Items tagged with 'Latham'
Benedict Trio at Tipsy Moose Tap and Tavern
Thrice I've attempted to dine at Tipsy Moose Tap and Tavern, just off Latham Circle. The first time, not long after the comfort food destination opened, the wait time was over an hour. The result was a visit to Celadon Thai. The second time, during happy hour, was equally unsuccessful. Zaitoon Kitchen stepped in instead.
But three is the magic number at Tipsy Moose, and my third attempt during peak Sunday brunch hours was a success.
Halal options at Zaitoon Kitchen
How bold is this claim: The best new dining hotspot in the Capital Region is that area around the Latham Circle.
I mean it. When was the last time you dined there? I bet you opened social media in the last week and found a photo of someone eating in that area. Superior Thai, Chinese, Eastern European, and pub food can all be found just off Exit 6.
Now there's halal food, too, with the recent addition of Zaitoon Kitchen, another example of why this spot is becoming a premier local food destination.
Pizza at Anna's Wood Fired Pizza
I was recently talking to a Capital Region native who moved to NYC for a few years before settling down back home. He said of all the great things New York City offers, the pizza in Albany is undoubtedly better, and so are the music venues (the little clubs that let you get right up close to the band).
But about that pizza thing...
Elevation Burger now open in Latham
It's tucked in to the corner of the shopping plaza.
Quickly noted: Elevation Burger finally opened in Latham this week. The location for the new-school burger chain in the Fresh Market Commons shopping plaza -- at Route 155 an Route 9 -- has been in the works since 2015.
There's been a boom in more-upscale, fast-casual burger chains lately: BurgerFi, Smashburger, Burger21 have all opened locations in this area in recent years. And they've joined Five Guys and locals such as Crave and Juicy Burgers.
Elevation Burger's claim to differentiation is that the beef for its burgers is "100% organic, grass-fed, free-range." The company says its chicken, bacon, and the beans and grains for its veggie burgers are also organic.
We haven't had a chance to try the food. (Maybe you have?) But we might have to get a crew together and do another tasting tour.
Earlier on AOA:
+ A tasting tour of the new-school burger chains
+ BurgerFi, and the burger boom
Tom Kha at Celadon Thai
Exit 6 off the Northway is a surprising culinary destination in the Capital Region.
Not hip by any means, nor safely walkable, there are unexpected bright spots of good food that makes one reconsider the notion that the suburbs are inherently void of worthwhile restaurants. Heading west off the exit, find Euro Deli and Ayalada. East, you'll come upon Tipsy Moose and A La Shanghai.
Just across the street is Celadon Thai, a family-run jewel that serves up generous portions of pad thai and fiery curries that glimpse authentic cuisine. Chief among those offerings is tom kha, a classic soup that alone could make Exit 6 a food destination
Blackened Fish Po'Boy at Hooked Seafood Co.
Some people say the Capital Region food scene is behind the times, a decade behind the trends in major metropolitan areas like New York City and San Francisco.
That might be true. I think the decade span is waning, though, as social media keeps us connected to the food of elsewhere with unprecedented speed. Nevertheless, I don't mind if we are behind the curve a bit, for it keeps us from going through the same growing pains and trial-and-error slip-ups that more risk-tolerant, innovative cities experience.
Take food courts, for instance. Why not let people like Corey Nelson (of Troy Kitchen) or Richard Rosetti (of Galleria 7 Market) go and suss out what does and doesn't work other places so we can benefit and keep our bellies full of good food here?
A recent lunch at Galleria 7 Market, in Latham, cemented that thought for me. Just gazing into the oyster case at Hooked Seafood Co., which operates from the market, delivered me the option to try a fresh St. Simon oyster -- a perfect amuse bouche and gentle enticement to a lunch of blackened fish on a fresh roll.
The Antipasto Salad at Bellini's Counter
The fast-casual concept is the hot ticket in restaurants these days. It is why places like Chipotle, Blaze Pizza, and the upcoming Troy Kitchen continue to flourish across the dining scene. Sitting down and ordering with a server is so old-hat. We Americans are a busy bunch! Give us quality food on the go and don't make us wait too long for it.
But one cuisine that is unrepresented in the local fast-casual marketplace is Italian fare (save for pizza). Is it possible to get a hearty bowl of spaghetti and meatballs with haste?
Bellini's Counter -- the fast-casual offshoot of the local Bellini's Italian restaurant chain -- seems to think so. And they are willing to bet that the food you've come to expect from more formal sit-down restaurants can be had just as easily in this quick-serve format.
