Went back to Valente's this past weekend and had another solid meal. Not pictured, the delicious…read morestrawberry cheese cake!

First of all our server was the best! She has only been working there a few weeks but she was…read morefabulous. I didn't feel like Italian food so I ordered steak. It was one of the best sirloins I have ever had. So much flavor. My other favorite thing, the potato skin on my baked potato was seasoned. I am one to eat every bite of my baked potato and it was heavenly. We were celebrating a friend's birthday and none of us eat rich desserts so we brought fruit. They kept it in the back for us and came out singing Happy Birthday. Two of my friends had the scallops and said they were fresh and delicious. Everything was wonderful. This is definitely a place to visit for sure. Order the sirloin at least once! You will not be disappointed.

The food was wonderfully tasteful and our server Mia was very attentive and helpful! We loved the…read moreenvironment and feel of the restaurants ambiance. Will certainly be returning!

Run do not walk!! This is some of the best pizza in the northeast; heck, the country…read more So damn good! Street parking out front. The service is so friendly. Just awesome. And the interior was beautiful. Hard to believe o was in South Troy lol. Not noisy at all - very easy to carry on a conversation. The hangover cake is to die for - wow! Highly recommend!

I was in Albany for my doctoral hooding ceremony and subsequent graduation, when I was left…read morewondering where to take my family for dinner afterwards. I was promised that Grappa 72 would exceed my expectations. As an Italian-American AND a foodie, it's hard to wow me at an Italian venue. I can honestly say that this place was all that I was promised and more. What we ordered to share: crispy arancini (special app that day), eggplant parm, fried calamari. I am a red sauce snob, and all three of these delivered on presentation, quality, and overall flavor. Entrees we ordered included: halibut (entree special and my choice), pappardelle loaded with shrimp and chicken (also a special), pork osso bucco (stole the show!). We ended with individual desserts, and their Italian cheesecake was smooth and creamy. Service was reflective of high-end dining, yet the check for six people was moderate to affordable. Considering the quality, quantity, and overall experience, this is a place I need to get back to. Now I need to find an excuse to be in the Capitol Region so I can go back!

My boyfriend, his family, and I arrived at Grappa '72 to celebrate my boyfriend's graduation from…read moremed school! Our hostess was just the sweetest. She had lots of recommendations for what drinks and dishes to order, and she was really attentive towards our party. When we sat at our table, we helped ourselves to the fresh table bread and tapenade while we decided what to order. I decided to get the seafood special, which was a grilled branzino served with blistered green beans and wild rice. While the dish tasted a bit too oily for my liking, there was LOTS of food that came with this dish - enough for me to pack as a lunch the next day! What was also memorable about this experience was the live music playing at front. This is a very nice Italian resto for special occasions and date nights.

I've been hearing good things about Anthony's for awhile but I didn't think the pictures of food I…read moresaw were that exciting. Don't be fooled the food is outstanding. I was also hesitant to try the Alfredo because it is made more authenticity without cream and I enjoy the Americanized version. I decided to take a chance anyway and got the Shrimp Romano with tagliatelle. It was one of the best Alfredo sauces I've had. Service was great also.

Dinner before a show at Cohoes Music Hall…read more Walking in, the restaurant was more casual than other Italian restaurants in the area. It was mostly empty at 530 on a Friday night, service was fine but it seemed to be just one woman. We started off with wine and I was pleasantly surprised at the pour. We decided to start with the arancini. They were as expected, a creamy and cheesy risotto, breaded and fried. They were a little bland, and the sauce was very spicy, which we were not expecting, but was fine. The bread brought to the table was very crusty, maybe stale, the pesto dip was nice and the cute "A" in the balsamic was a nice touch. We then moved onto our entrees which were great portions. I ordered the Veal Francese. It costs an extra $5 to put this over pasta, for a $25 dish. So to my understanding, this dish is $25 for a piece of veal in a sauce and a half a cup of zucchini ... that doesn't make sense. Just include the pasta in the price. But, the pasta was great. You could tell it was made in house and had a great texture. The sauce was a thickened lemon/wine/butter sauce. The flavor was great but it was a little goopy. It was thickened with something like cornstarch as opposed to being reduced. There are many notes here, but it was a perfectly fine dish. I took half of it home and enjoyed it later after the show. My friend ordered the sorrentina, which was chicken and eggplant. She loved the dish and it was enormous, I did not sample it but it looked great. This is just a run of the mill average Italian spot. The parm cheese offered for the dishes was a flavorless shaker brought to the table. If you're looking to be impressed, maybe not the best spot, but if you're looking for a quiet dinner to catch up with a friend, why not!

