the kitchen table

great atmosphere. great food selection including options for vegetarians. great service. i can't wait for their outdoor sesting permit to go through.

excellent food and a very diverse menu. the menu never gets bland, as it changes with each season. the ric-ter scale, which measures the spiciness of each dish, is very helpful (and accurate!!) and also puts the official ric orlando stamp on the restaurant. a truly exceptional eatery!

a funky little place with excellent service. having said that, we were extremely disappointed with the food. the purple haze shrimp was great, but be prepared for a whole bunch of heat. the jerk chicken was barely edible. i like jerk, but you should still be able to taste the chicken. thai meets italy.....very aldenti noodles with way too much curry. in my opinion, you could just as easily chow a jar of spices and forget about what you are putting it on because you won't taste it anyway.

enjoyable splurge. we've had several nice meals at new world over the last 2 years. can't afford to go weekly, but usually quarterly or so. we've also been known to stop in during the nice weather and just enjoy appetizers & drinks on the patio. brunch is terrific - great variations on eggs benedict - salmon & ropa vieja.

not a fan. considering all of the rave reviews we were expecting a much better experience than we encountered. there is no subtlety in this food and instead good ingredients are overspiced to blow out one's palette. the gluten free buns are terrible and reminiscent of cardboard and the burger was not cooked to the appropriate temperature (it was all but incinerated). the casuelo of olives includes unpitted olives throw with some red pepper flakes (ho hum). the calamari was typical but the peanut sauce was quite extraordinary (the only bright spot in the meal). the seitan wings, purple haze shrimp, and crab cakes with remoulade were simply ordinary with extreme spice to try to add an interesting flair to dull food.

unexpectedly good for albany. six of us had dinner at new world bistro tonight. i'm not going to stretch the truth and say that every one of us absolutely loved the choices we made, but we all enjoyed the meal, had excellent service and spent an enjoyable three hours at this hot, hopping spot.

i thought my personal choices for dinner were among the best i've had recently.

except the bombay gimlet, which while made with fresh lime juice and very strong, wasn't up to the old standard with rose's.

but the calamari appetizer was lovely, and my ribeye entree with fries ($28) -- oddly, the restaurant was out of mashed potatoes (how does a professional chef run out of mashed potatoes?) -- was surprisingly, unexpectedly, deliciously great. nor prime steak house great, but great in a hip, busy nightspot place way. i loved it.

bottom line: enjoyed this place, even if it in albany.

interesting brunch selections! nice twist on eggs benedict. pulled pork vs canadian bacon. nice.

i'm not quite sure what the hype is about. yes the food is decent but nothing worth the prices, the do nothing more than the breakfast place gate house does. i'm not paying gastronomy prices for food made by a chef that believes he's entitled to your money after recent publicity.

i love this place! there really is something on the menu to cater to everyone. this is upscale comfort food at its finest- go for the flavors, drinks and atmosphere- not to stuff yourself. ingredients are local, fresh and trustworthy. brunch is to die for!

what happened to my review from last year? it wasn't offensive. i just didn't like it. food prices and proportions r outrageous. we went for dinner but once we got our apps we decided to go elsewhere for dinner. all i can remember we're the boar ribs and the hot dogs. they tasted well enough but for the prices of $18 and $12 i expected much more. please, 2 tiny ribs and for gods sake they r hot dogs. i can't even remember what our other 2 people got. i just don't understand this place or the reviews it has. i go out to eat fairly often at least 2x a week. it's in an old stewart's building. kudos for trying to bring something new to the area but please stop with the pretentiousness. we ate our table scraps and went to el loco on madison ave for a more worthwhile meal. oh and it was packed with people waiting outside compared to us alone at the world bistro. that alone speaks volumes.

while there were some definite mixed opinions on some of the food, i would definitely go back to new world bistro bar the next time we head home to albany. the menu is vast enough that it would take several trips to truly get a good feel of the food being served. and, who knows, maybe next time we might even eat a vegetable.

great food, service, and atmosphere. i've been twice now, and i enjoyed it both times. the first time i got the tuna, and it was delicious. i also got an appetizer (calamari, i think), and i was happy with it too. i had the creme brulee for dessert, and it was good, but it wasn't nearly as good as my fiancee's nutella and ice cream dessert. the second time i went, i got a seasonal dish--pork belly and oysters. i'd never had anything like it. it was amazing. we got the nutella and ice cream dessert again because it was so good. the wine list is short. if you want something good, you'll have to pay a little more for it. the cheaper wines didn't taste that great to me. we got a $60 bottle after tasting the cheaper ones and we both loved it. the service is courteous and attentive. you'll be happy with your server. the prices are on the higher side, so this is not an every-day place, but it's a good treat. i didn't have reservations either time i ate there, but i was able to show up and get a table on the patio (outside). the patio fills up around sunset, so don't push your luck too much. the restaurant has a nice bar to pass the time if you need to wait for a table.

shockingly artistic & outstanding! i have traveled extensively and find this wonderful so great i would go back for just the salad! and my female server was kind, smiling, and very helpful! go and enjoy the food, service, and friendly customers. thank you!

here the fried tofu and watermelon salad or the chili crusted tuna make you wonder what else to try next time. there is some al fresco dining and a great bar with a chance to meet nick and there is nothing new about the leadership here; they spent time at justin's and other area restaurants.

