Eating Out in Albany

And so it came to pass that in the last month of the year 2012, Tom and Ginny, along with their family, journeyed back to the land of their birth to be counted. We enacted the original Christmas story this year by traveling up to Albany, NY to visit with Mark's family. His parents are both from the area so we got to see tons of family. It was a wonderful, whirlwind visit where we were treated to lots of delicious home cooking by Mark's family.  We did have one afternoon to ourselves and we needed to find a fun place to eat lunch. I consulted my one of my favorite fellow food bloggers and Albany expert, Capitol to Capital for this important matter. She recommended a place called The Olde English Pub & Pantry so we head on over.  Turns out, Marks parents had been to this building before when it was operating under a previous name.  It is actually one of the oldest buildings in Albany (c. 1730), called the Quackenbush House.  It was beautiful inside and out with tons of charm and a huge fireplace to warm us up and get us in the festive spirit.

Enough talk, though.  On to the food.  I ordered the house specialty (and C2C recommendation), Fish and Chips.  They did not disappoint.  A giant hunk of moist, fresh cod in a generous and crispy and perfectly fried crust.  I was in heaven.  The sauces complimented the fish very well and the chips were crunchy on the outside and smooth and tender inside.  All-in-all the perfect winter, pub meal.

Mark got the burger and house fries.  The burger was juicy and delicious while the fries (which were quite different from the chips) were twice fried to delicious perfection.  After eating all of mine, I promptly began to help Mark eat his.  Aren't I such a nice girlfriend.  So helpful.

Mark's mom got the chicken sandwich, which she said was very tasty.  It also came with the yummy fries.  I did not try to help her finish her fries.  I don't have a death wish :)

Mark's brother also got the fish and chips, which was obviously the best choice.

AND the beers were also fantastic.  I was too busy drinking mine to take a picture, but I got a Scotch Ale, which was divine and everyone else got fun, unique beers that we all loved.  We were a motley crew, but very happy and full!

One Year Ago: Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Dreidels
Two Years Ago: Weeknight Smashed Potatoes