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"Fear no food"
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Review votes:
504 Useful, 329 Funny, and 384 Cool
Albany, NY
Yelping SinceMarch 2007
Things I LoveParmigiano Reggiano, Happy Meat, French Pastry, Dried Beans, Lard Bread, Dim Sum, Buffalo Wings, Donuts, NY Style Pizza, BBQ
Find Me Inneed of sleep
My HometownMiami, FL
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm blogging
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI don't like many things, and am loath to popularize my favorites
My Second Favorite WebsiteAll Over Albany Tournament of Pizza 09 http://bit.ly/09TOP
The Last Great Book I ReadCat in the Hat
My First ConcertDoes "Up With People" count?
My Favorite MovieThe Big Lebowski, Millers Crossing, The Third Man, Joe Versus the Volcano
My Last Meal On EarthJoe's Hamburger Sandwich, Anchor Liberty Ale @ Original Joe's SF
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...Sometimes I put ketchup on inappropriate foods
Most Recent Discovery"Loath" and "Loathe" are commonly misused. I stand corrected.
Current CrushCorn meal.
Date
But now that I have been there a couple of times more anonymously, the rice isn't as well seasoned, the beans aren't as perfect, and the grilled meats are a bit chewier (not in a good way).
Still, it is solidly a 3* restaurant, far surpassing any other burrito joint in the region*, with an extra 1* thrown in for providing happy meat, raised without antibiotics or hormones, that I feel like I can eat with a clean conscience.
Plus, I have tried their iPhone app for ordering on the go, and it totally rocks. It's a great way to avoid the lines, and so much more awesome than drive-through.
* I have been told that it's time to reevaluate Bros Tacos in Albany, so consider this a qualified statement. Although I suspect my opinion will remain unchanged.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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11/4/2009
Oh yeah? Well I was at the pre-pre-pre-pre opening last night, and the pre-pre-pre opening this afternoon, and things had been running smoothly.
At the pre-pre-pre-pre opening, the food was the best that I had experienced at any Chipotle ever. You can read about it in excruciating detail here:
http://fussylittl...
At the pre-pre-pre opening I noticed some of the beans had split, and the grains of rice had broken. But everything was still above average. They did run out of iced tea, which made me sad.
Couldn't make the pre-pre opening event, but possibly will drop in on the pre-opening event tomorrow.
Regardless, it is wonderful to have a Chipotle in Albany county. Their commitment to quality ingredients should make most of the high end eateries embarrassed that they can't do as good a job charging thrice the price.
I wouldn't want to own a Moe's or a Bomber's this week. Good burritos have come to town, and I'm hoping they will open people's eyes.
1) There was a change in ownership.
2) The new owners got a great review from the TU.
http://www.timesunion....
Now I am not afraid of dirty or dingy restaurants. But the review did specifically mention that the new owners planned to "Spiff up the place a bit." Almost eight months after the review, the place still looks like it is falling apart.
The food didn't fare much better.
I specifically ordered the omelet, because the reviewer said, it "was one of the better omelets I've had in a long time." But mine wasn't. I was served the "half-moon egg patties here" that the TU reviewer also loathes at other breakfast joints.
You can look at my picture above, and the picture from the TU review to see what I am talking about.
It may not have been the worst Greek omelet I have had, but clearly my expectations were set way too high. And I don't usually eat eggs, so I was having this as an extra special treat, which made it extra sad that they were disappointing.
Also while we were there, we got the one-two punch of glass cleaner smells from a nearby table being spritzed and cigarette smoke coming from some mysterious location. Blech.
It's not a 1* place. The waitress was very nice, and coffee refills kept on coming. But with Dewey's diner right next door, I will unlikely ever come back to Inga's.
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4/10/2008
I would call this more of a truck stop than a diner. The critical item that it is missing is booths. Tables by the window don't really cut it.
And really it's probably not any dirtier than Dewey's next door. But it feels dirtier. I think because it is a bit shabbier.
That said. Their coffee was decent and my coffee cut received plenty of attention. Scrambled eggs weren't terribly scrambled, but fine. Oatmeal comes in a giant bowl, and was as good as oatmeal gets.
Sunday mornings Dewey next door is closed.
So on Sunday, Inga will do.
Things break, and you have to fix them. Or hire someone else to fix them. When the water heater breaks, apparently you need a plumber. A friend of mine recommended Allen & Taub.
So we read consumer reports, and learned a bit about water heaters. It didn't seem to matter, because A&T really only uses one kind of water heater. And it's probably fine. It didn't have the warranty I wanted, but when you need hot water, you need hot water.
A very nice guy, I think it was Taub, came over and scoped out the job. I thought he would be the fellow who was putting in the heater too. But perhaps that's just naive. Two other plumbers a bit rougher around the edges showed up with the heater for the install.
They were fine, and seem to have done an adequate job. I think we paid a fair price for what we got, and for what was done. More than likely should something else go wrong, I'll give them a call.
The warning signs about thin ice in winter. They show a stick figure person in the middle of a jagged hole, clutching the thin ice.
[shudder]
And yet, you still see people out there on the ice despite the signs. More power to them.
But even in the winter, this is a lovely park. In the spring, you can watch as the ducklings hatch. And then you can watch their numbers dwindle in the weeks to come. Snapping turtles have to eat too, you know. In the summer, there are plenty of trees to provide shade, and in the fall, of course they are beautiful.
