Eat Great Food: Capital City Gastropub

Q: What's kinda hip with a touch of grunge, still a bit classy, practical, decidedly local and pretty tasty?

A: HA! No, not me, silly - it's the Capital City Gastropub!!!

Homey, neighborhood feel with sidewalk seating in summer

OK, Albany has many many pubs and bars and taverns and saloons and roadhouses and taprooms and ale houses and speakeasies and gin mills and public houses and beer joints and watering holes and cocktail lounges and canteens and beer gardens and other dives. Take your pick. Some will say the food is good if you know what to order, but from where I fly I never expect much from the kitchen. I've even scoffed at those reviews in the TU because really? Who cares? It's just a pub, right? The food always fails in some way, and we expect that.

Level 1 is the usual burgers, pizza, mac n' cheese, bangers, french fries, wings always, sometimes a bowl of chili or nachos with yellow cheese goo. Ordering the salad is not recommended. $

Level 2 may also have panini and wraps, steaks, onion rings, cobb salad, shepherd's pie, quesadillas, and, of course, the flatbread of the day,  the decor is usually better, and so is the price, but the food will likely be just as uninspiring, and you may not get as much. $$

Level 3 will also offer you burgers, and pizza, mac n' cheese, bangers, and fries, but they will take your mind off another pint and back looking at your plate, wondering how something so simple could be so sublime and delicious. $$$ and worth every cent. A.K.A. Gastropub!!!

Decor includes hard chairs and it's noisy but streamlined and chic

Jaguar enjoyed a glass of Vino Bianco, Planeta La Segreta Bianco from Sicily ($8) - served up cold, nice and dry, not too fruity. I joined her with a Bell's Best Brown from Comstock, MI ($6) that was slightly sweet and very smooth. There's about eight beers in bottles or cans, a dozen or so on tap, and a pretty substantial list of whiskeys and ryes and bourbons to choose from - very nice.

My first beer and some water just to pretend I also drink water at the pub

We were both in the mood for a burger. She ordered up a Kilcoyne Farms Burger ($15), with house made pickles and roasted garlic ailoi, adding blue cheese and caramelized onions to the bun ($2.50). OMG this was perfectly medium rare, piled high, juicy, delicious, beefy even, and the fries were some of the best ever - skin on, crispy, but mushy inside, tasted like, um, POTATOES.

A big, juicy, beefy burger perfectly cooked medium rare

I went for the Double Pork Burger ($18), with two tender, lightly spiced patties, gruyere, housemade zucchini pickles, onion and Russian dressing. It was almost 3" high - messy, drippy, divinely decadently good - but the bun easily disintegrated. I ate the first half without putting it down and ate the rest with a fork and knife. Actually, it didn't need the bun so I might skip that next time.

Double Pork Burger - juicy piggy decadence

Gastropub - buying local, cooking up fresh, taking care of details, inventive, creative even. It's a pleasure to have a pint (OK, I admit, two) and some really great food at a pub, in my jeans and old shirt on a Saturday night.

Get down to the Capital City Gastropub - you deserve it.

xxx Zena, Goddess of Fire

The BurgerFi IF-Burger

If I had time to make a lunch last night, if I had eaten breakfast before my all morning meeting, and if I had more sense I wouldn't be doing this. Again.

The race is on for another burger.

BUT so many burgers! So little time. I've GOT to make a decision - where to go??? Convenient? Cheap? Drive thru? What about the fries? Maybe a vegetarian option???? Crap fix or should I be a good girl??? 

I want to be a good girl but I'm really not, but if I had to be good I'd be at BurgerFi. This franchise, new to the area on Route 9 in Latham, is conveniently located near Red Robin and McDonalds. That's funny to me, and if I had a point I might make it. Anyway, it has a philosophy of real food: from the farm (as opposed to what? and I ask that as if I really wanted to know), never frozen, no microwaves, no antibiotics or hormones or heat lamps, real sugar cane sodas (as if that was really healthier!), and that's all good (if it's all true) - much better than most "fast food" places seem to offer. AND they sell craft beer and wine. Score one with Mom. 

