MALTA — The Galley Bar & Grill on Route 9, open only a 12 months, has made us want we had an off-the-cuff restaurant close by as pleasant and fairly priced.
“I like this place,” stated my good friend Amy, wanting round on the cheerful light-blue-painted partitions and nautical decor. “It’s homey.” Even the unused hearth is painted blue, and that works.
The bar is within the entrance room, with muted tv screens behind and white sheer curtains on the widows. There have been two teams at tables in right here, having fun with their meals served in plastic baskets lined with paper.
The tabletops are butcher block, with snug wood chairs. We selected a desk within the again room, the place a protracted wood bench alongside one wall put Amy in thoughts of a ship’s deck.
The Galley jogged my memory of my neighborhood place, which closed final 12 months after 70 years. It doesn’t look something prefer it, however felt prefer it: welcoming, relaxed and pleasant. The meals wasn’t fancy however was reliably good.
We smelled fried meals — a great scent, not a greasy one. I took it as a optimistic signal. It was.
The Galley has a nautical theme, with seafood a spotlight of the menu, however I’d name the steadiness of it American delicacies. And a pleasing shock: They provide extra gluten-free choices than most locations.
The menu consists of the form of informal meals you’d anticipate out of your environment: appetizers, sandwiches, salads and burgers, but additionally quesadillas and tacos.
The entrees are the place you’ll discover many of the seafood, reminiscent of blackened cod ($22.99); lime chili shrimp ($22.99); and a captain’s platter of fried shrimp, calamari and cod served with fries and slaw ($26.99). Shrimp and fish present up within the tacos and quesadillas, too.
The hen parm ($19.99) is made with home marinara and comes with pasta. The Galley burger ($12.99) is on a brioche roll with tomato, onion, pickles and a facet. You will get a gluten-free roll.
For a restaurant to be totally gluten-free there can’t be any gluten within the constructing, or any exterior meals introduced in — even employees lunches. Many eating places, just like the Galley, take the center floor, providing gluten-free bread and buns, pizza crusts and pasta.
On the Discover Me Gluten Free web site and app, locals fee the Galley Bar & Grill extremely. The restaurant has two gluten-free fryers, and all the fried meals is gluten-free.
As he handed over the menus, our server introduced that it was 10 for $10 wing day. “And we make good wings,” he stated. That was sufficient to persuade us.
We began by sharing an order, medium, and the warmth was spot on. I requested for crispy, which they largely have been, in any other case they have been excellent. The wings are meaty, and free from these little imperfections that inform you they’re reducing corners.
A touch of vinegar smelled excellent. “They’re good,” Amy declared, nibbling her drumette. I preferred them, too.
A small salad is $5, which appeared like loads, however it’s a large salad with recent Romaine, sliced into bite-sized items so that you don’t need to work, chopped tomato and onion. It hit the spot.
Typically a quesadilla generally is a cheese bomb, however Amy identified that the veggie dilla ($12.99) is perhaps type of wholesome.
The veggie dilla turned out to be fairly good — and tacky — however not loopy. It was a satisfying steadiness between wholesome and fattening. The tortilla was crisp, the veggies cooked by way of however not mushy, and there was sufficient cheese to really feel decadent.
The broccoli and cauliflower added moisture and bulk with out including weight. The small florets didn’t get crushed and have been cooked simply sufficient to retain their shade and a few crunch. It ought to have had mushrooms, in line with the menu, however I didn’t miss them. It really works, and I’d order it once more.
It got here with bitter cream and house-made pico de gallo, which tasted of recent cilantro. It will be good to see riper tomato this time of 12 months, although.
“The tacos are scrumptious,” stated Amy after just a few bites of her blackened fish tacos ($14.99). “These are actually good fish tacos,” she added after just a few extra.
“It’s good there’s an choice, fried or blackened,” she noticed. The cabbage was barely candy and crunchy, the fish “moist and flaky, properly spicy.” She preferred the sriracha aioli as nicely. There have been three tacos, on corn tortillas with sriracha and the cabbage.
She bought a facet of broccoli, completely steamed shiny inexperienced, she stated, and scrumptious. It seemed like frozen, however Amy stated it tasted very recent.
“Such a great meal,” she stated once we completed. That’s how I felt, too.
Husband Eric polished off the remainder of the wings. “They’re fairly good,” he commented later, reaching for one more. For the file, he stated “mm.” Twice.
The tab for our meal, with a weight loss program soda, taxes and tip, got here to $57.15. Within the close to future the Galley might be passing on a few of its bank card fees to clients, including half, or 1.5% to the tab.
On the Galley I didn’t have to decide on between a plate of fried meals or a bowl of twigs and nuts. The menu is broad sufficient in order that I managed to have a fairly wholesome and scrumptious lunch. I’d return once more to strive the fish or shrimp tacos and meal-sized salads. And perhaps just a few french fries.
“I’d come again if it was within the neighborhood,” stated Amy, a Trojan like me. I might, too. Fortunate locals.
Caroline Lee is a contract author who lives in Troy. Attain herat [email protected].
Galley Bar & Grill
WHERE: 2839 State Route 9, Malta; (518) 886-8695; galleybarandgrill.com
WHEN: 12 to 9 p.m. Monday by way of Thursday; 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday for brunch
HOW MUCH: $57.15 with one soda, tax and tip
MORE INFO: Bank cards: Mastercard, Visa, American Specific, Uncover. Massive car parking zone. Youngsters’s menu. ADA compliant.
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