Four Corners (second review)

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Written by Kent

Category: Restaurant Reviews

Brian had already reviewed Four Corners Luncheonette on this web site, however I wanted to write a review too as I was highly recommended to give Four Corners a try from several co-workers and friends.  The Breakfast Menu was as hard to find online as the correct place to turn off Deleware Ave to get to this eatery.  This Restauarant is currently offering 4 different denominations of discount certificates thru Restaurant.com, so we decided to print one and give it a taste.

Upon entering, we were told by staff to sit whereever we would like.   The setting is comfortable and country-like and the dining area is a mix of booths, tables, and counter top seating.   Breakfast orders are taken until 11:30 a.m. on the weekends.  Lunch and Dinner menu's also available and are viewable online.

The Menu had a large amount of common breakfast choices and an extra page offered a large range of interesting offerings.  Things like Kale and Eggs Meals and a Brats and Onions Plate. When ordering, we were informed that the bread and baked goods are all home-baked and the bread choices the morning we dined was White, Wheat, Rye, Pumpernickel, or Cinnamon.

I ordered the Smoked Salmon Breakfast Sandwich and a side of Two Eggs over-hard.  My dining partner ordered the Eggs Benedict and asked if we could split an order of potato pankcakes on the side, as the Eggs Bendict didn't come with any harh brown or side items included.   I was pleased with the flavors, freshness, cooking, and presentation of both meals, however for the price, the portions were quite small for us, being hearty eaters.  If we didn't have the gift certificate which required a minimum purhcase and had not ordered the extras, I certainly would've left unsatisifed / still hungry (for the prices).  Overall worth a visit and we will be back soon to try the lunch or dinner menu.

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Sandwich on Homebaked Bread	Side order of Two Eggs	Eggs Benedict & Side of Potato Pancake

Canali's

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

We have been on a search for good pasta in the Capital Region lately, so naturally Canali's found it's way onto our list, as they are well known for their homemade pastas.  Canali's is in Schenectady.

We went with another couple, so after the break below, you can see pictures of what they ordered, but since I didn't try them, I won't be commenting on them.

I wanted to try one of their chicken dishes that came with a side of pasta, but they refused to sub fettuccini for whatever non-homemade pasta came with the dish because 'The chef won't do that'.  Maybe I've been watching too much Restaurant Stake Out where they say, "the customer is king", but I thought refusing to do a simple subsitution (I even offered to pay an upcharge) is completely unacceptable.  That was the first negative on the night, but luckily, it was also the only one.

So I cancelled my chicken dish and ordered Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken ($16.99) because, after all, we were on a search for good pasta, not store bought stuff I can get at Olive Garden.  The alfredo sauce was super thick and flavorful, the pasta was cooked to perfection, and the chicken had a nice crisp on it, it was an absolutely perfect dish.

Josie had a similar dish with he order of Fettuccini Carbonara ($14.99).  Her pasta was really just an alfredo with some extra stuff in it, not a true cabonara, but the pasta was cooked to perfection.

Besides the great flavors in our dishes, they were also huge.  I was really hungry, and I still had enough for dinner the next night, Josie, and the other two people with us got an additional two meals out of the one plate - all for a reasonable price.

Service was great, with our waitress cracking a joke or two and interacting well with our group.

So with the great service and tasty dishes Canali's gets a good review, but losses points for the fake cabonara and inflexibility to adjust to simple subsitutions. - 4 Forks.

Click 'read more' below to see pictures of their Cavatellit with a tomato basil cream sauce and their Linguini Loisa.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken	Fettuccini Carbonara

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Towne Tavern

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

Towne Tavern is located in Averill Park.  It is a two story tavern with a natural feel to it.

