and dirt. Boo.
 

Ordered some breadsticks, but forgot to ask for extra sauce. They just don’t give you enough, especially  if you’re one who likes an even distribution of sauce to bread. M and I quickly scarfed these down.

Finally, the main reason why we made the drive there – pizza. There are two sizes, a twelve inch medium (8 cut) and a fourteen inch large (12 cut). The dough is made in house and is rolled out by hand. Their sauce, which according to their menu they are famous for, has some substance to it and seasoned perfectly. No cheese blends here, just straight up mozzarella. And they don’t skimp out on the cheese, you get a very generous portion. 

Here’s what I liked the best – my first bite had crunch. Even with all that sauce and cheese, the center of the pie wasn’t soggy. I wonder if the trays they serve their pizzas on have anything to do with keeping the center crispy. I’d like to think they do.
  

Kay’s was voted best pizza in this year’s Times Union Best of the Capital Region poll. And I see why – I loved that pizza. So much so that I kept telling people about my pizza for a few days after. Mind you we just ordered a regular cheese, so I can’t vouch for their toppings or specialty pies… not to mention the rest of their menu. But it gives me an excuse to go back and try them out. 

Kay’s Pizza
10 Walsh Lane
Averill Park, NY 12018
(518) 674-5413

Open Monday – Thursday 4:00-10:00
Friday – Saturday 4:00-11:00
Sunday 3:00-9:00

Credit cards accepted

A New Restaurant for North Troy

If you're familiar with North Troy, then you would have seen that the empty store front with the bare awning frame across the Old Judge Mansion B&B has recently been occupied. What was the dead giveaway? How about the paper up on the windows, the exterior painted a bold orange, and perhaps the sign that says that a restaurant will soon be opening up?

The restaurant that will be opening there on the corner of 6th and Glen Avenue is Hot Spot Jamaican American Cuisine. They have another restaurant on Central Avenue in Albany. A quick look at reviews on Yelp showed that people think it's okay, but their chicken is a bit dry. Hmm. But they must be doing well enough for them to consider opening up a place on the other side of the river.

But hey... Troy is the "in" city at the moment. What I like so far is that something is opening up in an area other than downtown. Wax poetic about all these downtown things, but one area does not a city make. You want me to actually say Troy is getting better? Then show me - invest in the other areas of the city. With the opening of this restaurant, it looks like people actually are. There is no guarantee it will make it, but hopefully it's the gateway to really improving the neighborhood.

Okay, off my soapbox.

I'll let you know when this place opens.

Too Much Salt is Asin

There’s this old Filipino joke that roughly goes like this -

Why did the priest stop eating salt? Because it’s asin!

You see, salt in Tagalog is asin. A sin. Ha ha! Alright… done with the silly jokes.

M and I went up to Clifton Park for a little bit of shopping and a quick bite to eat. I was leaning toward Saigon Spring, but burgers and fries are usually a good cure-all after a night of drinking. The menu at Red Robin has changed since we were last there, and I think the prices have gone up slightly. We both ordered the Whiskey River Burger, with the veggie burger.

I’ve ordered it several times before, and it was always really good. This time, nowhere near that. My burger was salty. And not just slightly salty, but extremely salty. At first I just thought it was some seasoning I had accidentally sprinkled over it while spicing up my fries. It wasn’t throughout my burger – there were bites that were completely fine. But it was salty enough for me to not finish it. It was starting to make me feel nauseated. M finished it, but also remarked how salty it was.

What the hell. So horrible. I actually wanted to have more fries, but anything with salt was making me sick.

M and I are thinking it was the onion straws. Someone went salt crazy and I was the unlucky victim. I really don’t think we’ll be going back to that location.

The Vietnam (Again)

I've written about this place plenty, so no more needs to be said. Except... did you know they also own Mekong Grill in Ridgewood, NJ? I haven't been there yet, but my cousin has and likes it.

She also likes the guy working at the restaurant who told us about Mekong.

Cute. And go, try them out.

Sri Siam (East Greenbush, NY)

Did you know there’s a new Thai restaurant in the Capital Region?

Did you also know that you don’t have to cross the river to get to it? Unless, you’re coming from Albany and points west of the Hudson… then yes, you’ll have to cross the river to get to it.

