Need mid priced restaurants in/near Clifton Park

[feelinpeckish]

This community is one of the most crowded I've lived in (an Allbany NY suburb). Any recommendations for mid and even lower priced restaurants would be appreciated.

[financialdistrictresident]

Halfmoon Diner. Found this thread on CP dining:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/661057

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Halfmoon Diner
231 Grooms Rd, Clifton Park, NY 12065

[financialdistrictresident]

Meets OP's requirements. I have only been for breakfast. Mixed comments on Yelp:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/halfmoon-dine...

If you're in CP/Waterford you will probably end up eating here sooner or later . . .

[Roger K]

Come December, here's a logical addition to the already mentioned venues.

http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehoppi...

Mid-priced, mid-way between Albany and Saratoga.

[financialdistrictresident]

Thanks, Roger K. Hope it's better than Tavolo.

[PSZaas]

That's a pretty general question. What do you think of as midpriced? What sort of cuisine? Clifton Park, although a desolate culinary wasteland, has quite decent Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Northern Italian, vegetarian, pub-grub, fish-fry, lobster-shack, seafood, and pizza restaurants, to name a few. Name your poison.

Edit: Incidentally, the same recommendations I posted for Waterford work for Clifton Park, if I understood what you were looking for (and I think I did). Just add a few minutes for the extra couple of minutes drive to adjacent towns.

[financialdistrictresident]

Also, does your mid-range price include tip, tax, alcohol?

[Roger K]

PSZaas, I don't mean to sound picky, but I'm not sure how many people after reading, "has quite decent Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Northern Italian, vegetarian, pub-grub, fish-fry, lobster-shack, seafood, and pizza restaurants, to name a few" would consider such an area to be "a desolate culinary wasteland." Just a thought... ;>)

[financialdistrictresident]

Halfmoon Sandwich Shop (lunch place), Pasta Pane and Shangrila are my top choices in CP when I have to eat there. Shangrila has re-opened and might even meet the OP's request for mid-priced. Maybe some Thai. There's a Greek place but it's not very good. CP has quantity (& chains), not quality. "Decent" keeps the bar pretty low. I'd like to know where the decent seafood and Chinese food is :)

[PSZaas]

Decent seafood is Salty's, or Matt's, for lobster rolls, or Sushi Na Ra for sashimi, or Sushi Thai Garden, for Thai seafood dishes. Tai-Pan is the best Chinese between Latham and Saratoga Springs, maybe between Latham and Montreal (just because I can't remember any first-rate Chinese food north of Rt. 146). None of these is a destination restaurant, but all are high-quality, moderately priced restaurants, which is what the OP was looking for. Which one is the Greek place?

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Sushi Na
1683 Route 9 Ste 1, Clifton Park, NY 12065

Sushi Thai Garden
44 Phila St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

[financialdistrictresident]

Thanks, PSZaas. Been to Salty's several times. Okay. Have not tried Sushi Na Ra or Matt's will need to check them out. I like Sushi Thai Garden in SS over CP. Been to Tai-Pan (CP) and Tasty Chinese (Malta). People at Tai-Pan are very nice. It's okay. Grecian Gardens on Route 9. Been a few times for lunch and dinner. The Yelp perspective:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/grecian-garde...

Olive Garden will be coming :)

[PSZaas]

Forgot about Grecian Gardens; it's ok, several steps up from the local Greek diners; good steak and cheese sandwiches. I think the OP is looking for casual places to eat, and Clifton Park has its share, is all. The only destination restaurants, I think, are Pasta Pane and Antipasto, and Antipasto only if you're looking for a vegetarian meal. I like Sushi Thai Garden in SS over CP, too, but that has nothing to do with what the OP was asking about. If he's looking for a decent Thai meal in Clifton Park, he can certainly get it there. I rank Sushi Na Ra below Yoshi's, but I rank it pretty high. Good independent coffee bar in Clifton Park, too, Mochalisa's.

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Sushi Na
1683 Route 9 Ste 1, Clifton Park, NY 12065

Sushi Thai Garden
44 Phila St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

[financialdistrictresident]

Second Anitpasto, though it's been awhile since I've been. Had an amazing salad there.

[jaylhorner]

I do not care for the restaurant. You sit too close to the next table and the wine prices are absurd.

[PSZaas]

I'm not really crazy about it either, although I'm glad it's there. It's a blessing to vegetarians, who show up every once in a while and enjoy being taken to dinner there. This is less of an issue than it once was, but Antipasto's is still one of the few vegetarian-centric restaurants around, if there's a word like that.

[financialdistrictresident]

Another lunch at Salty's recently. Friendly service. Clam roll (fried, of course) with cole slaw. Their FF are frozen, nothing special, save your calories. Wendy's new FF have the skin on them and are really good (on Route 9, not far from Salty's). I digress . . . Also had a cup of NE clam chowder. Surprisingly, no bacon. Usually I get Manhattan c. chowder.

[PSZaas]

Sorry, RK. I was going for irony. I still wouldn't call Clifton Park a dining destination, but in recent years it has acquired a reasonably large number of quite decent, independent restaurants, all of which are worth eating at. Steve Barnes just announced that a Mazzone Prime steakhouse is coming to a new hotel going up at Clifton Park Mall, so there's something, too. Both established restaurateurs and small independents have recognized the benefits of opening restaurants there.

[Roger K]

Not a problem, PSZ, I go back to the days when CP was know as Velveeta Land. ;>)

[financialdistrictresident]

The Waterford recs thread:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/802037

[feelinpeckish]

Thanks all for the effort, I guess I wasn't specific enough and the other query re: Waterford produced susggestions more in line with what I meant even if I had not stated it clearly enough. Thanks all.