My friends and I ended up eating at Alexis Diner on a fluke, but we weren’t disappointed. When our previous arrangement fell through, two of my roommates and I were left dinnerless in an abandoned parking lot off Pawling Ave. One roommate suggested Alexis Diner. The diner, located near the Rensselaer Technology Park, is hard to miss: the chrome and neon building reeks of ’50s nostalgia.
Although the parking lot was nearly full, we were promptly seated and waited on. Our plan for the evening’s meal was to order burgers from the menu. If my appetite wasn’t already primed for some ground beef sandwiched between buns, I would have had a difficult time deciding what to try. The extensive menu included breakfast served all day as well as traditional diner classics such as roasted half-chickens, steaks, sandwiches, and wraps.
Ultimately I ordered the Texas burger, which contained bacon and barbeque sauce splashed on a seven-ounce patty between two slices of thick Texas-style bread. One of my dinner companions ordered the Swiss and mushroom burger, cooked very rare, while the other picked the steak burger: the 12-ounce behemoth of a meal. When asked how I’d like my burger prepared, I gave my typical retort of, “As rare as you make it,” and was happily rewarded with the reply of, “This isn’t Friendly’s; they’ll make it so it’s still bleeding.” That’s what I like to hear.
Our order came pretty quickly considering how crowded the place was. The portion sizes were larger than I thought they’d be, guessing by the prices listed on the menu. My meal threatened to leave the plate at every border, compelling me to pick up the burger and take a big bite. It was of the unhinge-your-jaw variety, but that didn’t stop me.
At first the burger was more than I expected it to be, as the preparer didn’t skimp on the barbeque sauce or bacon, but a few more bites brought disappointment. Sure, the burger was rare, but it wasn’t bleeding. I also noted that the patty’s perfect geometry, which screamed “prepackaged;” however, it didn’t taste like it was recently frozen, and it was the rarest I’ve been able to get in a long time.
The side of coleslaw was delicious, but lacking in size. The burgers came with fries, potato salad, or macaroni salad, and I chose the potato salad. While enough of the side is served with the meal, it didn’t contain nearly enough potatoes and wasn’t particularly flavorful.
I was almost completely full by the end of the entrée, but since my two companions decided to order dessert, I figured I would too. I picked the banana cream pie—my companions ordered the hot fudge sundae and chocolate cake. There were no complaints on the hot fudge sundae, but the cake was slightly on the dry side, though not enough to warrant any outright complaint. My banana cream pie was a disappointment and resembled a slice of something that I’ve been served up at Commons a few times, although without the taste of medicine. However, what it lacked in taste it more than made up for in quantity.
At the end of the meal we were all stuffed. While the food’s taste stayed in mediocrity, the price and quantity was more than enough to bring me back. For $10 I was able to get a dinner and dessert that didn’t leave me hungry a couple hours later. Of course, burgers aren’t the most expensive meal on the menu, but I noticed nothing costing over $15. For a decent meal at a great price, Alexis would be hard to beat.
To get to Alexis Diner, get onto Pawling Ave. and continue for 1.5 miles until you come across Winter Street on your right. Take Winter Street for 2.5 miles to turn right on North Greenbush Road (Route 4). Alexis Diner is the glowing chrome and neon building a couple hundred feet down the road on the left—you can’t miss it.
