Archive for the ‘Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat’ Category
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Today being Cinco de Mayo, wifey and I went to Raul’s Mexican Grill in downtown Glens Falls tonight. The weather around here is still kinda crappy, with lots of high water and flooding (the Hudson River is still at flood stage–check-out the video I took of the water coming over the Glens Falls dam last Saturday on my facebook page April 30th post). But, Cinco de Mayo was a good excuse to go get some good grub at our fav Mexican restaurant. We’ve never had a bad meal at this little eatery.
 Downtown Glens Falls  Raul's Mexican Grill on the roundabout  Fish tacos, tamales, and Negra Modelo  Key lime pie to top it all off
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat | No Comments »
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Last night was dinner at Raul’s Mexican Grill on the round-a-bout in downtown Glens Falls and an Adirondack Phantom’s hockey game at the Civic Center. Raul’s is a small restaurant that serves a Mexican/fusion, rather than Tex/Mex style of dinning, which wifey and I prefer. As I said, place is small, so at times it’s hard to get a table on a walk-up with no res. So far, I haven’t had a bad meal and have tried something dif each time we have visited. We were joined by son Eric, and his friends Jay and Kara. After dinner, we all headed over to the Civic Center to catch the last game of the season between Adirondack and the Albany Devils, Adk won 4-1. The hockey is very uptempo like today’s NHL, this is the AHL, one step below the bigs. Adk is the Philadelphia Flyers top farm team and Albany is naturally the Devils farm team. Funny, my sis and her hubby, the captain, are rabid Devils fans. To them, the hated rivals are, naturally the NY Rangers, and….the Flyers (my sis almost got into a flight w/a Flyers fan in the ladies room one time when we were at a game at the Devils old arena at the MeadowLands). By coincidence, the Phantom’s moved here from Phila when their arena was torn down to make room for parking for the Flyers new arena, and the Devils around same time moved their farm team from MA, back to Albany, just 50 miles apart makes for a heated rivalry and the game shows it.
 Eric and Tani chatting at Raul's  In it's previous life, Raul's was a barber shop on a corner in the center of downtown, now the round-a-bout.  The game  A Phantom's power play  They score a power play goal...
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat, Visitor Tips | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
The weekend weather offered an opportunity for wifey and me to do some driving out in the country on Saturday and up in the Mountains on Sunday to view the fall foliage, which is generally in peak season. Windy conditions gave me some time off from my weekend flight schedule, so on Saturday we ventured out to rural Washington County, over in the Hebrons/Salem area. We found the color best east of County Rt 30. The closer you got to the Vermont border, the more past the color was. We visited all our favorite haunts such as Steininger’s in Salem, and the Battenkill Creamery and Garderworks, plus a new place, an open house at the 1786 Wilson Homestead in Hebron. Because it was going to be a windy afternoon again on Sunday, we took a drive up north to Chestertown to have lunch at the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor Restaurant. Then we took our favorite fall foliage viewing drive on Route 8, up along Brant Lake and up to the overlook on the way to Hague. The overlook views west toward Crane Mountain.
 Main Street Ice Cream Parlor Restaurant in Chestertown on Rt 9  Chestertown in a quiet community in the Adirondack's  Brant Lake  Looking West toward Crane Mountain 
 Other views from the overlook on Rt 8  The rock ledge on the other side of Rt 8 from the overlook  Looking down Rt 8 back toward Brant Lake/Chestertown
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat, Recommended side trips while visiting area | No Comments »
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
Today, we went to breakfast with friend Rick Pollock who came down from Burlington VT to go on a balloon ride. But, the weather didn’t cooperate so we took him to the place where I pick-up my balloon ride passengers and transport them out to the flight area for their balloon ride. The Silo is a great place for breakfast or lunch.
 Did I say it was raining and that's why we weren't flying, yup!  Rick and Tani heading in.  Heading toward the dining area.  The restaurant  Ample portions, wouldn't you say!
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat | No Comments »
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
A little while back, Tani went out to eat with an old high school buddy and his friend at our favorite place in downtown Glens Falls for dinner, Bistro Tallulah. Tallulah’s is a place where we’ve never been disappointed with our meal. If you go, you have to make reservations. It’s very difficult to get in as a walk-up.
