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.

What a beautiful restaurant!…read more Did you ever have a long day and want to drink a big glass of red wine with dinner? The Scarlet Knife put a check in all the boxes. I walked in with no reservations. I noticed the space is very large with multiple dining rooms. I'm tired, I asked for a table close to the open kitchen. Once seated, I'm given a large, leather menu. There are lots of great entree choices but after I review all the selections, I'm going with the SK Bistro Burger. The entree also has a wine pairing suggestion, a Cabernet Sauvignon. It's like they read my mind, I'm sold! I'm starting to read about the restaurant, they have a large wine cellar and was recognized by Wine Spectator with an award for excellence. My bistro burger arrives, I can see this is a well crafted burger. From the pretzel bun to the thick burger patty, Scarlet Knife served me a great meal that I would typically order at The Capital Grill. My only issue, the onion straws were cold. I scraped them off and continued with my meal. I'm just passing thru town, Scarlet Knife was a fantastic spot to dine and have a generous pour of award winning Cabernet Sauvignon.

Scarlet Kitchen has been on our must try list and I was happy to find they had availability for…read moreEaster brunch and were serving their typical brunch menu. We arrived early and were seated promptly; water was poured before we even had napkins on laps. This surprised me, as reviews indicated that service could be slow and this was a holiday. But this started a constant service of someone checking in on us every 2-3 minutes (I am prone to exaggeration for a good story, but I assure you this was true. I kept checking my watch to confirm). We put in an appetizer order (deviled eggs) that was served within a minute or two. These were well seasoned and tasty, ice cold from the refrigerator. It's not that they didn't taste fresh, but they were served to us so quickly that I know that they were prepared well in advance and only the warm pork belly was recently prepped. Our meals were served as the appetizer was finished (I was still chewing). At this point, we were 10 minutes into our seating. Our meals included steak and eggs, which I incorrectly assumed would require a little bit more time. Not true! Our plates arrived, piping hot and tasty enough...but boy did we feel rushed. Our server, the manager, bussers, and other attendants stopped by our table every few minutes. I recognize this was a holiday, but there was not a steady stream of people coming through the doors and plenty of open tables were available. Our conversation was repeatedly interrupted with these check-ins and we all took great care to eat the meal as slowly as possibly to stretch things out. At this point we were on track to be out the door in 30 minutes. As a table we made a decision to order dessert and we were able to savor and dawdle long enough to get us to one hour. $180 later, we finished our Easter visit out in the parking lot where no one was pushing us out. (I will note that several families arrived after us and completed their meals in 30ish minutes. What's special about brunch when it's that rushed?) I wish I could review the food better, but my taste buds hardly had time to register the experience. Entrees were hot but clearly prepared well in advance and kept at the ready under heat lamps or in warming ovens. The dessert was cold and sweet as appropriate, but had that prepped yesterday feel to it. This is not what I expect from a restaurant that markets itself as a fresh farm to table establishment. I don't quite regret going to Scarlet Knife, but there are enough quality restaurants in the greater area that I probably won't return.

Only open Friday and Saturday! Wonderful, try them!…read more We thought it was closed but NO, we love this place.

This review isn't of the food here, because I haven't had the food. It's a review of the cocktails…read more Sometimes in my reviews I mention that I don't know much about the cuisine that I'm reviewing and you should take my opinions with a grain of salt. That won't be the case here, because I'm a big weird cocktail nerd, and I'm putting my hands on your shoulders, looking you straight in the eye, and telling you that cocktails at 288 are very, very good, and not in an I'm-grading-on-a-curve-because-there-aren't-many-places-around-here-serving-truly-good-cocktails kind of way. The drinks here are well-balanced and tasty, but also INTERESTING, which makes this end of Lark Street with 288 and The Savoy officially the best place to get legitimately good and creative cocktails in the Cap District. The cocktails at 288 are good because the bar manager, Emmanuel, is an absolute pro: he was the reason that the cocktails at the late, lamented Speakeasy 518 were the best around, and now he's brought his expertise to 288. He's working with a much smaller bar here, but describing your favorite flavors to him and letting him surprise you is still a great idea. If you want to order off of the menu, the Commodore #2 (with house-made grenadine) might be my new official drink for fall/winter 2021. Really, though, you should just order whatever looks good, and be prepared to end up ordering another.

Gina is amazing! The drinks are good. Great customer service, very informative about drinks. Place…read morealso connected to a bunch of other Definitely plan on coming back when in town!