Ralph’s Tavern (Albany, NY)

I’ve eaten here plenty of times, but it seems that I’ve never actually written about it. Here’s a tip – late Sunday afternoon/early evening is your best bet at getting a table. The place started to get busy as we were heading out, just before 6:00.

Taiwan Noodle (Albany, NY)

Is it just me, or is Central Avenue trying to Asia-fy itself?

Eating Out

Eggplant Parm from Bucca di Beppo. We had a coupon

Anniversary Dinner

My parents recently celebrated a wedding anniversary. They’ve been married for over 30 years… impressive, no?

Broadway Lunch (Schenectady, NY)

This weekend was a whirlwind of errands, and a quick stop into Schenectady to try a famous hot dog.

Smith’s Tavern/Smitty’s Pizza (Voorheesville, NY)

It was a very long week for me, and I needed some fun time. For my first weekend upstate, M and I decided to go estate sale shopping. In the winter. Yeah, there’s a whole lot of wrong with that, but what else is there to do? And we need a table for that microwave. We attempted to hit up one in Rotterdam (which we think didn’t really happen) and one somewhere out in Schenectady (never made it due to an almost empty fuel tank and a dead GPS battery).

Pizza Hut Dinner

Didn’t feel like cooking dinner the other night, so I got pizza instead. It’s been a while since I ate anything from Pizza Hut, and my sister and I were talking about breadsticks.

It’s How Much? (Take Two)

This “dish” is called Tostadita Nachos.

Really?

Because that doesn’t look like nachos. They should call it scraps. Why? Because it’s five corn chips topped with cheese, salsa, lettuce, avocado, and crema fresca. Normally it comes with seasoned ground beef, but I was going to share with M, and he doesn’t eat things that once had a face.

Do you want to know how much this cost? $8.99.  I could have just ordered the nachos and asked for no meat, and salsa and guacamole on the side… and the price for it would have been reasonable. Hell, what you see on that plate would make up one… maybe one and half of a taco and the price for one of those is still half of what they’re asking for with these “nachos.”

Here is what M thinks about the whole “nachos” fiasco:

They tasted pretty good… I’ll give them that. They reminded me of what I make after I come home from work. Except when I make mine, I make enough to fill me up, or at least satiate my appetite. This didn’t. I could buy a head of lettuce, a bag of tortilla chips, jar of salsa, block of cheese, and some 'fancy'-sounding sour cream for nine bucks and eat these things every day, for every meal, for a month. Five chips at a time.

I should have known better and asked the server how big it was. I should have just stuck to the tableside guacamole.

Not cool, Chevy’s. Tsk… tsk.
Refunds welcome.

CiCi’s Pizza (Colonie, NY)

Today was the official opening of Cici’s Pizza in Colonie. I wouldn’t have known about it had I not looked at Steve Barnes’ Table Hopping blog and his brief mention of it.

One free pizza buffet a month for a whole year to the first hundred people to show up at their grand opening? Okay, I’m game. M too.



We made it over to Wolf Road just after 10:30, thinking that half an hour before opening wouldn’t be too early, and hopefully the line wouldn’t be impossible (the line we saw the day before  wasn’t too bad… and that was the pre-opening opening). And we were right- no crazy crowds, just order and what could only be some very tired people. By the time we joined, the line had reached the entrance to Outback Steakhouse.



I’m not sure when the first person on line got there, but it was pretty early. A woman ahead of us told M and I that her daughter got there at six in the morning so she could be one of the first to get in. Sounds crazy, but eh… it’s summer Gives you something to do, and a story to tell when you’re older.

People at the front of the line made their wait as comfortable as possible by bringing folding chairs and blankets. Many of the groups waiting to enter were families with young children (from the looks of it, the demographic CiCi’s may be aiming for).



If you were one of the first hundred, you were given a “token” as seen on the left. As you walked in, you handed your “token” to the owner, who in return handed over the free meal card.

Inside was bright, cheery, and very chain-like. After entering you are steered straight to the register where they do their hellos and explain how the buffet works. The $4.99 covers just the food, and it’s another $1.6(5/9) for a regular sized drink. Throw in another .75 cents and you get a large take out cup (which has some tab thing where you can win more free stuff).



I figured I’d whip up a layout of the place so you get a better idea of what’s going on. This could be their generic layout for all I know, but it’s very different from most buffets.



Salad Bar – There were two options available, although they looked exactly alike. Both were iceberg mixes, one just looked shinier than the other (pre-dressed salad I guess). There were some chopped vegetables you could add to your salad, and a few different types of dressing. I especially liked the large slices of mushrooms. No skimping out there.



