677 Prime - Albany, NY

Last Friday we finally decided to change things up a bit, and the whole family (sans Kayla :( ) went to dinner at 677 Prime, located at 677 Broadway St in Albany, NY. Prime is one of the many restaurants owned by Angelo (the owner of Aperitivo), and I would describe it as an upscale steakhouse.

Cute butter display!

Although Albany is a little bit of a drive from our house in Niskayuna, I was admittedly excited to get dressed up and go out. We arrived around 7:45 for our 7:20 reservation... aka right on time for Rutherford standards, and were promptly seated. I'm sure at this point everyone knows what I ordered... and for the record the pinot noir was very tasty. I'll also take this moment to mention that the wait service at Angelo's restaurants, especially Prime, is extremely professional. Our waiter was on point, attentive, and extremely friendly/professional. I've heard from an inside source that there is an extensive training process to work your way up to waiter, and it pays off.

After we ordered drinks, we started off our meal with some appetizers. Jordan ordered the Clams 3 Way Platter, which included garlic chardonnay steams, clams casino with bacon and lemon, and crispy strips with aioli.

Clams 3 Way Platter... lovely photo Jordan, Bravo.

This appetizer was awesome. One thing I'll say is that just because my family is a bunch of chubs doesn't mean you have to be - most of the apps on the menu can be split between multiple people. We just don't share well. That being said, this dish was so delicious. I think my favorite was the fried clams with aioli. The steamed clams had good flavor, but the clams were a little small/tough for my taste. I didn't get to even try the clams casino because my brother had eaten them all in a matter of minutes.... so that should speak for itself. On a side note, I really love this whimsically plating... very clever and inviting.

My dad ordered the Lobster Spring Roll Platter - 3 rolls - chili roasted lobster thin roll, ginger lobster egg roll, and mushroom lobster egg roll, served with hoisin, sweet chili & ginger scallion dipping sauces.

I apologize for the blurriness - thanks Dad. 

This spring roll platter was also amazing. My favorite of the three was the thin roll, dipped into the sweet chili sauce. I also really enjoyed the other two, they all had good flavor and great crunch... a little bit dry, but overall they made a great appetizer. The only component on the plate that I did like was the hoisin sauce ... it's just not my thing, so try at your own risk.

My mom ordered the 677 Chop - comprised of chopped iceberg, romaine, avocado, tomato, cucumber, red onion, fried buttermilk union, blue cheese crumbles, and white balsamic vinaigrette.

677 Chop

I love this presentation. The salad was really good and fresh, and the crunch on top was a great addition. I think it may have been slightly overdressed, but overall it was very good... and deceivingly large.

As we waited for our entrees we ordered another round of drinks, and played on of our favorite games. How it's played is my mom tells a story, almost in a whisper, in a very loud restaurant, and the rest of us try and read her lips. Okay so it's not actually a game, but it does consistently happen when we go out to eat, and the frustration that erupts on both sides is rather amusing. But on a serious note, the restaurant is rather noisy, as the patrons are competing with the live singer/piano player to be heard, so if you prefer a quite spot this place isn't for you.

For entrees me, my mom, and Jordan all ordered the ten ounce filet. I had mine Au Poivre (black peppercorns and brandy cream), and my mom had hers with the Diane topper (mushrooms and brandy cream sauce).

The meat was extremely tender, however the au poivre sauce was way way way too spicy, and almost ruined this dish for me. Even spicy food lovers would have found this dish almost inedible - which was a bummer because I was really looking forward to it. Everyone else's steaks were completely finished so they're really good steaks, I just don't recommend this sauce.

For side dishes the three of us got - sauteed spinach, sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, and lobster mashed potatoes. 

All three sides were really good. Apparently so good that I didn't even remember to get pictures of the potatoes. All of the sides are a large enough portion that you can absolutely share a few for the table - we chose to order our own and bring them home... except Jordan who somehow managed to finish his. I honestly don't know where Jordan puts all this food... oh how I miss my metabolism. The potatoes had great texture, and were so creamy and delicious. I also really enjoyed the spinach - it wasn't grainy, was cooked nicely, and had great light flavor.

My dad decided to order the Veal Maria as his entree.

As you can see, it is a hefty veal chop, pounded thin and breaded, served with tomatoes, arugula, red onion, and balsamic vinaigrette.

I can say with absolute certainty that my dad enjoyed his meal. How do I know this you ask? My dad always offers us some of his food... and by offer I obviously mean force feeds... This time he didn't ask a single person at the table if we wanted some... and he finished the chop. The only conclusion I can draw is that he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Something else quite miraculous happened at dinner as well... I. ordered. dessert. And wow I'm so glad I did. Jordan and I both ordered dessert actually... although no shocker that he did.