Looking for a romantic, candle lit spot with drinks for date night? Look no further…read more If you want a quaint spot for a glass of wine and a snack with friends, look no further. Lucas Confectionary has such a warm, inviting vibe all around. It may not be a one stop dinner spot, but it is an amazing pre-dinner stop for some drinks and appetite inducing snacks. With the extremely limited menu and offerings, you expect everything to be thoughtful and serve a purpose, and they deliver. For my drink, I ordered one of the red blends and it was very good for sipping along side a board of charcuterie and cheese My small group opted for the "pick three" option for a board. We ordered the manchego, smoked duck breast, and the pâté. It was a superb plate. The manchego was salty and funky, offered with dried apricots. The pate was rich and fatty, offered with whole grain mustard, pickled onions and cornichons. The smoked duck was offered with a blueberry-mustard compote. Also all accompanied with some nice fresh bread. Each flavor served a purposed and made for several tasty bites that piqued my interest. For a pre-dinner stop, I was very impressed. Also, sad to see this location absolutely empty on a Saturday evening. Lucas Confectioary is a perfect spot for an intimate date night, meeting friends, an after work drink, girls night, etc. Highly recommend a visit here!

On a scale of 1-100, there isn't a wine below 75 in this shop. If you had a great cabernet last…read morenight at Lucas Confectionary, you'll be able to get a bottle of it here. If you're looking for a bottle of Muscatel or Boone's Farm, may I suggest the liquor store on Ferry St by the homeless shelter? This store sells the best at moderately affordable prices.

Here's the story:…read more Went on a first date: went great. We stopped by a little wine bar. I picked out this super weird wine from the very back of the shelf and the owner couldn't tell us anything about it. Poured some drinks and it was so, so good- surprisingly so! Fast forward and it's that guys birthday a month later. I remembered the name of the wine and the image on the bottle, but that was it. I find it online. It's super hard to order. I get in contact with this beautiful company here, I email with Paula and talk to Shannon on the phone (they work here) and not only did they give me the kindest support and service, but they shipped the bottle of wine to me 9 states away in time for my guy's birthday! And it arrived early! I wish I could leave more stars- they deserve it. I am so grateful for the time, care, and quality they provided me. 8 states away or not, if there is a speciality bottle of wine, hell any wine, I need from now on- I'll be ordering it from here. Cannot recommend this team enough for going out of their way for me.

Beautiful atmosphere, friendly and efficient staff, and delicious food and drink…read more Portion sizes could be bigger, but honestly this a place to look good and fancy for a date you're trying to impress. It's not a great bang for your buck place that will fill the gut. The Spanish octopus, for example, was delicious, but the serving size is small, and it's in the share category on the menu! It's got a great view outside and was certainly packed during Valentine's day weekend. I'd recommend going if you want the experience.

Perfect choice! The did The service and the waterfront…read moreambiance! We googled and found a great

After our last experience - which was not great - we decided to give this restaurant another try…read more Glad we did. The Hostess was SUPER friendly and she never stopped working - cleaning tables and checking with guests to be sure everything was satisfactory. The waiter, Gregg, was very attentive and friendly. He did a great job The food was terrific! I ordered Pasta Bolognese and it was absolutely the best I have ever had. Magnificent sauce. My wife ordered "street tacos" and they were great. stuffed with wonderful ingredients - including shrimp. This trip as a perfect experience and we shall return. (sorry the pasta photo is not great. It looked so good I ate quite a bit before I remembered to take a photo)

For context, I rate products and businesses on a simple scale: 5 stars means I love it, 4 stars…read moremeans I like it, 3 stars is okay, 2 stars means I didn't like it, and 1 star means I hated it or think it's unsafe. I've been to Innovo Kitchen in Latham several times over the years and I've enjoyed it every time. They have a unique menu that changes periodically, but I always find something that catches my eye. The interior has an industrial feel which I like, with a lot of exposed brick. The tables are made from old bowling lane wood, which is a really cool touch. When you walk in there is also a bowling pin displayed in a glass case. I remember there being a bowling alley somewhere in that plaza when I was a kid, so it seems likely the building has some history tied to that. The tables are also nice and large, which makes the dining experience more comfortable. Tonight I ordered the Monte Cristo burger which is described as battered Buckley's Bread sourdough, a 6 oz special grind burger, Taylor pork roll, Swiss, and Twin Leaf Farms maple aioli. It was quite tasty and I really enjoyed the hint of maple syrup flavor on the burger. The crinkle cut fries that came with it were also very good. Another person in our party ordered the White Chicken Parmesan, described as a crisp chicken cutlet topped with ricotta and garlic spinach and fresh mozzarella, with garlic parmesan cream and lumache pasta. They said it was delicious. Someone else had the Crispy Skin Salmon and enjoyed that as well. A child at our table ordered macaroni with red sauce. The portion was surprisingly large and they liked it, which is impressive because they are particularly finicky. For dessert we ordered something we've had here several times before, the peanut butter mud pie. It's basically ice cream in pie form with an Oreo cookie crust and chocolate fudge. It's very tasty and also a generous portion. At the end of your meal they also offer everyone at the table a tasty piece of gourmet chocolate. One thing that really stood out tonight was the attentiveness of the management. Two different managers stopped by our table at different times to check and make sure everything was good. I recognized one of them because I've seen him there before and he always seems to make a point of checking in with guests. The other person had seated us so I initially thought she was the hostess, but after she stopped by during the meal I asked if she was a manager and she confirmed that she was. I mentioned that I was impressed that two different managers had checked on us, and that every time I've dined there a manager has stopped by to make sure everything was good. I thanked her and told her it was appreciated. During the summer and fall they also have a very nice patio area for outdoor dining. On cooler nights they have heaters and a fireplace which makes it a great place to sit outside. I will definitely return here again in the future. 5 stars