A lovely exterior that is not red and yellow for a change

If you also want to dance, the new BurgerFi in Latham is rockin' the music pretty loud in what was a comfortably busy room during lunch hour. The menu isn't extensive but there are choices, including burgers (and all kinds of extra toppings with an upcharge each), hot dogs, chicken dogs, veggie burgers (from the farm, I hope), fries and onion rings, as well as a few fountain drinks (Coke). There's a nice patio on the side offering some shade in the summer months if you don't mind the hum of traffic and the scent of exhaust in the wind. Clean, bright, and otherwise forgetful decor. 

The inside is bright and clean and noisy

Foodie Friend enjoyed a Breakfast All Day Burger topped with maple bacon, cheese, hashbrowns, onions and an egg ($7.67) - a big bite that was both sweet and salty, juicy but not drippy: all the flavors came together nicely. Her "fresh squeezed" (really???) lemonade was very sweet and sugary; blick ($2.50). She wasn't crazy about the cookie sheet for a tray but I still think that's better than tons of paper. 

Breakfast All Day Burger was great!

I had the standard BurgerFi Burger ($5.97) - two patties with lettuce and tomatoes and BurgerFi sauce (whatever that is) - cooked right, not too salty or heavily seasoned: it tasted like a good burger. The fries were fresh, skin-on, lots of 'em (small, $3.27), and pretty good.  The shake was super sweet, sort of chocolatey and gooey like pudding ($4.47 and I didn't finish it). If I had to say, lunch was much, much better than I expected. 

Lots of fries makes the burger look small, but it wasn't. Both were very tasty.

BurgerFi is worth a try
and, if it's all true, not saying it isn't, even with a smirk
I like that they are promising better quality food on the fly
For us superheroes that need to get back to work! 

Zena, Goddess of Fire (and now Food Poet)

Techno Whirly Outerspace Burgers at SONIC

END OF SUMMER 2015:

Sonic - makes me think sparklers and techno fab and rocket ships. Zena, Goddess of Fire, loves this sort of superhero way-out there stuff. 

In reality: NOT.

First of all, the parking is a nightmare, but I didn't want to eat in the Zenamobile (yuck), and take-away is for ninnies that like cold fries. 

One lane is for carhop service and the other is for take out. The parking lot, above, was packed full even though the restaurant itself was half empty. Brilliant. 

OK I know you want to hear about the food but the parking lot at Sonic here in Latham is SO STUPID: please allow me to rant for a bit. Because cars were seriously backing up on Route 7 when they first opened (due to glee at having a new Sonic and/or because the parking lot is SO RIDICULOUSLY SMALL, and/or because there are not as yet any drones delivering my meal), so they closed that entrance. Which now means that you pull into the parking lot from the side road, and if there isn't a spot, you have to back up into the line of cars waiting to get in to get out. SO STUPID. Oh, wait, I said that already. We parked at Denny's across the street.

There was one spot left in the lot but that was blocked by a signboard. URGH. 

The entrance is welcoming, with plenty of outdoor seating. It was hot, however, so we went inside where it was comfortable and cool, to the end of the line, which was almost out the door. The space was clean and quiet, with a nice low din. You order, wait to hear your name called, and someone rollerskates them over to your table.  

Cold drinks dominated the display and made me want one. 

The menu is pretty standard stuff, nothing crazy modern here: cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken balls, fried sides, some breakfast creations, a plethora of frozen treats, and some enticing limeades. 

Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger. They do not have a hamburger on their menu. REALLY????

Foodie Friend wanted a double hamburger. So I ordered her a double cheeseburger, no cheese ($4.99), you know, a plain hamburger, which my server interpreted as a plain hamburger - no cheese no lettuce or tomato or onion or anything else - sheesh. Just a hamburger. QUESTION:  Sonic - are you too far out there to remember what a hamburger is??? It was overcooked and a bit dry, but a condiment girl stopped at our table and offered us little packets of stuff like relish, as well as paper goods, so that perked us up.

I had the cheeseburger with the works ($4.19). It was sticky in my mouth (sticky bread and sticky cheese that kind of stuck itself to the roof of my mouth). But the meat was cooked just right, with a nice amount of lettuce and pickle, and it held together well. It was a fairly generous sized burger, too, but was, overall, kind of boring. The small fries ($1.19) was actually REALLY small, and OK, most fries are OK - never met one I wouldn't eat. These are definitely reminiscent of those McD's shoestrings, only with the skin. 

