Log In Register

Food & Drink

Champagne on the Park 2013

by Erin Pihlaja May 15, 2013

Who doesn't love tulips and champagne? Maybe a select group of people, but many other people do like anything and everything that has to do with legally drinking in Washington Park, local food, and improving ...

0 comments

Troy Vision

by B.A. Nilsson May 15, 2013

Charles F. Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar, 12 2nd St, Troy, 326-3450, lucasconfectionery.wordpress.com. Serving 4-11 Mon-Thu, 4-midnight Fri-Sat, noon-9 Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: wine and cheese and charcuterie Entrée price range: $5 (selected small bite ...

0 comments

The Gospel of Table Service

by B.A. Nilsson May 8, 2013

The Water’s Edge Lighthouse, 2 Freeman’s Bridge Road, Glenville, 370-5300, thewatersedgelighthouse.com. Serving 11-10 Mon-Fri, 4-10 Sat, 4-9 Sun. AE, MC, V. Cuisine: Italian-flavored continental Entrée price range: $14 (haddock Francaise) to $27 (frutti di mare) Ambiance: handsome Today’s sermon, ...

0 comments

Into the Fire

by B.A. Nilsson May 2, 2013

My first sense that this would be no easy course of training came not when I donned my set of chef’s whites, nor as the chef who would be training me displayed a menu and ...

0 comments

Public-Access Gourmet

by Amy Halloran May 2, 2013

“When you’re tying up the carrot, be careful that the cheese doesn’t slip out,” my son Felix said from his highchair. He was about 4 or 5, and we were just done with a Saturday ...

0 comments

Keeping Your Edge

by B.A. Nilsson April 24, 2013

The blade descends to the edge of the tomato and, with little applied pressure, eases through the skin with no resistance, leaving a rich red slice to fall to the cutting board below. It’s one ...

1 comment

Beyond Kebabs

by B.A. Nilsson April 17, 2013

Manama Grille, 180 Delaware Ave., Delmar, 478-0800, manamagrille.com. Serving dinner 4:30-10 Tue-Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: Persian-edged Middle Eastern Entrée price range: $10 (Manama salad) to $17 (seafood mixed grill) Ambience: well-disguised strip-mall Don’t visit this Persian restaurant ...

0 comments

Sushi and Social Networking

by B.A. Nilsson April 11, 2013

Hibachi X, 1893 Central Ave., Albany, 869-9888, hibachixny.com. Serving lunch 11:30-3 Mon-Fri, dinner 4:30-10:30 Mon-Thu, 4:30-11 Fri, 11:30-11 Sat, noon-10 Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: sushi and Japanese steakhouse fare Entrée price range: $17 (five-course hibachi ...

1 comment

Lighter Side of Lenox

by B.A. Nilsson April 4, 2013

Haven Café and Bakery, 8 Franklin St., Lenox, Mass., 413-637-8948, havencafebakery.com. Serving breakfast 7:30-11:30 Mon-Fri, lunch 11:30-3 Mon-Fri, brunch 8-3 Sat-Sun. D, MC, V. Cuisine: soup-salad-sandwich Entrée price range: $8 (grilled cheese) to $15 (blue cheese burger) Ambiance: ...

0 comments

Witness to an Albany Century

by B.A. Nilsson March 28, 2013

The half-dozen, half-shelled oysters perch on the periphery of an ice-filled serving dish, itself shaped like a scallop shell. Horseradish and cocktail sauce, shallot vinegar and lemon wedges wait in the middle, but the first ...

0 comments

Just Ask Bradley Cooper

by B.A. Nilsson March 20, 2013

Ambition Coffee House and Eatery 154 Jay St., Schenectady, 382-9277, ambitionbistro.com. Serving 8-5 Mon-Fri, 10-5 Sat, 9-2 Sun, and until 8 when there are Proctors shows, but call first. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: sandwich-based Entrée price range: ...

0 comments Ambition Coffee & Eatery

Table Scraps

by B.A. Nilsson March 20, 2013

Jasper Alexander of Hattie’s Restaurant, a Saratoga Springs mainstay, has been honored as one of the country’s top chefs in the inaugural edition of the book Best Chefs America. Those included were recommended by fellow ...

0 comments Hattie's Restaurant

Readers’ Poll: Food & Drink

by Metroland Staff March 13, 2013

Best American 1. New World Bistro Bar 2. Five Guys Burgers and Fries 3. The Standard We obviously have a very diverse group of diners in the region. Even so, New World took this easily. Best Italian 1. D’Raymond’s 2. Café Capriccio 3. ...