----- aug 17, 2016 -----

wow! it’s been four and a half years since i’ve last been here. i think my constant desire to return makes it seem like a lot less time than that. in my mind, i treat nwbb as if it were 5 stars and i think this is because it was so unique to the city when it first opened. this is not to say that it has gone downhill over the years, but that the competition has risen dramatically.

tonight, for example, we had shishito peppers ($7) as an appetizer. just last week we had shishito peppers at another restaurant in albany. five or more years ago you were unlikely to have found them on a menu anywhere in the capital region. nwbb’s version with lime salt was a bit crispier after being scorched/grilled and the peppers were slightly larger in size. i prefer them crispy, but i also enjoyed the other restaurant’s preparation with grana padano cheese and paper-thin prosciutto on top.

one thing that i noticed has not changed is that nwbb still offers keegan mother’s milk stout ($7/pt.). my wife switched beers with me after she tasted my chatham czech’rd past pilsner ($6/pt). it’s a good thing that i also enjoy mother’s milk.

besides the shishitos we also tried the daily ceviche, crab bruschetta ($12) – with jalapeño, pickled cucumber, tropical vinaigrette, dill, parsley, and crab on a baguette. these were delicious with a great blend of flavors and texture. served cold, they were even refreshing.

my wife then enjoyed their summer beet and arugula salad ($10) with orange, pickled onions, ricotta salata, white balsamic, and olive oil. she questioned whether the beets were fresh, but i seriously doubt at this time of year that they would be anything but fresh. she still liked how all the flavors complemented each other.

i decided to have the burger deluxe ($18). i ordered it medium-rare and it came out perfect. it was topped with peppered bacon that had a fantastic smoke flavor, cabot sharp cheddar, grilled onions, and a chipotle aioli. i tried a little of the kilcoyne farm beef by itself just to unmask it from all the other ingredients and was amazed at how flavorful it was from what we typically bring home from the supermarket. the burger came with fries that actually tasted like potato. i decided to eat all of them first.

we had decided to eat at the bar rather than wait about an hour for a table when we arrived. the hostess was kind enough to point out two people seated at the full bar who she would be seating at a table in about five minutes. the bar staff were equally as friendly and accommodating. the noise level is a bit above average, but not annoyingly so.

----- feb 20, 2012 -----

laissez les bons temps rouler. what better place to go locally to try laissez les bons temps rouler leading up to mardi gras than new world bistro and bar?

we primed the pump with pints of keegan's mother's milk stout ($6) and davidson's ipa ($5.25). these along with the little square rolls topped with caraway, poppy seeds and salt were helpful in dealing with the "heat" of the purple haze shrimp ($10). nice flavors in the sauce on the shrimp, but i have to admit that i was expecting it to be even spicier after receiving the warning from our waitress when we placed our order. i'm not complaining, however, it was plenty spicy enough.

my wife tried the blackened catfish ($22) with a louisiana bearnaise, corn pudding, and braised greens. great flavors in the spicing on the fish, truly blackened in the broiler, very creamy corn pudding with a hint of coconut, and a good sized portion.

i went for a "taste" of all three of the big cajun bowls ($23) that were offered:
- bayou swamp gumbo - deep dark roux, gator tail, duck, mudbugs;
- fried seitan & kidney bean gumbo - blonde roux, dark spices, greens (vegan bowl);
- american gulf shrimp & andouille sausage jambalaya - with brown rice.

i didn't request any hot sauce because i wanted to taste the flavors of each offering. in retrospect i think the vegan bowl and the gumbo would have benefited from some additional flavors and a "kick."

my wife said she was "stuffed" but could not resist the ice cream sandwich ($9) after it was described to her - jane's black raspberry ice cream with house-made chocolate chip cookies. i chose the crème brulee ($7.50) - ginger/lime. both desserts were delicious, especially the brulee.

the coffee here is very good. lots of roasted flavor. we weren't charged for ours since our waitress forgot to bring it before the bill. but otherwise, for a very busy night the service was excellent.