Reviews + Recs

At Cornerstone Restaurant in Pawling, N.Y., Chef Harris Mayer’s hyper-local, farm-to-table menu places area farms center stage. With over 20 farms named on ‘No Farms, No Food’ table-top cards, Cornerstone proves farmers are the real rockstars + Pawling is worth the drive. Plus, we think they may have the best Black Dirt onion rings ever.

Pinkerton’s Bakery (Kingston) in an iconic 1920s art deco gas station is home to the fantastic bread and pastries by James Beard Award-winning Angela Pinkerton, a former executive pastry chef of Eleven Madison Park. We love it enough to make a pilgrimage.

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.”

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.

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.

From the NeoVista Hospitality team comes the latest downtown Albany opening with their stylishly-designed all-day Bakery 66.

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.

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.

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.

One of Saratoga’s Best Restaurants is in a Supermarket. Should The Market Bar and Restaurant in Franklin Square Market Make Saratoga’s Best Restaurant Lists?

The opening of The Verandah in Troy’s Little Italy is a fusion of Jamaican island cooking and Italian Likkle Tings.

Tucked in a sloping tiny strip mall on Route 2 in Latham, Neda’s Persian Kitchen serves up classic Persian and Afghan dishes in a simply decorated, but sunny and welcoming café.

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.

In Kinderhook, Isola is equal parts wine bar + community hub with Hillary Zio’s curated focus on boutique, coastal European wines.

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.

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

WHERE TO EAT—Below Ground at the Empire State Plaza.

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

A month after opening, we take a peek at the decor, cocktails + plates of Ambos, an Argentinian-inspired restaurant with Hudson Valley inclinations, inside the 70,000-square foot Hudson handbag factory reimagined as The Pocketbook Hudson Hotel + Baths.

Winter’s here, now what? We have 7 cozy wine bars where you can hunker down.

In its prime Broadway location in Saratoga Springs, Egyptian-Lebanese flavors are the star at Sara’s Kitchen where friends can linger over mezze, shawarma and Lebanese wine.

Where to eat in Kinderhook: 3 spots to know — The Aviary, Isola Wine Bar + Saisonnier

3 spots you need to know in Rosendale: Bistrot Le Chat Barbu, Well Nice Wine Bar + Montauk Catch Club.

Taking over the vintage 1960s bar, L’Roca Restaurant + Lounge is bringing Dominican flavor to the storied Elbo Room.

In business for over 90 years, Ralph’s Italian American is a cozy, old-school tavern for club sandwiches, Italian favorites and late night dining.

Stylish, friendly, unrushed and exceptionally fresh. We rate Saratoga’s Omakase Sushi & Grill as worth a trip.

Cleome, in the Empire Theatre building, is serving up sleek contemporary style and Southern comfort food

Albany Ale & Oyster serves up all-day dining with retro flair, friendly service, craft beer + comfort food that sticks. (And $1 oysters on Sundays!)

First impression: 3 weeks after opening, we take a peak at the decor, cocktails + plates at Itameshi, a Japanese-Italian fusion concept inside Industrie apartment building in the Warehouse District, Albany.

Quechua Peruvian serves up classic regional dishes and the coastal plates of Lima’s Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine in a former Italian restaurant near the Arsenal in Watervliet.