 The place was quiet to start  The place is decorated with a Jazz theme  Having drinks while waiting for Bobbie  The place started to fill-up quickly  Bobbie and Tani Sorry, no pics of the food. To much good conversation and good eating to remember to take any more pics. Maybe, another time.
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat | No Comments »
Friday, July 30th, 2010
Wifey and I went to a place the other night that we had been wanting to try out for quite some time, the Farm House at the Top of the World. We had heard some very good things about the food, and I have to tell you, we had the best meal we’ve ever had in this area. They were featuring what was billed as a Harvest Dinner, a 7 course meal served-up family style. We sat at a long table that was set for around 16 or so. There were also others who were not doing the Harvest meal, ordering off the menu, sitting separate from us. Top of the World is a resort property that was originally developed back in the 1920′s. There currently is an 18 hole golf course, condominiums, the restaurant and a B&B. The building that the restaurant is in is very retro, but comfortable with great views. That is one of the things about the Top of the World, besides the food, is the view. Absolutely the best view in the area, even better than the view from Prospect Mountain, in my humble opinion. It’s worth the trip just for the view, but if you appreciate tasty, inventive food, this is the place to check out while in the area.
 The photo doesn't do the view justice, looking north at Lake George and the Adirondacks. There also are spectacular views east and south east toward the Green Mountains of VT.  The Farmhouse Restaurant  Some of the folks enjoying their meal  Our group enjoying the Harvest Dinner
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
The other day, wifey and I visited a newly opened eating establishment on the corner of Rt 149 and Bay Rd, Bistro LeRoux. We had seen an article in a local paper on it and checked-out their web site, and we found the menu interesting. While we fully enjoyed our meal and sampled from soup to dessert (they offer small plate options so you can do this without over-stuffing yourself), we both agreed that we prefer Bistro Tallulah in downtown Glens Falls and Maestro‘s down in Saratoga Springs, and Steiningers (especially for dessert) for our Bistro style dining.
 Bistro LeRoux  The kitchen is open and on your left as you come in.  The bar is to the right of the open kitchen. While there is limited dining in the bar & kitchen area, the main dining area is to the rear.  The booth we sat in was comfortable. Dining area was an attractive Bistro style atmosphere.  Salads - wifey had poached pear and I had curley beet. We had started with tomato & cognac bisque and french onion soups. The bisque and curley beet were best of 4.  Wifey had crab stuffed shrimp and I had grilled salmon in 1/2 portions. Salmon was the better choice. We finished off dinner spliting a chocolote lava cake. The cake took us over the top.
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat | No Comments »
Monday, July 12th, 2010
Downtown Glens Falls has been undergoing a bit of a renaissance as of late. Toward the end of the recent boom, some of the Saratoga development money moved north to where they figured the next “it” place would be, Glens Falls. A couple of condo projects opened with much fanfare, but did about as well as most condo projects did at the end of the boom, and went back to the bank. No matter, there are many other positive things happening for downtown. Many of the old store fronts have recently been purchased and the buildings refurbished. A number of new shops and fantastic restaurants have opened in the last couple of years, and are doing well despite the condo bust. I will take you on a tour of my hometown, show you some of what’s happened, and highlight some of my favorites.
