Great Spirits Win Award for Albany Distilling!

The Albany Distilling Company has reason to be in great spirits. The distillery located next to the Albany Pump Station in Downtown Albany received top honors for several of their products judged at the American Craft Distillers Association’s convention and trade show in Denver and the American Distilling Institute’s annual Craft Spirits Conference in Seattle this past March.

The Distillery was awarded gold medal and bronze mdesl for their Ironweed Rye Whiskey. The company also recieved bronze medals for their Quackenbush Still House Original Albany Rum and Albany Amber Rum, respectively.

Check out the article from Steve Barnes' Table Hopping Blog on Timesunion.com to find out all of the details.

Original Recovery Room Recieves Facelift!

          The Original Recovery Room located at the Hilton Garden Inn Albany Medical Center on 62 New Scotland Ave in Downtown Albany has received a facelift. The base restaurant of the now popular chain reopened on March 6th after a $250,000 renovation project.
            BBL Hospitality stood by their original sports-themed persona while simultaneously improving the overall guest experience and adapting to changing trends.  The fresh new property layout is more conducive to large parties and events.  The layout allows for a new lounge area, more mingle space and increased flexibility.  All furniture and fixtures have been replaced with new, more comfortable and accommodating pieces.  The original furniture has been donated the Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association.
             The new décor has been updated from professional and college teams to a new sports memorabilia collection focused on the local area sports community, ranging from high school and college sports to semi-pro leagues.
            To add to the experience, audio visual technology has been updated and improved to provide an unrivaled sports viewing experience.  A new state of the art system has been installed including the Capital District’s first set of 90” LED screens.  The number of television feeds has increased allowing for more channels and viewing options for our wide range of sports fans and sporting event requests. 
            The restaurants food and beverage menu options have also been expanded. New items have been created to accommodate growing dietary needs including a new vegan item, boneless meatless wings by Gardein.  A new drink menu has also been introduced with fresh & creative cocktails.  Additional draft lines have been added to increase beer capacity and strengthen the focus on locally produced craft beers.
            The Recovery Room at Hilton Garden Inn Albany Medical Center is open seven days a week. Hours are as follows: Monday through Thursday: 11a.m. to 11p.m., Friday and Saturday: 11a.m. to midnight, and Sunday: Noon to 10 p.m.
You can see the Recovery Room menu, find out about special promotions, and more on their website or by calling (518) 396-3800.

America's Test Kitchen coming to the Palace!

With all of the drama, heat, and spice it makes sense that one of PBS' hit shows would translate well to the stage. No, we're not talking about Downton Abbey, even spicier - America's Test Kitchen Live! The hit PBS show will take to the Palace Theatre stage on Sunday, April 13 at 3 p.m.


America's Test Kitchen on PBS is one of today's most popular cooking shows on television. Christopher Kimball, Host and founder of the show, will bring you on a one of a kind live, behind-the-scenes experience :of the world of America's Test Kitchen to fans around the country."

Kimball is on a never-ending quest to answer the question, "What is good cooking all about?" Dan Souza from America's Test Kitchen will be joining Chris on stage for demos, tests and more!

As host of America's Test Kitchen for the past 14 seasons, as well as editor of the popular Cooks Illustrated magazine, Christopher Kimball will share his strong and entertaining opinions on culinary trends and cooking equipment. He'll take questions from the audience as well as test their knowledge of unusual ingredients in an interactive segment during the live show. America's Test Kitchen Live with Christopher Kimball will deliver a fun and informative evening for fans and foodies around the country.

Dan Souza is a senior editor of Cook's Illustrated and an on-screen test cook for America's Test Kitchen. In addition to his work on Cook's Illustrated, Dan has contributed content to a dozen America's Test Kitchen cookbooks, most recently executing and editing the test kitchen experiments for The Science of Good Cooking (October 2012). Dan cut his culinary teeth as an apprentice in Hungary before graduating first in his class from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). After cooking in restaurants in New York City and Boston, however, he found his true calling: applying good science to create great recipes for the home cook.

America's Test Kitchen Live will coincide with Downtown Albany 10th Anniversary Restaurant week! A limited number of VIP Tickets are available for $85. The "VIP Ticket" includes:

• Ticket to the show
• Meet & Greet with Christopher Kimball 
• A Copy of Christopher Kimball's book "The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001 - 2014."

Tickets for the show itself will go on sale February 28 at 10 am for $34 and $45, respectively. Tickets can be purchased at the Palace Theatre box office and online.

Nine Pin Cider Works to Open in Albany!