Jordan ordered the Banana Cream Pie, which was a giant slice of banana custard on sweet pastry crust, served with caramel tossed bananas and banana chips.

It was a very solid, and might I add hefty, dessert. I really love the huge slices of banana, and the crust had great crunch. I'm not even a huge fan of banana cream pie, but I really enjoyed this one.

I went a slightly different route, and ordered the Cupcake Pedestal. This had four different cupcakes on it - tiramisu, strawberry cheesecake, s'mores, and chocolate hazelnut banana.

So wow... what a dessert. I really loved the presentation, although don't try and cut up the cupcakes on the pedestal.... little wobbly. My favorite of the four was the cheesecake. The inside was actual cheesecake and it was just super super delicious. I also really enjoyed the s'mores and chocolate hazelnut banana because they were very moist and had great flavor. My least favorite was the tiramisu, which worked out nicely because it was my mom's favorite. I'm not even sure what prompted me to order this dessert because I'm not a huge cake fan, but I'm really glad I did. I think it's a really unique thing to see on the menu, and it was just another example of Prime's wonderful plating abilities.

All and all this was a nice dinner. Although I was slightly disappointed with my steak, everything else was very delicious. My favorite will always be Aperitivo, mainly for the less formal atmosphere and more modest prices, but Prime is a nice treat from time to time (if you're willing to pay the NYC prices).

Mohawk Club Round 2

Last night my family and I, sans Kayla, decided to go out to dinner. My dad and Jordan were just finishing up the back 9 on the course, so Joan and I met them over at the club for dinner. Per usual my mom needed some time to primp, and my dad gave us a 15 minute heads up like always (why do men never understand that we don't just wake up this beautiful?), so when we finally arrived the boys had already helped themselves to a "light appetizer" - of wings.

We sat in the bar for a little chatting and chomping on wings, and then sat ourselves in the main dining room. We were quickly greeted by our charming waitress who asked what we wanted to drink, however we were in the process of playing musical chairs so we didn't hear her at first. Where we sit is always a huge ordeal in our family - I'm not sure why, but at a typical dinner my seat gets changed 2 - 3 times.  It's pretty much the same routine every time - My dad sits down and my mom comments on how he doesn't have a great view, he says he doesn't care, then she sits down but she's under an A/C vent and is cold so she has to switch, I stand back and just accept the fact that I will be taking whichever seat has ultimately been discarded, etc. I guess it's our pre-dinner work out?

My parents have been bringing us to the club since we were little, and I have such fond memories of it. I remember my sister and I  spending the majority of dinner in and out of the powder room because of all the fun hair products they had in there to play with - when you're ten pretty much anything "grown up" is awesome. The club offers so many memories for me, and although it has become modernized over the years (jeans are no longer taboo), there's still an old school presence that is comforting.

Because my dad and Jordan already had their appetizer, we enjoyed a bottle of Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon, and ordered our entrees. And on a side note, I find that because we named my brother Jordan, we seem to purchase things that have his name on it. We eat Jordan almonds at Easter, buy Jordan wine - Jordan wore "Air Jordans" starting at the age of five.... I don't recall having any Danielle wine, that's all I'm saying.

Jordan ordered the crab cake with micro green salad. He wasn't very hungry (on account of all the wings) so he wanted something light and refreshing.  The micro green salad offered a great contrasting crunch against the crab cake. And the sweet and sour flavors played off each other nicely. Jordan has ordered this crab cake many times, so I think it's safe to say he liked it.

My dad ordered lobster cavatelli - and OMG I actually remembered to take a picture! - Probably because I wasn't the one eating it.

Cavatelli is definitely one of my favorite types of pasta. It has a much doughier consistency, very similar to a gnocchi (although not as dense).

My mother and I both ordered the same things - Chicken Milanese with spaghettini, charred golden cherry tomato, and lemon sauce.

The star of this dish was definitely the chicken - as it should be. It had a great crust on the outside, and was extremely tender on the inside. The sauce had a great flavor and didn't overwhelm the chicken. Typically my opinion is the more pasta, the better the dish, but since there was a larger piece of chicken, this portion of pasta was the perfect amount.  Also, the broccoli rabe and carrot were both "al dente" and added some texture to the dish. Depending on how much time I decide to spend home in Niskayuna, there may be multiple "Mohawk Club" dinner experiences - that or I'm going to need to do more cooking - because I've become very spoiled by the abundance of great restaurants in Boston, and in Niskayuna we usually go to the club for dinner and that's about it. So.....

The other night Jordan, my dad, and I went to the club for dinner without my mom and sister.

Jordan ordered the sweet potato soup. It was super yummy, had great depth of flavor, and was creamy and delicious.

