Restaurants in Albany.

[Verjuice]

Going to be in Albany for a week or so- any suggestions? All budgets, any sortS of food. Not sure I can afford to be picky while in Albany, but I could be wrong. Anything I shouldn't miss while I'm there?

[alacarte]

Not sure I can afford to be picky while in Albany, but I could be wrong.

No, you are correct.

If you have time to spare, drive over to Saratoga Springs, where the dining options will be more interesting & plentiful.

[Verjuice]

Okay- so what's good in Saratoga Springs?

[alacarte]

You mean I don't get off the hook with my disdainful, dismissive comment? I have to be constructive and helpful?

Just kidding.

Some helpful info in this forum on Saratoga Springs. Personally, I've always wanted to go to Chez Sophie, but haven't made it there yet.

[woodburner]

Do a little looking around here, for starters.Reviews

Check the date of review to make sure it is recent.

Also check this out, since it is rated by the residents of the Capital District.

Metroland

Try and hit the Pillars, in New Lebonan, about 30 minutes south of Albany.

Bring a cooler with you, and purchase some freshly made sausages before you go back home. Rolf's Pork Store in Albany.

Get the Bauernwurst, (German Hot Dogs) buy about 5 lbs.

If your stay consists of a weekend. Give me a holler and we will do a bbq at my house. On me. Beer on tap, brisket, pulled pork, bbq chicken, smoked Hot Links.

Let me know.

I'll also review the lists and give you some of my views.

PM me if need be and I'll give you my cell number, if you have any questions, while your up here.

Welcome to the Upper Hudson Valley

woodburner

[robert40]

Verjuice,

I've been in the restaurant business all my life and most of that time has been working in the Albany area and I'll be the first to tell you that I find it very difficult to recommend any restaurant in Albany.

Mostly chain's and below par food and service in the rest.

That's why I drive too New.York.

But if I had to pick a few I'll let you know which have the most respect in the industry.

Cafe Capriccio 49 Grand St. 465-0439 in downtown Albany is set's the bar in the city, but keep in mind i've not dined there in a few year's.

Jacks Oyster House has a C.M.C. [ Dale Miller] but I swear he is there in name only, At least that's what I hear! But some love it.

Chez Sophie, Route 9. Malta. 583-3538 about 20 miles north of Albany was and still may be the best of the best in the area but the owner passed away a few years ago and I have not been there sense.But it would be my first pick.

The most creative chef in Albany just may be a sandwich maker at Debbies Kitchen 456 Madison Av. [Near Lark St.] Great lunch with very unique sandwichs.

As for Saratoga Springs' I work right in the town and there is nothing I believe is worth the drive from Albany. Just One opinion!

Good Luck

P.S. As for myself I am eating alot of pasta waiting for Per Se to open in February.

R.R.

[robert40]

Oh Yes, Pillars!

I have never dined there but it is very well respected and I once had a long conversation with the Chef/Owner and found him very passionate about his work

and very inspiring.

RR

[melkor]

Cafe Capriccio 49 Grand St. 465-0439 in downtown Albany is set's the bar in the city, but keep in mind i've not dined there in a few year's.

Before I moved out to CA the capriccio was one of my regular spots, it used to be great. I'm not sure what it's like now though, it's been a few years since I've been there.

[woodburner]

Verjuice,

I've been in the restaurant business all my life and most of that time has been working in the Albany area and I'll be the first to tell you that I find it very difficult to recommend any restaurant in Albany.

Mostly chain's and below par food and service in the rest.

That's why I drive too New.York.

Well I thought if would have been welcoming to post some of my favorites. Now I'll just listen, and go hungry.

woodburner

[robert40]

Woodburner,

If you wish I would love too give you the inside scoop on a few well know restaurants in the area, But I would perfer to PM you because I do'nt wish to drag any place through the dirt as I am a cook and not a critic.

RR

[docsconz]

I would agree that Saratoga is a better alternative than Albany for food. Two choices that I find reliably excellent are the aforementioned Chez Sophie in Malta. Paul Parker is a talented chef and the place has definite personality. The other place is Springwater Bistro near the track. David Britton is also a very talented chef and he has an excellent staff. Of particular merit there is his seafood. David has excellent sources for very fresh Hawaiian fish.

