Go to Reel Seafood for excellent seafood

My girlfriend and I were in the mood for seafood.  There are only a few restaurants in the area where we can get seafood -- Red Lobster, Real Seafood etc.  We decided to go to Reel Seafood.  Reel Seafood is located on 195 Wolf Road, close to Professor Java's and the Wolf Road Diner.  It is very convenient for us to get to. 

When we walked in the restaurant, we were greeted by a gracious hostess.  We got to the restaurant really early, so we got a table right away.  Reel Seafood is a nicely decorated restaurant with a very comfortable feel.  The nautical theme is carried throughout the restauant.  There is a nice fish tank in the middle of the place. 

Our waitress was very accomodating.  Real Seafood mainly serves seafood and steaks, and a host of specials.  My girlfriend ordered the salmon cakes ($18.95) and I ordered the Baked Stufed Haddock ($20.50).  Dinner at the Reel Seafood Company comes with bread, and we were both very glad it did.  The bread is homemade, crusty and delicious, and it comes with fresh, whipped butter.  We easily finished the four pieces the restaurant gave us.  We could have easily eaten more bread; however, we felt an obligation to keep our New Year's Resolutions. 

In 20 minutes, our dishes came out, and they were very impressive.  I had a 2/3 pound piece of haddock with a generous portion of crabmeat spread on top.  My meal came with cole slaw, and a vegetable.  I got the red potatoes, and they were out of this world!  I wish I could make potatoes like that.  The haddock was very moist and tender and the stuffing was very tasty and not too greasy.  My girlfriend got for her meal three huge salmon cakes that weighed at least 1/4 pound each.  I was not expecting her to get such a big portion.  She told me she enjoyed the salmon cakes. 

As we left the restaurant, we both agreed this is somewhere we would like to go to again.  Of course, we could only go on special occasions.  With tax and tip, we each owed $28.00, which is a lot of money.  This is a reasonable price for seafood, but we cannot afford to go there all the time. 

Maurice's Sandwich Shop

I dined at Maurice's sandwich shop on Wolf Road for lunch on Friday. Maurice's is known for their roast beef sandwiches, and it is easy to see why.

What makes this place different is the roast beef. This is roast beef your mother would make if she is a good cook. It is not the processed kind Arby's or Mr. Subb serves. The meat is so soft it practically melts in your mouth. There is the gentle hint of the dry rub seasoning that they use to coat the top of the meat with. The meat is rare but not raw. My favorite part of the sandwich is the bun, which is dipped in gravy.

The roast beef sandwich is a meal to be savored. Maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but good food is hard to find. It costs $5.25, and only comes with a half-sour pickle, which makes it a little bit pricier than Arby's, Bella Napoli or Mr. Subb. With a drink and chips, you are at $9.00. However, I have not yet found a better place in Albany to go for a roast beef sandwich.

The major drawback of Maurice's is their hours. They are only open until 4pm Monday through Friday and they have limited hours on Saturdays. With all the customers Maurice's gets during lunch, why stay open for dinner? It is kind of like the Saratoga track; if it was available all the time, it wouldn't be as good.

Moe's Burritos

I went to Moe's on Wolf Road for one of their burritos. I love Moe's because it is a great value and I convince myself that the combination of rice, beans and vegetables is healthy. Well it is not quite healthy but I always leave full and that is what I love about this place.

Moe's is basically the Mexican food equivalent of Subway. You choose a burrito, taco or salad, you choose your veggies and your sandwich maker assembles your meal. It is fun to watch, and it assures me that what I am getting is fresh and made-to-order. There are no surprises when you open the wrapper.

The atmosphere in Moe's is always fun. It caters to the 18-35 crowd. The sandwiches are named after TV moments from Seinfeld and Friends. For example, there is the Art Vandalay, which is named after a character mentioned on Seinfeld. The staff will yell out, "Welcome to Moe's" when a new customer comes in. The soda, salsa and tortilla chips are unlimited. Moe's also offers fresh-brewed sweetened or unsweetened iced tea. Moe's does not charge customers extra for these niceties.

However, the thing that bug me about Moe's is that the food never quite tastes warm; it is always lukewarm. The burrito shell is put into a steamer, so it always clings to the rice and beans. The food would taste so much better if someone put the assembled burrito on the grill for a couple of seconds.