Raindancer Restaurant

We’ve been here a few times now. I usually go with my family. The food is okay, but not consistent. The last time I went I was disappointed. My son’s pasta was overcooked. My husband ordered a medium rare steak. The bottom was medium and the top was rare — there was actually a line in the middle where you could see it wasn’t evenly cooked. My daughter ordered a medium steak and it was very rare. I ordered the steak teriyaki because last time my husband ordered it and I couldn’t stop stealing bites. It was served over pilaf and I was told it would be rice. My mushrooms were burned and the pilaf was inedible. The pieces of steak were all different sizes and differently cooked. The salad bar was good and fresh. As far as service our waitress was nice, but just a little inattentive. We had to ask for drink refills, that kind of thing. All this said the trip before this was great. For a family of five we spent approximately 185 (including tip.) I think for the amount of money I’m spending on a steak I’ll go to the Barn Sider in Albany where he food and service always excellent.

I really enjoyed Raindancer. We asked for a lunch recommendation while at Mangino Chevrolet and they sent us here. My herb crusted chicken salad was delicious. Definitely give this place a try if you’re in the neighborhood.

Came in on a rainy Thursday night. The fire was warm and inviting, as was the food.
Salad bar is delicious, tons of options including homemade pasta salad, local cheese & fresh baked bread.
The seafood platter was much more than I was expecting for $ 30. It included king crab legs, butterfly shrimp, sea scallops & lobster tail.
Service was prompt & courteous. Will return…

Had dinner there this evening with friends, we could take advantage of the early bird specials. The bill was $ 106.00 for 4 people which included a salad bar, 3 had prime rib and one scrod dinner. Coffee and dessert were included along with 3 drinks. Dinner was excellent, service was fast and courteous, we couldn’t ask for more.
Looking for a place to go? Raindancer on Rt. 30 is it.

This is nice restaurant but to me is overpriced. The meals are decent but for the prices they don’t meet the cut. The atmosphere is wonderful and each time the staff has been well delightful. For my meal I had the steak with a side of mashed potatoes which was delicious and cooked precisely to my liking. However the meal size is on the smaller size, even for an upscale restaurant.

Best salad bar around with fresh baked bread and the best creamy balsamic ever! This place is great for large parties or dinner groups over or under 15 people.
Food comes out timely but servers could be a bit more attentive.
Last night we tried the Pumpkin bisque served in its very own pumpkin. I’m not sure it was for me but someone else at the table devoured it! Salad bar was on point as usual the bread was fresh out of the oven, the beats were marinated with the onions and their homemade croutons were just the thing to top it off! I finished the meal with baked stuffed shrimp, my favorite menu item.
The stuffed shrimp are quite large and if you order the dinner size it’s nearly impossible to finish. It comes over a bed of rice with a side of lemon. The stuffing could use a bit more crabmeat but it’s still delish.
Three star is definitely a 4 star in the area.

This place is delicious. It’s one of Amsterdam’s best restaurants. I definitly recommend this place to others. I also strongly recommend the bread at the salad bar… It’s on point!

Our waitress was personable, but the kitchen was slow. The restaurant was far from full capacity, yet it took one hour before my husband and I received our steak dinners. The steaks were prepared to order, but the rib eye was too fatty. The salad bar was a B minus. Raindancer was not worth the ride from Schenectady.

The negative reviews on here are, frankly, just silly and written by people who likely have impossible expectations and unnecessary gripes about trivial things. We have been going here for many years and have never had an issue. It’s a little expensive because it’s upscale for the area, people. The food is very good the staff has always been kind. I don’t think people understanding how daunting it can be to wait on several tables at once; severs are not your personal servants.
The seafood especially is very good, from the scallops to the casserole. The lite menus offers a lot of cheaper and still tasty options, and the salad bar is a nice touch. Nothing wrong with the place.

We had a fantastic lunch, with excellent service. The salad bar was great as well as my shrimp cocktail. Plan on stopping again real soon.

My family and I were almost dissuaded by the bad reviews below but we decided to give it a try anyway. It was a wonderful meal, and our server Rich was extremely friendly. The atmosphere was wonderful and we had a lovely experience. One thing – the portion sizes are very large, 4 out of our party of 5 took home about half of their meals for leftovers. But the food was absolutely delicious and we will return for another meal in the future!

Had the early bird special. Really good Caesar salad. Shrimp scampi — very good. My wife had the seafood casserole — very good.
Server was very friendly. The atmosphere is eclectic.
Good choice of beer and wine on the menu.
Very happy with our meal.

Ashamed to say that we nearly gave in to the negative reviews here. Glad we didn’t. Our dinners were excellent and Katrina, our server, was outstanding.
Had to try their chili because I just can’t not try anybody’s chili. Theirs’ easily hangs with some of the best I’ve had.
Our Caesar salads were excellent. I prefer mine not quite as wet with dressing but that’s just me and it tasted great anyway.
My very generous blackened salmon dish was nothing less than superb. Didn’t finish the asparagus or my rice side but that’s the chili’s fault. Just too full by then, is all.
My wife said her Spring Chicken dish was outstanding. Hoping to personally verify tomorrow at lunch time. She brought a nice portion home.
Didn’t do it today but the dessert menu looks good.
The only reason this is not a 5 STAR review is because of the narrow handicapped parking spots. They should be a bit wider to more easily accommodate a wheelchair and at least one of them should be wide enough to easily accommodate a side lift on a van. Fortunately, we still had enough room between our car and the one beside us when we came out.
Please ignore the majority of the naysayers here, folks. In my humble opinion, anyone with a legitimate complaint should be willing and able to explain better than most of them here. Too many of them are just a few lines with no details. Besides that, the parking lot was nearly full when we pulled in … on a Wednesday night. They gotta be doing something right, huh?
NOTE: I gave it $$ but we didn’t get too spendy tonight. It’d probably be more like $$$ for us, normally.

It’s a steakhouse! Good steaks and a reasonable salad bar. albeit the costs are a bit steep, the quality of the steaks is better then Applebee’s.u get what u pay for.

Good food. Good service. Love the salad bar. I ordered the chicken cor Don Bleu my first time going. It was ok. To be honest, it tasted like maple syrup! The second time I went, I ordered the chicken parm. It was really good.

I don’t understand the appeal. Overall a mediocre experience.
The early bird special was a decent deal but the food fell flat. The prime rib was undercooked, the potatoes extremely buttery and the salad bar was bland.
Nothing seemed «House made» — looked and tasted like typical food truck delivered food.
The septic smell outside is enough to ruin your appetite.

Nice atmosphere and reasonable food. The prices are a bit high, but the service was excellent and I felt pretty comfortable during my stay. For a «fancy» restaurant in Amsterdam, this is probably the place to go.

Not what it used to be…
Place has gone downhill on a steady retrograde since the 90’s. Used to be THE place to go. Now the food is marginal at best. And what fancy place has FAKE BACON BITS on the salad bar?
The least appetizing «feature» is the constant septic tank smell in the sloppy, unpaved parking lot.

Steaks were cooked perfectly. I had the filet
Mignon and it melted in my mouth. Service was friendly and timely; our waitress Marissa was fantastic. Overall great valentines dinner and great first time in upstate NY. Definitely go here.

Food was ok. Service was fair at best. What pissed me off was they charge you per soda. No free refills! What restaurant does this in this day and age! A greedy one that doesn’t want you to come back!