Best burgers in the Capitol Region! I ordered the Empire Smash with Parmesan Truffle Fries from…read moreUber Eats, and everything arrived very well packaged and still hot! I've been coming here and ordering delivery for over a year and have never been disappointed.

Any time we visit our daughter at her nearby college is a great time, Illusive made it even…read moregreater! We ran an errand nearby and I found Illusive on Yelp. We approached just as they were opening for the day on a Saturday. (Slightly after noon) Not seeing many cars in the neighborhood and having the gps seem to "arrive" outside of an empty lot was an inauspicious start but when we pulled fully into the lot, we saw that they had put some work into the place and it had a nice modern look. Didn't get to take advantage of the nice outdoor seating area because the weather was rainy. We were greeted by friendly staff and seated at a comfortable table. Our timing was impeccable because the place was full within the next half hour. Our waitress deserves her own paragraph! She knew the menu inside and out and had tremendous pride in the food served and the awards they've won! Illusive is a "foodie" restaurant, every dish is elevated yet remains unfussy. For appetizers, we shared the street corn dip and tater tot poutine. The street corn dip was creamy and zesty. The tater tot poutine was revelatory, the cheese was melted perfectly, the gravy wasn't some jarred nonsense, and the tots themselves were crispy. I enjoyed the different textures of it, some more cheesy and some more gravy. My wife enjoyed a chicken Caesar salad and my daughter enjoyed a grilled chicken pesto sandwich. Her sandwich was a nice enough portion that she finished it leftover for dinner! I enjoyed the buffalo lemon pepper wings, the sauce was a nice blend of heat and zesty flavor. I appreciated the amount of wings they served, some restaurants are going for "shrinkflation" but Illusive provides a full portion! We received quality and personable service throughout a delicious meal, we will gladly return!

Fun was had by all. The drinks were flowing, the darts were darting. We started early here, but I…read more left the "kids" there after about six hours. One person got some food. Perfectly grilled cheese and fries, I believe the cheese was something other than American, maybe Gruyère cheese? He said it was delicious. They allow dogs and they have peanuts. Friendly bartenders too! Fun day!

Food and drinks are great but don't expect to get either in the first 45 minutes to an hour of…read moregetting there. I've been here twice and both times I've gone I've gotten some of the worst bar service I've ever seen. The bartenders will straight up walk around pretending to be busy instead of acknowledging your existence or taking your order. I am a bartender in Manhattan so I know what it means to be busy behind the bar during a rush but both times I went the restaurant was basically empty. My girlfriend and I ordered food and after about 50 minutes of waiting for it, I went up to the bartender and asked if it was coming out anytime soon and his exact words back to me were "probably not." It really is a shame the service is so bad here because once the food and drinks come out it's actually pretty good but by the time it comes out you will be pretty annoyed

With limited info on the website, it was tricky to figure out how this place "works" so I'll share…read morefor all here. The cigar lounge has a small but quality selection of cigars for purchase. Perdomo, Fuente (chateau line), Padron 1926 and 1964, etc. Average cigars go for $25, and mid- to top-tier go up from there. Currently in April '23 there's no other charge, but they do have lockers that you can rent through membership which allows you to bring your own cigars and stash a small bottle or two. There is no alcohol or other service, it's just a lounge. It's large, spread across three floors with a restroom on each level. Lots of comfy seating, large TVs available, and would be great for a group to hang out and converse. Very quiet on a Friday night. Had the second floor to ourselves, and a group had the upper floor. Can definitely recommend - it's great to have a spot like this in Albany.

It's closed. Permanently. It's showing as open on maps. It's not. It's gutted. Permanently closed.read more