3/30/10 - Voted 2010 #1 Seafood Restaurant in Capital Region Living Magazine
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Reel Seafood Co has been voted the #1 seafood restaurant in the Best of the Capital Region issue of the Capital Region Living magazine.
Again, we can't thank you enough. We hope that our 25+ years of service have pleased you. |
3/4/10 - Voted 2010 #1 Seafood Restaurant in Metroland
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Reel Seafood Co has been voted the #1 seafood restaurant by the Reader's Picks from the Metroland publication.
From what we've found, Reel Seafood has been voted the #1 seafood restaurant consecutively for at least the past decade. We sincerely thank the Capital Region for voting for us again. |
Taken From The Schenectady Gazette Sunday October 21st, 2007
By Caroline Lee
For The Sunday Gazette
COLONIE - You won't be disappointed with your dining experience at The Reel Seafood Company. They've had some time to hone their skills. The restaurant that predates most of the chain places on Wolf Road has been in business since 1983.
Owner LeGrande Serras prides himself on having a service-oriented restaurant that offers a huge variety of fish.
You like oysters? There are five or six kinds every night.
My friend Pattie and I met up in the parking lot and were pleasantly surprised by the colorful flower beds and tidy landscaping surrounding the entrance to the restaurant. There are, as you would expect, aquariums everywhere, but we saw the habitat kind, not the choose-your-dinner kind, which always make me want to order grilled cheese. The enormous aquarium near the entrance is home to brightly colored, well fed fish.
Ignore the irony there, admire the dessert case and peek into the kitchen while you wait to be guided to your table. We settled comfortably into one of the booths that surround the room. Reel Seafood offers "upscale dining in a casual setting," according to its Web site. You'll find plastic tablecloths instead of white linen. It's nice but not fancy.
Our meal was very good and had some outstanding moments. Years of experience mean that service is attentive and the kitchen under control. The place ran like a clock while we were there. The knowledgable server helped me choose my meal, and it was exactly as she said it would be.
FIRST COURSE
After a very long time during which our server showed impeccable composure, we put in our order and soon received the traditional Real Seafood first course: coleslaw. Neither of us are fans, but Pattie approved of it and said it was good, without too much vinegar. Dinners include coleslaw and a side of potato or vegetable, or substitute a mixed green salad instead of slaw for $1.95 more.
The bread comes in links and it would be nicer if they cut the servings apart. It's very good stuff; chewy, nicely browned and very tasty, freshly made and hot, with lots of poppy seeds.
For appetizers, I recommend the dragon roll ($8.95) when available, for its combination of sweet and hot flavors, crisp and soft textures, and stunning presentation. It's the best egg roll I've ever had, greaseless, with a slight kick to the vegetable-and-seafood filling.
We enjoyed the tangle of spicy-hot red slaw and the tropical-tasting fruit accompaniement. The diagonally sliced roll is served upright and garnished with salad greens and an orchid. It would be an excellent, satisfying lunch or light meal. There's enough going on to keep you interested.
For the entrees, we both admired Pattie's shrimp scampi ($16.95). Reel Seafood didn't skimp on the size or number (eight) of shrimp. She chose rice for the side, which soaked up the rich sauce. The perfectly cooked shrimp had that sweet, gentle flavor that makes them so appealing, and a sprinkling of parsley added visual appeal to the dish.
I chose the grilled swordfish ($21.95). Husband Eric, whose single-minded barbecuing goal is perpindicular grill marks, would have admired the perfect brown ones on my dish. The best swordfish is moist, with just a hint of the flavor that reminds you that you're eating fish, and this was it. Excellent quality, perfectly prepared; Reel Seafood does a beautiful swordfish steak, as good as we've seen.
The diet has long been out the window. So I rounded out my dinner with a side of fries. They had two strikes against them, though. They are shoestring fries, and they're the battered kind, too. A generous quantity can help you overlook those things, but the small bowl on my plate held at most two skinny dozen. The downside of quick-cooking french fries is that they cool off proportionately fast. But they were perfectly cooked.
Our server checked on us during the meal, then packed up the leftovers on a folding tray she set up beside the table.
DESSERTS HOMEMADE
You must save room because all of the desserts are made in-house. They are reasonably priced, and the brandy chocolate mousse ($4.50) we shared for dessert was excellent. It was rich and smooth, not too sweet, like one of those expensive truffles that you buy by the piece. Reel Seafood is a dessert destination.
"Whew," said Pattie, after her first taste. "I can really taste the brandy." We agreed the brandy flavor was strong up front, but softened after the first few spoonfuls.
If you're planning on eating on Wolf Road, keep in mind this restaurant is locally owned. If you're looking for fish, whatever kind it is, Reel Seafood has probably got it. They've got meat and pasta, too. Drive on by the glitzy chain places and support a privately owned business. You'll have an enjoyable meal, and feel good about it.