I'm going to start out with a tip. Ask to have your 4-cut pizza cut into 12 slices. (Easy math…read moreconversion if you get an 8-cut instead.) I've never been to Detroit and only had Detroit style pizza at one other restaurant which just so happens to also be local. I read that the chef at that other restaurant was originally from Detroit and was therefore quite knowledgeable and experienced in making the Detroit style. I've enjoyed the pizza there enough to have returned several times. So, I was anxious to try Uncle Dom's when I heard about it last week. After all, it's about 25 miles closer to home. I've Googled Detroit style pizza in the past and learned that it "is a rectangular pizza with a thick crust that is crispy and chewy. It is traditionally topped with Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the way to the edges and caramelizes against the high-sided heavyweight rectangular pan." Uncle Dom's meets that criteria! (Actually, I don't know if the cheese was from Wisconsin.) Google also tells me that Detroit style is 1 1/2" thick. I mention this because Uncle Dom's is slightly thicker than what I've had elsewhere, is awkward and messy to eat when served in Dom's standard size cut (see my above tip), and you're likely to get sauce on your nose! At the pan's edge of a slice, Dom clearly hits the 2-inch mark (see photo). The dough at the center may be 1 1/2" but the generous amount of toppings, especially the delicious sauce, cannot help but kiss the inner top of the takeout box. All that dough is delicious. It has a great flavor on its own, but the caramelized melted cheese at the edges takes it up another notch. Chunks of ham and pineapple on the Hawaiian, blend great flavors with the sauce and dough. Sautéed peppers and onions along with a nicely fenneled sausage, also go great with Dom's sauce and (Wisconsin?) cheese. Love that sausage! Note: Beware of the prices shown on the webpage. They are out of date. My Hawaiian was not $14 but $16, and the Sausage, Peppers, and Onions was not $14 but $18. Both pizzas were well worth the higher cost.

Don't judge a pizza by its bar…read more What you might call a dive bar, I could call a culinary exploration. Located in Eldorado bar in Troy, some might call this place a dive, dumpy, a hole in the wall, but I found it to be a homey and comfortable setting. And, it is exactly what it's not trying to be, an excellent pizza spot. You could randomly stumble in here after a night on the town expecting crappy bar food, and find truly excellent Detroit style pizza. Uncle Doms was a last minute addition to a local pizza tour. We came late, the bar was pretty empty, and we quickly snagged up 6 seats at the bar. We came for pizza and ordered some beverages for our wait. The bar was well staffed and we chatted up the bartenders who were all raving about the pizza, rightfully so. The menu is simple, Detroit style pizza is what they serve. We opted for a large 8 cut plain cheese pie, double cut for sharing. It came in about 20 minutes, cooked fresh and delivered hot and beautiful. Detroit style pizza is a thick cut pizza cooked in a deep sheet pan, cheese covered to the edges to give you the most delicious and burnt cheesy crust, topped with sauce. This pizza was amazing. The crust, while thick, was so light and airy with a crisp and buttery bottom. The cheese and sauce were heavy, but paired perfectly with the thick crust. This pizza is crave worthy, balanced and very unexpected. Highly recommend checking this place out for a casual beer and pizza night. It's seriously unexpected and down right delicious.

DeFazio's has exploded in popularity in recent years because of rave reviews from pizza purists…read more It's critically acclaimed as not only one of the premier pizzerias in the Cap District, but some (me) say it's a top ranker across the country. And that ranking is well deserved. You get a strong familial feel walking into DeFazio's. If you're lucky enough to meet the Boss himself (he will actually be wearing a shirt that says "Boss"), he will give you a history lesson on the pizzeria, his family, and the state of pizz-ology Nationwide. He proudly proclaims that he is still The Sauce Guy around these parts because he has to keep up the quality control. There's something special about eating at a restaurant where the owner cares that much about the product, and they want you to as well. I encourage you to take the plunge and order the General Tso's pizza. It sounds insane, I know. But if you grew up eating this stuff, it will take you back to a time where you were traversing a mall food court and eating free samples (funny enough, that was the inspiration for this pizza). A lot of chicken-based pizzas will have red sauce as a base, but this is actually replaced with the Tso's special blend which has a beautiful sweet-heat to it. If you're coming here for the first time, it's nice to also balance a pizza like that out with a classic. Maybe a cheese or something similar. That way you can try out the red sauce and cheese in its purest form. I had the pleasure of walking through a cheese packing session that was going on in the restaurant, so I got to see that raw mozz up close, maybe 20 pounds of it. At that moment, I felt as though I was approaching enlightenment. When fully melted on that 'za, this cheese has the ideal mix of density and squish. DeFazio's has a special place in my heart. Your time here will make you feel like you are in a pizza sitcom. And you will leave with a feeling that you may have just had some of the best pizza of your life.

