Footsy Magoos, a great new bar in Downtown Troy

I have a friend who lives in Troy and one of his new favorite places is Footsy Magoos on 17 1st Street.  I expected this place to be a dive bar;  however, I was pleasantly surprised. 

Footsy Magoos is in a beautiful old building in historic downtown Troy close to Monument Square.  The building is very nicely decorated, with some beautiful chandelier's hanging from the ceiling.  The bar is all wood and is beautiful.  There is a game room as well.  Especially funny is the men's bathroom, which has naked lady playing cards posted on the walls. 

To my delight, Footsy's has a selection of hot beverages, which is great in the cold weather.  I am not much of a drinker, so I just got a plain hot chocolate.  It was nothing fancy, just water and Swiss Miss in a cup with whipped cream on top, but it was nice to get a non-alcoholic drink at a bar.  Footsy's makes hot beverages with alcohol ini them as well.  I am told Footsies does not have many beers on tap;  however, they do have lots of bottled beer. 

Footsy's is a very nice place to spend a Friday or Saturday night.  There is plenty of parking in Downtown Troy so you do not have to walk too far to get to your car.  The bars are not as close together as in Albany or Saratoga so bar hopping is difficult.  However, Troy is developing a bit of a nightlife.  My friend is convinced Troy is going to become the next Brooklyn.  It appears like some of the pieces are falling into place.

Jose Malone's

I went to Jose Malone's on River Street in Troy this Troy Night Out with my girlfriend. The restaurant offers large portions and a comfortable atmosphere. I can definitely see myself coming back to this place.

Jose Malone's is ideally located right next to Ryan's Wake, Revolution Hall, and some other bars on River Street. There are two municipal lots close by which seemed to have plenty of parking. The restaurant is described as 'Irish-Mexican,' but it is more like a Mexican restaurant that happens to make corned beef. Mexican adornments like a sombrero line the walls of the restaurant. Almost all of the customers were eating Mexican dishes. Perhaps this is a restaurant with an identity crisis.

I gave the Irish food a shot because I so frequently dine at Moe's and other Tex-Mex places. I ordered the corned beef and cabbage, which I give two thumbs up. The dish came with five pieces of very lean and flavorful high-quality corned beef. The sides were mashed potatoes, carrots marinated in tequila, and cabbage. I was a little disappointed with the cabbage, which I found very greasy. However, cabbage is not a dish I typically enjoy. The mashed potatoes had real potatoes in them with the skins on, but they were a little dry.

I was surprised that, not only does Jose Malone's charge for chips and salsa, they also charge for refills. I found this a little stingy for a restaurant of this caliber. However, the salsa was freshly made and excellent. But, when a restaurant is looking to get established, it is the little things that count. This is one thing Jose Malone's should reconsider.

Deli and Brew

I had a large roast beef sandwich today at the Deli and Brew on Route 4 in Troy, right outside Hudson Valley Community College. This was one of the tastiest roast beef sandwiches I have ever had. The roast beef and cheese were freshly sliced and piled high onto the sandwich. This is more meat than even a double meat sandwich at Subway. Possibly a pound of roast beef and American cheese was placed onto the sandwich. The onions were not bitter and the pickles were excellent (not pickle chips, but long Claussen stackers). It was definitely not a Weight Watchers entree, but it was delicious. For $8.49, this sandwich provided me with two meals. This place is almost worth the 20 minute drive out to Troy.