Second Helpings: Mini restaurant reviews

[...] Helpings:

[...] Helpings features condensed versions of the restaurant reviews that run in the Sunday Unwind section.

On Sundays, Order Up — reviews of inexpensive eateries — runs every other week, alternating with Matters of Taste restaurant reviews.

Steakstones and sushi, plus entrées ranging from General Tsao's chicken, miso salmon, soba noodles and pineapple fried rice to broiled shrimp or pan-roasted fillet mignon.

Formal, slightly corporate décor with a main dining room that can be smoky from the steakstones and a quiet bar side.

Vegan sandwiches using Rock Hill or gluten-free bread, artisanal housemade seitan, tempeh, sauces and baked goods.

Brick House Tavern & Tap, 579 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, 785-0472, www.brickhousetavernandtap.com Cuisine: A mix of shareables, burgers, pizza and sandwiches, Brick House raises the bar with some meaty offerings and global flavors but falls squarely into the chain-food genre. $5 kids' menu.

Focus on craft beers with a wide selection of local breweries, plus wine and cocktails including a killer Bloody Good Mary ($8.50) topped with deviled egg, salami and cheese.

Authentic Thai cuisine with a range of northern and northeastern dishes, creamy southern curries, classic Thai soups, salads and Chinese-style stir-fry and noodle dishes.

Grass-fed burgers, artisanal sausages and Sunday brunch featuring Grazin' Angus Acres meats, eggs and home-style pancakes.

Old-fashioned house-mixed sodas, selection of Chatham Brewing beers (tap and cans) and wines from Tousey Winery.

Hamlet & Ghost, 24 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs, 450-7287, www.hamletandghost.com Cuisine: A scratch kitchen sending out playful fusion cuisine in a mix of small plates that varies daily.

With its open aspect, H&G is more bar than hush-hush speakeasy, but vintage styling, handcrafted cocktails, a stellar playlist (think Grandmaster Flash meets Notorious B.I.G.) and a restrained hand at