I think it's fair to say Bellini's is cashing in on that bet.
BurgerFi, and the burger boom
The latest local entry into the field of fast casual burger spots -- BurgerFi -- opens today in Latham.
"I thought it was a great concept," Angelo Mazzone said Tuesday during a media preview. The local hospitality group king is one of the backers of the local franchise, along with the Lia family (of auto group fame). "Everything is 100 percent fresh. We don't even have a freezer here. So things come in fresh. The produce is all fresh. We make our own fresh onion rings. We make french fries from potatoes that we cut ourselves. The beef is 100 percent natural, no preservatives, no antibiotics, nothing like that."
BurgerFi already has more than 70 locations around the country. And the local franchise backers have plans for more locations both here in the Capital Region and other parts of upstate.
Here a few pics from the Latham location, along with a few bits about the burger boom.
Brunching about: Tala Bistro
Lauren has set out to survey a handful of brunch spots around the Capital Region for a short series.
I'll admit it. I am one of those people that tends to pass over suburban eateries, especially if they're located inside of a strip mall or plaza. In that way, I have become an urbanite, gravitating towards the downtown areas in the Capital Region. The only problem with this perspective is that you can miss out on some interesting places that are still locally owned.
An example of such a place is Tala, a Mazzone Hospitality restaurant located on New Loudon Road in Latham. I'm glad I abandoned my city preferences and visited this modern, bistro-style restaurant as part of my brunch investigation. Plus, as this was the suburbs, there was no Sunday morning test of parallel parking skill.
Latham Sonic now open
The new Sonic in Latham opens today, location announced on its Facebook page. It's on Route 7 at Wade Road (map). Hours are 10 am to 10 pm this Monday -- regular hours, 6:30 am to midnight, start Tuesday.
This week is a "soft" opening for the location. There's a grand opening lined up for next week.
Latham is the fast food chain's first location in the Capital Region. It's said previously it has plans to open a total of eight locations around the area.
In years past Sonic often got mentioned as a chain people would like to see here. Maybe they were suffering from limeade deficiency.
By the way: Chick-fil-A has officially mentioned that it's scouting the Albany area for potential sites. [Biz Review]
Frozen yogurt at Ayelada
Blueberry-vanilla twist, with lemon curd and and cookie crumbs.
A moment of confession: I do not like yogurt.
Growing up, I would watch my mother spoon plain, tangy yogurt topped with fresh fruit across her lips as her morning meal. Today I find myself close with someone who revels in the thought of thick Greek yogurt topped with local granola and stewed rhubarb.
I just can't get behind it. For reasons of taste or texture, it weirds me out (and I say this shamefully, as someone who has made a life around food). The same holds true for frozen yogurt. Many friends have prodded me to try frozen yogurt as a means to hop on the yogurt bandwagon, but it all left me underwhelmed and questioning the appeal.
That is, until I reluctantly tried Ayelada's frozen yogurt in Latham.
Like Darth Vader realizing the error of his ways, or Elizabeth Bennett finally conceding to the appeal of Mr. Darcy, I now feel compelled to change my position.
Falafel and shawarma at Saati Deli and Catering
Geez, guys, thanks for telling me about Saati. (*eyeroll*)
How is it that I have lived in the Capital Region nearly eleven years, and Saati has just recently come into my gastronomical consciousness? I'm not sure, but I'm glad it has.
With an extensive menu and convenient location, its popularity shouldn't be questioned: Think about a dish from any variety of deli. Chances are Saati has it. Beef kebabs nestle in next to pastrami sandwiches on the lengthy list of offerings.
Saati's offerings have a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern bent, so that's a good place to start.
Sonic's planning to open in Latham this summer
Sonic is typically a drive-in, eat-outside type of fast food place. But as it's moved into areas of the country with colder winters, Sonic has added locations with indoor seating.
Long in circulation, now official: Sonic will be opening its first Capital Region location at 701 Troy Schenectady Rd in Latham (AKA where Route 7 intersects with Wade Road).
The fast food chain says it's planning a June opening for the location. From a press release: "In advance of the June grand opening, the site will undergo a $2 million remodel to transform it into a state-of-the-art SONIC Drive-In complete with traditional drive-in stalls, a drive-thru window and indoor dining. The location will employ close to 50 local Albany residents in a variety of jobs, including the iconic skating Carhops."
