Shane's Rib Shack

I was quite excited to try Shane's Rib Shack in Clifton Park because I love good BBQ food. This place is conveniently located and reasonably priced. The food is good and the atmosphere is fun, however, the restaurant did not live up to its billing.

I ordered the chicken dinner, which came with two sides and texas toast. The chicken looked like it came out of a e-z bake oven, with the painted-on grill marks. It did have a nice, smoky taste to it though. I had onion straws and french fries as sides, and was not too impressed with either. Neither was particularly crunchy, and both tasted as though they might have been sitting for awhile.

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.

Justin's

I went to Justin's on Lark Street and I feel that they definitely have great food for a bar.

I ordered the fried catfish sandwich with fries and coleslaw, all of which was delicious. When even the cole slaw tastes home made, you know you are in for a treat. The catfish was lightly fried and battered and absolutely wonderful. A generous fresh filet was heaped on a roll with an interesting avocado mayonnaise spread. The fries were hand-cut and had a little of the skin still on. Even the cole slaw was wonderful. It was not drowning in mayonnaise, and the chunks of cabbage and carrot blended beautifully.

Justin's is not only a great place to hang out, but also a wonderful dining experience. For just under $10, I feel that Justin's is far above it's competitors such as Chili's or Friday's.

Hot Dog Heaven

I went to lunch today at Hot Dog Heaven, and I am glad I did. It may not be heaven, but they offer a good meal, and a comfortable atmosphere at a fair price.

I like two things about the atmosphere at Hot Dog Heaven. First, the only person who I have ever seen tending the grill is the owner, who makes everyone feel at home. Second, if you sit by the grill, you get a great view of Lark Street. It is indeed a picture window.

I ordered the eggs, hash browns and toast, all of which were above average. As promised on the menu, the food does take a little longer than fast food, but that is because it is made to order. The eggs scrambled eggs was a bigger portion than I would get at many diners. The has browns were made from scratch with delicious chunks of potato and some bits of onion. Even the toast was nice and thick and generously buttered.

Unfortunately, Hot Dog Heaven is not open nights or on weekends, otherwise, I would probably be there much more often.

Buffalo Wagon

Heather and I went to the Buffalo Wagon this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised. The recent reviews in Metroland and the times union were not too good. Though we ordered relatively simple fare, we were both satisfied with the meal.

Perhaps the greatest deficit of Buffalo Wagon compared to Emperor's, Ichiban or Hana is its location. It is right off of Wolf Road on Metro Park Road. Those who are not familiar with Wolf Road could easily pass it. In fact, we passed it the
first time around.

Heather noticed that almost all of the clientele in Buffalo Wagon were of asian descent. Perhaps this is because the menu contains real chinese food, like sauteed pork intestine, as well as the americanized dishes, such as sesame chicken. Buffalo Wagon dabbles a little bit in many asian cuisines -- Chinese, Japanese and Thai. We were so overwhelmed by the menu, the waitress came over to our table three times before we decided what to order.

We ended up ordering two classic americanized chinese food staples -- sesame chicken and roast pork chow fun. The sesame chicken had a mild sauce which it took my tongue awhile to get used to. The portion was adequate, and the chicken
was high quality and not overly breaded. This is one dish the mall chinese restaurants often get horribly wrong, but the Buffalo Wagon seems to do just fine with. The chow fun was not very greasy and had a smokey flavor which i love.

The Buffalo Wagon is definitely worth another trip. The pricing is similar with other chinese restaurants in the area, though they offer more expensive fare as well. The lunch menu specials include bento boxes which are always fun.

Phoenicians

Heather and I dined at Phoenicians on Central Avenue in Colonie on Friday night, and we were glad we did. The food was excellent and the service was friendly. We are both fans of this relatively new Lebanese restaurant.

This is not a large restaurant, but it is newly built and very clean. The walls have painted on them a mural of scenes from Lebanon. From our seat, we would see the vertical rotisseries in the back cooking what would become our dinner. The staff is very friendly; the owner was visiting every table shaking hands with the customers. I had never seen anything like it, and I enjoyed it.

We both ordered the schwarma, which proved to be a good choice. This was just the right portion of food -- enough to be full but not enough to be bloated afterwards. The chicken schwarma was served with rice, salad, hummus and tzatziki sauce. The presentation was beautiful, the duller colors of the chicken and rice contrasting with the bright tomatoes and hummus. The shavings of chicken were nicely spiced and just delicious. The rice was moist and flavorable, the salad fresh and covered in olive oil. I usually do not like tzatziki sauce, but I was dipping my pita bread in it for the entire meal.

This small restaurant has proven that in any economy, if you offer fresh food and good hospitality, you will get customers.

Pinhead Susan's

Pinhead Susan's was one busy restaurant on Saturday night, in contrast to the rest of Schenectady, which was a little slow. Pinhead's produces great food at a reasonable price.

The atmosphere is that of an Irish pub. The entrance has a couple of stories about how the restaurant got it's name. There is no waiting room inside, but I suppose most people would just sit at the bar before their table is ready. The interior of the restaurant is surrounded in wood, which gives it a very rustic feeling.

The Irish fries (sweet potato fries), are a must-order at this restautant. They were just the right size and consistency. Some places tend to cut them too thin, so you do not get enough sweet potato, or too thick, in which case they come out mushy. These were just perfect, not crisp but not mushy. I would have been happy with just these fries as my entree.

The turkey club was not better than a sandwich I could have gotten at Denny's. I was disappointed by the small size of the sandwich. Each quarter of the sandwich has perhaps a slice or two of turkey breast on it, with a half a handful of lettuce and a strip or two of bacon. The sandwich was tasty, but nothing special. Certainly the Cheesecake Factory sandwich would trump this one.

Prices are very reasonable at Pinhead's. My friend ordered a Guiness Burger, and she was surprised that there is a restaurant out there where you can get a burger and fries for $8.00. The waitress insisted that good food does not have to come with high prices.

In my next visit to Pinhead's I would definitely order something different. I would try a corned beef sandwich, or perhaps the Chicken a la Susan, which looked delicious.