If you love Mediterranean restaurants but feel like all the popular places around the Capital District are too similar, Ali Baba in Troy might just have the variety you need. With a focus on Turkish cuisine, Ali Baba has standard Mediterranean items like hummus and stuffed grape leaves and kebabs on the menu, but also a… Continue reading Ali Baba
One of my absolute favorite Indian restaurants around the Capital District is Karavalli in Latham (as well as Saratoga Springs). Karavalli has a lengthy menu of options from several regions in southern India that can be a bit intimidating, but there’s also the comfortable classics like tikka masala, vinadoloo, and korma dishes. And for what it’s worth,… Continue reading Karavalli
Namu Korean BBQ in Colonie has been on my must-try list ever since I had hot pot for the first time in Manhattan a while ago and searched for similar Capital District places. It turns out that while they do have a “hot pot” section on the menu, it’s not quite the same experience – you cook the… Continue reading Namu Korean BBQ
Ask people what makes the Capital District’s food scene unique and you’ll get a variety of responses. We don’t have one signature dish, like the buffalo wing in Western NY. But we do have some interesting smaller dishes like mozzarella sticks with melba sauce or the long fish fry in a roll. Another one of the Capital District… Continue reading Mini Hot Dog vs. Mini Hot Dog
If you were to ask me some things I would change about the food culture in Albany, one of the first thoughts that would come to mind is the lack of a good egg sandwich. Heck, even a mediocre to adequate egg sandwich. Something with real eggs and not some sliced egg loaf or frozen… Continue reading Searching for an Alright Egg Sandwich
Troy’s Unagi Sushi opened in late 2016 and has gotten mostly rave reviews ever since. Pictures of beautifully embellished small dishes with elegant, artful details surfaced all over my newsfeed (see Table Hopping’s early review). If that piques your interest, there is an eight course “Omakase” style entree option where you get the chef’s selection of dishes. Although… Continue reading Unagi Sushi
There’s something about the first visit to Kay’s Pizza in Averill Park every season that is kind of magical. I’m not here to tell you that they have the Capital District’s best pizza, because truthfully I don’t think they do. Especially not if you’re looking for a classic, thin crust, NY style pizza with fold-able slices and… Continue reading Kay’s Pizza
Important summertime announcement about where you should be spending your Friday nights: The Cheese Traveler in Albany is again holding a series of cookouts this year. Every Friday from 5-9, the restaurant/cheese shop has a rotating list of guest chefs that are whipping up some quality dinners – primarily burgers, but usually a few other options as… Continue reading Summer Cookouts at The Cheese Traveler
There are a lot of Chinese restaurants in the Capital District, but truthfully not many that I love. I tend to group Chinese places into a few buckets, each of which I crave from time to time: greasy and cheap to-go places, Americanized sit-down restaurants (places like P.F. Changs or the Plum Blossom), and more… Continue reading Timmy’s Chinese
Some of you might have known that January 28th was the Chinese New Year, officially kicking off the Year of the Rooster. What you might not have realized was that many Chinese restaurants in the area offer some superb New Year’s specials that are available for a couple of weeks afterwards, including Ala Shanghai in Latham. I… Continue reading Chinese New Year at Ala Shanghai
Crumbs Around the Capital 