Sonic says it's planning at least 8 locations around the Capital Region over the next seven years in "Albany, Latham, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Amsterdam and the surrounding areas."
The chain has been looking at the Albany area since at least a year ago. It's been moving into upstate New York over the last few years. It now has locations in Watertown, Rochester, Binghamton, and the Middletown/Newburgh area, with Syracuse and Buffalo in the pipeline. Last year the company said it had plans for 27 locations around upstate. Nationwide there are more 3,500 Sonics.
Sonic is fast food -- burgers, fries, hot dogs. It's one of those things that people have often mentioned they've wanted to open here. Now they can mark it off their lists. (And watch as a We Want Chick-fil-A sleeper cell activates amid the limeade-induced chaos in order to recruit new members.)
Breakfast Pizza at Bella Napoli
Fortunately for me, eating pizza has rarely been a case of taking whatever cold slice might be left in the box from the night before. The Capital Region is flush with pizza options, so it comes as no surprise that the first meal of the day be covered by the pizza category.
How do you make pizza suitable for breakfast? You put an egg on it. Some iterations, like the Eggs in Purgatory pizza from More Perecca's, rely on coal-fired crust to support spicy, house-made tomato sauce with a few poached eggs on top. (Sidenote: I'm fairly certain EiP pizza is the perfect hangover cure.)
Others, like the breakfast pizza at Bella Napoli in Latham, forgo the sauce altogether and make the eggs the star of the show.
And even though sauce is my favorite part of the pizza, I'm OK with that.
Sonic planning 8 locations in the Albany area
A rendering of the indoor location design Sonic is using upstate.
Sonic is planning to open its first location in the Albany area in spring 2015 in Latham, the fast food chain announced Tuesday. It says it's planning to ultimately open eight locations around the Capital Region.
Press release blurbage:
[Franchisee] Fast Eats, LLC, led by an experienced service industry team, is already fast at work on their first location in Latham with expected opening in the spring of 2015. Within seven years, Fast Eats expects to open eight drive-in locations in the New York Capital District, including Albany, Latham, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Amsterdam and the surrounding areas.
A spokesperson said the company didn't yet have officially confirmed details of the exact Latham location.
Sonic has been looking at this area since at least early this year -- back in February the company told us it was in talks with potential franchisees about setting up in this area.
The chain has been expanding through New York State over the last few years. It has locations in Watertown, Rochester, Binghamton, and the Middletown/Newburgh area, with Syracuse and Buffalo in the pipeline. The company says it currently has plans for 27 locations around upstate. Nationwide there are more 3,500 Sonics.
Sonic locations are set up like drive-ins. The company is based in Oklahoma, with a large concentration of its locations in the southeast and southern midwest. So it's planning some adjustments for its upstate locations, including indoor dining areas.
image: Sonic
Sherry Lynn's Gluten-Free moving and changing
The exterior of the Sherry Lynn's shop on Route 7 and one its gluten-free doughnuts.
Sherry Lynn's Gluten-Free in Latham -- which for years has been a source for items such as doughnuts and mac 'n cheese for people who can't eat gluten -- is moving and changing a bit. From a post on its Facebook page (link added):
As everyone knows our lease is up at our current location. Our plan was to purchase a building and continue. Unfortunately with the growing competition offering gluten free in the area there is little support for the restaurant portion of our business, being a small family business we are unable to compete. So we we will be closing mid December ( exact date unknown ). We have found a location at 11 Herbert Drive, Latham, NY 12110, where we will be able to continue offering safe gluten free baked goods, but will not continue the restaurant at this location. We are getting a late start on fitting out this building so we will be closed for sometime. Please help us spread the word and share this on your wall. we will keep everyone posted as soon as we know closing date and reopen date. Thank you for your continued support.
In the last few years there seems to have been a significant upswing in awareness of celiac disease and the number of people avoiding gluten, and restaurants and supermarkets have reacted accordingly. It's not uncommon now to see the menu at a restaurant include at least a few items that are specifically marked as gluten free.
And while that's good for people who are allergic to gluten, it sounds like the spread of gf options has cut into Sherry Lynn's business. One of the complications of a niche going mainstream.
Earlier on AOA: A few years back we compiled a listing of local gluten-free restaurant options (2011)
exterior photo via Sherry Lynn's Gluten Free FB
What I'll miss about Hoffman's Playland
"I enjoy being an adult, but when I take my nephews to Hoffman's, I'm a kid again."
