Chicken Joe's

Chicken Joe's can best be described as the 'mad scientist' of food establishments. This sub shop in downtown Albany makes some of the strangest yet most delicious sandwiches around. By combining ingredients such as french fries, mozzarella sticks and mac and cheese bites, their subs pack unique flavor and are incredibly filling. On top of that, most of their subs are packed with chicken nuggets, chicken cutlets or turkey. The first sub that I tried their was the Heaven, full of chicken nuggets, french fries, mozzarella sticks, bacon, cheese and ranch dressing. While I can't say too many good things about the calorie count, indulgence is necessary every now and then and this sandwich definitely lived up to its name. And all of their subs are $6.50 so don't worry about burning through your cash. Other popular menu items include their chicken nugget meals that come in a variety of sizes and also include a side and drink, making it quite a value. If you're looking to feed a crowd, look no further because Chicken Joe's also sells large combo meals that are perfect for sporting events, parties or just hanging out. The rest of their menu consists of fired chicken, buffalo wings, breakfast sandwiches, and desserts.

One of the best parts about this store is its hours. Open until 2am Monday through Thursday and until 4am Friday and Saturday, it is a great place to head to when you are out late down town or simply to order from for a late night snack. On top of that, they deliver until 1:30am Monday through Saturday. So next time you get the munchies, keep Chicken Joe's in mind and your decision is sure to be quick and easy.

Lil' Buddha Tea

Lil' Buddha Tea of Albany, NY

Usually when people think of eating out, they want a location that serves a full-course meal with all the bells in whistles. In Albany, you learn to be flexible when defining everything as you are stuck in the grey area of upstate and downstate consumers all congregating in the Capitol Region. One of the first foodie establishments I visited in the region was Lil' Buddha Tea, a small tea market and cafe shop. Lil' Buddha Tea is located in the downtown Albany area at 274 Lark Street. I was in the mood for what people would call the inbetween of being hungry and didn't want to stuff myself with too much food, but didn't want to visit a fast food restaurant and feel like I just played an evil tricked my stomache. I was also in the mood to pick up some new tea. (I love tea!)

Apricot smoothie!

Lil' Buddha Tea is a somewhat new location to Albany, it was the Green Leaf Tea Company, but new management/ownership replaced the name and added a small cafe for shoppers to not only buy tea, but also delight themselves in a cup (or two) and some vegan-terian snacks. While picking up some more roobios tea (I prefer the orginal herb blend with added molasses and agave nectar in my teacup) and coconut cocoa tea pu-erh tea I also helped my self to a large cup of the Apricot Escape smoothie. The Apricot Escape smoothie is made with apricots, strawberries, bananas, and soy milk. It was smoothie and with the "just about" mix of natural fruit sugar. It filled me up, the soft sweet smell of tumble-cup delighted my senses and my bag full of herbal teas kept me excited for my next visit at the quaint shop.