The best Mediterranean restaurant you’ve never heard of is in the basement of an Albany bank
Follow me into the gray corporate depths of the NBT bank in search of Bon Appetit Cafe in Albany.
A few weeks ago, I was in the checkout line at Trader Joe’s on Wolf Road in Albany when my stomach growled loudly enough for the cashier to hear it—and chuckle. “Know any good places nearby to eat?” I asked.
He pointed across the street to the homely six-story brown brick building that squats over a parking lot on the other side of the street. “Walk over there, into the basement, and go all the way to the back,” the cashier instructed me (ominously? Did I imagine ominously?).
Both curious and a little apprehensive about what you find in the basement of a hulking corporate bank building, I strolled past a number of glass and metal doors. I stopped when I came to a length of pumice-colored wall topped by windows. Café & Gift Shop was stenciled in white on top, accompanied by a half-dozen paper printouts taped to the glass inside plastic folder pockets. It was not, in fact, a pizza joint, as you might expect for a restaurant in a bank. Instead, I found menus and specials for Bon Appetit Cafe, a 5-days-a-week breakfast and lunch joint that happens to serve some damn fine house-made Mediterranean foods on Wednesdays.
While the restaurant won’t win any awards for its décor, Bon Appetit in Albany is one of the better and more affordable places in the city for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern favorites like felafel, koshari (lentils and rice with sauteed onions in tomato sauce), and wine-marinated grilled chicken with feta—all with an Egyptian spin, thanks to the cultural roots of the café’s owners. You can eat in at the next-door seating area, which is clean and uncrowded, or pick up overflowing containers of food to take home.
On my initial visit, I ordered a breakfast egg and cheese sandwich on chunky grilled bread. For a bargain $3.25, it was toasty and filling, and something I could eat on the go—perfect for an errand-running day.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about the Mediterranean menu. A couple weeks later, I had a free Wednesday afternoon, so I called in a takeout order and braved a dreary, rainy day to pick up my booty at Bon Appetit. My only challenge? Waiting until I made it home to break open the containers of food. The smell nearly drove me crazy—in the best way—for the entire 35-minute drive.
The felafel burger—made Egyptian style with fava beans instead of chickpeas—came on a toasted kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, and red onion, and tahini and tzatziki sauce on the side. I dug into this first, savoring the crunch of the bean patty and fresh vegetables, and the creaminess of the sauces. Even though the patty was fried, it wasn’t greasy—a felafel deal-breaker for me. The side of Veggie Straws were starting to soften from having made the ride in a closed container, so I used this as an excuse to eat them. All of them.
I was pretty full, yet I soldiered on, turning my attention to the Sampler Platter: 4 stuffed grape leaves, 2 felafel patties topped with sesame seeds, 1 scoop of hummus, 1 scoop of Bon Appetit’s own feta spread, a small garden salad, and some pita wedges. I sampled two grape leaves—a solid effort, with well-cooked rice and a slight vinegar tang—and a spoonful each of the two spreads. Both of the latter were excellent, especially the herbed feta.
Down for the count, I popped the rest of my Sampler Platter into the fridge. It turned out to be enough for two more meals, and the felafel patties heated well, without losing their crunch.
The grand total for what amounted to three meals: $24, including tax. Bon Appetit Café in Albany might be a bit of a drive, but it’s one I’m willing to take whenever the craving for Mediterranean favorites strikes.
