Restaurants in West Albany

Originally a turn-of-the-century tollbooth that charged a nickel per one-horse rig, Toll Gate Ice Cream now cools overheated passersby with fresh, homemade ice cream and sherbet in a rainbow of classic and inventive flavors. Toll Gate’s award-winning peanut-butter-and-jelly ice cream combines two beloved comfort foods in a far more palatable form than chocolate-chip corn dogs. Customers can seize handfuls of other novel flavors such as root-beer sherbet, pumpkin, cinnamon apple, and eggnog ($2.75/scoop). After arranging a lineup that mirrors guests’ personalities and pronunciation of caramel, Toll Gate can refashion scoops into fudge-brownie sundaes ($6.95), floats ($5.95), and milkshakes ($6.25). Backwards diners can chase their ice-cream dinner with a dessert of burgers ($8.55 with fries), sandwiches, seafood platters, and steaks grilled on a dragon’s smile ($9–$12.50).

Have a craving for Asian food, but can't decide between Thai, Chinese, and Japanese? Tomo Asian Bistro offers all three, making life a bit easier and more delicious. In between sushi-rolling sessions and gyoza-tossing contests, the chefs carefully slice fresh fish for sashimi and nigiri and artfully arrange veggies in special spring rolls. Whole fried flounder comes served in the restaurant’s special sauce and a half-boneless crispy duck gets a kick from ingredients such as garlic and chilies. Classic entrees of panang curry, general tso's chicken, and mongolian beef are also served, and can be paired with wonton soup, chicken satay, or one of everything.

Invoking the precision of Samurai Japanese Restaurant's warrior namesake, sushi chefs slice paper-thin pieces of sashimi within the eatery's sparkling new Colonie location. Alongside pieces of fatty tuna and oyster, chefs assemble specialty rolls such as the King California and the Fire House roll, whose shrimp tempura and spicy tuna pair with rice, seaweed, and crunch. The menu also includes cooked entrees, such as yakitori-style bamboo skewers with short ribs and broccoli, as well as hibachi-style scallops and strip steak, which chefs prepare on sizzling tabletop grills.