Roux

my wife and I have eaten at roux a few times I have noticed a slipping from what was a very good place to what it is now. we liked the fact that they have gluten free pasta for my wife but they no longer know how to cook it the burgers that were juicy gems they can no longer cook to the correct temp and when there is no owner or manager there the staff run the place into the ground we watched a couple come in and wait a long time (they just about walked) to be seated while all the personal yanked in the back I hope the owners read this it appears the help is running the place bad.

Stopped at Roux sort of on a whim last night. Our other plans had fallen through, we were in the area, and checked out he menu online quickly so we decided to stop.
First, the atmosphere and décor is really nice. They’ve got a nice clean modern feel going, and the cocktail and food menus are very appealing.
Now, the nitty gritty — the service was a little suspect. It wasn’t all that busy and it took too long to take or drink order, took forever to get our drinks, then he drinks weren’t all that great. The pomegranate martini was more like a cranberry/​vodka and was disappointing.
The food was good. Shrimp risotto was the best thing we had. The beef short ribs were very tender and tasty. The heirloom tomato salad was dressed nicely, but the tomatoes and mozzarella were just average.
Oh, the bread. Ugh! The bread was no better than anything you could get from the grocery store. C’mon, how about a baguette from the French restaurant?

We went a few months ago and ordered the corn –avocado soup, the homemade mac and cheese and a boulonais entrée. The soup was rich and creamy. The macaroni and cheese was outstanding, and the boulonais was thick and hearty. It was so good that we ordered the same exact thing when coming in this evening. Unfortunately, not the same results.
The soup came out without a single piece of corn or avacado. I had thought they served cream of celery, since the only item in broth was celery. I had asked for the soup to be changed out and explained why, and was told that it was just the bottom of the prepared soup, and they’d make another batch.
The mac and cheese was dry, and rather disappointing after the previous version. Felt like leftovers being microwaved.
The boulonais was good, but not in the way the recipe was on other occasions. This version was filled with large pieces of tomato, and little of the multiple meats described on the menu.
The food and service were okay, but not what we had had in the past. I’m hopeful they have changed chefs, because there isn’t many other reasons for such a decline in quality. I’d love to come back soon since it is close to home, but I can see why the parking lot is less and less full on nights where we previously needed to wait for a table.

For the most part the food was good but its the little things you remember and how the restaurant handles it.
1. There is a misleading website for Roux that you are led to when googled that offers happy hour specials. It was explained to us that they are aware of this and need to fix it.?? In a very short responce we were told «we have no happy hour»
2. French Fries. The place was empty yet I was served Greasy twice cooked fries. Unedible too. Fifteen minutes into the meal our waiter/​bar tender asked how everything was. When told about the fries he looked at them and said «yes I see that» AND left.
Yes to some this is minor but you wonder how many shortcuts the kitchen takes.
Never Again

We were there tonight party of four and I must say for a recently opened restaurant this place is my top 3. For starters there was four of us and from hamburger to steak we were delighted with the food in every way. Angie the general manager is very quick witted perfect personality and made us feel at home… DID U SEE THE PATIO??? place is beautiful in every way from bathroom cleanliness and décor to parking lot spotless. I hope to see this continue this way I will be a forever patron.

Slingerlands so needs a nice neighborhood bistro with decent food. Sadly, Roux isn’t that place.
Our first course was the corn and avocado soup. It was cold but the kitchen did manage to warm it’s after we sent it back and it was quite good. Companion’s bacon avocado burger was unremarkable and contained no bacon. Judging by other reviews, the bacon burger rarely has bacon. The fries were soggy and unremarkable, and the lemonade weak. My blackened chicken was tasteless and tan, the sweet potato mash was tasteless and tepid. While we were waiting for our meals, the other 2 tables both sent uncooked meals back to the kitchen.
Roux will be closed for a week. Hopefully they will be spending that week learning how to run a restaurant.

I’d probably give it 2.5 stars. I know the place is new and I’m sure working out a few kinks, but the service was absolutely awful. It took about an hour and 15 mins for our appetizers to come and then another 30 – 45 mins for our meals to come. The waitress didn’t seem too apologetic when we asked if there was an issue. A lot of other customers complained of the service too.
It was a big bummer because the food was pretty good. I have Celiac and the owner does too, so there were a lot of gluten-​free options. I ordered a cheddar burger without the bun and brussels sprouts for an appetizer, both very good.

