Reopening of Nathan's in Colonie Center

Nathan's is reopening tomorrow, March 25, in Colonie Center. The space will be used by three chains: Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips, Kenny Rogers Roasters and Nathan's. How that little storefront will churn out all of that food is something I am eager to see.

Cajun Grill Cafe

To spice up my routine, I ate at the Cajun Grill Cafe in Colonie Center. It is above average mall chinese food.

The ambiance of the storefront is above average. Unfortunately, there is a man outside of the storefront handing out free samples. He is not quite as pushy as the women who stands outside of Oyishi Japan. The storefront is clean and modern-looking, and slightly nicer than China Max or Oyishi Japan.

The meal that I ordered is the two meat, one side for $4.50 deal. It is not a bad deal. I got the fried rice, honey chicken and bourbon chicken. The portion is reasonable for lunch, and perhaps a bit small for a dinner. The bit of fried rice that I had was moist and tasty.

The meat portion is all meat; there is no broccoli or other vegetables to take away from the protein. The chicken is served in small cubes which are nicely marinated in sauce. The chicken was not fatty, but it was mostly dark meat. Though the chicken is not fried, it is probably fairly high in calories. The honey chicken has a nice sweet flavor. It is not gourmet, but fairly good for mall chinese food.

I would recommend Cajun Grill Cafe to those seeking out chinese food in Colonie Center. For under $5.00, this is a good alternative to Arby's or Mr. Subb.

Oyishi Japan

I occasionally like to get the california roll at Oyishi Japan at Colonie Center.

The sushi is made fresh to order. There are a couple of pre-made rolls, but they do not taste old. They are quite large and fresh, with an ample amount of avocado and crab. The rice is sticky and moist. The rolls are not the dried out rolls you may get at the seafood section at Hannaford or Price Chopper.

For $3.49, these rolls are an excellent, healthy snack while mallwalking. Hannaford or Price Chopper's sushi rolls will typically run you around $5.00, however, they are smaller and not as fresh-tasting. Oyishi Sushi offers a solid sushi roll at a very reasonable price.

Oyishi Japan has a varied menu: bubble tea, sushi, tempura and teriyaki chicken. However, they are perhaps most well known for their teriyaki. I did not think I would find bubble tea this far from NYC, but it is true, Colonie Center has bubble tea. Someday I will have to try it.

One of the workers outside the food court stand will constantly push samples of the teriyaki chicken. I find this frustrating because I cannot come within 40 yards of the storefront without having a sample being pushed on me. It is good food, but if I want the food, I will ask for it. I think this unfortunate situation lowers my ranking of the eatery.

NY Grill

I have eaten at the NY Grill in Colonie Center twice, and I give it very high reviews. The food is not cheap, but it is fresh and tasty. The menu has a great deal of variety, with both American and Greek entrees. There are a lot of fried foods, and also some good salads.

I had a fried chicken sandwich, which was $4.00. It was made fresh to order, so it came out piping hot. The chicken patty was all white meat, and very tasty. The inside was juicy and the outside was crispy. The sandwich was topped with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. The kaiser roll was large and fluffy. The value meal costs $2.00 more and comes with fountain drink and fresh, crispy shoestring fries. This meal was far superior to anything I have ever eaten at McDonalds or Wendy's.

One disappointment I have with the NY Grill is that breakfast is only served until 12am on the weekdays. Hopefully someday I will get an egg sandwich or a Western omelet from the NY Grill and report on it.

The salad from the NY Grill is about $6.00. A picture is attached