Albany: home to artists, college kids, families and everyone else. What do they all have in common? They are Banalbains—hungry for food. Lark Street, located off of Washington Avenue and Madison Avenue contains a variety of food selections. The top three seems to be Mexican, Italian and Australian. But which food best represents the hearts of the Banalbains? Lets find out.
Bombers: Dirty white and black tiled floor. Red walls. Mirrors covered in music and political stickers, written over with random scribbling. A hole in the wall that serves food such as burritos the size of a young child’s thigh and barbeque tofu with rice, cheese and fries. Open until twelve, one or two during the week. The downstairs serves food only—the bar is upstairs. People from the ages of 16-30 seem to populate this place.
Jackbit & Joltz: A chain restaurant, new to Lark. Orange and blue dotted black lizards claim these clean walls. Seven or so tables stand proudly in this wide-open-spaced, Australian atmosphere. The food includes sandwich slang terms such as: Barbie Pork Sanger and a Hot Veggie Jaffle for Vegetarians—like yours truly. A new favorite for the cops and people over thirty.
Sohos: A small room with a green and white tiled floor with a few tables. The selection includes of thin crusted pizza such as cheese, barbeque, parmesan… etc. A typical pizza place that happens to be located on Lark. Its cousins probably are I Love NY Pizza and Madison Pizza off of Madison Avenue. Conveniently located near the bar Hollywood, people from the ages of 17-25 haunt this place.
A woman who has become my family once said, “Albany is for people in their twenties.” Honestly, I couldn’t agree more. Most likely because I am in my twenties. Whenever I’ve wandered anywhere between Fuller Avenue and South Pearl Street, I’ve found that more younger people dominate Albany. If Albany wasn’t home and neighbor to so many colleges: The College of Saint Rose, SUNY Albany, Albany Law, Sage, Union College, R.P.I., Siena College, etc… perhaps the general age population would be different.
But which of these three restaurants best represents the Banalbains?
Drum roll please.
And the award goes to… Bombers!
Oh the applause and the cheering!
Bombers is a very laid back place. It best represents Banalbains because they are of a social breed. Creatures who are loud, messy, fun, welcoming, dirty and fast. People from the ages of 17-30 use this place for social gatherings: lunch dates, birthdays, food after music shows—usually at Valentine’s, a bar located off of New Scotland Avenue. It’s one of the few places open late—besides diners and pizza shops—where a body can go to get food, hang out and be comfortable.
Congratulations Bombers, you’re a lovely representative for the people of Albany.
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