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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bartender, trainer + wellness coach Trinel McDermott (June Farms/McGeary’s) uses Monday Gin + Sentia Red to craft a N/A No-Groni for The Dishing’s Bartender Series.

INTEL: Welcome to The Hi-Note in Saratoga Springs. Canned beer, a Fernet club, wood-clad walls + ‘80s basement vibes are all in place at The Hi-Note.

Little Goat (Rhinebeck) serves up polished farmhouse and community appeal with an all-day bakery, Mediterranean-inspired menu + the martini service of our dreams.

Zach Wolfgramm (Kindred, Saratoga) crafts his Second Hand Smoke for The Dishing’s ZERO PROOF cocktail series.

Will Hoschek (Itameshi, Albany) fires up a non-alc cocktail using kosho, a salt-fermented yuzu and green chile paste, for The Dishing’s ZERO PROOF cocktail series.

Anton Kinloch (Lone Wolf, Kingston) serves us what we want in a non-alc Dirty “Martini” for The Dishing’s ZERO PROOF cocktail series.

In Hillsdale, Hilltown Hot Pies lives up to the hype with dough to die for + crushable wines. 🍕

Kat Dunn (Padrona, Hudson) brings the heat in ‘Smoke Signals,’ her spicy, Lapsang Souchong tea dupe of a boozier original for The Dishing’s ZERO PROOF cocktail series.

We ask 7 bartenders if zero-proof cocktails are here to stay. They’re all in.