Rock N Roll Brunch

does not exist anymore. do not go!!!

My husband and I caught the May seating of rock and roll brunch, almost serendipitously. My husband stumbled upon it on Unilocal and it happened to be early enough to make the 10:30 opening. We arrived at about 10:20 to an already almost intimidatingly long line. Fortunately, once we made it inside we were able to secure the last 4 seats at the bar.
I sadly write this review given the rave reviews I read on Unilocal.We were so excited given that his only happens 1x/​mo, however, we did not have the same experience as other Unilocalers.
I’ll start with the good: the staff was very friendly and accommodating (turns out our friends had a 5^th person and they kindly brought an extra seat to the bar for us). The coffee was pretty standard but not disappointing. The chicken empanadas were great! I’m always excited to see chicken offerings on menus so that was a must try for us and I definitely recommend those.
Now for the bad: I ordered the biscuits and gravy with mushroom (my husband ordered the sausage version) we were very excited to try these given their appearance on other people’s plates. In fact, it looked so good, our entire party of 5 ordered the same dish. Sadly, huge disappointment. The biscuits were ROCK hard! And maybe a bit cold too. The mushrooms and gravy were the only reason I was able to partially get through the meal.
And for the ugly: Although we were seated right away after our 10 min wait in line, our food took about 45 min to arrive! Fortunately we had ordered a few apps but the 45 min wait was even after we had finished our apps.
I’m not sure if we caught it on an off day, or we ordered the wrong thing, but our experience definitely did not live up to the prior Unilocal reviews. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again, but I have a feeling I won’t be able to get my husband to give it a second chance.

I usually regret ordering a frittata. It’s something that is so simple to make at home that I often wish I had opted for something more complicated or flavorful. I had no such regrets ordering the spring frittata at Rock n Roll Brunch. A perfect balance of asparagus, ramps, mushrooms, and tarragon with cream cheese swirled out. The eggs were light and airy with just a hint of brown crust. The mushrooms were the perfect texture.
The home fries were good. Not crispy, but almost. Mild seasoning helped balance out the flavor and salt in the frittata. Still, was expecting a bit more from them.
A very successful first Rock N Roll Brunch. Will be back for sure.

I had the good pleasure of running into the inimitable Daniel B., and Josh K. and his Wife, who were gracious enough to allow me to enjoy brunch with them.
I ordered the Rocky Mountain High II. Two big slabs of cornbread, topped with cheese, an over easy duck egg, thick cut bacon, and tarragon aioli, with a side of home fries.
I loved the cornbread. It wasn’t too sweet – that’s good, I don’t care for overly sweet cornbread – and it had a moist, and pleasantly crumbly texture. I don’t think I’ve ever had cornbread with cheese on it before, but it worked. The bacon was two pieces of ½″ square hunks of fat and pork, and it was the best part of the dish. The pork was tender, the fat was unctuous and flavorful without being greasy or gelatinous. The runny duck egg yolk and aioli, added yet another layer of decadence to the dish, and all of it came together deliciously. The home fries though, were unremarkable.
I plan on going back in April, and hopefully Daniel, Josh, and his Wife will be there too, because the combination of great food and great company made for a memorable experience.

Blink and you might just miss one of the best brunches in Albany. It happens just one day per month. Typically, it is the third or fourth Sunday. But keep your eyes on the Facebook page to know for sure, because you don’t want to miss this.
Chef Josh Coletto brings his own style of local seasonal cooking to The Low Beat in Albany for brunch. And the menu changes each month. The one dish that’s always there is his biscuits with gravy, which comes either with homemade sausage or in a vegetarian mushroom version. Plus, there is always a vegan option on the menu for those of you who go that way.
I’ve only been able to go twice. The first time I enjoyed a local grassfed country fried steak in a coffee and cream thickened gravy which was fantastic. Last time was even better, because Josh’s version of pozole rojo was the perfect thing for a cold winter morning. It made me think that pozole might take the place of ramen for the next must-​eat dish of foodies everywhere.
It’s not a good place to bring a crowd. The largest table seats four. You may have to eat on bar stools. You may have to eat at the bar. You may have to wait… for a while. They may run out of certain popular dishes.
The best time to go is either right at 10:30 when it opens, before the flood of people come at 10:35, or wait until the first two rounds of tables had made it through, and things settle down at noon.
March 22 is the next one. And I’m only telling you because I’ve already checked my calendar, and can’t make it.