We started off with the 4 x 4 appetizer ($7.50).  It is four of their ribs, with all four of their sauces so you can try them all.  The ribs are cooked perfectly, nicely smoked, with the pink in the ribs as proof.  The dry rub is flavorful and the star of the dish.  The sauces are all unique and the two of us argued a bit about or favorites :)

I ordered the Beef n Bleu Pasta ($17.25) - a bed of fettuccini topped with strips of tender Flat Iron steak grilled over the coals combined with fresh button mushrooms and simmered in a light bleu cheese cream sauce.  The pasta and the steak were cooked well (steak was a perfect medium as ordered), but the cream sauce lacked any real flavor.  It was a good sized plate that I would probably order again

Josie ordered the pulled pork dinner with corn and baked beans ($14.95).  She loved the sides and the cornbread, and the pork was super tender, but the sauce on it was very vinegary, and was difficult to eat without using some of the bbq sauce we got with our appetizer.  Once you put some less bitter sauce on it, it was quite good.

Service was a little slow on the Friday night we were there, but that is to be expected with crowds.  All staff members we encountered were friendly and professional.

4 X 4 (4 ribs to try all their sauces)	Black and Bleu Pasta

Pulled Pork Dinner

Home Front Cafe

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

The Home Front Cafe is located on Main Street in Altamont. The decor accomplishes exactly what the cafe advertises, "We hope you will feel as though you are stepping back in time to your mothers', grandmothers' or even your great grandmothers' home!! Journey back to the 1940s with us." Everywhere you turn, there's memorabilia from the 1940's, with a lot of focus on WWII.

There's protective glass on top of the tablecloths, and in between are letters, papers and various items from the 1940's. The cafe itself is decorated exactly as you would imagine the kitchen of a grandparent, or great grandparent to be. There were toy boxes for children too play in (which a couple of children went back and forth, and back and forth doing just that) There were also lots and lots of pictures. While there's something to be said for homage and remembrance (and grandma's house), I kind of felt awkward ... I felt as if I wasn't really walking into a dining establishment, or place of business.

There was a lot of hometowm feel in the air. It was very "Cheers," where the staff knew the names of just about every customer who walked through the doors (well, except for us). Seating isn't intuitive. You walk in, the bell rings, but you don't know whether you'll be greeted, or should seat yourself. There were also a couple of tables that were in neglect of being cleaned. As we rounded the corner to the second part of the cafe (there's a left, and right side), we caught the attention of a passing waitress who said we could sit anywhere. Just as with Snyder's, we chose to sit on the side with the highest concentration of wait staff activity (the left).

We were promptly greeted, and presented with menus. I ordered French Toast, with Bacon. Brian inquired on any particular specialties and was recommended to try any of the Omlettes. He ordered one with Bacon & American Cheese.

Food was up pretty promptly. The French toast was 'okay.' It wasn't the best it could be, but it was at least somewhat tasty. It was a little haphazardly cooked, however. It seemed like the bread was sloshed around enough to gather a good amount of egg, then plopped to cook in its puddle. You'll see more of what I mean, in the picture. By contrast, the bacon was not good. It tasted microwaved, and poorly microwaved at that. I wouldn't order that again. It takes skill to render bacon unappealing.

Brian's "omlette" really wasn't an omlette at all. Typically, in an omlette, the ingredients are chopped, mixed with the eggs, and cooked together as one unit. In this rendition, the eggs were cooked first, then whole strips of bacon, and cheese were inserted into the middle, and the eggs were folded in half over the filling. That said, the eggs were the solo star of the dish. They were cooked fluffy. The rest of the plate was mediocre or 'okay' (potatoes cooked well, but with zero flavor, and overdone toast).

I have to say, in all of my reviews, this is the first one where I'm finding myself questioning whether I should be reviewing this place at all. Where, on the one hand, it is a cafe ... On the other hand, it's clearly geared and driven to be "grandma's house;" and, really, who would want to critique "grandma's house?"

For what it's worth, I will render my review (because it's my civic duty as your CRFoodie), but, the rest I shall leave up to you.

French Toast w/Bacon	Bacon & Cheese Omlette