Albany will officially welcome it's newest resident the Nine Pin Cider Works, located in Downtown Albany next week. You can check out the Times Union article about the local markers of hard cider and their dream of opening their business in the area.

You can read the entire article, The apple's other sauce, by clicking here. Nine Pin Cider works is located at 929 Broadway,  it's the newest neighbor in a growing bar scene that includes: and Wolff's Biergarten, Barrell Saloon, and Stout.

Nine Pin Cider Works tasting room will host a grand opening and open house next Friday, February 28 at 3 p.m.

Tonight is Girls Night Out at The Hollow!

         The Hollow Bar + Kitchen will host a special Girls Night Out, tonight starting at 6 p.m. The former Bayou Cafe in Downtown Albany will host this Sip, Shop, and Sample event with all proceeds going to Myles of Smiles. The foundation grants wishes to terminally ill children in the Capital Region.
           The evening will include a "fabulous" buffet compliments of the Hollow created by chef Henry Ciccone.  Drink specials will also be offered throughout the night.
           The evening will also include a silent auction, booths occupied by local boutiques, salons and more. Free mini-mani's, mini massages, and eyebrow waxings will be offered. The Hollow's House DJ will provide the entertainment all night with an open request taken on the Hollow stage.
            Girls Night Out is open to the public and costs $10, all of which will be donated to Myles of Smiles. The Hollow Bar + Kitchen is located at 9 North Pearl Street.

The Hollow Offers Great Menu for Restaurant Week!

          The Hallow, the successor to the late Bayou Cafe, offers an interesting menu for the 2013 Downtown Albany Fall Restaurant Week running nightly through Friday, October 25.

           The Hallow which first premeired it's new menu's during the Spring 2013 Restaurant Week will offer a three-course menu for $20.13.

           The specialized menu includes: White Bean + Tarragon Soup, House-made Caponata, Grilled Pane Rustico, and the Signature Salad with Arugula, Grilled Shitake Mushroom, Shaved Asiago, and Truffle oil as the appetizer choices.
           Autumn Squash Gnocchi with maple brown butter, toasted pecans, and ricotta salata is one of three choices for your restuarant week entree. The other two offerings are grilled mahi-mahi and house pesto grilled steak with herbed carrot, parsnip + leek roast. The Mahi-Mahi also comes with roasted tomato, white bean sauté, and kale.
           A three-course menu wouldn't be complete without a delicious dessert! The choices include: Samascott Orchards Cider Donut Bread Pudding with macoun apples or peach ripieno (dairy free).
          The Hallow will also offer Drink Specials that include: $5 off any bottle of wine, $2 off wine flights, $2 off beer flights, and $2 off signature jar drinks.
           The Hollow is located at 79 N Pearl Street. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling (518) 426-8550. For more information check on The Hollow online: www.thehollowalbany.com.

Downtown Fall Albany Restaurant Week Kicks Off Oct. 19!

              The 2013 Downtown Fall Restaurant Week kicks off tomorrow, Saturday, October 19.   Menu's from 18 of the top Downtown area restaurants will be offered for only $20.13. All of which can be found below by clicking on any desired restaurant below.

 Participating restaurants include The Albany Pump Station, Taste, Merry Monk, Legends on Pearl, Hudson Harbor Steak & Seafood, and Merry Monk. As well as Franklin’s Tower, City Beer Hall, Charter, Carmine’s, The Capital American Eatery& Lounge, Café Capriccio, and Buddha Tea House.

On top of participating in this Fall's Downtown Event, the following Six restaurants are participating in Student/Teacher night: The Hollow Bar + Kitchen, Jack's Oyster House, La Serre, Olde English Pub & Pantry, V&R Italian Ristorante and Victory Cafe. 
Downtown Albany Restaurant Week will offer a variety of events and prizes, running through Friday, October 25. For more information on everything Restaurant Week related click here. 

Taste restaurant recruits talent in the kitchen

Downtown Albany will have a new chef come October, just in time for Downtown Albany's Restaurant Week.

Taste restaurant welcomes Chef Mark Graham, currently a sous chef at Max London's in Saratoga Springs. Graham is working on the Restaurant Week menu now that will be featured during the event, which runs October 19-25. Following, his new menu will debut on October 29.

Restaurant Week is an opportunity for downtown Albany restaurants to showcase their culinary skills while remaining affordable to a wide variety of diners. Each meal must have a value of at least $35.00, but should not be sold for more than $20.13. The event is presented by the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District. Visit their website for more information on Restaurant Week, including theme nights and a list of participating restaurants.

And don't forget to check out Taste's new chef-inspired menu following its debut later next month!