Restaurant Reviews
 

Read our latest review from Success Magazine!

The Sunset Café
Casual Southwest Fusion Cuisine

Overall rating on a scale of 1-10
Service 6 • Food 8.5 • Ambiance 8 • Price $$

Have you been in the mood for some yummy feel good food? Head off to the Sunset Café in Ballston Spa where the atmosphere is cozy and casual with a decidedly rustic southwest flair. One of the first things that Grant and I noticed was the salt and pepper shakers on each table. Each set is different—our table happened to have a lobster salt shaker stuck in a lobster trap pepper shaker, which immediately put a smile on my face. I just love the funny and quirky little touches that make a restaurant comfortable and fun.

The Sunset Café also boasts some wonderful and interesting artwork on the walls. If one of the paintings happens to catch your eye, they are all for sale. The café is comprised of three rooms. The front room boasts a large window that overlooks Front Street. If you are an avid people watcher (as I am), this is the place to sit. A nice bar sits in the back, complete with a wooden bar top and ESPN on the television.

It is not often that I am overwhelmed (in a good way) by a menu. However, the menu at The Sunset Café is, in a word, amazing. I certainly was not expecting the variety of dishes offered. They serve anything from delicious sounding quesadillas, to sandwiches, to full course meals of steak, pork, chicken and fish. Most dishes have their own little flair...the best example I could find was the PEI mussels offered on the appetizer menu. You wouldn’t expect to find mussels on a southwestern menu, but if they were steamed in Corona beer and lime...

Grant and I finally decided to order our appetizers so that we would have more time to study our options for dinner. He ordered a cup of the smoked chicken corn chowder and the barbeque pork crepe. I decided to try the guacamole and chips because it had an interesting description that included olive oil and garlic–two things that are traditionally not included in a guacamole recipe. This is where the idea of southwest fusion kicks in, and it didn’t disappoint.

Grant’s chowder was very good–hearty, but not heavy. It had a delicious smoky flavor and was not too creamy. The barbeque pork crepe was wonderful. It was not the usual thin white flour crepe. Instead it was a corn crepe–a little like a corn tortilla, but not as thick, stuffed with tender pieces of pork. Drizzled over top was the barbeque sauce. It was an ingenious way to serve the crepe because it allowed you to taste each flavor of the dish without being overwhelmed by a single flavor. The guacamole was very good, as it was not typical restaurant guacamole that tends to be overly smooth and bland. It had decent bite-sized chunks and was full of flavor.

After much deliberation, we decided on our main courses. Instead of ordering one of the six varieties of quesadillas, I went with the St. Louis Style Ribs and Grant decided to try the southwestern cassoulet. Dinner comes with your choice of a salad or soup. We opted for the house salads since we already had a tasty bite of soup. I asked for the regular Italian dressing because the house roasted garlic, tomato basil vinaigrette sounded a little too garlicky for me. Grant ordered the salad with their Santa Fe blue cheese dressing–it added a slight kick to his salad, which he enjoyed, along with the corn muffin served on top.

The ribs were quite good—meaty yet tender with the perfect amount of barbeque sauce. They were saucy enough to where I needed extra napkins, but not so saucy that they were dripping with excess. It was served with slightly bland coleslaw that was balanced by delicious baked beans.

Grant enjoyed his cassoulet. His grilled beef tenderloin came out cooked to order (rare) on a bed of spinach with navy and kidney beans, spiced nicely with thin slices of sausage. Although the beans were good, they were a little too al dente for his taste. Finally, we decided to have dessert. What else but a cup of fried ice cream to end a great southwestern dinner? It was very sweet, and perfect to share.

Total price including tip: $76.

~ By Judith Power
For Capital Region Living Magazine

Looking for something different and delicious? You'll find it at Sunset Cafe, at 42 Front Street in Ballston Spa, New York. Like my dinner companion and I, you can enjoy an imaginative and memorable meal for a very reasonable price.

You'll find such interesting selections on the menu such as Southwest Cassoulet and Sweet Bourbon Salmon. The lunch menu features wraps and sandwiches, and at both lunch and dinner, you'll find such Mexican fare as roasted corn and black bean quesadillas. The cafe also features barbeque grilling. The fire is 100% hardwood, and it is used to give meats a fragrant smoky flavor."

~ An excerpt by Caroline Lee
For The Sunday Gazette

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