On a recent rainy Saturday, our friends, Rick and Roseann Pollock from Burlington VT, came down for a visit. Tani and I took them to downtown Glens Falls for lunch. We ended up at The Chocolate Mill on Glen Street. The Chocolate Mill’s pastry chef, Jessica Vollkommer, was recently named one of the top ten pastry chefs in America by Dessert Professional magazine. If you visit the shop and check-out the pastry counter, you will see why. But frankly, while the food is good and the pastry is beautiful to look at, I prefer the place we go to over in Salem, Steininger’s. Afterward, the ladies went shopping, there are some nice boutique type shops that have been opening in downtown, and, Rick and I went to Davidson Brother’s Brew Pub to enjoy a fine craft brew, or two. We decided that on their next visit, we’ll eat lunch at Davidson’s, more our speed-so to speak! Later we walked around a bit to show them all that’s happening downtown. We took them by our favorite place in downtown for dinner, Bistro Tallulah. I have never been disappointed with a meal at Tallulah’s. Right across the street is downtown’s newest restaurant, The Blackwatch. I haven’t eaten there yet, but the chef is well thought of. The chef, Jason Baker, features a local farm-to-table approach to the menu as well as a chef’s tasting menu. I do plan on checking them out soon and will add a bog on our experience. One of the better things to come to downtown, is the Adirondack Theatre Festival. ATF runs a six week season from late June through end of July and is the only professional summer theatre in the Capital District, Saratoga and Adirondack region of upstate New York. They typically feature 3 mainstage productions, including a late night cabaret. It’s worth checking it out if you like the theatre. Another good place to eat is The 132 Glen Street Bistro. Chef Kevin Bethel opened his doors early, before much of the recent development happened in downtown. Kevin features good food in a casual atmosphere at a reasonable price. It’s been a favorite of our’s for a long time. There are many other things happening downtown such as museums like The Hyde. The Hyde currently is featuring a show of Andrew Wyeth works, has in it’s permanent collection such famous artists like Renoir, Rubens, Seurat, Picasso and Rembrandt, to name a few. There also is a children’s museum, The World Awareness Museum, and a local history museum, The Chapman. There is also Coopers Cave, that was memorialized in James Fennimor Cooper’s classic American novel, Last of the Mohican’s. There is a viewing platform of the “cave” under the bridge that spans the Hudson River between Glens Falls and South Glens Falls, on the SGF side of the river. As a kid, we used to play on the rocks, dive into pools and crawl through the cave. You can’t get there anymore, sorry. That’s all for now on this trip.
 Outside the Chocolate Mill Cafe and Raul's Mexican next door. Raul's has good Mexican according to the chef/owner of Bistro Tallulah.  Inside The Chocolate Mill Cafe  Rick & Roseann waiting on lunch  A wet view north on Glen St/Route 9.  Looking west on Hudson Ave and the Round-a-bout. Hey, it was a big decission whether to have a round-a -bout or not. Also you are looking toward The Mill Condominiums, where you can rent an apartment from the bank if you want?  Looking north on Ridge St or 9L  Our fav downtown eating establishment  The Wood Theatre on Glen St, where ATF holds it's shows
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat, Recommended side trips while visiting area, Visitor Tips | No Comments »
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
Since the weather won’t cooperate for flying this afternoon, wifey and I decided to treat ourselves to a late lunch at our favorite place down in Saratoga – Maestro’s, Saratoga Springs is a neat, busy, small city to visit for shopping, dining, and just hanging out at an outdoor cafe to watch the people. It’s about a 1/2 hour drive south of Lake George via I-87. But, today is about food and Maestro’s, I’ll blog later about doings down in Saratoga.
 Maestro's is right next to the Adelphi, which is the last of the old Victorian Hotels that used to line Broadway  Eat out or eat in  We ate in, the out was full  wifey had a grilled duck confit samich & I had a soft shell crab po'boy-yummy!!  A great place for lunch or dinner
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat | No Comments »
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
A week ago, my sis came up from CT for a short visit. We had a family get together Saturday afternoon, and went to a nice spot for a late lunch/early dinner and drinks on the water at Glen Lake. Glen Lake is a small lake south of Lake George, right near The Great Escape. There is a traffic light on the corner of Rt 9 and Glen Lake Rd, across the entrance to The Great Escape Lodge, just south of exit 20 off I-87. Go east on Glen Lake Rd for a couple of miles and you will come to the Docksider Restaurant on the lake. The food is good pub style, but the main attraction is sitting under umbrella tables right off the water. A nice thing to do on a hot, sunny afternoon, especially when there is a nice breeze blowing like there was last Saturday afternoon.
 Docksider on Glen Lake  On-the-water dining  decisions, decisions?  Cheers!  Good Grub  The Fam - Eric, Tani, Kris aka "The Rat", Marie and Me
Posted in Good Eats & Fav Places to Eat | No Comments »
|
 |
 |
|