We were in the neighborhood.... Honest. We were a bit hungry, too. DeFazio's, one of the region's…read morepremiere pizza parlors was only a few blocks away. I haven't been to this original location on 4th St. in Troy for a few years. The family operation is nearly 100 years old. Remarkably, it's very much as I remember it. A tiny place with three tables. Some of the seating looks like repurposed church pews. The youthful staff, friendly as always. They were running into some delays as orders came pouring in just before dinnertime. They'd have to check to see if they could fit our order for a big pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions and peppers. They squeezed us in! Since the wait would be between 20-30 minutes we kept ourselves busy by checking out the desserts in the self serve refrigerator. I picked out a slice of "hangover" (alcohol) cake and I devoured it before our meal arrived. It was so delicious and naughty fun to eat our dessert before the meal. The pizza was fantastic when it arrived. I prefer crisp crusts-- this one was not-- but it was awesome just the same. My friend and I were so hungry that we consumed half of the pie before I realized that we hadn't photographed our delicious pizza. The remaining half was boxed and taken home to be enjoyed for a couple more days. The staff was so ready. They came to our table with the box and we settled up our bill. A lot to be said for tradition and quality. I've also visited DeFazio's in Albany, but I have yet to visit the relatively new restaurant up the block. Thanks, DeFazio's, for another great meal.

Great stop for a quick and inexpensive dinner! Donna's has been on my list since the sad loss of…read morePeck's Arcade. The space is still warm and cozy and intimate. We walked right in at about 630 on a Friday night and were seated immediately. We ordered a couple of drinks. Although I was put off at the shape of the martini glass, it was actually really good and used high quality olives. We decided to go for a pizza and it was the perfect dinner for two to share, we didn't even want anything else. We ordered the brocc but asked for no tomatoes. It was delicious and cooked perfectly! I loved the balance of the garlic, bitter broccoli and the char of the crust. A quick dinner for two at less than $50 works for me! A great place to grab a bite before a night out on the town.

Discovered Donna's thru exploring Yelp in hopes to locate a gem as the 518 is quickly transforming…read moreinto a pizza desert, sadly. Long are the days of Clifton Park Pizza, Mama's (also Clifton Park), B & D Tavern (Mechanicville), etc. Ordered the margarita - no basil. High-grade ingredients was evident. Easily lives in the 8 rating tier. So good.

Midpoint Pizza is still rocking it! The service is always…read moregreat, we have dined in, and we have ordered take out on numerous occasions and every time we go in the staff is always extremely courteous and seem grateful for our business. The cozy atmosphere of the restaurant is great for a romantic evening or a quiet family dinner. We love that they have clearly marked on the menu all the vegan options and what is vegetarian to make ordering easy. Ordering online is simple but it's just as easy to call and place an order of you have any questions or concerns. This time I ordered a large pizza with vegan cheese. Half the pizza had artichokes and kalamata olives, the other half was topped with fresh sliced mushrooms and vegan sausage. No canned mushrooms here! I think its great that they know their ingredients. The Vegan cheese is always browned and properly melted. You don't have to tell them extra crispy or well done, they aren't going to give you a pizza that does look and taste delicious! Anytime we are in the Latham area and looking for a place crowd pleaser where we can order for us and the rest of the family that doesn't eat vegan food, Midpoint is at the top of the list! There really is something for everyone!

Holy grail of pizzas. I ordered during an absolute blizzard, and although it took two hours to get…read moreto me, it was fine because this pizza was so delightful and I don't even like cold pizza. Why was it so good? I got the 10" Chicken Ricotta, and the flavor was on point, perfectly seasoned, and the crust was so fresh. Not doughy, but that good fire pizza fresh. I'm also a sucker for anything that resembles pasta, so when I saw pasta on a pizza, it was a must try. I'm heading back to Albany right now, and this will be the first thing I order to my hotel.