As far as Albany itself is concerned, the restaurant I find most interesting is Yono's, a french-Indonesian hybrid.

[eatingwitheddie]

Jacks is a great old-time classic American restaurant that's been in continuous business for most of the 20th C. You don't go for great food per se - just appreciate it for what it is. I have always found the cooking to be from reasonable to pretty good or better. The kind of place where a hunk of prime rib or piece of fresh fish and some raw oysters would be smart choices.

[melkor]

Jacks is a great old-time classic American restaurant that's been in continuous business for most of the 20th C. You don't go for great food per se - just appreciate it for what it is. I have always found the cooking to be from reasonable to pretty good or better. The kind of place where a hunk of prime rib or piece of fresh fish and some raw oysters would be smart choices.

Jacks rocks. It's a block away from my old office in Albany. I've had far far too many meals there - including one where a co-worker bent on abusing a vendor's expense account had two orders of surf and turf for lunch.

[woodburner]

Jacks rocks. It's a block away from my old office in Albany. I've had far far too many meals there - including one where a co-worker bent on abusing a vendor's expense account had two orders of surf and turf for lunch.

Jack's Oyster House, (circa 1913) is no question, one of the two still standing landmarks in the city. The other being Lombardo's (circa 1918) at the bottom of Madison Ave, serving classic Italian, in a truly unique open air atmosphere.

woodburner

[alacarte]

I perused the Metroland link that woodburner posted (quite helpful, actually).

I was surprised to see how many places remain on the list from my college days in Albany.... Justin's, The Ginger Man, El Loco, etc. I suppose you could just take a walk down Lark St. in downtown Albany (uptown from the biz district though).

I was less surprised to see the "reader favorites" included TGI Fridays, Chili's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse, etc...... But that's Albany for you! It's a big ol' suburb that masquerades as a city.

Last time I was in town (about a year ago), had brunch with friends at Madison's End Cafe -- the name had escaped me until I saw this list (it was Qualters back in my college days, back in the dark ages. ) It was pretty good, excellent omelettes and breads.

[phaelon56]

It's been close to 20 years since I ate at Yono's - nice to hear that it's still there. It was the first really upscale place that I ever ate in solo. The menu was a bit puzzling but fun - half Indonesian and half french but not fusion. Add to that the fact that they were playing country music. As I recall the meal was better than average and the indoenesian soup I had was fantatsic but it was sooooo long ago.

More recently I've enjoyed the woodfired pizza at Bruno's in Sarataoga Springs (not the Wolfgang Puck chi-chi fu-fu type of pizza). I also have had reasonbly consistent Southern food and very good fried chicken at Hattie's. In some respects I preferred it when Hattie and Bill McDaniel owned it but the new owner has done well atretaining some of the original items and also updating the menu and ambiance. Neither of the previous places is upscale by any stretch of the imagination but can be fun places for a decent meal.

[syzygy8]

Albany is dining hell. I lived there for nearl 20 years before I moved out 4 years ago. I do visit, however and can say with wholehearted gusto, "Get to Cafe Capriccio!!!!!" Run. Don't walk. Not only is it the finest restaurant within 50 miles of Albany of any kind, it may well be one of the top 20 Italian restaurants in the entire northeast. Service, food, you name it. There is not a bad dish on teh menu (their pasta excels) and they have a superb wine list. When I return to Albany from time to time to visit the in-laws, the Mrs. knows that to make me happy (Thank God someone noted that Reader Favorites in that area are places like Red Lobster! That's why there's no one willing to invest in anything quality there) a dinner at Capriccio is required and it keeps me from complaining about the trip.

For the folks who mentioned Yono's. It's not the same place as it was years ago. It used to be down near the Empire State Plaza and it was excellent. About 7 years or so ago, Yono closed down that location and moved into space at a car dealership. Yes, you heard that right, a car dealership. Supposedly it does pretty good business, but I never went there after he moved from downtown. I think the menu changed with the move too.

But I can't be more emphatic. Eat at Cafe Capriccio.

[melkor]

Cafe Capriccio is the best Italian in Albany, but they are far from flawless. Most everything they serve is well made and uses good ingredients. Friday night they still have great live music, that's when it's worth going.

