Tagged: restaurants

A Table for One

I spent about an hour trying to figure out what to do for dinner. I had settled on a burger. And then thought I would splurge and go to the Gastropub for a ridiculously good burger. Then I remembered that they had a fried chicken special, and that sounded just perfect.

So I took a shower, got dressed up, and walked to the Gastropub. I was happy to see there was plenty of outdoor seating. It was also Happy Hour all night, so I had a few beers. And I ordered that fried chicken.

Wow. The potatoes were good, the cole slaw was good, the chicken was amazing. It was tender, succulent. The breading was firm, with hints of maple syrup, and just a bit of spice. A fantastic meal.

Mingling With Royalty: Kimchi and Ice Cream

Tonight I went to Mingle, where All Over Albany had some tables set aside for “Dining Out For Life.” I went all by myself, like a big boy, not knowing what to expect. I walked in, talked to Mary, met Peter and a few other people, and sat down. Then Greg and his wife came in, and I was please to meet the both of them. And then Sébastien came to our table. Yeah, The Sébastien. I felt hopelessly out of my element. But they are all good people and I quickly forgot that I’m a socially awkward fellow and even cracked a few jokes. And maybe didn’t embarrass myself too badly.

I had the soup du jour, which was a creamy roasted red pepper with onions and scallions. It was surprisingly good. For an entree I had the kimchi. I’ve never had kimchi before. People are always going on about how great kimchi is so I thought I’d try it. It was really really spicy. That red pepper oil is a killer. There was very little flavor, it was just different textures soaking in hot burning death. And yet, I ate a lot of it.

We settled up our bill, Sébastien left, and the three of us went to Emack & Bolio’s for dessert. I had grasshopper pie. Something cool and creamy and sweet was just the thing.

A very good night.

Update: The morning after, I am not feeling very good. Sorry, kimchi, you were a wild night of fun, but I’m swearing off Korean food.

Aashiana

Tonight we went out for dinner. We went to what I thought was “this new Indian place” on Central called Aashiana. (Turns out the missus has been there several times and never told me!) It came highly recommended on the FUSSYlittleBALLOT. I really like Indian food but have been disappointed with what’s here. It’s tough to drive all the way to Latham for Karavalli. I’m also trying to follow some new resolutions about exploring my own city, so trying new (to me) restaurants is a start.

Places on Central are always deceptive. Every single one of them looks like a dive from the outside. Inside is not usually a whole lot better. But at least Aashiana smelled good. If food doesn’t smell good, it probably doesn’t taste good either. Menus are on the tables, under the glass table top. Not particularly classy, but what was on the menus made up for that.

We ordered vegetable samosa, and tea. I was very happy with both. The samosa had a lot of warm flavors, and the chai was milky and not too strong. We were, in my opinion, off to a good start.

The garlic naan was pretty good. It may have been a little more chewy than I care for, but I’m not going to complain. Since I ate most of it.

I ordered lamb karahi. Indian is about the only time I get to eat lamb. It was wonderful. It was tender and served with a spicy, slightly hot, sauce. It had depth. It had character. It had slabs of pepper in it. Oh it was so good.

She ordered the vegetable korma, which I got to sample. A selection of vegetables in a creamy sauce that was not bland or overly heavy. I’ll be honest: I never ate cauliflower until I had it in Indian food. This dish did not disappoint.

Portions were good. I didn’t feel like I was gorging myself, and we only brought home a little container of leftovers. I’d rather eat a smaller portion of something good than have leftovers I don’t want to eat.

So yes, I am sold on Aashiana. Thank you.

At the Gastropub Bar

Last night Kathleen and I went to the Capital City Gastropub for drinks and dessert. It was pretty quiet there, and we sat at the bar. The Gastropub has two new things: a liquor license and a tv.

I’ll start with the tv. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. And at least there’s only one. It was nice to be able to go somewhere for something to eat and not see a tv, but I suppose that was a temporary pleasure.

Kathleen ordered a New York Sour, which was very… interesting. Not really my thing. Which is odd since I like both whiskey and wine. I had an Old Fashioned, which wasn’t bad. We split some carrot cake. For our second round, I tried a Negroni. Knocked my socks off. It’s gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. It’s very red. I felt it had layers of flavors; a sort of bitter, herbal, concoction. Halfway through the drink I felt like I was tasting something else; more of the gin perhaps. It may not be my favorite drink, but it was fun to try something new.

By the time we left there were a lot more people at the bar. It was a really nice night for a walk, too.

(I wish they made a Sazerac.)

Celebrating at the Mid Town Tea & Tap Room

People from Kathleen’s workplace organized a little after-work celebration for us at the Mid Town Tea & Tap Room. It’s a great way to welcome the weekend. We walked up there, and I was reminded that people in Albany don’t shovel their sidewalks.

Everyone was already there when we got there. They had commandeered a corner of the bar of us. People were eating and drinking. There was much shaking of hands and hugging. Many people we’ve known for quite a while now, and I met Emily and Justin. They’re really cool kids, and we spent a lot of time talking about Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Albany, places to eat, drinks we like, movies, and books. I hope we get to hang out with them some more. (Hint hint.)

We ordered Roast Beef on Weck, and I ordered a Tennessee Honey Manhattan. I’m not authority of the Manhattan, but I liked this one. It had a sweet whiskey flavor that fought hard against the chilly, damp, weather. The Beef on Weck was outstanding. The meat was tender. The bread was warm and soft, crusted with caraway and salt. It was served with actual horseradish, not that “horseradish” and mayo crap, and au jus. It was the most amazing sandwich I’ve had in a very long time.

Things are so good right now. I’m so happy. It scares me. I’ve never been this happy.