By Amber D. Walker
Albany is the capitol of New York State.
Settled by Dutch merchants in the 1600s, Albany has grown to become the capitol of
New York State. The city is filled with historical buildings, including Quackenbush House, one of the oldest Dutch buildings still in existence, which is now a restaurant. In fact, there are many kinds of restaurants in Albany, including authentic Greek restaurants, which range from casual family places to more upscale bistros.
Athos Restaurant
Athos has appetizers like feta, caviar or eggplant dip.
Chef Harry Hatziparaskevas is not only the guiding light of Athos Restaurant, he is also the owner of the premier New York City Greek restaurant Ithaka. Athos serves traditional Greek dishes cooked in a traditional Greek way. The restaurant has both a dinner menu and a lighter bar menu, as well as a children's menu. The bar menu features small dishes, such as fried calamari in spicy tomato sauce, seasoned lamb and beef meatballs, and feta, caviar, eggplant or garlic dip served with pita bread. Dinner selections include soups, cold appetizers like grape leaves with rice, hot appetizers like spinach pastries and grilled Greek sausage, and main entrees, such as wild rabbit stew, whitefish and feta cheese and veal Corfu. Athos's dessert menu includes popular favorites like baklava and almond cake as well as more unusual desserts like baklava sundaes and loukoumathes, fried dough covered in syrup and walnuts. Athos also does catering and has a three-course fixed price dinner Sundays through Thursdays.
Athos Restaurant
1814 Western Ave.
Albany, NY 12203
518-608-6400
athosrestaurant.com
Anton's Greek Restaurant
You can get a breakfast wrap filled with gyro meat at Anton's.
Anton's Greek Restaurant is a casual place which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu features gyros, souvlaki (marinated meat or vegetables served in pita bread), spanakopita (phyllo stuffed with spinach, onions and cheese), Greek salads and baklava along with American-style favorites like tuna salad and grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers, fries and miniature hot dogs. Anton's breakfast wrap, which is eggs, sauteed onions, bell peppers, cheese, fries and bacon, sausage or gyro meat, is available all day. Besides dine-in, Anton's also offers take-out and delivery.
Anton's Greek Restaurant
577 New Scotland Ave.
Albany, NY 12208
518-453-9191
antonsgreekrestaurant.com
BFS Restaurant
BFS has shrimp casserole and shrimp kabobs.
BFS Restaurant specializes in healthy Mediterranean cuisine, with a separate "heart-healthy" menu, as well as vegan and vegetarian entrees. BFS is open for both lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and has a large selection of appetizers, soups, sandwiches, wraps, wine and desserts. Lunch specials include spanakopita, falafel and Pizza Al La Zeus, pizza topped with mozzarella, artichokes, olives and feta cheese. BFS also has dinner dishes, including shrimp kabobs, baked shrimp casserole and roasted leg of lamb. BFS also does catering and offers cooking classes throughout the year.
BFS Restaurant
1736 Western Ave.
Albany, NY 12203
518-452-6342
bfsrestaurant.com
Resources
About the Author:
Amber D. Walker has been writing professionally since 1989. She has had essays published in "Fort Worth Weekly," "Starsong," "Paper Bag," "Living Buddhism" and more. Walker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Texas and worked as an English teacher abroad for six years.
Photo Credits:
The Court of Appeals for the state of New York in Albany image by Ritu Jethani from
Fotolia.comfeta and olives image by Elke Dennis from
Fotolia.comGyros image by Yvonne Bogdanski from
Fotolia.comshrimp image by cherie from
Fotolia.com
