By David Lister, on August 19th, 2010
 My wife and I drove to Albany a few weeks ago to see the Doc Watson concert at The Egg. Elisa had researched the restaurant scene in Albany, and after she showed me the menu, we decided that the New World Bistro Bar would be a great place to have an early dinner before the concert. We called ahead from the road and made reservations for two, and we arrived right on time.
The New World Bistro Bar is a cozy location in the corner of a building on Delaware Avenue. There is ample parking in a lot behind the building. You can tell that the owner, Ric Orlando, has put his heart and soul into the place, and in all honesty it is a rare jewel in a neighborhood that’s seen better days. The interior is an eclectic mix of booths and tables, and it’s evident that the interior was put together by someone with a talented eye for design.
When we arrived we had to wait for a few minutes while dueling hostesses huddled up to decide where we were to be seated. Eventually a table was set for us, and despite the fact that there were many set tables available they sat us at a tiny two-top pushed up against the inside glass of the entry vestibule, without a doubt the worst table in the restaurant. But hey, someone had to get that table, so why not a couple of folks who drove three hours to get there and bothered to make reservations, to boot?
One of the things that had interested us about the restaurant was that the menu specialized in small plates, or Tapas as they are known in Spain. After reviewing the specials with us, the waiter gave us some time to decide on our order. From the menu, we learned that Chef Orlando had just won an episode of Food Network‘s Chopped, so we were looking forward to sampling a few items.
In the end, we decided to share four tapas: white anchovies with almonds and olive oil; Saigon street style fried calamari; crab cakes; and from the specials menu, a Tomato and eggplant tower. Elisa ordered the house red wine, René Barbier‘s Mediterranean Red, and I had a diet coke. Elisa liked her choice of wine very much, and we passed the time chatting about the upcoming concert and bemoaning our table assignment.
When three of the four dishes arrived at the table, we realized that the bread that had been promised by our waiter had never materialized. We informed the waiter … he was very apologetic and he brought us a serving of bread immediately. Once we had sampled the bread, it became abundantly clear that the meal would have been much improved without it. We both declared the bread as being completely stale; the four diners at the table next to us separately made the same observation. Later, as I passed by the kitchen to use the restroom, I noticed that they seemed to be baking their own bread in house, which I still find hard to believe, given the final product that had arrived at our table.
So our table was filled to the brim with the bread and three of the four small plates, which, it turns out, were needlessly plated on very large plates indeed. The anchovies had yet to make an appearance.
Bottom line, the crab cakes were quite good, the calamari was good but not great, the anchovies, when they finally made their entrance, were a bit of a disappointment, and the Tomato tower … well, that tomato (or the two slices of it that we saw) was absolutely wonderful. But not at $9.
With standard tip, the meal ran about $65. The service was spotty, the food quality uneven, the bread horrible, and the seating left a lot to be desired. It’s possible that Sunday is not a good day to dine at Mr. Orlando’s establishment, but that was the day we chose. We both felt the restaurant succeeded conceptually but failed in execution. Greater effort should be expended on training the hostesses to be … well, hostesses. Something needs to be done about the bread they serve, and two slices of tomato surrounded by two slices of eggplant isn’t a tower, it’s a strip mall, and it shouldn’t sell for $9.
Ric Orlando’s New World Bistro Bar
300 Delaware Avenue
Albany, NY
518.694.0520
(parking lot behind building)
By David Lister, on August 2nd, 2010
 At eighty-seven years of age, legendary guitarist Doc Watson still maintains a touring schedule. Usually when a musician of his stature continues to perform this late into his career, he begins to be described as a “musical treasure.” Often, those are code words for “lost his chops.” I tell you what, Doc has certainly not lost his chops, although to be fair, his playing does not have the same sureness or consistency as it . . . → Read More: Concert Review: Doc Watson
By David Lister, on July 8th, 2010
 When it comes to rice, I’m a big fan of Indian cuisine, due in no small part to my preference for basmati rice over most other varieties. I also tend to like rice that’s been goosed up a bit with other ingredients and that has been made with a broth rather than just water.
The inspiration for this particular dish comes from two sources, the Spicy Basmati Rice recipe from the excellent cookbook, Madhur . . . → Read More: Spicy Basmati Rice with Black Mustard Seeds
By David Lister, on July 6th, 2010
 Elisa decided that our Mother’s Day gift to her mother would be to take her on a day trip to the Berkshires, a part of Massachusetts that my mother-in-law, who was visiting from her home in Italy, had never visited. So after a date was settled on (Sunday, June 27), we got to work looking for some fun things to do that she would enjoy.
The wonderful thing about visiting the Berkshires is . . . → Read More: Day Trip to the Berkshires: The Clark & Tanglewood
By David Lister, on April 26th, 2010
 My wife Elisa and I had decided to treat ourselves to a concert for Valentine’s Day, and while this show was two months removed, it was the one that we picked. It was our first visit to the Stockbridge Theatre in Derry, and we both thought the venue was great. Seating just under 900, there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, and every aspect of the place was very well thought . . . → Read More: Concert Review: Leo Kottke and Jerry Douglas
By David Lister, on March 18th, 2010
 Over the past thirty years or so there has been a steady decline in the quality of the chicken that can be purchased at the supermarket. The flesh has no firmness because the chicken industry primarily raises chickens crammed together so that they don’t have room to walk, and they often have difficulty standing when not being propped up by other chickens. That issue aside, the chickens we buy just don’t seem all that . . . → Read More: The Hunt for Better Chicken
By David Lister, on February 27th, 2010
 Thanks to a great Christmas present from my Son Adam, Elisa and I went to see David Bromberg perform on Friday, February 26 at the First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We’ve both seen Bromberg several times over the years, but since he started touring the northeast with his Big Band, we have been going to see that show when it comes to The Egg in Albany New York. We were both looking forward . . . → Read More: Concert Review: David Bromberg Quartet
By David Lister, on January 23rd, 2010
A few months ago, my good friend and coworker Darshan recommended that my wife and I try his favorite Chinese restaurant in Nashua, Lilac Blossom. We found ourselves in Nashua on a recent Saturday, so we dropped in for lunch. Lilac Blossom has two locations in Nashua; we chose the the location in the south end of town, based on Darshan’s recommendation.
The thirty-item lunch menu was very affordable, and each item on . . . → Read More: Lunch at Lilac Blossom, Nashua, NH
By David Lister, on December 26th, 2009
 There are a lot of mediocre pie crust recipes out there, and most of them have one of two common shortcomings. Either the crust is not tender, or the crust does not have the desired, flaky texture.
There are a variety of methods to address these issues, but most of these techniques are bit of a catch-22. Flakiness can be obtained by using lard as some or all of the fat in the . . . → Read More: Pie Dough Made With Vodka
By David Lister, on December 13th, 2009
 Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving’s twelfth novel, structurally shares a quite a bit with his more iconic novels, such as The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, and A Prayer for Owen Meany. Like these earlier works the main character is a man; we are introduced to him very early in his life; a majority of the novel is set in New England; really bad stuff happens to otherwise . . . → Read More: Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving
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