One new restaurant per week in 2016

Sasha and I decided to check out one new (to us) restaurant per week in the year 2016. Due to time and money constraints, we’re making this “on average”, so we could go to three one week and then be able to skip a few weeks, but each restaurant will be assigned a week even if we didn’t go that particular week.

Week / Restaurant	Notes
Apr 24 – Apr 30 The Tailored Tea	We decided to be fancy and get brunch at The Tailored Tea which is settled on the back corner of the Albany Airport. It’s a really old building with pretty cool historical ambiance. My meal was pretty good, though a bit big as we were on our way to frisbee right after brunch. Sasha didn’t eat most of her smoked salmon because it was too salty. The place is divided up into a few small rooms… one of which we had to ourselves which was pretty cool.
Apr 17 – Apr 23 Amsterdam Diner	After Sasha finally got a car… it had a flat tire on the first day. Went to the parents’ to get it fixed and went out to The Amsterdam Diner afterward. We were going to go to the Recovery Room, but it had a long line, so we went across the street. Standard diner fare I suppose. We liked it, though it was weird when Dad pointed out that the waiter never brought him his soup to which the waiter responded “Oh you want me to bring that too?” Well, that is why he ordered it.
Apr 10 – Apr 16 Blue Ribbon Diner	After again looking at a car for Sasha, this time with my parents in Schenectady, we all decided to go to The Blue Ribbon Diner. I had been there before, but Sasha hadn’t… so it counts. Our meals didn’t come all at once, so I apologize for not getting any photos with everyone’s meal uneaten. But hey – I accidentally ordered a full multi-course dinner and kept getting food delivered. Not too bad.
Apr 3 – Apr 9 Jasmine Thai	My meal came in a pineapple. I tried thai iced tea for the first time, it wasn’t bad. My meal came in a pineapple. Sasha thought her meal had too much peanut butter in it. My meal came in a pineapple. We thought my meal was too spicy for our tastes, but it did come in a pineapple.
Mar 27 – Apr 2 Muza	After looking at a car for Sasha way out in Poestenkill, we stopped by Muza European Food & Beer Garden in Troy on the way home. They focus on Polish food, and is probably the closest thing the capital district has to a Russian restaurant. The food was decent as expected. I had the borscht as an appetizer which was really good. Before leaving we checked out the back patio and it looked really cool. Seems like a fun spot to hang out on a warm summer night.
Mar 20 – Mar 26 Peaches Cafe	Sasha was just offered an orthodontic assistant job where she spent an afternoon in a working interview, we decided to celebrate the end of the work day with dinner in Stuyvesant Plaza at Peaches Cafe. We got to sit in the front window in an area mostly by ourselves, the food was good and we shared Peanut Butter Explosion petite explosion that was pretty tasty.
Mar 13 – Mar 19 Clinton’s Ditch	It was St Patrick’s Day, and barring any parades, the most American thing I could come up with to do was go out for Corned Beef and Cabbage. After being disappointed with the wait at Pinhead Susan’s, we walked to Clinton’s Ditch… a former firehouse in downtown Schenectady, right on Erie Boulevard (which history buffs know used to be the Erie Canal, aka “Clinton’s Ditch”). There was still a 15-minute wait, but after being seated the food was tasty and plentiful. I especially liked Sasha’s carrots.
Mar 6 – Mar 12 Atelier Florian	The night after the Huck All Night tournament ended, we walked sorely around the streets of downtown New Haven reading menus posted outside restaurants trying to find the right one to feed our bellies before settling on Atelier Florian. I had the seafood pasta and Sash the roasted chicken. Both pretty awesome, though Sasha mentioned the chicken wasn’t quite worth the $20 price tag. They did give us two tiny cups of tasty chocolate mousse at the end of the night for free, though. It won us over for sure.
Feb 28 – Mar 5 IKEA	On our way to the hotel in New Haven for Huck All Night, we decided to stop by IKEA’s cafeteria for a quick bite. And a selfie to send to Dan and Olivia who would be meeting us at the hotel. The chicken meatballs were delicious. The prepackaged food we took from the displays, not so much.
Feb 21 – 27 Cafe NOLA	Schenectady Restaurant Week coincided with the annual Albany Russian festival. And the Russian performer who was in town for the festival decided to do a free preview show at Schenectady’s Cafe NOLA. We couldn’t pass that up. And the food was great as well.
Feb 21 – 27 The Cheesecake Factory	To celebrate my accepting a new job working at Overit Media, we decided to check out The Cheesecake Factory. It was rather pricy for what we got. Something like $60 total for light meals and a slice of cheesecake, but it was good. We weren’t a fan of our table being crammed in so close to others that you couldn’t stretch out your arm without hitting someone, or being accidentally served their meal and then deal with them being angry about it. But hey.
Feb 14 – 20 Tesoros Cafe	It was a bitterly cold Valentine’s Day, and all of our plans were disrupted when my new CR-V wouldn’t start. Determined not to make our first V-Day together in-person a bust, we bundled up and walked to Tesoros Cafe on Upper Union St. The food was tasty and healthy, and there were fake rose petals scattered around to set the mood.
Feb 7 – 13 Benevento Pizza	We were in a rush when we came to this little pizzeria in Glenville, just needed a quick bite before Albany Winter league. The wait was long (almost 1/2 hour) for our food to come to the table so we had to eat fast. The salad portion was much bigger than we were expecting, so we definitely got our money’s worth. Good food, just unexpectedly slow.
Jan 31 – Feb 6 Cracker Barrel	Our first chain restaurant. I think we’ll try to keep chains to a minimum. The walls were covered in kitsch memorabilia. The menu was mostly greasy unhealthy stuff, though there was the “Wholesome fixins” page which we ordered from where I got a big tasty chicken caesar salad and Sasha got some trout. Both good.
Jan 24-30 Charlton Tavern	This was for Sasha’s birthday dinner with my family. It’s an awesome rustic place with a pretty good menu and tasty food. Though, we were really just there to see the family.
Jan 17-23 Hungry Trout	This was for our anniversary and Sasha’s birthday. One of the fanciest restaurants I’ve been to. We got there right as they opened at 5pm so we got the best seats in the house… with a view of Whiteface Mountain, overlooking the lit Ausable River, and right by the fireplace.
Jan 10-16 The Cottage	It was a half-hour freezing-cold walk from our hotel to The Cottage for a late dinner, but worth it. I really enjoyed the mushroom bisque.
Jan 3-9 Bittersweet Cafe	We stopped by my friend Laura’s cafe for breakfast on the way to Lake Placid. Really good stuff.