For entrees, my dad and Jordy ordered the Mohawk rib eye which had a 24 hour cajun spice, and was served with mashed potatoes, carrot and green beans.  I love rib eye steak because it has great marbling which adds a ton of flavor and makes the steak very juicy and tender.  The chef did a great job of getting a nice dark sear on the steak, and it doesn't get more perfect than meat and potatoes.

I also have to say that I get such a kick out of the sole carrot - it has become a Mohawk Club signature to many of the dishes - whether it's intentional or not, I think it adds character.

I ordered the scallops served with a sweet corn crema and salsa. The scallops were cooked nicely and the raw tomato/pepper salsa added necessary crunch. I really loved the flavor of the crema and it complimented the scallops nicely. This is definitely a dish I would recommend, especially if you aren't looking for something too heavy. 

Last night we finished up our dinner with some dark chocolate "mohawk club chocolate bars," courtesy of Krause's. 

I can't wait to go back! (Not that I really have a choice :) )

The Mohawk Club

As I mentioned in my previous post, my last day of work was on Friday. It was bittersweet leaving because I will truly miss everyone I worked with - but I'm very excited to start my career in marketing (provided I can find a job). The cake you see below came from Eldo Cake House located in Chinatown, at 36 Harrison Ave.

The cake is a sponge cake, filled with fresh peaches, and covered with strawberries, melon, peaches, and kiwi. The cakes are super light and delicious, but the location is difficult because there's very little parking, and the staff doesn't speak English well so it can be challenging to communicate exactly what you're looking for. Regardless, we order these cakes for every work function because they are truly tasty.

As I was mentioning, I just finished work, and although I was supposed to go to NYC this weekend, Irene had different plans, and I only made it home to upstate NY. My sister's boyfriend, who lives in Manhattan, also decided to seek refuge at my parent's house in upstate, so on Saturday night we decided to go out to dinner. 



My parents have been members of the Mohawk Golf Club for close to thirty years, so that place was like a second home to me when I was younger. I can remember eating grilled cheese sandwiches with ham, by the pool, sipping on a lemonade and soaking up the sun. Although I now prefer a little vodka in my lemonade, I still always enjoy going to the Mohawk Club. The "club" as we call it, has gone through many different chefs, and the quality of food has changed a lot over time, but I must say that in the past several years it has been the best it's ever been. Because of this, we look forward to going to the club whenever we are home for a weekend.

My mother made reservations for us, and at 7pm we headed off to another lovely dinner there. One of the main reasons I enjoy going there for dinner is because you never know who you're going to see, or what type of experience you're going to have. I am usually fighting off belly laughs left and right because of how much fun we are having. Saturday night was a little quieter, most of the usual Saturday night dinner crowd stayed in and out of the storm, but we still had a lovely time. My dad brought his own wine, so my sister and I enjoyed a nice Pinot Noir, while my father and mother enjoyed a Beringer Cabernet.  I was really excited to go to the club because they just got a brand new menu and my parents had nothing but great things to say about it.

Appetizers

Entrees

For appetizers, my mom ordered the chopped salad, Jordan got the shrimp cocktail, and my sister ordered the asparagus frites with cajun aioli.

Chopped Salad

Shrimp Cocktail

Asparagus frites 

Although both the chopped salad and shrimp cocktail were good, the real star of the appetizer round was the asparagus frites. The asparagus was cooker perfectly, had a great coating and crunch, and the aioli was simply divine. The greens under the asparagus also added a nice element of acidity. Overall it was a great dish, and a good appetizer size.

Kay and I having some fun with the corks!

For dinner, three of us, myself included, ordered the cavatelli with lobster,  my mom and brother got the pan roasted halibut, and Kay's boyfriend Chris ordered the beef filet.

Halibut dish 

As you can see, the halibut was served with a leek and tomato compote, a mushroom vinaigrette, mashed potatoes, green beans, broccoli rabes, and carrots. The plate presentation was beautiful, and my mom and brother both really enjoyed it.


Chris's beef disappeared before all of our eyes, so I think it's safe to say he enjoyed it. 

Chris's beef was au poivre, which means that it was cooked with black peppercorns, and served in a sauce of reduced cognac, heavy cream, pan drippings, and sometimes butter, shallots, and dijon mustard. The steak was served with a side of french fries and mixed vegetables.

For the third, and unarguably the best entree, somehow three of us ordered it and yet I didn't manage to take a picture. I am literally beating myself up for not doing it, but it was so creamy and delicious I can't imagine after tasting this dish that I would order anything else. Below I have included a small picture of my sister's leftovers so you can get an idea of the ingredients, but please do not judge this dish by the photo - it was so good!



  

Cheers to a great night!



All and all dinner was very enjoyable, and was a great pre-Irene feast.