Brandon's is reopening in the strip mall on chrysler ave where 3 other places closed??????

Is this same owner of RITZ on VanVranken?

Yes Donnie W. He will succeed. The Indian restaurant was a bad fit for the neighborhood.

Schenectady's Ritz Terrace revived again

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William M. Dowd, Upstate NY Restaurant Examiner
September 8, 2009 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.
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SCHENECTADY, NY -- There's a new restaurant in town, but the location has long been familiar to local diners.

The restaurant began as the Ritz Terrace many years ago, then became Brandon's Ritz Terrace when chef Don Williams bought it, and now that he has retired and sold it it will become Georgio's Ritz Terrace.

New owner George Paschalis, who has run restaurants in New York City and Florida, has refreshed the interior over the past few months, but retained much of the former staff. He plans to unveil the operation this Friday.

Our family used to frequent Brandon's -- at its original location on Upper State Street  (Our family once shared the private dining room with Marie Osmond and her "entourage" -- that was a memorable evening) and at its location on Van Vranken Avenue.    Brandon's was ALWAYS an exceptionally superb restaurant -- so if reports that they are reopening are true -- I am happy.

So that is from 2009....anything current on this place...reviews, etc.  Still under same owner?

Quoted from joebxr

So that is from 2009....anything current on this place...reviews, etc.  Still under same owner?

All I know is that the Don Williams has not been involved in the restaurant on Van Vranken Avenue since that article was printed ---  we haven't been back to the Ritz since the new owner took over .. have talked about going but for some reason just haven't had a chance to get back there.  

I have heard some favorable comments about the Ritz since the new owner took over -- but I can't offer my own judgement.

I will say one thing about Brandon's -- in regards to some of the reviews online right before it closed -- a few of the reviews were not good.   My recollection was that about the last year that Don Williams owned the restaurant  -- he was not at the restaurant  every day and as totally involved in its operation as he had been in earlier years  ...  my recollection was that when he was at the restaurant the food and service were nothing less than topnotch.   When he was NOT there ... and he took a vacation for several weeks at one point ... the food and the service  "suffered a bit".  

That may explain a few of the bad reviews -- although my family and I never had a bad experience -- there was at least a couple of occasions in that last year  (when he was either on vacation or not present at the restaurant) when the restaurant  was not quite  100%.    Not horrible .. but not quite on par with what we and many others had come to expect.

Brandon's Steak & Seafood
1702 Chrisler Avenue
Schenectady, NY 12303

Ph: (51 631-6373
Fx: (51 631-6374
Rep: Brandon Williams

Restaurants

Serving lunch and dinner. Specializing in Steak and Seafood.

There's a wonderful review in today's Gazetto on the new RJ's Ritz Terrace which is packing them in again on Van Vranken. None of this is relevant to Brandon's on Chrysler. That will succeed because Donnie has a following from the old days. Stop going to has beens and then you can try quality like at Ferrari's and RJ's Ritz Terrace.

All these relocations sound like a band of gypsies...

I will stick with business that stays in  one place and privately owned...like Ferrarri's, Marino's....

They open, close, like water from a faucet.....they have business for awhile and then....why???  because either the quality of food

quality goes  down and portions go less///then money problems....close reopen somewhere else....

Maybe they should all get together and open just ONE partnership, compromise, stay honest....and see what happens...

Quoted from Patches

All these relocations sound like a band of gypsies...

I will stick with business that stays in  one place and privately owned...like Ferrarri's, Marino's....

They open, close, like water from a faucet.....they have business for awhile and then....why???  because either the quality of food

quality goes  down and portions go less///then money problems....close reopen somewhere else....

Maybe they should all get together and open just ONE partnership, compromise, stay honest....and see what happens...

Sounds like this may be different though, that's why I'm interested.  Sounds like he had good business on Van Vranken, sold it, (probably had non-compete clause in sales agreement that has expried), and decided he wanted to get back inthe business...for whatever reason.  If he provides the same quality and service from when he had other place, sounds like ti could be good place to go in Rotterdam....hate the location, but guess I'll give it a shot anyway................maybe he watned to get out of Shcdy while the getting was good (LOL).

Agreed JB.....but the parking is limited.....and only has chairs for a limited amount of customers.

ate there once before....if you don't have reservations...you don't eat for quite awhile...

I guess it's a start....probably seduced by the new REGIME.....   score 1 for them...

and there will probably becondos, apts,  bars, resturants, drugstores etc., same o    same o....

No real business

Quoted from Patches

Agreed JB.....but the parking is limited.....and only has chairs for a limited amount of customers.

ate there once before....if you don't have reservations...you don't eat for quite awhile...

I guess it's a start....probably seduced by the new REGIME.....   score 1 for them...

and there will probably becondos, apts,  bars, resturants, drugstores etc., same o    same o....

No real business

Maybe I misunderstood...didn't think they were open on Chrisler yet?

The nice thing about Brandon's is that it served a wide variety of foods/cuisines --- it wasn't just a one note ethnic restaurant.  Italian food is too easy to make at home so unless you are going to a classy restaurant like Petta's or Dolce Vita or Mallozzi's ... there is no reason to order Italian food out.  One goes to Petta's, Dolce Vita and Mallozzi's because of the EXPERIENCE of dining in a sophisticated atmosphere and enjoying the company of great people --- and, in the case of Mallozzi's, enjoying the most delightful presentations of Calamari and other delicacies.    
When I go out to eat I prefer to enjoy cuisines and/or foods that I would not make at home or have not yet learned to make at home.   That is why -- if the new Brandon's is on the same par as the old Brandon's -- it will be one of my favorite restaurants.  
Our family still has to get to the Brown Derby in Albany, it is on our list of places to visit in 2012.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The nice thing about Brandon's is that it served a wide variety of foods/cuisines --- it wasn't just a one note ethnic restaurant.  Italian food is too easy to make at home so unless you are going to a classy restaurant like Petta's or Dolce Vita or Mallozzi's ... there is no reason to order Italian food out. One goes to Petta's, Dolce Vita and Mallozzi's because of the EXPERIENCE of dining in a sophisticated atmosphere and enjoying the company of great people --- and, in the case of Mallozzi's, enjoying the most delightful presentations of Calamari and other delicacies.    
When I go out to eat I prefer to enjoy cuisines and/or foods that I would not make at home or have not yet learned to make at home.   That is why -- if the new Brandon's is on the same par as the old Brandon's -- it will be one of my favorite restaurants.  
Our family still has to get to the Brown Derby in Albany, it is on our list of places to visit in 2012.

you are a f.ckin idiot