FF and I dined on a lovely June evening on the patio — nicely shaded, nicely designed. Service was relaxed, not exactly slow.
We ordered a Mac & Cheese appetizer ($ 8).
Q: What is a roux? You know, a ROUX, like in the name of the restaurant???
Is it: (one answer only)
A: An attitude
B. A small kangaroo
C. The way Scooby says «you»,
D. A basic white sauce, or
E. Milk mixed with Velveeta cheese.
If you answered milk mixed with Velveeta cheese you would be incorrect.
Believe it or not THAT’S what their «Homemade M&C» was all about. It was down to nothing the worst thing anyone has tried to serve me in a restaurant anywhere ever.
R-​OUX-​kidding???
The Scallop dinner was also not up to what they SAID they were serving. The saffron risotto was bitter and clumped and the roasted broccoli was steamed. The scallops (4) were good but it was pretty chintzy serving. This was NOT a $ 28 entrée.
Sorry: I rue the day I dropped my money here.
But the patio is really a lovely place to hang out.
Love, Zena

There’s a lot of good and bad here. I can’t decide if I loved the place or if I never want to go back…
First off, my hamburger was great. And they have a great selection of beer, wine, and cocktails. The entrees are a little pricey, and I’m not quite sure if you get what you pay for. It’s all quite good, but it’s not exceptional for the price.
The wait staff, while extremely friendly and good servers, is slow. I spent an hour at the place. The first time I ordered my burger, I asked for medium rare and received it well done. But they where great about bringing me another burger that was perfectly done and very tasty. And as I waited they were nice enough to bring me a cup of soup, which was also very tasty.
I feel like this place needs to work out a few kinks. They’re new, so maybe they have to go through a phase. I want to tell you to give them a chance, because it seems like it can evolve to a pretty cool place.

Great beer, and the bartenders are very friendly. We had great service and great food, I had the roasted chicken with mashed sweet potatoes. It was soooooo good, will definitely be going back to enjoy their outside seating! So nice to have a decent restaurant in Delmar.

First time here. Very cool bar area. Weird that after being open for four months they still do not have beer on draft (Extensive list of bottled beer and they give you a chilled glass). The calamari was fresh and crispy. I was with a group and the cheese board appetizer was really awkward to share. We’ll try something else next time. My entrée was the Bolognese. The beef and pork sauce was really flavorful but the rigatoni was overcooked. The service staff was very professional and attentive. We had an early dinner and the soap was out in the men’s room. The hostess addressed it right away but should’t that be on someone’s pre-​dinner service checklist. Definitely want to give them more stars, but they will have to earn them. I plan on going back when the beer is on tap.

Food very good. Server very nice and helpful. Floor was a little sticky though. Love the $ 3 Bloody Mary before 3! Adam was great!

I ordered from Roux for pickup on 02÷05÷15, my mother and I ordered small dishes that should have included things like rice and sweet mashed potatoes. We picked up the order and when we got home, we noticed that both the vegetables and sweet mashed potatoes were not in with the food. We called and spoke to one of the waitresses up front, she placed the blame on the girl who was new and took the order (that was not OK at all). Then she placed the blame on the cook who said that they ran out of that. But instead of replacing the missing vegetables and sweet potatoes or calling, they just decided not to include them! We asked to speak with the manager, and we were told that they were not there and to leave a message. The manager NEVER called back. I never will go back, and I do not ever recommend them to anyone! We spend over $ 50.00 for a half arsed meal.

Delicious. Had the onion, kale, and sausage soup. Hearty and broth worthy of drinking like milk leftover from cereal. Had the braised short rib. Tender! Lastly, the cookies and milk. Bacon optional. Cookie tastes a little like cake and is freshly baked. Great pairing with the milk. I suggest it to those who don’t usually think of cookies and milk. We came at 5, wasn’t busy until 6:30. Friendly staff.

This may be our new regular spot, the food was really good, delicious mushroom soup, the service was excellent, nice atmosphere and priced competitively, so glad to have a new restaurant option for Slingerlands/​Delmar area.