23 comments

Corned Beef and Beyond

by B.A. Nilsson March 13, 2013

Helmbold’s Market, 12 Industrial Park Road, Troy, 273-0810, ext. 109, pastramiandcornedbeef.com. Open 11-6 Tue-Fri, 9-2 Sat. AE, D, MC, V. They’re at the peak of corned-beef craziness right now, so busy churning out our favorite St. ...

0 comments

The Old School Works

by B.A. Nilsson March 6, 2013

Ralph’s Tavern, 1328 Central Ave., Colonie, 489-8290, ralphstaverninc.com. Serving 11-midnight Mon-Thu, 11 AM-2 AM Fri-Sat, noon-midnight Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: Italian-American Entrée price range: $6 (burger) to $19 (full rack of ribs) Ambiance: neighborhood tavern Did we ...

0 comments

A Nice Rack

by B.A. Nilsson February 28, 2013

Tex’s Pig Pit, 1 Niver St., Cohoes, 235-2424, pigpitbbq.com. Serving 11-8 Mon-Sat. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: barbecue and Mexican Entrée price range: $5 (BBQ blankets) to $23 (full rack of ribs dinner) Ambiance: rustic Transplanted Texan David Frazier ...

1 comment

A Sort of Homecoming

by Laura Leon February 21, 2013

The Brick House, 425 Park St., Housatonic, Mass., (413) 274-0020, brickhousema.com. Serving dinner 4-9 Sun-Thu, 4-10 Fri-Sat; lunch from 11:30 Sat-Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: hearty pub fare Entrée price range: $10 (grilled cheese and fries ...

0 comments

The Exceptional Ordinary

by Laura Leon February 14, 2013

The Skyline Diner, 314 Columbia St., Rensselaer, 434-0233. Serving breakfast, lunch and early dinner 7-3 daily. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: American diner fare Entrée price range: $4.49 (All American Hamburger) to $9.69 (Fried Haddock Dinner) Ambiance: unassuming ...

1 comment

Why Aren’t You Planning Your Next Dinner Party?

by Laura Leon February 7, 2013

When I was a teenager, my sister Pamela lived in a studio apartment in New York City. When her fiancé was out of town, I’d often visit for extended periods of time. I remember days ...

1 comment

On Flavor’s Wings

by B.A. Nilsson January 31, 2013

Kinnaree, 193 Lark St., Albany, 813-4944, kinnareeonlark.com. Serving lunch 11:30-3:30 Mon-Fri, dinner 3:30-10 Mon-Fri, 11:30-10 Sat-Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: Korean-Thai-Japanese Entrée price range: $10 (beef dumpling soup) to $18 (deep-fried half duck with red curry ...

0 comments

Wedding Guide: Marriage, Remembered

by Darryl McGrath January 31, 2013

My family history is populated by plenty of strong-willed women, but my grandmothers really stand out in this notable array of pioneers, artisans and survivors. My maternal grandmother was a Midwestern Methodist born on a Missouri ...

0 comments

Wedding Guide: Outside the Church

by Shawn Stone January 31, 2013

Growing up, I attended a lot of weddings because I have a lot of cousins. And all of these ceremonies were in churches. Each Spring from age 5 to 18, I endured one ceremony after ...

0 comments

Dr. Reuben Will See You

by B.A. Nilsson January 24, 2013

The Rustic Gourmet, 785 Delaware Ave., Delmar, 439-0900, the-rustic-gourmet.com. Serving lunch 11-4 Mon-Fri, dinner 4-8 Mon-Fri. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: sandwiches, soups, special entrées Entrée price range: $5 (soup or small sandwich) to $12.50 (meatloaf) Ambiance: elegant ...

1 comment

A Fine Flagon

by B.A. Nilsson January 17, 2013

The Bier Abbey, 613 Union St., Schenectady, 388-8597, thebierabbey.com. Serving noon-midnight Mon-Thu, noon-2 AM Fri-Sat, 11:30 AM-9 PM Sun. AE, D, MC, V. Cuisine: homemade pub fare Entrée price range: $7.50 (burger) to $17.50 (steak frites) Ambiance: pubnacious Nothing ...

1 comment

My Kitchen, Our Living Room

by Sarah Sherman January 10, 2013

More than 30 years ago, before Rosanna Bongiorno became one of Albany’s best-kept dining secrets, she was a mother of two focused on her job at a local newspaper and raising her family. She never ...

events calendar