The owners of Hoffman's Playland, the half-a-century-old children's amusement park in Latham, announced this summer that they're planning to retire and, unless someone steps in to take it over, the park may close after next season. Tim Dawkins is one of many Capital Region residents who grew up with Hoffman's -- he even worked there for five summers.
In the summer of 1989 I was 9 years old, and I was playing baseball as a member of the Cohoes Little League.
It had been a rough season.
Early on I was hit in the head with a baseball at practice, and it ruined me. I was conditioned to jump out of the batter's box. I hadn't gotten a hit all season. I most certainly would have quit, but my dad believes that once you start something, you finish it. Since quitting wasn't an option, I knew I needed motivation.
That's when it hit me: Hoffman's Playland. I absolutely LOVED going to Hoffman's. I didn't know very many kids who didn't love Hoffman's. That was the pot at the end of my rainbow (I was 9, people). I vividly remember announcing this epic idea to my parents: if I got a hit, they had to take me to Hoffman's and give me an entire book of 25 tickets all to myself! My parents were awesome, but also -- I think -- pretty desperate to see me get a hit.
They went for the plan.
Fast forward several weeks. I got my first hit of the season. My only hit of the season. As I safely made it to first base (thanks to an overthrow by the shortstop), I shouted across the field to my mom in the stands, "Hey mom! We're going to Hoffman's!"
Cheesesteak at Philly Bar & Grill
Cheesesteaks might as well grow on trees. Even though we are more than 200 miles north of Philadelphia, this signature dish from the City of Brotherly Love is as ubiquitous in the Capital Region as it is across the country.
And why not? It's a classic combination of beef, sauteed onions, and cheese. Although there are some philistines who don't care for onions and order their cheesesteaks "witout."
But most of these sandwiches -- even though they may look like Philly cheesesteaks, and are called Philly cheesesteaks -- sadly are not Philly cheesesteaks.
There is one critical component that transforms a simple everyday steak sandwich into the classic made famous at joints like Jim's and Pat's and Geno's. And luckily for us, the good people at Latham's Philly Bar and Grill are in on the secret.
Recycled: the Starlite Theatre
With the demolition of the Starlite Theatre in Latham this week, it seemed like a good time to pull up this photo Sebastien took there a few years back. He has a good photoset of the place as it existed in 2009, decayed, performers such as Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., Milton Berle and Johnny Cash just a memory. [Fox23]
A developer is aiming to build a $50 million mixed-use project there. [Biz Review]
photo: Sebastien Barre
State's highest court rules strip club dances aren't exempt from taxes as artistic performances
The New York Court of Appeals -- the state's highest court -- ruled today that Nite Moves, a Latham strip club, is not exempt from paying sales taxes on cover fees and private dances. Attorneys for the company that owns Nite Moves had argued the club shouldn't have to pay the taxes because dances at the club qualified for a "dramatic or musical arts performances" tax exemption.
From the 4-3 majority opinion for In the Matter of 677 New Loudon Corporation v. State of New York Tax Appeals Tribunal:
Clearly, it is not irrational for the Tax Tribunal to decline to extend a tax exemption to every act that declares itself a "dance performance." If ice shows presenting pairs ice dancing performances, with intricately choreographed dance moves precisely arranged to musical compositions, were not viewed by the Legislature as "dance" entitled a tax exemption, surely it was not irrational for the Tax Tribunal to conclude that a club presenting performances by women gyrating on a pole to music, however artistic or athletic their practiced moves are, was also not a qualifying performance entitled to exempt status. To do so would allow the exemption to swallow the general tax since many other forms of entertainment not specifically listed in the regulation will claim their performances contain tax-exempt rehearsed, planned or choreographed activity.
The majority opinion could pretty much be paraphrased as, Stop being ridiculous -- you know that is not what the law is intended to do. Judges Carmen Ciparick, Victoria Graffeo, Eugene Pigott, and Theodore Jones made up the majority.
But the dissenting opinion's response is essentially, Yeah, well, you're being a bit of a snob -- and it doesn't really matter what the legislature intended, it matters what the law actually says. And, as written, it says a dance is a dance.
As it happens, the dissent -- by Judge Robert Smith -- is more fun to read. Here's a clip:
Price Chopper planning its "most ambitious project ever undertaken"
The restaurant area planned for the store.
Price Chopper announced today details for the "concept store" it's building at the location of its Latham store. The Chopper is pitching the project as "the most ambitious project ever undertaken" by the supermarket chain.