As a frequent visitor to the Albany area, I love seeing a new restaurant open. I want to try it, I want to love it, I want to sing its praises north and south. In this case, Roux didn’t quite live up to everything I’d hoped, but we think they may be getting the hang of it.
The first good thing was that our table was set for us and ready when we arrived. No waiting, no delay and they didn’t even have to bring menus over — they were already there!
Sadly, we encountered a speed bump right away. There was an extensive wine list, but no beer or cocktail menus. The waiter started listing cocktails off as he could remember them, but we felt like we didn’t get a full view into what was available. There were no draft beers, but I was happy to get a Lagunitas IPA with a tall frosty glass. Our waiter was also not knowledgeable on the specials — or perhaps there were no specials? He never confirmed. Strange that a restaurant that has an «ever-​changing menu» would not have specials on a Saturday evening.
None of this stopped us from going a little wild on the menu. We ordered quite a few dishes and appreciated the selections of sides and small plates that gave our meal variety. Some things were better than others.
I personally tried sticking to a vegetarian selection and tried the carrots, sweet potato mash and flash steamed green beans (which were served cold with a creamy, spicy dressing). All were decent and a good portion size for $ 3 or $ 4.
For the table, we started with the short rib and clams with chorizo. Short rib was tender, but with a bit of extra fat. Clams and chorizo were decent, but the broth was far too salty, even to be sopped up with the crusty Italian bread. We did enjoy the herbed butter and olive tapenade that came with the bread, however, and that was a freebie!
We also tried what was labeled as shrimp risotto, but which happened to come out as arancini — breaded and fried balls of risotto. Small thing, but could have really disappointed someone.
My dining companions got the lamb shank and winter vegetables with chicken and had two VERY different experiences. Lamb shank friend was in love with his meal. The lamb was tender and well seasoned, the plate was presented nicely with (actual) risotto and wilted greens. The temperatures were correct, and the flavors played well together.
On the other hand, winter vegetables with chicken friend did not like his meal at all. The vegetables were on the cold side, the pureed cauliflower was over processed and soupy and the kale was still relatively hard and crunchy. The chicken was also not very high quality and had been prepared with too much grease. To their credit, the waiter made sure the dish (which went wholly uneaten) was taken off of the bill.
When I checked in on Unilocal halfway through the meal, I found their offer for a free dessert. And boy, were we glad we got it. We tried the peanut butter chocolate mousse and a tower of dense chocolate cake layered with chocolate ganache. Both desserts were decadent and generously portioned. It was a nice end to the meal.
In the short term, I’d say order with caution and read the other reviews. In the long term, I’d like to see Roux get it together and really give the beautiful space and atmosphere a fighting chance with food and service to match. I’ll be following the progress of their reviews and hoping to return and my update this review sometime!

I wanted to wait until the end of the year to both take emotion our of writing this review, and to make sure that I can state with 100% confidence that this wins as the worst dining experience of 2014. And that is a very impressive distinction, as I have eaten out at over 1000 restaurants this year across the globe. There was absolutely nothing that this restaurant got right, and the only reason that I paid my bill instead of fighting with the manager to have it dismissed, is because my fiancée didn’t want a confrontation. I found half of the food to be inedible due to how salty it was, but my fiancée was able to eat it. The waiter and the kitchen managed to get half of our order wrong, the entire process took close to three hours, and it set me back almost $ 100, even though we barely got any food, and the dishes that we did receive, were pretty bad. As much as I wanted to love this place, as it’s right around the corner from my house, and there’s not a whole lot of dining options around here, this is not a place where I will be going back. If you’re reading this review while you’re sitting there, I recommend that you stand up, and walk across the driveway to the Garden Bistro.

By far the most refreshing restaurant I’ve been to in years!!! Roux has filled a niche the Capital Region was lacking — excellent comfort food and rustic American fusion cuisine.
The spicy beef skewers and sage roasted pork belly were absolute hits! Perfectly complemented by the beet salad. Flavors were delicately balanced, and neatly plated.
Had the grilled tenderloin this time around, cooked exactly how I ordered (Philadelphia). If I wasn’t in public I would have licked the plate clean!!! Have previously had the grilled pork chop (flavor cornucopia, great for spicy-​lovers like me) and the pan seared salmon — the BEST salmon I’ve ever had!!!
Meal went well with a bourbon Manhattan and glass of Chardonnay. Service was extraordinarily accommodating and prompt. Our entire party loved it here and can’t wait to come back again.
Highly recommend! Relaxed, refined atmosphere perfect for anything from date nights, happy hour, to special occasions.

Ate there last night, room was nice, especially the bar area. Service was spotty at best. Waited close to an hour for our food. Burgers were small, but the lamb was delicious. Pork chop had to be sent back as it was not fully cooked (this was after the hour wait). In the end it also was tasty.
Hopefully this was all part of their soft opening and can be fixed with time

I really wanted to like this place! The room is great, location is convenient to Delmar & Slingerlands… Menu is pretty sparse (maybe a starter menu?), service was harried. Service might have been a new thing too. Price points seemed off. I had a cup of chowder, which was good. Avocado bacon burger that was cooked correctly, but small. Had no bacon. Avocado was browned at spots. Fried had been made a long time ago. Like an hour. Another person at our table had Caesar salad that was not freshly prepped, and for a $ 9 Caesar, I would expect you to mix it to order.