The cheeseburger was good in an old-fashioned kind of American hamburger way.

On my burger adventures I'm trying to order the basic burger, the fries, and the shake, but I was thirsty, it was a hot day, so I went with one of the limeades. I REALLY liked my strawberry limeade - and FF REALLY liked her cherry limeade ($1.69 each). They are just a bit fizzy, not too sweet, served with crushed ice and with bits of real fruit to block up the straw - this is something you don't get everywhere. Very nice.

The table was a mess. I'm also starting to hate those little annoying ketchup packets. The little peppermints are soft and buttery (see it in the middle of the table???) - that was a nice surprise. 

So nothing futuristic for this place - no surprises, but those frozen creations and other drinks do set them apart from some of the other chains. And so the next time Zena is feeling overheated she may just go ahead and try that drive-thru and get herself a Pineapple Upside Down Master Blast. Now THAT sounds cool!!!

Zena, Goddess of Fire

Attack of the Killer Ketchup Burger at SMASHBURGER

Zena, Goddess of Fire, and Pony, did a 20-napkin burger lunch at Smashburger last week. 

In preparation for taking on a Smashburger (known for their aggressiveness) we didn't eat any breakfast, so we arrived grumpy just before noon. We scouted out the enemy (a.k.a. Killer Calories) and placed our order at the counter.

Smashburger on Wolf Road in Colonie

Clearly there were problems at the register and the line grew quickly while we stood there and watched the staff stumble with changes in orders, mistakes in order entries, and making change. But the place was clean and bright and the staff were very friendly and helpful and everyone was working hard.

Zena and Pony scout the place out

I did a 2040 calorie superhero attack on a Classic Smashburger (the big one, since I got a FREE ENTREE from the manager at the Alliance for Women in Media luncheon last month and figured I could beat it), a side of sweet potato fries and a chocolate shake.  NOTE: I did a review for Yelp of Burger21 in Latham recently and the basic burger/shake/sweet potato fries combo is so I can do a little bit of comparing between restaurants. And because I like 'em.  (:

The shake was at least 12 ounces of awesome - an easy fight to put that one away. Made with Haagen Daz and milk and syrup (what's in the syrup I don't know - nothing online, either, as far as ingredients go). But simple and nice and smooth and rich. I liked that it was served in a frosted glass. Like the spoon and metal cup thing. I finished it before anything else in front of me. Irresistibly delicious.

Chocolate shake: 760 Killer Calories (and worth it!)

The sweet potato fries were nice and crispy and not at all greasy or salty - some of the best I've had. Needs no condiment, but I lost that fight. It was a generous serving and I only ate about half of what was in front of me. OK even superheroes are beaten sometimes. Delicious.

Classic Smashburger and sweet potato fries

But that burger (topped with ketchup and pickles and red onion and lettuce and tomato and secret sauce and cheese) wasn't what I expected, and I almost lost the fight.  Stuff was squirting out in all directions. The brioche bun got soggy and fell apart. Pickles plopped out creating panic.  And honestly, though tender, it just tasted like ketchup and onions and pickles. Lots of ketchup. WAY too much ketchup. But I finished it - yeah!!!  Next time I'll ask them NOT to put ketchup on my burger. I can do that at the table. 

Pony did 1540 calories in her good fight: Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, fried pickles, and a Sprite. The pickles were a really really salty but good - the coating was actually stuck to the pickle, which isn't something you see too often. 

Fried pickles with a side of icky bottled Ranch dressing

The fries were good, shoestrings, crispy, OK. But that burger???  It tasted like ketchup and onions. Yep, not like bacon (two little pieces) or cheese (Uh-merican and flavorless). Again, the toppings took over, sort of like the forces of evil if you let them. The beef may be better quality than "drive-thru" but you'd hardly know it.

Bacon Cheeseburger with a wee bit of bacon and a side of fries

I like the build your own option - I understand it's their most popular - and will try that next time. 

No onions.

No ketchup.

Love, Zena

Burgermeister Meisterburgers of Albany

WARNING: THIS COMPREHENSIVE REPORT HAS MULTIPLE EXTERNAL LINKS, MANY TO IMAGES OF HAMBURGERS. Young viewers are advised. 

