Mr. Fuji Sushi

Details

Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

Mr Fuji is located in Stuyvesant Plaza in Guilderland NY.  It has about 8 tables, on the ground floor and another 4 or 5 on a loft.  There are also 6 seats at the sushi bar

We ordered four rolls for us to split.  We had a Volcano Roll - Spicy crunch salmon roll up with spicy crab meat ($12), Karen Roll - Crab meat, avocado, mango inside, roll up with seared spicy tuna ($11), Brooklyn Roll - Yellow tail, white tuna, scallion, crunch, roll up with smoked salmon, eel and avocado ($14), and a Spicy Yellowtail with Crunch Roll ($6.50).

The rolls were all good, but not amazing.  The smoked salmon in the Brooklyn roll was overwhelming, and the pieces of the spicy yellowtail with crunch roll were cut way to big, it was awkward and difficult to eat.  My favorite roll of the four was the Karen Roll, the mango gave it a slight sweetness that worked great with the spicy mayo on it.  All the rolls (with the exception of the yellowtail) were significantly more expensive then you would find in similar sushi places in the area.

Service was great, we were greeted and seated immediately, and the server was attentive throughout the meal.  The slightly above average sushi and the extremely high prices got Mr. Fuji Sushi a 3 fork rating.

Volcano, Karen, and Spicy Yellowtail Rolls	Brooklyn Roll

The Brown Bag

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Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

I have heard a ton of positive feedback about The Brown Bag in Troy, so it was time to take a look at it myself.  The Brown Bag is well known for it's unusual hours (5PM - 6AM) and it's limited, but creative menu that works well for late night/early morning patrons.

I ordered the hotdog grilled cheese ($3.75).  It was amazing.  They used a high quality hot dog (sounds like an oxymoron, but trust me, there is a difference) and it was cooked perfectly (crunchy but not overcooked).  Normally, grilled cheese with a meat in it is overloaded with cheese, but it was a perfect balance.  For the price, it might be the best food I have had in a restaurant in the area.

Josie ordered a cheeseburger with bacon, sauteed onions and mushrooms, and a fried egg ($4.75 for the burger, her customization made it $8.25).  The burger was fresh (not frozen) and cooked nicely (maybe slightly more than she would have ordered, but still good).  It had a lot of different flavors, but she mentioned that the mayo didn't seem evenly spread out.

We also ordered a side of the American Fries (french fries with a spicy kick - $2.25).  They were from potatoes that they cut themselves.  The seasoning was good, and there were a ton of fries.

We were there early in the night, and the owner, Terry was prepping for the night as well as training a newer cook.  It was neat watching him.  The new cook put an egg on the grill and broke the yoke with his finger.  Terry made him stop everything and change gloves (then later threw that egg out and start a new one since the grill wasn't greased properly, and the egg was sticking).  The only reason I share this story is because I was impressed that even with a newer cook making the meal under his guidance, it still came out as good as it did.

 Edited: I had an incorrect price on the burger, and removed a guess I had as to the owner (it was confirmed Terry is the owner)

Hot Dog Grilled Cheese	Bacon Cheeseburger (with an egg)

Four Corners

Details

Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

We were looking for a good breakfast place somewhere in Delmar, so we could hit up the Cheese Traveler on the way back home, a quick search brought up Four Corners Luncheonette.  Known for it's creative menu and quality food, we figured it would be a good spot for a nice breakfast.

It is a smaller place, with a homely feel.  We only had to wait a few minutes until a table was cleared off for us, but I can see waiting for quite some time at it's busy points.

I ordered a dish off their specials menu called Oreo Cakes ($8), it was two buttermilk pancakes with crumbled Winter Oreos inside and cinnamon butter sauteed apples and craisins on top.   It was served with real maple syrup.  They used a ton of oreos in the pancakes, which really gave them a strong and amazing flavor.  The apples and craisons on top were also very good, tasted almost like a chunky apple sauce.  Unfortunately, I thought the apples overpowered the oreo pancakes, so I ended up taking the apples off and eating them separately.  The real maple syrup is always a nice touch.

Josie ordered the Ovos Vasco Da Gama ($10), three eggs scrambled with chorizo, tomatoes, peppers, onions and mozzarella cheese.  Served with homefries and toast.  She absolutely loved this dish  The flavors in the eggs worked together great.  She would order this again in a heartbeat.  Her only complaint about the dish is that the homefries were not seasoned and bland.

We love our homemade hash, so we also ordered a side of their Red Flannel Hash ($5), grilled diced western russet potatoes, onions, peppers, and corned beef.  Also very good, if you have never had hash not out of a can, you really should try it.  This dish was great, but if I were making it, I would add a bit less peppers, as there was more peppers than any other ingredient, and it took over the dish a little bit.

Four Corners Luncheonette is a very relaxed environment, so not the place to go if you are in a rush, but they do feature a creative menu as well as the classics for a reasonable price.

Red Flannel Hash
Oreo Pancakes	Ovos Vasco Da Gama

Barnsider

Details

Written by Brian

Category: Restaurant Reviews

Barnsider is located right off Wolf Road in Colonie, it is your typical steakhouse, and runs on the expensive side.

I ordered the Lobster Casserole with sirloin.  The lobster casserrole is just a ton of lobster, with crackers and butter.  It is really simple, but really good, although the lobster was a bit overcooked.  The sirloin was very small and while ordered medium rare, had parts that were well done, and parts cooked perfectly.  The sirloin had great flavor, and while cooked more than I would like, was still quite tender.  The dish costs $32, which is a lot to pay for this dish.

Josie ordered the Beef Wellington.  She descibed it as cooked perfectly, tender, and having a great flavor.  Her only complaint with her dish was that the rice pilaf was overcooked.  Her dish cost $27 which is also a bit pricey for what you get.

Service was slightly on the slow side, but another waiter stepped in to help out when ours got busy, and it was a bit busy, so the small delay in the kitchen was understandable.  They also have a salad bar included with an entree.  It is a smaller salad bar, offering about 10 salad ingredients as well as cheese and warm bread you cut yourself.  Not amaing, but a nice option to have.

Lobster Casserole and Sirloin	Beef Wellington