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The Frugal Forager: There’s a lot more than pizza going on at Home Style Pizza
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012
We dropped in at Home Style’s current home at 1720 Union St. on a Sunday for lunch, and found the restaurant relatively quiet, but there was a steady stream of take-out customers. After loitering for a few minutes at the dessert cases in front, we were invited to choose a seat of our liking and settled into one of the comfortable booths.
BALLSTON SPA
At the Table: Good food, good service at Three Olives in Ballston Spa
Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012
We learned long ago not to discount a restaurant simply because it’s in a strip mall like Carousel Village plaza on Route 50 — that would be elitist and silly. Amid the mixed commerce — a meat market, a karate school, indoor golf and a sporting goods store — you’ll find Three Olives Restaurant, which opened last spring specializing in traditional Italian cuisine, including pizza.
CLIFTON PARK
At the Table: Angelo’s Prime Bar + Grill a delightful addition to roster
Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012
Another excellent restaurant has been added to the Angelo Mazzone stable. When Mom and I found out that the restaurant in the new Hilton Garden Inn in Clifton Park near her apartment was going to be an Angelo’s, we watched and waited eagerly, reading every tidbit we could find in the newspapers. “Angelo knows how to run a restaurant,” Mom said. We weren’t disappointed.
GUILDERLAND
The Frugal Forager: Crossgates cafe has healthful alternative food, drinks
Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012
So you’re in the mall, and your choices for a healthy, tasty meal are slim. But now when I’m at Crossgates, I’m headed to Fresh Healthy Cafe.
SCHENECTADY
At the Table: Brandon’s is reborn at a new Schenectady location
Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012
Sometimes you need a scorecard to help you keep track of the comings and goings on the Capital Region restaurant scene. Add to the “new” column Brandon’s Steak & Seafood, a full-service restaurant with a long pedigree that opened in December at 1702 Chrisler Ave., former home of El Divino and, briefly, Shalimar. At left is the Veal Sorrentino, a dish from Italy’s Amalfi coast.
At the Table: Reader notes ‘find’ in Cohoes: Joe’s Tavern
Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
On a cold winter night, we sought refuge — and something to warm our innards — at Joe’s Tavern, an unpretentious neighborhood place whose food came highly recommended to us by one of our readers.
At the Table: Epicurean Bistro offers sophisticated, exquisite dining
Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012
The Epicurean has evolved naturally into the kind of restaurant you'd expect the talented staff to assume, given experience and greater resources: full menus for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Fixed-priced menus, wine-paired dinners, seasonal menus featuring different regions of France.
SCHENECTADY
The Frugal Forager: La Mexicana provides authentic, fresh-made fare
Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012
The grapevine sent me this one, a small, family-owned and -run market/restaurant on State Street in Schenectady. My source gushed: “La Mexicana is a very authentic neighborhood Mexican joint. It’s a taqueria with a few special plates that go beyond. Nothing more than $10. What a place!”
Best of 2011: Gazette reviewers choose year’s most memorable meals
Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011
Asian and Italian cuisine dominated our restaurant reviews in 2011, but there’s also a cross-section of contemporary American, pub and barbecue selections among our choices for the tops in dining out this year. At left is Maestro’s at the Van Dam.
CLIFTON PARK
At the Table: Power’s Irish Pub has charm, flavorful shepherd’s pie
Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011
If you’re Irish, you’ll love Power’s Irish Pub, in the historic old farmhouse just off Route 9 that was the Old Dater Tavern and, more recently, the Old Dublin Inn. If you’re not, you’ll still find the restaurant attractive and pleasant.
SCHENECTADY
At the Table: Better-than-ever Ritz Terrace has steak, seafood, Italian
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011
The Ritz Terrace in its latest incarnation as R.J.’s Ritz Terrace is as good or better than ever. That was our impression after our dinner there the other evening.
SCHENECTADY
The Frugal Forager: Stockade Home Market a good place for a quick bite
Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011
Tired of turkey on a recent weeknight, we trotted over to the Stockade Home Market — the new name for the venerable Arthur’s Market at the Indian circle — and enjoyed a light supper in the newly opened convenience store and deli.
SCHENECTADY
At the Table: Lavish evening of Mediterranean fare at Cella Bistro
Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011
One of the most pleasurable, if indulgent, ways to while away a Sunday evening in Schenectady is to treat yourself to a wine pairing dinner at Cella Bistro. Chef Michael Cella and his family offer these lavish, hours-long affairs only occasionally, and I suspect their rarity makes them even more popular. The most recent event featured wines and foods of the Mediterranean islands, and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house that I could see.
GLENVILLE
The Frugal Forager: Benevento Pizza Cafe serves meals that are a cut above
Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011
We didn’t plan to go to Benevento, but ended up there after we discovered our original destination was closed. It turned out to be a serendipitous detour. The place has an extensive menu from which we sampled liberally, and the food is much better than I expected to find at a pizza place.
CLIFTON PARK
At the Table: Jonesville Store serves delectable food for every season
Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011
We talk about food a lot in my family, but that’s not why Mom and I remember exactly what we had for lunch at The Jonesville Store six months ago. It’s because it was so good. A quick trip to their website revealed an appealing dinner menu and an excuse to go back.
