TU All-Star Menu ranges from soups to nuts.

TU All-Star Menu ranges from soups to nuts.(Life-Today)(Restaurant review)

Publication:
Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
Publish date:
December 26, 2004


Byline: WILLIAM M. DOWD Associate editor

This has been a year of high-visibility change on the Capital Region dining scene.

Even though Saratoga Springs remains hot, less-glamorous Hudson actually has pulled nearly even as far as offering an innovative dining scene. Everything from Mexican to French/Scandinavian fare is being prepared on the little Columbia County city's Warren Street antiques row that packs in a surprisingly large number of New York City visitors.

In addition, some familiar restaurants around the region have changed hands, some have moved to new venues, some have been revived, and some are on the verge of closing. For example, John DeJohn completed his takeover of Joe Palma's Lark Street restaurant duo in Albany by buying Justin's. Last year, he purchased Lulu's from Palma and put his surname on it.

In Schenectady, JoAnn Cornell Aragosa moved her family's six-decade-old Cornell's across town to the re-emerging Little Italy neighborhood. Out in Glenmont, Stone Ends _ which debuted in the mid-1950s _ reopened once more, this time under latest owner Robin Leyden.

Through it all, chain outlets and lesser-known entrepreneurs and chefs have been popping up or disappearing with the usual regularity that is the dicey dining industry, a field in which more than 60 percent of new ventures fail in their first two years. To select our annual Times Union All-Star Menu, I analyzed the fare from nearly 50 restaurants from Syracuse to the Berkshires and Lake George to the Catskills reviewed in this space during the year.

As has been the trend for several years, appetizers seem to be outpacing entrees in terms of imagination and presentation with preparations that are clever without being overly fussy.

The ``2004 Dish of the Year'' fits that description to a T. It's a deceptively simple yet elegant beet salad from Owen Lipstein's rejuvenated Stewart House in the little Greene County village of Athens, lately famous as the site of filming scenes for the upcoming ``War of the Worlds'' movie.

The how-to: Cooked beets are cooled, sliced, alternatively layered with soft, creamy goat cheese and sliced to create a vivid striped effect. The triangular wedges are plated with mixed greens, roasted pine nuts and carrot shavings, then drizzled with a red wine vinaigrette.

The other menu selections:

SOUPS/APPETIZERS Potato-leek soup Ca'Mea, Hudson Franco Ammirati, chef and co-founder of this new entity, makes a soup that is the antithesis of the classic recipe: a savory clear broth replete with tender pieces of leek with its hint of spring and hearty potato with its year-round appeal. Much as I enjoy the cream version, this lighter style was perfect as a first course.

Tuscan mushrooms Aidala's, Mechanicville

Chef/owner Joe Aidala has made this dish a star at his new restaurant. It's a great stew-like rendering of flavor and textural combinations cooked down from big chunks of mushrooms, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, prosciutto and onion in a cabernet reduction ladled generously over grilled bread.

Crostini di polenta Paolo Lombardi's, Wynantskill

Typical of chef/owner Paul Lombardi's cleverness. A block of dense corn bread is centered on a large dinner-size platter, then topped with a spicy marinara sauce dotted with slices of sausage redolent of fennel and thyme, cooked mushrooms and onions, hot cherry peppers and crumbles of potent Gorgonzola cheese. Unusual, excellent.

Mushroom strudel Daniel's at Ogdens, Albany Chef Alex Atsileff prepares a long loaf of delicate baked pastry, peeled back to reveal a mix of savory shiitake mushrooms and sweet onions plus a generous sprinkling of blue cheese, all nestled on a bed of fresh field greens.

Crab flan Pangaea, North Bennington, Vt.

William Scully, chef/owner of this new spot, uses fresh, creamy Jonah crabmeat baked in a flan under a cover of Swiss chard, served atop pommes rosti _ a traditional Swiss potato pancake _ with a sour cream bechamel sauce.

ENTREES

Coquilles St. Jacques a la Cardinale Saratoga Lake Bistro, Stillwater

A takeoff on the classic preparation from chef Eric Masson at this new spot on historic Brown's Beach. He sears sea scallops _ sound like a familiar tongue-twister? _ on both sides, then alternates them on the plate with tender lobster raviolis and pencil asparagus, drizzling the array with a delicate lobster sauce and a topper of puff pastry. Sole & Salmon Alldays & Onions, Bennington, Vt.

Ownership changed, but the new folks smartly kept chef Joe Gilleran. His winning dish is two pieces of delicate sole sauteed till just turning crisp on the edges, sandwiched around a generous layer of smoked salmon, the ``sandwich'' coated in a rich melted brie, sided with rice and veggies. Rack of lamb Dine, Saratoga Springs

A nearly-overwhelming seven-chop affair, meaty and succulent, roasted to a perfect pink and accompanied by a pureed squash with pencil asparagus and julienned carrots and squashes. My regular dining companion called it ``Absolutely the best lamb I have had in years.''

Shrimp tempura Koto, Colonie

This new restaurant's tempura fare is simply excellent_ ephemerally light, cooked so the slices of white potato, sweet potato and squash are tender without turning mushy, crowned by a half-dozen shrimp so succulent and tender they are virtually inseparable from the sweet batter, ringed with cucumber crescents and topped with an artfully carved radish rose.

Coffee-cured beef Lorenzo's, Schenectady

Chef/co-owner Daniel DeLorenzo aims high at this new spot located in the former Cornell's site. This dish is a large, medium-rare tenderloin cured in a mix of coffee and olive oil, gently infusing the meat with the subtleties of the coffee yet not covering up the taste of the nicely aged cut. A shredded potato tart is a smart textural accompaniment.

DESSERTS

Galaktobouriko The Chariot, Guilderland

Chef/owner Mike Shinas has perfected this traditional Greek sweet over the years. It's a heavenly egg custard baked in phyllo and drizzled with light honey. Mixed Nut Tart Purple Pepper, Valatie Desserts are given a spotlight here even though this one is from the talented hands of Dan Budd, chef/owner of Taste Budd's in Red Hook. (He also teaches at the Culinary Institute of America and was named one of the country's best pastry chefs by both Chocolatier and Pastry Art and Design magazines.) I reveled in a nut tart _ almonds, pecans, walnuts in a shortbread crust _ that had all the flavor and mouth feel of the best pecan pie but none of the cloying sweetness often associated with that creation.

William M. Dowd can be reached at 454-5411 or by e-mail at wdowd@timesunion.com.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

April L. Dowd/Special to the Times Union OUR TOP DISH is this artfully desined beet and goat cheese salad from the Stewart House in Athen, Greene County.

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