From the press release:
The most notable new feature will be a multi-faceted, full-service culinary offer in the form of 16 themed, fast-casual/cooked-fresh-to-order dining experiences, accompanied by in-store seating for 140 guests and seasonal outdoor seating. Among the moderately priced dining areas will be a Ben & Bill's NYC-Style deli; a Chef's Grill where a variety of specialty dishes - from steak to mussels to seafood to antipasto - will be prepared fresh for each guest; a Mexican themed restaurant featuring international flavors; a classic pizzeria, a meat rotisserie offering succulent pork and beef, in addition to poultry; an old-fashioned sub shop; a New England style fish fry restaurant, and a full-service salad and vegetarian/vegan bar, just to name a few. Other specialty restaurant concepts still being finalized will be unveiled in the coming months.
Also planned are a complete cooking school in which local/regional and national chefs and specialty instructors will teach recipes, techniques, trends and meal solutions for classes, parties and special events, the growing and harvesting of some fresh produce right in the store, and the building of a drive-through pharmacy.
More details and concept images are after the jump.
Price Chopper aiming to complete the store sometime in late 2013/early 2014. The company says it will also makeover eight of its other stores in the area over the next two year. Counting recently finished store remodels -- like the one in the Slingerlands -- PC says it will put almost $90 million into upgrading Capital Region stores.
Of course, all this comes in the context of much increased supermarket competition in the Capital Region:
+ ShopRite just opened its third store -- in Slingerlands, right across from a Price Chopper -- has plans for a fourth, and seems intent on going head-to-head with the Chopper.
+ Hannaford has been remodeling stores.
+ The Fresh Market is now here.
+ Trader Joe's opened this year.
+ Honest Weight Food Co-op is moving ahead with its new location.
+ Whole Foods is planning to open at Colonie Center sometime in early 2014.
+ And there's also the unnamed, unconfirmed chain that's reportedly been looking at the Latham Circle Mall site.
The competition is forcing everyone to step up their games.
The crabby line
Daniel B. stopped by the scene outside the new Joe's Crab Shack in Latham this morning. He says there were well over 100 people camped out at 9 am -- and the line wrapped around three sides of the building. (It's at the Latham Farms location, where the Dakota used to be, on Troy Schenectady Rd, just east of the SPUI.) He passed along the video above.
The chain restaurant opened today and was giving away "FREE CRAB for a Year" to the first 100 people in line.
We're not sure how the hula hoops fit in. Update: Brian, who was one of the first people in line, emails that the hoops were part of contests and other first-day festivities.
The next life of the Latham Circle Mall
A conceptual sketch of the "Shoppes at Latham Circle."
The Latham Circle Mall has already lived a few lifetimes. It was built in 1957 as an open air mall, and then converted to an indoor mall two decades later. Today, well, it's more or less dead.
But reincarnation may be just ahead. A development group is proposing to demolish a large part of the Latham Circle Mall and build again as the "The Shoppes at Latham Circle" -- with retail, restaurants, entertainment and -- gasp -- maybe a supermarket.
Here's the outline of the plan...
The recipe for a juicy rumor -- or, Did you hear the one about Wegmans and Albany?
The ingredients are there...
Hey, have you heard the rumor about Wegmans coming to Albany? At the Latham Circle Mall? At the First Prize Center?
Variations of this rumor have been circulating since at least the beginning of the year. We've heard from it about 100 different people (an exaggeration, but not by much). And they all heard from a guy who knows a guy who... you get the picture.
The latest version surfaced Tuesday and it goes like this: the big W has bought the Latham Circle Mall -- it's a done deal -- and Wegmans will start demolition/construction soon. Since then, we've watched search referral traffic for "wegmans albany" come rolling in. The word has obviously gotten around.
Well, for what it's worth, Jo Natale -- a spokesperson for Wegmans -- told us today that the company has not bought the Latham Circle Mall property.
But that story is just so delicious. And it's easy to see why -- it follows the recipe for a juicy rumor...
The Tailored Tea
Tea with a view
The historic farmhouse at the end of the runway at Albany International Airport runway sat vacant and in disrepair for years.
It had once served as a private home, a post office, a town hall, an inn, and was where a plan was hatched for the infamous Cherry Hill murder. It was even moved -- the whole house, moved -- 600 feet, at one point.
The house has now found a new life as the home of The Tailored Tea -- a tea room for breakfast, lunch, brunch, afternoon tea... and plane watching.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?