Mussels Frites Mussels Frites

Steamed mussels in white wine, served with crispy French fries.

Table

Table

8 Anoka Ave, 02806, Barrington, United States

Vegan • Burgers • American • Farm To Table


"A short but interesting menu with creative use of local ingredients. Easy parking once you find the place. I had the Olivade, a riff on a cheese ball, served with crispy toasts. It was excellent. My partner ate the crispy Brussels sprouts but complained they were not crispy but rather crunchy, being more al dente than the menu led her to believe. She also found fault with the clams linguine that comprised a delicious broth and also Italian sausage and mushrooms in addition to the clams. Her thought? Too many ingredients. My hanger steak also had too many ingredients, in my opinion. I think the roasted tomatoes confused the potato puree, green beans and crunchy leeks served with the steak. Nevertheless it was perfectly cooked and beautifully sauced and presented. I wiped the plate clean (yes, even the unnecessary roasted tomatoes, and what I think may have been a nasturtium leaf garnish). I would go back just for this dish. The staff were attentive and charming. The place got busy by 7.30 ish. Now I am a European and I get the bistro aesthetic, but having lived in the New World for many years I have come to appreciate more space in the dining room. It is pretty tight in here. I rather enjoyed listening to the couple at the next table who were obviously on a first or maybe second date, but if you want to limit the intimacy to your dining partner then save this place for another time. We drank wine by the glass from a modest selection but they topped off my wine, which was an unexpected and appreciated bonus. My serious advice to Table, given their great primary ingredients, is to think carefully about how they are dressing up the dishes and consider taking one item out of some of the more busy dishes... but, not the crunchy leeks, those things were to die for. Keep the leeks!"

Garden Bistro 24

Garden Bistro 24

5 Vista Blvd, Slingerlands I-12159-2185, United States

Cafés • Salad • Burgers • American


"Before anything else, I will say the food was really good. I had no problems with the way the food tasted. However there were a number of drawbacks to my experience tonight. AMBIANCE: I've never actually eaten inside before. The only other time I've been here it was summer and we were on the patio. The ambiance is inviting and cozy. The dining room isn't small but not huge either. It was clean and looked well kept. The dining furniture, as trivial as it may seem, was nice. It was nice to sit at a granite tabletop instead of a wooden one that showed years of dings, dents, and scratches. SERVICE: This is where it lacked a bit. It seems like the general feel of the restaurant is laid back, which is fine but they need to find a balance with being attentive. The servers were very polite and accommodating. They just weren't present enough. It was a while before we ordered, it was at least a half hour before we saw food, and another 15 minutes after we all finished before someone came to see how we were doing. Then another five minutes before we got the check. Trying to flag down a waitress was even difficult because they don't seem to be very present in the dining room. I think we saw at least two different servers throughout the dinner, which I hate. Who am I tipping at the end? The one who told us she'd be our server or the one who actually brought out drinks and the dinners? There seemed to be no sense of urgency or obligation to be attentive to us. THE FOOD: Like I said, everything we ordered was good as far as the way everything tasted, and everything was made correctly to order. No issues there. But I must say the menu is pretty bare bones. It's very small. One might even say limiting. I also remember there being more lighter, fresher options available last time I was here. There were only two salads to choose from and one of them was the uncreative and uninspiring Caesar. Everything else was very heavy like the gnocchi or burgers. It seems like they took the garden out of Garden Bistro. There were six entree options and four of them were seafood. If you don't like seafood, you're stuck with either one steak dinner or one chicken pasta dinner to choose from. That's it. I found it strange to have such a limiting menu. Lastly, the portions of the food we got were small. The Gnocchi my partner ordered was surprisingly small. It came out on a what I would consider a small plate and it still didn't even fill that. She was done eating in five minutes and she took her time. My mother got a burger and the burger bun was wider than the pattie. The only thing they didn't skimp on were the fries. Sorry--frites. Literally half the tray on mine and my mother's meals was fries. Talk about filler. And I have to say, serving food on a small aluminum cookie sheet is tacky and lazy for a bistro, not to mention cliche. I hate this when restaurants do this. It's not hip. It's not trendy. It's lazy and cheap. Give us a real plate. Overall the food was good but small, the staff was friendly but service was lackluster, and menu options left something to be desired.. So in the end I'm left feeling as though I didn't get my moneys worth. Nothing was especially memorable. Not sure if I'll return. There are plenty of other bistros in the Albany area."