I am pretty sure the park is within the eruv of the orthodox synagogue. On Saturday evenings during the more temperate seasons, the playground area is full of families awaiting the end of Shabbat. It's really the only time I see a bunch of kids out there playing.
Oh, and really it's more like a pond than a lake. And I wouldn't want to swim in it. But it's pretty to look at.
And seriously... don't feed the ducks.
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 512-5110
Delancey Street Moving & Trucking
Category: Movers
Neighborhood: Financial District
The men who moved us from North Oakland to Berkeley were exceedingly careful with everything, worked their hearts out, and did it all within the time and cost estimates. They showed up on time, were very buttoned up, and more professional than any other moving operation I have ever hired.
On top of it all, you know that something bigger is getting done than just moving your stuff from point a to point b. And that just pushes it over the top.
Can't imagine why anyone would use another company.
Specifically, I was looking at different spice blends. And I was curious which of the two had less heat (I'm cooking for children who used to be able to tolerate spicy food, but now either cannot or will not).
While the clerk didn't know the heat level of the different blends, he did inform me that one of them had a picture of a Hindu god on the package, and it was very popular with the Hindu's who came into the store.
Together we shared a chuckle over the marketing genius of putting a picture of god on your product. I mean... if you are a believer... how could you NOT buy it?
Anyhow, somehow I accidently offended the poor fellow. He is a believer, but he's Christian. Fine by me. I apologized, for the inadvertent snafu, and took my goods to checkout.
I couldn't have been too much of an oaf, because they threw in a free India Bazaar ballpoint pen to boot. Replete with American flags, the Statue of Liberty, and all other forms identifying the grocer as a proud American business.
I do not need service with a smile.
And if a place has good enough food, I'll embrace openly hostile attitudes.
But when I order a cappuccino out of sheer optimism, and momentarily forget to specify whole milk, don't you dare roll your eyes at me. Even if you have already started making the drink.
It's not like this was during the morning rush. And whole milk should be the freaking default in the first place. Who in their right mind would voluntarily get a short dry cappuccino with low-fat milk? That's crazy.
But after you are done rolling your eyes, it's a good idea to immediately put a lid on the drink to hide the passive-aggressive crap foam you made for the crap espresso you pulled. Making this location, in my mind, the crappiest of the area.
They do have a few outside tables, which are nice.
Seriously, if you are shopping at S.P. you are better off picking up coffee at the *bucks on Western across from SUNY. They even have a drive-through.
I'm done here.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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3/19/2008
I don't know how many people are familiar with the new Starbuck's "Promise".
Feel free to browse the press release at your leisure
http://www.starbu...
"Your drink should be perfect, every time.
If not, let us know and we'll make it right."
My question is, "What if you don't think they can?"
Forget for a moment that perfect espresso or cappuccino is the thing of legend. And as Jeffrey Steingarten once wrote, "Espresso experts are more obsessive about everything than I have ever been about anything".
The kid running the machine couldn't even make decent foam out of whole milk (which by the way is easier to do than Starbuck's default of 2%). Big bubbles, as evidenced by the picture attached.
"Perfect" may be a bit too far reaching. Perhaps, a better promise would be to make sure they filled your order correctly. Then you can rest easy knowing your 1/2 caf venti caramel machiato no-whip still contains the critical caramel swirl.
This is a place that I would love to love more. But I'm just not a handy person. If you have tools and know-how and time to spruce things up, I am sure this place is a gold mine.
But if you are like me, and never sat down to watch a show on HGTV, you will likely wish there was more stuff for sale that was user ready.
Maybe the problem was that on my visit, I came with something specific in mind: chairs for the dining room table. Ours had woven cane seats, that the children had broken.
We walked away empty handed, but young master Daniel B. did find a drawer of clock parts that kept him entertained for almost an hour. Two different people suggested he was going to grow up to be a mechanical engineer.
Perhaps in that hypothetical future, he could help us restore some cool furniture as well.
But no deli of my past specialized in hot sliced roasted beef sandwiches au jus. That is the thing to get at Maurice's and it is the sole thing (well that and the smell) the 4* are based upon.
I knew enough to ask for the sandwich on a hard roll, and I thought onion would be a tastier choice than plain. But as a newbie to the scene, I was unsure if there were any toppings that should go on the signature sandwich.
The man slicing the meat suggested jus and the possibility of horseradish sauce or maybe some Swiss cheese. I took him up on the jus and sauce.
The sandwich was tasty, juicy and tender, if a bit delicately flavored. I miss the full in-you-face beefiness of the beef on weck I had outside of Buffalo. Thus the missing star.
Oddly, there is an Arby's right next door. Why on earth would anyone get the affront to nature that is the Arby's roast beef sandwich, when they can get the real deal a few feet to the left at Maurice's?
Maybe people see the long line, have roast beef on the mind, and decide to crap out and take the fast food option. Don't do it. The line moves quickly. And you will be rewarded for your patience with a superior sandwich.
6 Lists
I have a sinking feeling that is what is happening with toys too.
There are things the Toy Maker carries that you cannot find in Walmart. Small production toys, Thomas the Tank Engine Wooden Railway, Playmobil, etc.
That is what this store is good for. Do not make the same mistake my son made, spending the allowance he saved on a $10 pack of Uno cards that we later found at Walmart for under $5. Unless of course you are happy to spend the extra money to keep these kinds of stores in business.
The kiddo learned a valuable lesson: Let the buyer beware.