Dominican Chef Riany Mena talks Latin + Asian flavors, launching Pataconia, cannabis-infused dinners + why he stepped back from the restaurant industry to reignite his passion for food.

Hamlet & Ghost Bar Director Sonia Castellani takes mezcal in a more subtle direction with almond and apricot.

For the official launch of Saratoga Maiden at Lucy’s in Saratoga, we talked with Pinhook Bourbon’s master blender, Sean Josephs about creating a Saratoga blend, his winemaker approach, and the future of American whiskey.

Yemeni coffee shops + smoothie bars are heating up upstate.

Veronica Agama—Latina, mother, entrepreneur + chef—talks food trucks, the diversity of Latin cooking + moving her Viva Empanadas business upstate.
— We also have her exclusive announcement of a new third location!

Upper New Scotland Ave in Albany’s Helderberg neighborhood is quietly blooming. We review Bloom Boutique Bar & Eatery, a new all-day new American restaurant inside The Rise/Midtown Square apartment complex.

Intel: All Change Around Albany + Troy.
— Editor Susie Davidson Powell dishes out the latest industry news in March.

Sonia Castellani, bar director of Hamlet & Ghost in Saratoga Springs, talks about growing up in France, the importance of culinary flavors + the women who inspired her career.

Is art best served in a bar? In Hudson, Troy and Schenectady, these 3 bar owners are drawing a crowd.

At Hamlet & Ghost, the team leans on kitchen ingredients to coax flavors out of cocktails. Bar Director Sonia Castellani’s hot pink Ube Milk Punch is a clear case of less is more.

Haema Hospitality announces their first brick-and-mortar in a spring move to Hudson. They’re taking over the former Bar Bene wine bar on Warren Street and building owner, Marie Wong, is thrilled.

In Kinderhook, Isola is equal parts wine bar + community hub with Hillary Zio’s curated focus on boutique, coastal European wines.

Hillary Zio, sommelier and owner of Isola Wine Bar in Kinderhook talks about her love of teaching, women in wine, and designing a balanced life on her own terms.

Spring Fever? All Change in Saratoga: 7 Chefs On The Move.

Diamond Life: Abby Puca + Sean Meagher talk cut, clarity, balance + why you should care about the ice in your glass.

INTEL: Little City Luncheonette is open on New Scotland Ave in Albany with comfort specials, breakfast cocktails + two familiar young chefs. We dropped in for stacked pancakes, breakfast cocktails + matzo ball soup to get the early dish.

Cheesecake Machismo’s Lynn Beaumont + Bam Lynch talk about 23 years of cheesecake innovation, tattoos, global community + being an Albany icon.

Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., but breakfast cocktails + happy hour is a real thing at the brand new Little City Luncheonette in Albany, N.Y.

Bartender, trainer + wellness coach Trinel McDermott (June Farms/McGeary’s) shows us how to craft a bittersweet Lady Marmalade cocktail for The Dishing’s Zero-Proof series.

Restaurants, cafés and bars took a stand for workers and communities, supporting Minnesota and resisting I.C.E. with the Jan. 30, 2026 general strike.

In Albany’s Warehouse District, Itameshi’s Bar Director Will Hoschek is inspired by rock samphire for a mermaid-inspired Vesper of the sea.

Will Hoschek, bar director of Itameshi in Albany’s Warehouse District, talks hot cocktails, kosho, ferments + why he came back to the industry he loves.

In Rhinebeck, the C. Cassis tasting room is worth a visit anytime, but you should plan ahead and reserve your seat for their occasional Pretend Restaurant.