ALL STORIES
The full collection. Every story, interview & review, all in one place – you’re welcome.
EARLY LOOK: AMBOS — Out of pocket at THE POCKETBOOK HUDSON
A month after opening, we take a peek at the decor, cocktails + plates of Ambos, an Argentinian-inspired restaurant with Hudson Valley inclinations, inside the 70,000-square foot Hudson handbag factory reimagined as The Pocketbook Hudson Hotel + Baths.
INTEL: 7 (soon 8) WINE BARS TO ESCAPE THE SNOW
Winter’s here, now what? We have 7 cozy wine bars where you can hunker down.
REVIEW: SARA’S KITCHEN, Saratoga Springs
In its prime Broadway location in Saratoga Springs, Egyptian-Lebanese flavors are the star at Sara’s Kitchen where friends can linger over mezze, shawarma and Lebanese wine.
INTEL: WHERE TO EAT IN KINDERHOOK
Where to eat in Kinderhook: 3 spots to know — The Aviary, Isola Wine Bar + Saisonnier
INTEL: Where to eat in Rosendale, N.Y.
3 spots you need to know in Rosendale: Bistrot Le Chat Barbu, Well Nice Wine Bar + Montauk Catch Club.
🔥🫒 INTEL: L’ROCA OPENS IN STORIED ELBO ROOM
Taking over the vintage 1960s bar, L’Roca Restaurant + Lounge is bringing Dominican flavor to the storied Elbo Room.
REVIEW: RALPH’S TAVERN, Colonie — 90+ years young
In business for over 90 years, Ralph’s Italian American is a cozy, old-school tavern for club sandwiches, Italian favorites and late night dining.
REVIEW: OMAKASE SUSHI & GRILL, Saratoga
Stylish, friendly, unrushed and exceptionally fresh. We rate Saratoga’s Omakase Sushi & Grill as worth a trip.
REVIEW: CLEOME, Glens Falls
Cleome, in the Empire Theatre building, is serving up sleek contemporary style and Southern comfort food
REVIEW: ALBANY ALE & OYSTER, Albany
Albany Ale & Oyster serves up all-day dining with retro flair, friendly service, craft beer + comfort food that sticks. (And $1 oysters on Sundays!)
EARLY LOOK: ITAMESHI, Albany
First impression: 3 weeks after opening, we take a peak at the decor, cocktails + plates at Itameshi, a Japanese-Italian fusion concept inside Industrie apartment building in the Warehouse District, Albany.
REVIEW: QUECHUA PERUVIAN, Watervliet
Quechua Peruvian serves up classic regional dishes and the coastal plates of Lima’s Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine in a former Italian restaurant near the Arsenal in Watervliet.
REVIEW: THE SEASONING HOUSE, Troy
Raissa Doumbia + Mathieu Niamke of The Seasoning House have brought their African cuisine from the Côte d’Ivoire to Troy.
REVIEW: TAIGA, Hudson
From Siberian Chef Vlad Larvin, Taiga is a taste of the wild boreal mountain forests from his hometown Altai region. From Russian botanical teas to blinis with smoked salmon and roe, it’s a seasonal feast often with dramatic presentations. In the back, a surprising addition of a small store with his botanical skincare line and imported hand-sewn silk pajamas and clothes.
REVIEW: MATILDA at The Henson Hotel
From the award-winning chefs behind Contra + WildAir in NYC, an upscale, upstate dining retreat complete with chef’s gardens, boulder wrapped fire-pit, their signature creative small plates + impeccable cocktails. (Don’t miss their eclectic flavored ice cream.)
REVIEW: SUWUN THAI HOME COOKING, Albany
Suwun Thai Home Cooking is the new home of Brooklyn Thai restaurant Ghang Thai Kitchen in the former Cuckoo’s Nest in Albany’s Pine Hills. Upscale but warmly welcome, the menu reads as a best hits of Thai classics with Thai-inspired cocktails in flavors from tamarind to coconut-ginger.
REVIEW: CASITA at Mass MoCA
Casita at Mass MoCA is a love letter to the tiny villages of Mexico with regional dishes, house-made tortillas and moles, and excellent cocktails and mezcals sourced during visits to producers.
REVIEW: TUSCAN BAKERY, Menands (Turkish)
Tuscan Bakery is not Italian but Turkish. Go for fresh made bread, Turkish böreği, kol börek, sweet pastries and imported Turkish delight. Stay for Turkish coffee, breakfast, menemen, or tea.
REVIEW: VIA CASSIA, Hudson
Via Cassia is a fun, bustling Italian restaurant on lower Warren Street with a focus on simple, Mediterranean flavors, Hudson Valley farm ingredients, and a Californian twist.
REVIEW: SABA CAFE, Albany (Yemeni-Palestinian)
Saba Cafe & Hookah Lounge is on the 2nd floor up a steep flight of stairs above the Saba al Yemen (formerly Sheba al Yemen) on Central Ave. With a cafe menu of coffees, pastries and smoothies it is family friendly by day, and a hookah lounge with monthly events during the evening.