Soup/Pasta/Garlic Bread – Both the soup and pasta tasted like they came from a can. I didn’t try the pasta, but M said it reminded him of Chef Boyardee. Funny, because the soup almost instantly made me think of Campbell’s soup. Little salty, little sweet, but good enough. Did not necessarily like the bits of “chicken.” As for the garlic bread… I might be rushing judgment here, but don’t eat it. I tried to look up the ingredients for what they put on it, but it’s nowhere to be found on their website. The garlic bread is one of their zero trans fat items, so I’m pretty sure it’s chock full of artificial ingredients. A good thing to know is that the marinara sauce they will offer you to accompany the garlic bread will absolutely cover that chemical taste.

 

Pizza – The customers at the opening today seemed to like the pasta topped pizzas. I didn’t have any, but I saw quite a few people going for the macaroni & cheese pizza. And for a second I swore I saw a Hamburger Helper topped pizza, but it was probably the Italian style sausage or beef pizzas. I helped myself to the Pepperoni flip, regular pepperoni, and thin crust Italiano. The pepperoni pizza was okay, but the dough was a little chewy. The thin crust was not as crisp as I thought it would be, and it was a tad too salty (but corrected with a dip in that tomato sauce). The flip I did not like at all- it was salty and oddly runny. I don’t know if that was from the oil that cooked out of the pepperoni or the cheese they used. But like the Italiano, a dunk in that tomato sauce made it much more tolerable.



Dessert – The apple pizza and the cinnamon rolls were pretty good. I’d actually consider ordering a whole apple pizza pie.

Lunch for two was just under 15 bucks. Not too bad, considering what I ate wasn’t the greatest stuff. Will I be going here often? No, but I will stop by at least once a month. And the prices on their take out pizzas (I think I saw $4.99 for a medium and $5.99 for a large 1-topping) are very budget friendly. We’ll see if M and I ever check it out.

CiCi's Pizza
145 Wolf Road
Colonie, NY 12205
518-482-2424

Su - Th 11:00A - 10:00P
Fri - Sa 11:00A - 11:00P

Red Robin Lunch

M and I grabbed a quick bite before he went off to work and I headed back downstate. I got a natural burger, M got the whiskey something burger with the veggie substitute. Very good, and both were eaten almost immediately. I felt a little guilty because I left a couple of fries… you have have to know when to say when.

Chevy's Flan

Gen Sushi (Montvale, NJ)

I wrote this a while ago and forgot it. Whoops.

Never thought I would get a sushi recommendation at the bookstore.

Mags and I were in the cookbook section of Borders when she blurted out, "You know, I haven't had sushi in a while."

I was flipping through the Momofuku book and automatically responded with "That's surprising."

"So yeah... let's get sushi."

Still going through the book, debating if I should buy it. "I guess so, where's a good place around here?"

So we're standing in the cookbook section trying to think of a place to eat, when one of the workers rounded the corner and walked toward us.

"I've heard of this really good place up in Montvale. I can't remember the name, but it's in this shopping plaza with the antiques place." She then proceeded to mention something Anthony Bourdain said about not trusting discount sushi. We thanked her for the recommendation and headed back north.

Gen has been open for eight years. And considering how long I've lived in this area, I keep forgetting it's there. Maybe it's because it just happens to be in the same shopping plaza as Peter Wong's, and I don't venture very much past that. Or maybe it's people like Matt who think it isn't that great that has kept me away.

But it was late, and we were hungry. So Gen it was. This first thing we noticed when we headed in? A cop car pulled up to the front of the restaurant, and asked the delivery guy if it was too late to order something. Mags and I thought he was going to say something about the cars parked there, but I guess his stomach came first (and if you were wondering, it wasn't too late to order dinner).

Their dinner service was winding down and only a few tables were occupied. The host/delivery guy brought us to a table in the back, to get us away from the draft. It was much appreciated and we had a nice view of the fish tank (right behind it is one of their hibachi tables, they've recently expanded so they might have a couple more). We took a quick look at their menu (which looked pretty big at the time) and placed our orders.

buttered squid. amazing.

winter roll. fried sushi. they really love their crab. i love it too.

green tea ice cream. very green tea flavored, and creamy to boot. may give peter wong's green tea a run for their money.