EARLY LOOK: ITAMESHI, Albany
EARLY IMPRESSIONS: Itameshi Japanese-Italian, Albany
Inside Industrie Apartments, 745 Broadway, Albany | IG: @itameshialbany
FIRST LOOK: Only 3 weeks after opening, we’re not quite ready to serve up a full review, but this preview gives our first impressions of the much anticipated Japanese & Italian restaurant inside Industrie, an 80-unit apartment building in Albany’s warehouse district. Like the food, the bar-restaurant is a partnership between Mike Pietrocola, chef-owner of the excellent Italian restaurant, Pastina, in Delmar, and Dave Zheng, owner of Sake Cafe, Graney’s Bar & Grill, and Tanpopo Ramen & Sake Bar, the latter just a stroll down the road.
Itameshi means “Italian” in Japanese. In Japan, it refers collectively to Japanese-Italian fusion restaurants known as itameshi — hence the simple name here. I’m a fan of the fusion style, having eaten at Pastamore, an itameshi restaurant in Kyoto, Japan, a couple of years back. For an idea of the concept, think carbonara with raw egg yolk and dried, shaved bottarga (roe) flakes or cacio e pepe with Kyoto Shichimi togarashi (seven-spice pepper) and Shiba pickles.
First impressions: The marble floored, all-white space is modern, but brightly lit like the dining area of the Starship Enterprise. If they can dial down the surgical wattage, all should be well. Divided somewhat creatively with a windowless dining room on the right and a small bar and ESPN sports on a TV to the left, the two sides are connected by an open corridor with banquette seating on one wall. I’ll be curious to see how it feels with a busy crowd dining in. Right now, it feels pretty stark.
Early Look at the Drinks: William Oshei, familiar from Whiskey Pickle and the War Room Tavern, is the bar manager behind an excellent Japanese whiskey list and all cocktails. My guest liked his Spaghetti Western (Mezcal, ancho chile liqueur, Cynar 70, orange peel) so much he ordered it twice. The 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 though and salt and tiki bitters offset its sweetness. The Zero Fighter in a delicate coupe is a crowd pleaser as a riff on an Aviation cocktail with Roku gin, yuzu and honey and ume plum liqueur subbing for crème de violette for, IMHO, superior results.
Early Look at the Menu: Wagyu meatballs, ramen or gyoza dumplings are all ideal for solo or shared snacks at the bar, 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 fresh, if strangely draped over a lone, uni butter crouton; in more Italian form, the three large shrimp over crispy rice rafts are smothered in a tomato cream sauce which - of course - softens the base and needed heat both in temp and the promised Calabrian chile oil. The real winner is a squid ink spaghettini with uni (sea urchin) sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bright orange tobiko caviar. It’s super and I’ll be back for that.
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.
Extra Intel: Oshei shared they’re still tweaking the menu based on customer feedback and Zheng is working on dimming the lights. Having lost an opening GM, we may see additional adjustments, but with only 4 of us in the bar, service was both friendly and fast.
Soft verdict: Worth a visit for cocktails and shared plates, but Itameshi is still very much in a soft opening phase.
Parking: Street parking.
