Author Archives: Carmen's Bistro

TN3 Todd Nelson Trio

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Todd Nelson brings Impeccable Jazz and Snappy Hats to Carmen’s this Friday, September 14

Todd Nelson Trio TN3 mixes elements of jazz, rock and electronics, playing original songs and new arrangements of unusual covers, including pop, folk and gospel and any other genre signified by the muse.

The music of TN3 is improvisational but not noise; exploratory in texture and sound but melodic; arranged but open-ended; structured while embracing the random; aware of the past without repeating it; unafraid of space, subtlety or beauty, and it rocks.

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

~ Tapas for Friday, September 14 ~

Chicken Wings
w/ Mango Chili Sauce

Roasted Corn & Black Beans
w/ Avocado, Scallions & Jicama, topped w/ Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Served in an Artisanal Lettuce Bowl

Grilled Flatbread Dressed w/ Sundried Tomato Tapenade
& Shaved Manchego Cheese on Frisee Tossed in Lime Vinaigrette Dressing

Pancetta Wrapped Chicken Breast
w/ Chimichurri Sauce served w/ Rice & Beans

Cumin & Coriander Crusted Filet Mignon
Served w/ Mashed Yucca & Veggie

Crusted Tilapia w/ Lemon-Wine-Garlic Sauce
over Saffron Rice & Veggie

Troy Bike Rescue Benefit Big Success

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We raised $500 for the Troy Bike Rescue last Friday August 31st. We more than doubled the take from last year. We would also like to challenge folks to raise even more by donating directly to their website at www.obopay.com/bikelove or mailing checks to Troy Bike Rescue 3280 6th Ave. Troy, NY 12180.

We would like to extend our thanks to Michael Century with Kimberley Dolanski for graciously donating their time and talent. Big Big thanks to all our customers who attended in such great numbers on a Holiday weekend and also thanks to Springwood Studios, who just arrived back from an installation in Edenburg, Texas, for their contribution.

The Doc Swings Carmen’s

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The joint will be jumpin’ with The Doc Scanlon Trio featuring Saxman Brian Patneaude this Fri. 9/7 at with guitarist Graham Tichy – Playing 1920′s–40′s Fats Waller to Early Bing Crosby to Jump Blues Classics

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

 ~ Specials for Friday, September 7 ~

APPETIZERS

Cuban Egg Rolls

Quinoa, Arugula and Beet Salad
tossed w/red wine vinaigrette and topped w/goat cheese

TAPAS

Pollo Rancho Luna…..Grilled Chicken w/Sour Orange Sauce
served w/yucca fries and veggie

Cuban Prime Rib……slow roasted
and served w/garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus

Seared Ahi Tuna
w/ a grapefruit-blueberry salsa and grilled rice cakes

Tofu w/Coconut Curry Sauce
over saffron rice w/sauteed veggies

SPECIALS FOR SAT & SUN – SEP. 8-9

Prime rib and eggs served w/home fries and toast

Tofu over rice w/grilled veggies and coconut curry sauce

Michael Century with Kimberley Dolanski for Troy Bike Rescue Benefit

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August 31, 2012 Carmen’s Cafe presents:

Michael Century, piano and accordion, with Kimberley Dolanski, soprano
in benefit to Troy Bike Rescue

6 pm – Piano solos. Light classics, pop songs, originals, and mashups.

7 pm – Accordion solos from the Balkan, Klezmer, Cajun and French café squeezebox traditions 8 pm – Highlights from the Kurt Weill/Bert Brecht Songbook, featuring soprano Kimberley Dolanski
Michael Century loves to play dinner music, to cycle instead of drive, and to combine the two with great food each year at Carmen’s Café in benefit to the good works of the Troy Bike Rescue. Kimberley Dolanski is a widely recorded and versatile soprano whose repertoire spans musical theater, operetta, oratorio, opera, and art song. You can visit Kimberley’s website at www.kimberleydolanski.com.
Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

 ~ Tapas Specials for Friday, August 31 ~

Smoked Rainbow Trout Salad
w/ Golden Beets, Asparagus, Warm Jasmine Red Rice & Red Wine Vinaigrette

Chipotle and Honey Roasted Chicken
w/veggies, rice, and beans

Crispy Beef w/an orange mojo sauce
served w/yucca fries and seasonal veggies

Sauteed Shrimp w/creamy coriander sauce
over saffron rice and veggies

Warm Purple Potato Salad w/roasted spiced chick peas
topped w/sauteed veggies

Breakfast-Lunch Specials for Sat & Sun, September 1 & 2:

Asparagus & Swiss Cheese Omelet
Served w/ Home Fries & Toast

Shredded Cuban Beef Sandwich
w/ Peppers & Onions & Manchego Cheese on Portugese Roll

Smoked Rainbow Trout Salad
w/ Golden Beets, Asparagus, Warm Jasmine Red Rice & Red Wine Vinaigrette

Dangerous on Decaf

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Friday August 24th  Dangerous on Decaf—  Blues, Jazz, Rockabilly

Three friends playing rock, folk, blues –
Offering jazz and Latin their dues;
A few jug tunes to add some spice,
With maybe some naughty and maybe some nice!
Drinking coffee is part of the share
Trying to keep the caffeine spare,
Cause these three players don’t need much
To keep their motors hot to the touch!
Pickin and drumming and singing the songs
With Dangerous on Decaf your night can’t go wrong!

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

Tapas Specials for Friday, August 24

Chicken Breast Wrapped in Cuban Pancetta
w/ Mango-Black Bean Salsa
over Saffron Rice & Plantains

Strip Steak Au Jus
w/ Pureed Yucca & Seasonal Veggie

Pan Seared Salmon
w/ Red Pepper Coulis
over Saffron Rice & Veggies

Polenta Cakes
w/ fresh mozzarella & Sauteed Veggies

Cheesecake
Flan

Sat & Sun August 25 & 26

Steak & Eggs
w/ Home Fries & Toast

Pan Seared Salmon over Greens
w/ Avocado, Tomato, Onions & Mango

Patneaude/Payette Duo @ Carmen’s Café

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Friday August 17 Join pianist Dave Payette and saxophonist Brian Patneaude for an evening of jazz at this intimate venue featuring delicious Cuban-Spanish-American cuisine in a bistro setting.
Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

~ Appetizers for Friday August 17th ~

Eggplant slider—grilled, w/avocado slices and guava paste on a multi grain roll

Chicken Croquettes—fried to golden brown perfection.

Scallops wrapped in house cured bacon, w/avocado sauce and veggie

~ Tapas Specials for Friday August 17th ~

Pan-seared Rainbow Trout, w/ a lemon-wine-garlic sauce over saffron rice and veggie

Carne Asada—Cuban Pot Roast w/ yucca and carrots over saffron rice

Cuban Chicken Wings w/a spicy mango sauce, served w/ rice, black beans and veggie

Pernil, pork shoulder marinated and slow roasted in Cuban herbs and spices, w/yucca fries and veggie

Vegetarian Risotto w/ seasonal veggies and goat cheese

~Dessert Special for Friday August 17th ~

Ginger-Lemon Cheesecake

Patti Melita & The Jazz Divas— “The Gals Who Play Jazz”

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Patti Melita & The Jazz Divas—  “The Gals Who Play Jazz” Friday August 10th 

I have gradually become known throughout the northeast for my smooth renditions of traditional swing tunes in tempos specifically suited for dancing. As a swing dance afficionado, my expertise on “music that motivates people to dance” enabled me to put together a variety of material on my CD, “Swing It!”, that defies the listener not to dance or at the very least begin the toe-tapping exercise. It includes a collection of vintage swing dance tunes arranged for the most discriminating dancers and listeners. The assembly of noted guest musicians appearing on “Swing It!” not only contributes to a distinctive and extraordinary recording, but is a testimony to the respect I have earned among my peers. I will soon be working on a new album featuring a trio, a quartet and my six-piece swing band, Patti-O and the Hip Hooligans.

— http://www.myspace.com/pattimelita

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

~ Tapas Specials for Friday August 10 ~

Cumin-Coriander crusted Filet Mignon
served w/pureed yucca and seasonal veggie

Chicken Tamales
w/saffron rice, beans and veggies

Pan seared Pork Loin
w/yucca fries and veggie

Cilantro  -Lime tofu
sauteed w/ seasonal veggies, over saffron rice

2   Cheesecakes
Marble…… and Mango Lime

Charlie Smith & Rob Aronstein— The Bluesmen are Back!

