ALL STORIES
The full collection. Every story, interview & review, all in one place – you’re welcome.
REVIEW: JOHNSON’S BARBECUE, Tannersville
The chef-led Johnson’s Barbecue fires up the Catskills with its new semi-permanent home + dive bar at The Boathouse in Tannersville. Industry contributor Dimity Jones is all in on the Kansas City ‘cue, chef-crafted sides + “lakeside, camp aesthetic that feels both retro boy scout lodge and local hangout.”
MEET PASTRY CHEF MANUELA MILAN VERA
Meet Manuela Milan Vera, a 21-year old pastry chef from Uruguay who studied at the prestigious École Ducasse in France, and is the artist behind the desserts at Milas in Schenectady. Manuela (“Ella”) talks to us about creative risks, rock climbing + the power of saying yes.
TASTE: SCARPETT at Siro’s + Noah’s Italian, Saratoga
At Noah’s Italian, bar manager Olivia Savas’ Scarpett nods to Italian roots + showcases Tuscan Piro Extra Virgin Olive Oil following a summer collab at Siro’s.
REVIEW: EMPEROR GARDEN, Crossgates Mall, Albany
Tucked in the former World of Beer in Crossgates Mall, Emperor Garden joins a handful of Chinese restaurants we recommend with several dishes you won’t find elsewhere.
Recap: PIRO x SIRO’S
Summer race season 2026. Piro x Siro’s, the perfect finish.
A culinary collaboration + brand activation by Dishing.Studio.
INTEL: LONE WOLF GOES BACK TO ITS RUM ROOTS IN A RETURN TO FUSCHIA TIKI
INTEL: Anton Kinloch goes back to his rum roots as he reworks Lone Wolf, the upscale 3-year old Kingston cocktail bar, in the image of his original New Paltz tiki bar, Fuschia Tiki.
REVIEW: TUNA CUTTING EXPERIENCE at SUSHI BY BOU
REVIEW: Sushi By Bou, a speakeasy-style micro-omakase chain known for 12-course chef menus + dining speed, has a new experience in its arsenal. A handful of its 22 locations from Atlanta to Albany have added a monthly Tuna Cutting Experience featuring a 250 lb Bluefin tuna + sliced for a hungry crowd. Susie Davidson Powell joined the guests scraping bones with spoons + drinking sake from its head.
INTEL: TROY BOYS UNITE IN BROOKLYN AT SWEET POLLY, BROOKLYN
INTEL: The Dishing caught up with Andrew Patterson, former bar director of Milas in Schenectady, as he takes on a new bar director role at Sweet Polly in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
INTEL — FROM UPSTATE TO NYC, CHAIGUY RETURNS TO REOPEN ALIF CAFÉ 2.0 IN GLENS FALLS
INTEL: Saud Khan, a 518 local + content creator known as Chaiguy on Tiktok, opened two Pakistani chai + coffeehouses in NYC after closing Alif Cafe in Glens Falls to move downstate. Now, he’s back with Alif Cafe 2.0. which soft-opened this week. We have the early intel.
TASTE: BREAKING BREAD — A Reuben-Inspired Cocktail for A Late Night Pickle Plate by Zach Wolfgramm
TASTE: BREAKING BREAD — A Reuben-Inspired Cocktail for A Late Night Pickle Plate by Zach Wolfgramm + Tom Madarasz
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.