[woodburner]

I perused the Metroland link that woodburner posted (quite helpful, actually).

Last time I was in town (about a year ago), had brunch with friends at Madison's End Cafe -- the name had escaped me until I saw this list (it was Qualters back in my college days, back in the dark ages. ) It was pretty good, excellent omelettes and breads.

Thanks, glad it helped.

Qualters place had a nice little spot in my heart. Harry Qualters, taught High School English at Shaker High in the Late 60's early 70's. He was known as Mr. Q, to us students.

He had a passion for cooking and decided to take a detour in life and open the place on Madison.

A few years later he gained some recognition, and moved up to the Century House in Latham, into the kitchen end. Surley was a step up for him.

Not sure where he could be now, but I hope, he is resting easily in Belize. Great guy.

woodburner

[docsconz]

Yono's did move to a building that used to be a car dealership. Whoever was responsible for the transition actually did a pretty good job of making it into a a pretty funky, cool building. The restaurant itself is still quite good with that intriguing combination of Indonesian and French.

Cafe Capriccio is a restaurant with a good local reputation, but I must confess I have never been. To be honest, I have never heard enough special things about the Albany restaurants to warrant a special trip other than if I am going there for a show or some other reason. If I'm going out to dinner, I generally prefer to go to Saratoga or north into the Adirondacks. If the occasion is truly special and I want to travel I will go to NYC or Montreal. I may have to give additional consideration to Cafe Capriccio though based upon Syzygy8's emphatic recommendation.

[GOURMAND]

Unfortunately, as we all know, the nature of the restaurant business is that the survival rate is very short. Even the best do not hang around forever because of trends and the fickle clientele that dine in them. I have not been in Albany for a couple of hundred years LOL but do recall an exceptional restaurant on the outskirts. I believe it was on Route 9 and named Stone Ends. When I visited that place it was an experience on a par with most of New York City's best.It was quite pricey and probably no longer there.

They featured items such as bear steak and whale steak, venison and many other unusual and rare foods.

Just reminiscing here...........................good luck with your own find.

[docsconz]

Unfortunately, as we all know, the nature of the restaurant business is that the survival rate is very short. Even the best do not hang around forever because of trends and the fickle clientele that dine in them. I have not been in Albany for a couple of hundred years LOL but do recall an exceptional restaurant on the outskirts. I believe it was on Route 9 and named Stone Ends. When I visited that place it was an experience on a par with most of New York City's best.It was quite pricey and probably no longer there.

They featured items such as bear steak and whale steak, venison and many other unusual and rare foods.

Just reminiscing here...........................good luck with your own find.

I'm not familiar with that particular restaurant, but it sounds as if it is or at least was special. Welcome to eGullet!

[woodburner]

Unfortunately, as we all know, the nature of the restaurant business is that the survival rate is very short. Even the best do not hang around forever because of trends and the fickle clientele that dine in them. I have not been in Albany for a couple of hundred years LOL but do recall an exceptional restaurant on the outskirts. I believe it was on Route 9 and named Stone Ends. When I visited that place it was an experience on a par with most of New York City's best.It was quite pricey and probably no longer there.

They featured items such as bear steak and whale steak, venison and many other unusual and rare foods.

Just reminiscing here...........................good luck with your own find.

That post brings this whole thread right back into a circle. Stone Ends went e-gullet up, in the late 90's. Henry Junco who had originally built it and ran it starting in the 50's, and your right it was great.

He later sold it to Dale Miller,(Now of Jacks) who ran it for about 10 years or so.

Junco went on and opened Quintessence, on New Scotland with a fellow named Scalzo.

I'm not sure of the current status of the Stone Ends, but Quintessence closed a while back.

woodburner

[alacarte]

I may have mis-remembered. Maybe Madison's End is where Quintessence used to be, rather than Qualter's.

I'm gettin' old. The memory is not what is used to be!

[syzygy8]

I may have to give additional consideration to Cafe Capriccio though based upon Syzygy8's emphatic recommendation.

If you do, please post your impressions. I'd be anxious to know what you think. Never hurts to get confirmation that I'm crazy, right?!