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Friday August 3  Charlie Smith & Rob Aronstein—  Blues

Get rhythm when you get the blues. These guys have the stuff to get your feet happy as you start tapping your toes, bopping to the beat these cats lay down as they have for decades. Charlie can evoke that sophisticated big city Chicago blues in the vein of Otis Rush, or just as handily, take you on a river cruise of the Delta. Rob is going to tickle those ivories in a perfect weave to Charlie’s guitar licks. It’s a killer combination, it’s a blues sensation.

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover. 
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

Charlie Smith

 Engaging and dynamic performer, prolific songwriter, blues guitarist and vocalist of the highest caliber are just some of the descriptions one could apply to Charlie Smith.  Entertaining listeners in New York’s Capital District for nearly 40 years, Charlie is happy to have found in the players listed below a virtuoso backing group equal to the task of expressing and extending his musical vision.  For more on Charlie himself, click here (dedicated page under construction).

Rob Aronstein 
Piano, Hammond Organ, Vocals
Rob Aronstein has been working with and promoting Charlie and the Charlie Smith Blues Band since 1999, performing on and producing Charlie’s CD, “Hardly Ever Blue”. Rob currently performs with Charlie and as a solo and freelance pianist/organist.

~ Tapas Specials for Friday August 3rd ~

Cuban Egg Rolls w/ a dijon mustard sauce
Arroz Con Pollo—Chicken  stewed in an herbed tomato broth and cooked in a rice casserole
Crab cakes w/ roasted red pepper sauce over saffron rice
Cuban BBQ Ribs w/ a spicy guava glaze, served with yucca fries
Grilled Strip Steak w/ a churrasco steak sauce, served with house made mashed potatoes
Cilantro-Lime Tofu w/saffron rice and sauteed veggies

WEEKEND SPECIALS

Steak, Eggs, & Crab Cakes w/home fries and toast
Crab Cakes:
…sandwich
…w/rice, beans & plantains
…over greens

Mundo Nuevo Cuban Beat Extraordinaire

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Mundo Nuevo return to Carmen’s Friday July 27th.

Mundo Nuevo is a musical quartet that is dedicated to preserving the classic repertoire of the Spanish speaking Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Lush vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars, bongo and flute deliver the music of Rafael Hernandez, Miguel Matamoros, Armando Manzanero, Antonio Carlos Jobim and many more of the composers that make up the Latin American Songbook.

Mundo Nuevo "New World"

Mundo Nuevo is a musical quartet that is dedicated to preserving the classic repertoire of the Spanish speaking Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Lush vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars, bongo and flute deliver the music of Rafael Hernandez, Miguel Matamoros, Armando Manzanero, Antonio Carlos Jobim and many more of the composers that make up the Latin American Songbook.

Plenty of on-street parking.

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover. Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

APPETIZER

Spinach Salad w/ blackberries,  blueberries and goat cheese, w/ a warm bacon dressing

TAPAS

Seafood Bouillabaisse….Shrimps, Scallops, Clams and Mussels in an herbed tomato broth served over saffron rice

Ropa Vieja….marinated and braised shredded beef, served w/ arroz con gandules

Sour orange marinated and grilled chicken breasts served w/ a roasted red pepper sauce, yucca fries and veggie

Grilled asparagus stuffed in a fried eggplant cutlet w/a tomato lime sauce

SAT & SUN…Jul. 28 & 29

Vegetarian Flamenco, served with eggs over easy and a portuguese  roll……or w/o eggs for vegan option

Ropa Vieja w/ arroz con gandules, black beans and plantains

Spinach Salad w/ blackberries, blueberries and goat cheese, w/ a warm bacon dressing

Robert Brainard Trio— Jazz

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Jazzmin, AKA The Robert Brainard Trio July 20th

APPETIZERS

Eggplant Sliders—grilled, with sliced avocado and a guava sauce, served on a multigrain roll

Chicken Croquettes—fried golden and tender

~Tapas Specials FRIDAY July 20th~

Fried Chicken Thighs, w/ spicy mango sauce, served with rice and beans

Pork Pernil, marinated and slow roasted, served w/yucca fries

Pan Seared Red Snapper, w/ a pineapple cilantro salsa, served w/rice and seasonal veggie

Cuban Mac & Manchego Cheese, w/avocado and roasted red pepper, topped w/ toasted bread crumbs

SPECIALS FOR SAT & SUN, JUL. 21 & 22

Pulled pork sandwich on a portuguese roll, w/pickled onions and manchego cheese

Vegetarian Flamenco, served w/ 2 eggs and a portuguese roll—w/o eggs (vegan)