Burger and fries at Burger21 in Latham, NY May 2015

Did you know that May is National Burger Month? And that May 28 is National Burger Day???

Me neither. Two more stupid things not to care about.

BUT, let's get really serious for a minute. I do love a good burger, and since Americans eat 50 billion burgers a year (3 per week/per person) I assume there are others just like me (superheroes and otherwise) that love a good burger, too.

Now we can all play Burgermeister and flip a few burgers on the grill. Don't take much lurnin' justa brewsky and some meat and a flipper and maybe some gasoline to getchagoin and a bun and ketchup and let me tell you MAN that first burger you ate off the barbie was delicious, wasn't it?  YES, it's not a work of genius: cheap, quick, tasty, and iconic, especially if you are cooking in flip flops.

Which is PROBABLY the reason (i.e., that it doesn't take a genius) why we have a "new obsession" in the Capital Region with burger restaurants. But we're NOT a bunch of edible dummies around here, and we're getting smarter.

The local chapter of the Alliance for Women in Media therefore organized a panel discussion on May 14, hosted by Steve Barnes of Table Hopping fame, at the Century House in Latham, NY to explore this complex and highly politicized modern gastronomical phenomena: new burger joints opening in Albany. On board were Bill Lia Jr. (franchise owner for the area of BurgerFi [along with Angelo Mazzone, another name that should be familiar to you]), Colleen Pierson (spokesperson for Sonic Drive-In, apparently owned by Patricia Bruder and now hiring, note this especially if you rollerskate), Bobby Mitchell (independent restaurateur and owner of Juicy Burgers), Leo Butera (operating partner of the local Smashburger franchise), and Mike Stygles, franchisee for Burger 21 (along with his partner Bruce Anderson, and owners of the Melting Pot). Steve asked the panel a series of pretty standard questions, and the answers were mostly honest and believable and sometimes funny.  So what kind of amazing things did we learn ???

• There is not a burger war in Albany. Thank goodness.
• There are lots of burger joints in the area (duh), so there is competition, but these guys are into quality, tasty food that is not "fast food". 
• Sonic is a "quick serve" restaurant, not a "burger restaurant". Please update your brain.
• Juicy Burgers also sells salads, which are good for you (75% of sales, however, are burgers).
• Burger21 is selling you an experience, not just a burger. I hope yours is as memorable as mine. 
• Kids are looking for something fancy because they now watch cooking shows. Really?
• Sonic in Latham is currently open 24/7 because there are no walls or a roof yet.
• Sonic should appeal to families because of good value and fast service. They make peanut butter and bacon shakes. OK, let's move on.
• Smashburger was #6, Americas Most Promising Companies in 2014 according to Forbes. OK let's move on again because that's just boring unless you are an investor.
• Community involvement is heartfelt, not just another marketing ploy. (I gleaned this; it was not actually spoken in so many words).
• Saturdays are the busiest days at burger joints to experience a burger at one of these new locations. 
• Online ordering (with mobile apps especially), take out, and even delivery services can ramp up revenue. (Note: I must get more organized when I have the munchies and start ordering ahead instead of staying "I'm really really hungry let's stop for a burger right now").  
• BurgerFi will have beer and wine. Thank goodness: a REAL family restaurant where even Mom might enjoy herself for a change.

So the menus are more diverse, the shakes and burgers and "crafted", the fries are hand cut, the cooking techniques are more controlled than using gasoline and briquettes, and these "experiences" are MUCH better than drive-thru (and more expensive, but that's OK - the quality is MUCH better). Whatever the marketing hype, the food is good, even great at times. I WILL go that extra 10 feet to get a better burger. 

I've done Juicy Burger over the years and love them. Burger21 was a joy. I've got a free entree coupon to Smashburger that I will test drive next week, and I look forward to Sonic and BurgerFi opening up. QUESTION: Will any of them move to downtown Albany??? Even my superpowers can't crack that one, but let me tell you, the burbs is burgeoning with burgers. 

Zena, Goddess of Fire

PS: Oh, and happy National Burger Day. At least you didn't have to get that card in the mail by Thursday.