Beff's

Tonight I dined at Beff's on Everett Road in Albany. Beff's is a well-known bar with a rustic atmosphere. Though Beff's has been around a very long time, I was a little disappointed by my meal. The food was adequate, and the portions were small.

Beff's does have a lot of items on its menu. It has burgers, pizza and sandwiches. There is something for everyone on this menu, whether you want a snack or a full meal. I opted for the latter. I assumed Beff's has good bar food, so I wanted to explore a more exotic menu item.

I tried the Tom Turkey, which I was assured was not processed, but real turkey. Beff's is true to its word. Though the turkey was real, it was a bit dry. I would have appreciated a bigger portion than the quarter-pound given to me. The lack of turkey was compensated by a large side of mashed potatoes covered in gravy and stuffing. Both were very good.

At my next trip to Beff's, I would probably probably try the pizza, the wings, or the sweet potato fries.

Grandma's

I went to Grandma's on Central Avenue because my friends wanted to go. The store is festooned in St. Patrick's Day decorations, which was kind of fun, but also kind of tacky. We debated where the restaurant gets all these decorations, and what they do with them when the holidays are over.

First, I have to give props to the awesome waiter we had. He was cracking us up the whole time. He made the experience very memorable. Otherwise, I am not a fan of the Grandma's experience. The menu and the atmosphere caters to the senior population. Though I have never been to the Cracker Barrel, I am sure it provides a better experience for a homemade meal.

Grandma's is clearly one of those places where you have to know what to get, because some of the dishes are just not very good. For example, the half roasted chicken looked like a very small portion, whereas the meatloaf is a huge portion.

I had the turkey sandwich, and it was a little disappointing. They would not substitute my potato chips for fries. The turkey was a little dry, and I could have used some more of it. But it was real turkey, not processed turkey, so I give them credit for that. The sandwich was $6.95, which is reasonable for what you get.

Grandma's is known for their desserts. I sampled the peach praline pie, which was quite tasty. It was sweet, and gooey and had the right touch of pecan goodness. The serving was not large enough to warrant charging $4.00. One of my friends had the chocolate cream pie, and it was 80 percent whipped cream, which was ridiculous. He left most of it over.