Critic: B. A. Nilsson

Lorenzo’s photo:Maertin Benjamin

The dining-out population can be divided into two species: Those who patronize chain restaurants, and those who do not. Those who patronize chain restaurants do so with a limited awareness of the impact on the local economy and one’s own culinary sensibility. According to my highly unscientific study, the principal motivations behind chain-restaurant fealty are laziness and fear. Chain joints plop down where the big-box stores spring up, giving the unimaginative goods seeker a sort of Stepford shopping-and-dining environment. Effort is required to discover the goods outside the garden path, and a spirit of adventure to depabulumize the palate. We want wheat loaves, not white bread; brioche, not biscuits.

So here’s a baker’s dozen of the best of the places I visited during the past 12 months. They run the gamut of pricing and cuisine; they’re near, they’re far. You’re covered.

Only a couple of weeks ago I shared my impressions of Avenue A (289 New Scotland Ave., Albany), a new, casual eatery with an anything-but-casual menu. Different cuisines swirl around from plate to plate, with a menu that ranges from meatloaf to Korean bulgogi. Albany traditionally is about 20 years behind food trends the hipper parts of the country enjoy; Avenue A pares the gap to 10.

Back at the beginning of the year, I visited Koto Japanese Restaurant (260 Wolf Road, Colonie), still thriving in a spot that has housed a variety of Asian eateries. Here you have high-tech meeting the old traditions, with LCD screens over the bar even as the special dinners arrive in quaint lacquer boxes. A room of teppanyaki tables provides entertainment; a subdued back room gives you peace.

A combo of Japanese and Korean fare is offered at San & Bada Sushi Bar (1800 Western Ave., Guilderland), where Eddie, the sushi master (formerly of Latham’s Ginza), plies his magic. The menu doesn’t venture beyond what (seasoned) area diners would expect, but you’ll find an excellent soup called gji gae, which mixes kimchi, a rich broth and pork or tofu. Teriyaki, tempura—it’s all there.

Also in Guilderland, we revisited BFS Restaurant & Catering (1736 Western Ave.), where chef-owner Shaw Rabadi continues to offer excellent Med iterranean dishes along with a continental menu that features some of the best heart-healthy and vegetarian dishes I’ve tasted. But it’s the falafel, those deep-fried chickpea patties, that I can’t resist.

Which is one of the reasons I also revisited the Hidden Café (180 Delaware Ave., Delmar). Still tucked into its corner of Delaware Plaza, the place has transformed in obvious and subtle ways, dressing up inside even as the menu has gone beyond its core of Middle Eastern dishes to include chef-owner Joseph Soliman’s inspired versions of continental classics as well as his excellent original dishes. It’s worth visiting for the marinade on the lamb kebab alone, but I’ve never had a less-than-excellent dish there.

artisan photo:Shannon DeCelle

Maybe this Middle Eastern cookery is a local trend. I devoted a piece early in the month to three such places in Troy. Ali Baba (2243 15th St.) is a long-lived stalwart where Turkish fare reigns (including some wonderful pizza variations) and the durum wrapped kebab (akin to a gyro) is the area’s best. And don’t forget the puffy loaves of lavash with garlic sauce. Marmora Café (203 River St.) is a breakfast-lunch place that features the cooking of Moheb Habib, whose Egyptian-inspired specialties are served alongside classic deli sandwiches and amazing soups. Don’t forget a slice of baklava. And I’ve been back a few times since to Al-Baraki (184 River St.), where Paul Chedrawee produces specialties from his native Lebanon; get the sampler plate and you’ll be hooked; try the garlic spread and you’ll go out of your mind.

Head nearby to Latham for the best taste of India in the area: it’s at Karavalli (9B Johnson Road), where you’ll be able to sample items from more of the country’s provinces than is typical. Such as dosai, a paper-thin lentil and rice confection served with aromatic dipping sauces and a side of dal, and chemmeen pappas, from Kerala, flavoring shrimp with coconut, chili and coriander. The staff couldn’t be more gracious.

Schenectady hosted yet another Italian restaurant, but this one, Lorenzo’s (1733 Van Vranken Ave.), raises the bar. Danny DeLorenzo takes a gourmet approach to northern Italian fare, and you can tell by his creamy polenta and crispy chicken alla forno that he knows what he’s doing.

Meanwhile, the Bear’s Steakhouse (Route 7, Duanesburg) approaches 40 years in business, relentlessly turning out the best steaks in the Capital Region in the most accommodating house hosted by the nicest family on the remotest stretch of road you can imagine.

Saratoga’s restaurant scene is relentlessly aswirl, with enough changes in store for 2006 to keep us very busy. A couple of recent arrivals proved impressive: Tiznow (84 Henry St.), named for a racehorse, galloped through its first summer with ease. Owner John Costanzo has recreated the feel of his favorite Manhattan bistros, while the menu reflects an upscale, French-Asian influence.

The Artisan opened a few blocks down Caroline Street from Broadway, mixing fine dining with an artistic sensibility (note the changing displays). Start with something like the fried eggplant Napoleon and enjoy the way the house-smoked tomato sauce infiltrates the component veggies and cheese; go on to the Chilean sea bass because of the caramelized fennel and leek that comes with it.

Our farther-flung favorites included New World Home Cooking Co. (1411 Route 212, Saugerties), where chef-owner Ric Orlando continues to defy convention and coax amazingly wonderful flavors from the freshest ingredients, and Rodizio at Turning Stone (5218 Patrick Road, Verona), where you can seek respite from the slots and roulette at the Brazilian-inspired churrascaria. It’s gimmicky as all get-out, but the food is terrific, including an excellent salad bar of exotic side dishes and an endless procession of grilled meats. It’s worth a gamble.

Click here for a list of recently reviewed restaurants.

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