First Time at Nicoles Bistro.
Tonight we walked into Nicoles, just after 5pm, without reservations. While I thought our early arrival would best work to our advantage, we were almost turned away. Thankfully our waitress was able to consolidate some seats and supply us with 2 small tables to accomidate five diners.
Our waitress was very nice and probably more at ease with five patrons closer to her age then those who appeared later in the night.
I was the only one who started dinner off with an appetizer, the French Grantinee, and enjoyed the soup, though found it extremely filling for a pre-dinner palate wetter. The dishes ordered for our table were the Steamed Salmon with new potatoes, Veal Scallopine with polenta and fresh vegetables, two Chicken Wellingtons and one Rack of Lamb. My friends who ordered the Scallopine and Salmon were happily filling themselves throughout dinner. The two who ordered the Wellington were amused as it came out in a puff patry formed to resemble the main ingredient of the dish: chicken. The dish was hearty and both thoroughly enjoyed their meals, though were unable to eat more than half of it. 3 of the small sections of lamb were cooked to the perfect medium that I had ordered them. The last one I savored was a bit into the well done, but I'm sure time had continued the interal cooking process of the meat. While I enjoyed the lamb, which was the first time in two years that I had had it, I did find the outside parmesan/herb crust to have a bit of a burned taste to it. I enjoyed it, except for that faint taste and really enjoyed the garlic potatoes and fresh vegetables that accompanied the dish. The presentation was beautiful on all of the plates and a Pinot Grigio was a nice match to the Chicken Wellington.
For dessert we ordered two of their Creme Brulees and a flourless white cake with hazelnuts and Chocolate Ganache. The desserts were inspiring. The Creme Brulee had a smooth texture and velvety taste to it with just enough sugar crust to kick the sweetness flavor up a notch or two. The flourless cake was amazing. I am not a fan of hazelnuts, but went for a few extra tastings of this. The texture was not offensive to the tongue and the Ganache was the perfect balance.

All said and done, the bill for 5 people, with one glass of wine, one soup, five entrees, 3 coffees and 3 desserts was $160--with $15 taken off for the Entertainment card used.    [01 Nov 2003 23:40:03]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Chicken Wellington, Steamed Salmon,Flourless Cake with Ganache and Creme Brulee

     ­Feminist Chef   

I love it.
I am an attorney in NY City who spends 3 days a week, 6 months each year in Albany, NY. I've been going to Nicole's for years and like the wine she serves, Nicole and her Bistro get better and better. The food is the best in Albany and rivals many NY City top quality restaurants. Anyone visiting Albany should try Nicoles Bistro.    [27 Jan 2004 00:39:45]

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Recommended Dishes: Osso Bucco, Steaks

     ­Robert Ungar   fireandems at aol dot com

Happy 11th Anniversary to us!
My husband and I decided to try Nicole's Bistro for our 11th anniversary. I hadn't been there since I visited from Boston over eleven years ago(in a different location).

One night, we were going to the Palace for a Bonnie Raitt concert and we saw the private patio dining. It looked so romantic and private. So, I made reservations for our anniversary and surprised him. He had never been there.

There was quite a large party that night, so we waited at the bar and had drinks. We were lucky to socialize with interesting people including Nicole herself. Unfortunately, this was January and we couldn't dine on the patio.

We were seated at a very romantic table by the fire place with candles! We both had the seafood bisque (yummy). I had squash ravioli and he had filet mignon. Our meals and service were wonderful.

Nicole overheard it was our anniversay and had champagne sent to our table. She personally came to our table and congratulated us. We shared the bread pudding for dessert (best I ever had), before retreating to the bar for a nightcap. While listening to romantic piano music, we proclaimed this another wonderful and successful anniversary!
Dr.Cynthia Giruzzi-Cahill
Delmar, NY    [12 Feb 2006 17:19:04]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: squash ravioli and the bread pudding

     ­Dr. Cynthia Giruzzi-Cahill