EARLY LOOK: ITAMESHI, Albany
EARLY IMPRESSIONS: Itameshi Japanese-Italian
745 Broadway, Albany | IG:
FIRST LOOK: Only 3 weeks after opening, we’re not quite ready to give you a full review, but an early look shows some of the highs and lows for this much anticipated Japanese & Italian restaurant inside the 80-unti Industrie apartment building in the Warehouse district of downtown Albany. The bar and restaurant is a collaboration between Mike Pietrocola, chef-owner of Pastina in Delmar, and Dave Zheng, owner of Sake Cafe, Graney’s Bar & Grill, and Tanpopo Ramen & Sake Bar just down the road.
Itameshi means “Italian” in Japanese and, in Japan, refers to Japanese-Italian fusion restaurants known as itameshi — hence the name here in Albany. In Japan, I ate into Pastamore, an itameshi restaurant in Kyoto train station to get a handle on the flavors: Think carbonara with raw egg yolk and bottarga or cacio e pepe with Kyoto shichimi chile pepper and Shiba pickles.
First impressions: The all-white, marble floored space is impressive modern, but surprisingly stark, bright. The space is somewhat curiously divided into a dining room on the right and a small bar area with well-stocked backbar and ESPN sports on TV on the left, the two parts connected by a corridor with banquette seating. The dining room feels a little stark, like the dining space of the Starship Enterprise, but if they can dial down the surgical wattage of the bulbs, all should be well.
Drinks: William Oshei, a familiar bartender from Whiskey Pickle and War Room Tavern, is the new bar manager behind an excellent selection of Japanese whiskeys and the cocktail menu. My guest liked an excellent Mezcal-based Spaghetti Western with ancho chile liqueur, Cynar 70 and orange peel so much he ordered it twice. A Deodato Gallo is a surprise for the rye drinker, paired with Tempus Fuget banane, punt e mes aperitivo, tiki bitters and salt. The banana is subtle and the salt and tiki bitters offset its sweetness. The Zero Fighter is a crowd pleaser as a riff on an Aviation cocktail with Roku gin, yuzu and honey and ume plum subbing for creme de violette for, IMHO, superior results.
Menu: Wagyu meatballs, ramen or gyoza dumplings are all ideal solo bar snacks, but you can order an Italian sushi roll should you be in the mood for prosciutto, tomato, aioli and mozzarella in sushi form. (We were not.) The tuna carpaccio with agrodolce and lemon is excellent, if strangely draped over a lone, uni butter crouton; three large shrimp over crispy rice rafts are smothered in a tomato cream sauce which unavoidably softens the base and needs heat both in temp and Calabrian chile. The real winner is a squid ink spaghettini with uni (sea urchin) sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bright orange tobiko caviar. It’s super.
Those interested in full dinner can choose Prime NY strip steak with wasabi mashed potato and bok choy, miso salmon with purple rice and miso butter, Wagyu braised ribs with udon noodles or breaded katsu veal with sticky tonkatsu sauce. The fusion element is less integrated in endless creative pastas than you’d find in Japan but it’s definitely there.
Intel: Oshei shared they’ve been tweaking the menu based on customer feedback and they’re working on the lighting situation. Having lost their opening GM, we may see some additional adjustments, but service was fast and friendly. For now, you can consider Itameshi to be in its soft opening phase.
Parking: Street parking
