ALL STORIES
The full collection. Every story, interview & review, all in one place – you’re welcome.
MEET QUANG TRAN, HOSPITALITY VETERAN, GM, SERVER + RESTAURATEUR
Hospitality veteran Quang Tran talks service, Michelin stars, fatherhood + the good, bad + ugly of a career in the trenches.
BOTTLE CRUSH: ALIGOTÉ + The Case for a Classic Kir
Wine educator Dominique DeVito reminisces over summers in France for this week’s bottle crush + makes a case for a classically French Kir cocktail.
REVIEW: NeoVista’s CAFE 66 opens on State Street, Albany
From the NeoVista Hospitality team comes the latest downtown Albany opening with their stylishly-designed all-day Bakery 66.
INTEL: ZIEMANN HOSPITALITY RETURNS TO ALBANY WITH BAR CALVIN
INTEL A new sibling for Milas + a new addition for Ziemann Hospitality with the planned opening of Bar Calvin in Stuyvesant Plaza. Coming June 2027.
MEET: VAL FELDMAN, STABLE GATE WINERY, Castleton
Sommelier Val Feldman, owner of Stable Gate Winery, Barn + Vineyard in Castleton, talks natural wine, fermentation, inclusivity + expanding her family’s four-generation business.
TASTE: MAJORAM MARTINI, Hamlet + Ghost
At Hamlet & Ghost, bartender Tim O’Connell was inspired by a local chef to use marjoram in a cocktail. The result? An herbaceous, summery martini.
BOTTLE CRUSH: Dionese’s Bitter Aperitif Wine. Made in New York.
A collaboration between Val Feldman of Stable Gate Winery in Castleton + Italian bartender Francesco Dionese, based in New York City, means the Capital Region is home to Dionese’s Bitter Aperitif wine, a remarkably good alt to Campari, and a sibling for their Dionese’s sweet vermouth. Made in New York, baby.
GUEST SHIFT: JANESHA LEVONS, Bartender + Model
Freelance bartender Janesha “Jaja Levons” talks bartending in New York, international modeling, skateboarding, raising her son + why beauty is more than skin deep.
EXCLUSIVE: AS THE LARKIN HIFI CLOSES, ALLEN STREET PUB STEPS IN WITH ABERRATION
EXCLUSIVE: As The Larkin HiFi closes, a veteran Albany bar team get ready to take the reins.
WHERE TO EAT: For Bastille Day, A Roundup of Where To Dine Like The French.
For Bastille Day, we have a roundup of where to eat upstate when you want to pretend you’re in France.
🫒EXCLUSIVE: CHEF RICHARD LYMAN LEAVING THE ROOSEVELT ROOM FOR CELEBRATED BOSTON KITCHEN
Chef Richard Lyman is on the move. Departing from his CdC role at The Roosevelt Room in Troy, the young chef is following his dream and joining La Padrona, a Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant in Boston, M.A. We talk to him about the move + his commitment to the craft.
BREVIS BITTERSWEET: Klocke Estate’s Vermouth Spritz is a Pimm’s Cup Rival
Topped with Cava sparkling wine, Klocke Estate’s bittersweet vermouth spritz is a low-ABV summertime sipper.
MEET: WILSON KEENAN, Bakery Suzanne
From West Coast start ups to Saratoga’s Bakery Suzanne, Wilson Keenan makes the dough.
REVIEW: Pez Shines As the Coastal Mexican Successor to Rivertown Tavern
On its opening night, Pez—by James Beard-nominated Chef Éfrén Hernandez—shines in the former Rivertown Tavern at Rivertown Lodge. We took an early look.
WHERE TO EAT: Filipino Food is in the Spotlight. We Track Down 8 Ways to Find Filipino Food in the Capital Region + Hudson Valley
Where to Find Filipino Food Upstate. We track down Filipino pop ups, a food truck in Glens Falls, a James Beard nominated spot, a kamayan feast + a few (rare) brick-and-mortar eateries.
INTEL: CHEF COLIN MINER IS BACK + READY TO ROLL AT KATY’S IN GLENS FALLS
INTEL: Chef Colin Miner is back in Glens Falls with a new modern menu at soon-to-open Katy’s Wine + Whiskey Bar. We got the early scoop on his small plates menu.
CURIOUS RED: A Curious Departure for Non-Alc Curious Elixirs as They Drop ‘Sumptuous Syrah’
Curious Elixir’s Adaptogenic Curious Red is Founder @susiedp’s Non-Alc Feel Good Sipper for Summer 2026
REVIEW: PITA + OLIVE, Clifton Park
From the founders of Zaitoon, Pita + Olive elevates fast-casual Mediterranean to stylish dine in, while their new café bar—with lattes, pastries + affogato shots—is just another reason to go.
MEET: CHEF MIKE MASTRANTUONO, 15 CHURCH, Saratoga
Executive Chef Mike Mastrantuono of 15 Church in Saratoga talks hunting, leadership, new owners, unbeatable ingredients + his favorite gangster chef.
COMING UP COFFEE — The return of ‘90s coffee culture
Nineties coffee culture is back + all the cool kids want to hang. We hit up Kha & Mel’s Coffee + Tea Room (Delaware neighborhood, Albany), Jacob Alejandro (downtown Troy) + Station Six (Center Square, Albany) with a nod to the O.G. Little Peck’s expanded weekend nighttime hours.