Recently I had the opportunity to go to Saso’s Japanese Noodle House for dinner with my usual companion. It had come highly recommended by several different people, and our expectations were high. We were definitely not disappointed.
The restaurant is hard to spot, and doesn’t look like much from the outside. Other than the sign, the doorway is the only thing that leads you to believe that you’re standing outside a Japanese restaurant.
The interior, however, is another matter. It is bright without looking sterile, cheerful without being gaudy, and relaxing without being boring. The only problem is that the seating arrangement is a bit cramped, probably because every seat is needed—the restaurant was nearly full when we arrived.
When I first looked at the menu, I have to admit that my first thought was, "Ten bucks for a bowl of ramen?!" Just then, however, the waitress brought an order to the table next to us, and one of the people there had ordered ramen. Comparing that huge steaming bowl of thick noodles, colorful veggies, and chunks of meat to the dime-a-package stuff you can buy at the grocery store would be like comparing a hot, fresh pizza (loaded with toppings) from the heart of New York City to the tripe that is served in the dining halls.
After seeing that, I gave the menu more serious consideration and found that most of the dishes on it were ten bucks. The sushi platters, of course, cost more, as did a few of the specialty entrees, but on the whole I found the prices to be quite reasonable.
The menu breaks up into only a few sections: appetizers, rice bowls, noodle dishes (of which there are four different types), specialty entrees, and sushi. This might lead you to believe that the selection is very limited. Not so—there are many different appetizers available and each type of noodle can be prepared five or six different ways.
One of the best reasons to go to Saso’s, though, is the sushi. Now I normally don’t like sushi, but I felt obliged to order a few pieces in order to give a complete review. The selection of sushi is quite impressive, and the prices on it are good—pieces from the a la carte menu mostly fall in the $2-3 range. My dining companion (who is much more into sushi) said that it was very good, and—much to my surprise—I enjoyed it as well. Even if you don’t like sushi, I recommend you try it here.
The sushi appetizer took about 15 minutes to arrive from the time of our order, and our entrees came about 15 minutes after that—not quite speedy service, but certainly not a long wait by any stretch. Even if the wait had been longer, though, it would have been worth it.
Our meals arrived, and they certainly looked appetizing—the presentation of the food on the plate was very well done. But it was the food itself that really grabbed our attention. I order a spicy dish that featured what were essentially double-thick lo mein noodles called udon. It was really, really good, with lots of vegetables and seafood and a solid kick to it. My companion opted for a vegetable tempura rice bowl and was equally pleased, noting that some of the vegetables used weren’t common in tempura and that they were a nice addition to the dish.
For dessert, we opted for fried ginger ice cream. It was good, but we decided that the chocolate sauce with it overwhelmed the ginger flavor, and that the ice cream by itself and not fried would have been even better.
All in all, this was one of the best dining experiences that I have had in the area. The only serious faults I can point at are the cramped seating and the tea—instead of the standard green tea, Saso’s serves a barley tea that I didn’t like very much. These are small points in comparison with the quality of the food, though, and I highly recommend that anyone planning on going out for dinner consider making the short drive down to Albany to go to Saso’s. It will be worth the trip.
Saso’s is located at 218 Central Avenue in Albany, just across from the Flights of Fantasy bookstore. To get there, take I-787 south to I-90 west. The first exit off of I-90 is for route 9; take this south into Arbor Hill. This will put you on Henry Johnson Boulevard. Stay on this road until you cross an overpass, and turn right at the next light on Central Avenue. Saso’s will be less than a mile ahead on the left.
