Bros Tacos, Yonos, & Genoa

over the past month i visited 3 restaurants/eateries on my gotta-try-em list in Albany.  for 2 of the 3, i was either too distracted or it was too fancy to snap a pic. so... all i have are delicious memories.

Yonos we hit up for our 12 year anniversary. i had the Indonesian Sampler Plate which consisted of Chicken Sate, Vegetable Lumpia, Bakmi Goreng, Pork Tenderloin, Beef Short Ribs, Jasmine Rice, Krupuk, Acar, Sambal, and Peanut Sauce. it's the ADHD of plates. i loved every part of it except the Acar, but i don't really like veggies or pickled things, so that's no surprise : ). for dessert we had the chocolate praline creme brulee which was so decadent. it tasted like a fancy version of eating undercooked brownies (which doesn't sound like a compliment, but believe you/me it is). best part of this place is that they pay attention to the tiny details - 2 amazing butter selections for your 3 choices of bread, a ottoman for your purse so it doesn't touch the floor, amuse bouche of a cold asparagus and caviar soup, you name it. for a 5* restaurant in albany, it's on the top of the list. 

Bros Tacos i've seen seen a lot recommended for albany restaurants on various blogs, or as a reco as best cap city tacos. my bff & i hit it up this past weekend (or last weekend?!).  i had one Carnita Taco (slow cooked shredded pork, onions, cilantro, salsa verde and cojita cheese) and one Fried Shrimp taco (beer battered/fried shrimp, topped with pico de gallo, salsa roja, pineapple and bros tacos crema). had it with a side of rice (no beans!!!). we both really liked what we had, particularly how fresh the ingredients were and the good selections of fresh cheese (no crappy packaged shredded standard cheddar), BUT... thought they weren't the "best ever" which was our impression walking in. and i know that's lame to say - they made (i believe) fresh corn tortillas, but i found the tortilla a bit try. might have had better luck with the flour tortilla - maybe that's what my issue was? idk. i would definitely go back as they have a lot of fun items on the menu and i liked them, but i wouldn't go out of my way as many other Albanians do.

hot pastrami silf

Genoa Importing i've heard from every person in Albany how amazing it is. it was right down the street from my old school, but some how i never made my way there. HOLY COW. i went with Kyle and my BFF and we decided to do a 3-way split on each of our 3 subs. we had a Mad Cow (prime rib, melted meunster, lettuce, tomato, horseradish mayo), the A-Rod (hot pastrami and corned beef, swiss, red onion & russian dressing served on triple decker rye), and a chicken & ham sub with other-delicious-extras-that-aren't-currently-on-the-menu-BUT was amazing sub. one thing about Albany is that it doesn't have any delis (and the few that do suck) - this place blows even a metropolitan area deli out of the water. frankly these sandwiches are all i can think about now, and am kind of happy i didn't try them back in college or i would have easily hit a freshman 15. tip my hat to these fellas.