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“Conversation is Food for the Soul”
I talked to some of my friends for a dinner location with a vegetarian friendly menu and we came up with El Loco Mexican Cafe (465 Madison Avenue, Albany).
It’s a hot banana and melted chocolate deep fried in a flour tortilla. This was one of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time. We asked for the whipped cream on the side because I can’t eat it ($5). You can get it served with ice cream ($7) or whipped cream and ice cream (7.50) which after that meal I wasn’t able to eat but I know where to stop for a great dessert and a drink.“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.”
Buddha
Since it’s summer time, a time for beautiful weather (hopefully) and vacations I felt it was time to touch on a few places in the go-to location in the 518, Lake George. Luckily for me, I’ve had family or friends who have had a place on the lake for almost my whole life. Also, I don’t know what I would have done if I wasn’t able to come home to Lake George and race up and down the lake after spending each semester in the controlled chaos that is NYC. One of my family and my favorite places to eat on the lake is The Algonquin (4992 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing).
Each time we go I try to have something different, the one thing that stays the same – New England Clam Chowder. 
What I love about this soup is that not only are there big chunks of clams but the texture is just right. I love clam chowder and had many different textures from oily to rough to a chunky base but The Algonquin does it right! This was the first time I had the Sangria- mostly because it’s the first time I noticed it. The Algonquin Sangria has St Germain Elderflower liquor with red wine and seasonal fruit but you wouldn’t be able to tell that there were too types of alcohol in it. It was a tad on the sweet side but not anything that would distract from it’s great flavor.
For lunch this day, I ate the Hummus Sandwich ($10.50) with Roasted Red Pepper hummus, fresh mozzarella & baby greens on a roasted ciabatta roll. I liked it. The hummus had a really strong flavor and the baby greens were nice and crispy and fresh, my only problem was that the mozzarella didn’t seem to add much to the flavor of the sandwich though it did change up the texture a bit with each bite. As for value, I wasn’t really impressed. As you can see in the picture, the sandwich was pretty small and mostly baby greens so I thought for that, the $10.50 was pretty steep. Usually their prices equal the value of the sandwich but in this case I didn’t think it did. One could argue that the mozzarella would make the sandwich pricey but for the lackluster flavor if that’s the case, I recommend they spend their money on better mozzarella. This was the first time I ordered the sandwich and even though I don’t seem pleased with this meal in particular, please don’t let that make you shy away from this restaurant. In my opinion, this particular order was nothing more and an anomaly. I’ve been going to this restaurant since I was a kid and this is the first time I didn’t feel satisfied. Some good food, eating on the patio on a beautiful day and the gorgeous view is the perfect way to spend a great Lake Georgian day!
“They say California’s the big burrito; Texas is a big taco right now. We want to follow that through. Florida is a big tamale.”
Dan Rather
I’ve been to El Mexicano (3011 State Route 4 Hudson Falls, NY 12839) quite a few times recently and since it’s all the way in the Lake George/Glens Falls area, you know it has to be good. I’m not a huge fan of Mexican food mostly because of how my stomach tends to feel after the fact but I can’t help but eat from this restaurant. Not only is the food fantastic but the atmosphere is as well. With the beautiful wall decorations as well as the music and general happy atmosphere it’s almost as if you take a step out of your world and enter a giant party!
Everyone gets chips and salsa to share, of course, while you’re deciding on drinks. I ordered a Sangria which was a tad strong but still really tasty. Before dinner I ordered a meatball soup which sounded good and I’d never had it before and I really liked it. I like meatballs and I really like avocado so I decided to order it and I was happy with my choice. It had a bite but not so much of a spice so if you’re not into spicy food, you’re safe with soup.
I ordered the chorizo and cheese but what I didn’t realize was that it was actually cheese with small bits of chorizo for dunking chips. So if that’s what you’re looking for, order that because it tasted great but I was hoping for more for dinner. 
My family members ordered the combination specials which is probably the best deal. Everything looks really messy but it all taste great. The messier it is, the better it tastes, right?
No matter what type of Mexican food you like, they have it. Out of all the Mexican restaurants I’ve tried in the area, this is definitely the most authentic tasting (and the best tasting). If you want to try a bit of everything, try one of their combos!
After the meal, each person at the table is given an apple crepe like dessert and don’t leave before you have a shot of the tequila! *TIP: Ask about the vanilla version if tequila isn’t your thing!
The last time we went, it was their anniversary so we got to experience a mariachi band as well as people (after drinking a bit too much, I assume) dancing around the restaurant and getting free t-shirts! You never know what to expect when you visit but what you do know is that you’re going to go home with your stomach full with a good meal!
“Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it.”
Lao Tzu
I don’t rule out chain restaurants when I write my blogs because even though they try to streamline things restaurant to restaurant, I find that the food is different between them. Though, I’m a strong advocate of eating in small businesses for economic reasons I do like to have chain food such as McDonalds, Paneras or in this case Ruby Tuesday, sometime. Last week, I went to Ruby Tuesday with my Mom (on a Tuesday too!) for a cheaper, still tasty meal (416 Balltown Road, Niskayuna).
*TIP* Tuesday happens to be their Steak & Lobster special day for $13.99, so if you’re looking for the usually expensive items at a more manageable price, Tuesday is your day!
My favorite part of Ruby Tuesday is the salad bar. With every dinner, the salad bar is $2.99 extra and very worth it. I’m always surprised by how fresh everything is and what they can offer. 
I don’t think I’ve ever had dinner there without adding the small price of a salad bar, it’s worth it! On top of various lettuces and spinach, there are fresh, bright vegetables and different kinds of macaroni salad like apple walnut or broccoli and cheese. Located at the front of the restaurant makes it so hard to pass up when you’re thinking about what to order. Paired, in the picture, with my salad is a pink Strawberry Sangria. The waitress recommended the Strawberry (instead of red or white- all for $5) and it was very tasty. The wine taste was noticeable but the strawberry flavor hid it better than a normal red or white sangria usually does. So, if you’re not a fan of the wine taste but still want a sangria, I recommend the Strawberry.
For dinner, my mom and I were both thinking fish. 
I ordered the Herb Encrusted Tilapia described in the menu as “tender, mild tilapia crusted with panko garlic bread crumbs topped with lemon-butter sauce. With fresh, steamed broccoli and brown-rice pilaf.” I really enjoyed the fish. I didn’t notice that the panko was garlic flavored when I was eating it but the other herbs were very strong and paired nicely with the lemon sauce. The broccoli at Ruby Tuesday is always impressive, cooked perfectly every time. It’s like it just falls apart in your mouth with such a rich flavor, makes my mouth water. The brown-rice pilaf was good but the cheese on top wasn’t so much. I felt that the cheese didn’t really taste like anything but got in the way of the taste of the pilaf. Next time, I’d either order it without the cheese or just ask for more broccoli instead!
My mother ordered the trout and neither one of us was really impressed. The fish itself was dry, no sauces included. Added to the lemon sauce from my tilapia it wasn’t too bad. I think recooked with some sort of lemon sauce would have made it better. If you’re really craving trout though, expect to wrap it up and make it taste better at home later.
*TIP* I just read an article online from Readers Digest about “Things a Waitress Will Never Tell You” and found it be really informative- CHECK IT OUT
