Searching For a Snack in Schenectady

I’m questioning my choices. The last time I went on a diet, it was driven by my doctor’s ultimatum that I either clean up my act or go on a lifetime of medication. And it turns out that was highly motivating.

This time, the motivation isn’t there. So while I’m making better choices, and limiting my intake of certain fun foods, the results aren’t nearly as rapid as before. Maybe that’s okay. But it’s frustrating.

The problem with being on a diet is that there are so many foods one shouldn’t eat. So when Little Miss Fussy needed a snack while out running errands in Schenectady, instead of grabbing a slice of pizza or popping into a diner to split an order of fries, I was at a loss for what to eat.

Then I remembered hearing something good about an Afghani restaurant in the area.

At the time I couldn’t recall the name of the place or who made the suggestion. Looking back on it, the recommendation came from -R as a comment to the post There Are No Best Bloggers. He wrote:

Best recent discovery (for me): Lalah Afghani Restaurant in Schenectady. Next time you’re out by La Mexicana, it’s just across the street. Serious.
https://www.facebook.com/lalahrestaurant/?ref=page_internal

I’ve passed by this location dozens of times since then. However, if I’m in the vicinity of La Mexicana looking for something to eat, it’s nearly impossible for me to consider anything else besides a carnitas taco.

The same problem exists for me in Latham. As much as I may enjoy some of the dishes at Tipsy Moose and the seriously impressive beer list, how can I justify eating there with Ala Shanghai just next door.

However, yesterday I was able to make an exception because I had already made a stop into La Mexicana for lunch. Yep. I was pretty much just running back and forth in Schenectady yesterday afternoon. Little Miss Fussy was flabbergasted that after all the errands we ended up in the exact same spot as we started. But it meant we finally got to try a lamb kebab from Lalah.

Thank you -R for planting the seed. I only wish I remembered the backstory when I wrote my Yelp review of the place, so that I could give credit where credit is due. Luckily, I have this blog, so I can take care of that matter after the fact.

I’ll put my picture of the food here to tempt you to read the full review.

This plate of tender, aromatic chunks of halal lamb, served with a creamy dill sauce, sliced onions, lettuce, tomato, and green peppers, served on a piece of bread, was just six bucks and change, all told.

The place itself is rough around the edges. I’d love to see the couple that owns the spot to give it a deep cleaning. But it’s in a pretty grimey part of Schenectady, so it may be cleaner than it looks. Perhaps that’s just the patina of the neighborhood.

What I know for certain is that now whenever I drive by that strip on State Street, thoughts of this lamb dish will dance through my head. And I’ll have to do the calculus of whether one lamb kebab would be a better choice than a couple of tacos with carnitas and lengua. Or maybe I could get some borani, because that’s just eggplant and yogurt. And eggplant is a vegetable.

We’ll see what Young Master Fussy thinks of the place. He’s the dumpling lover, so I’m sure he’ll be tempted by the mantoo. If that passes his test, Lalah may find itself in our regular rotation.