When we went on yelp to look for a place to go and have a relaxing glass of wine, we saw that…read morespindles is a "wine" bar. Far from being a wine bar. It's probably one of the most fun "Dive" bars I have been to in years. If I was a local in the Albany area, Spindles "Wine" bar would be my go to place.

Haven't been there for years, but enjoyed it then. Good food, wonderful wine, nice atmosphere.read more

Loved the manager and the server. Came on date night…read more We were chatting about going to the wine store down the street but realized they were closed. the manager actually ran over and asked the wine store to stay open a bit longer so we could go pick out a bottle. Great service and well informed servers who are very accommodating!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Went here for a dinner with friends on a weeknight and we were seated right away. The place is…read morebeautiful! It would make a nice spot to grab a drink, sit out on their patio, which overlooks the river, or enjoy dinner in their main dining room. Since we were a large group, we ordered several appetizers, including the Ricotta Bread, Smoked Burrata Skillet and Tuna Tartare. Everything was absolutely delicious! For my entree, I ordered the King Crab Spaghetti, which had lumps of king crab mixed in the pasta. It was light and flavorful. I definitely recommend it! They also have a ton of cocktails, wines and a few beer offerings. I got a Watermelon Mule mocktail, which was so refreshing. Our server, Sarah, was so friendly and attentive to our group. I highly recommend Sea Smoke for a delicious dining experience!

Overall a good experience! The Ruck has a great beer selection and a convenient beer menu that also…read moregives untapped ratings which was a helpful addition. The drinks came out quickly after we ordered them. The food took a decent amount longer. While we did wait 30 minutes for our food when it wasn't very busy , when it did come out it was hot and delicious. Flavorful wings, yummy disco fries/tots and some of the most well seasoned onion rings I've ever had. The atmosphere of the restaurant is classic pub food bar place but was well cleaned. Other than having to wait a little longer than usual for our food it was a great experience. We were so excited to eat by the time it came I did forget to take a photo of the food but it was all portioned well and well seasoned.

My first visit to The Ruck was enjoyable. I went by myself. I was actually trying to find the…read moreRensselaer County Clerk's Office. People kept telling me, " It's across the street from The Ruck. You know, The Ruck?" That was no help to me. I was unfamiliar with this tavern. To think that it's more famous than the county offices sparked my curiosity. So after I took care of my paperwork with the county I stopped in at The Ruck. I would describe it as a business and dive bar that makes craft beers. I made it in for lunch on a weekday. I took a seat at the bar. I was surprised to see the menu was quite extensive. There was a nice selection of soups. I ordered a cup of Greens and Beans along with 5 oz. of Fat Orange Cat Brew Chonky . I liked the beer. The soup was quite good, too. The man seated next to me was eating wings. He was raving about them. He said they were the best in town. I'll have to try them next time. Service is very good. The bartender was a good guy. Very nice and helpful. He said that on football game nights the bar is packed with Bills fans. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Drinks and food are great and love the outdoor patio ambiance, service has always been goodread more

We loved the look of this place. It has this really cool garden vibe. The inside was really nice…read moreas well. The staff was so great. The bartender gave great suggestions. I had a black currant margarita and it was great. We also mixed a lambic beer and another honey beer on the bar tenders suggestion and it was great. The food was a little lack luster. We had the pretzel bites , chicken schnitzel, and pierogis. I think if they had a little more flavor they'd be better. I would definitely come here again but probably just for a drink. Come for the super friendly staff and the cool vibes!

The Century House is a staple restaurant and banquet venue in Latham. I haven't been here in years,…read morebut when my friend invited me to come check it out for prime rib night, I couldn't say no. The vibes are old school, classic ambiance. Classic American fare that leans toward fine dining, but still feels casual. The wooden bar was a great place to enjoy some drinks and a meal. The bartenders were amazing! I loved chatting with Andrew and Talia. I started with the cocktail list, they have a great selection of standard house cocktails and seasonal specials. I selected the seasonal Negroni to start and it was great. I opted to try the lobster chowder which was delicious and had a whole claw in it! It was a treat and I would definitely order this again. For dinner of course I got the prime rib which was a special. The portion was huge! And perfectly cooked. The Au jus and the horseradish cream were perfect sides for the beef. The sides were very standard but went well with the star of the show. It is definitely worth checking this place out for dinner, great specials and great food, amazing service in a really old school ambiance.

Good service, good food, no waiting…read more Went on a random night and was lucky to land on their Lobster Tuesday special. Lobster tail was delicious. Just $32 after the $5 discount. Menu says they have an award winning Prime Rib. I will have to go back to judge for myself.

While I didn't get to every "must have" on my Capital District World Tour, a weather-influenced…read moreschedule change brought me to the delightful Smith's. This is a true locals joint but tourists won't cause a cinematic music halt. The waitress was excellent, providing helpful suggestions. I got the Spindle City Cutlet based on its name and its appearance in the Yelp summary, whereas actual Yelpers turned in more votes for spicy rigatoni. I don't know the formal definition of "pan sauce" but based on Smith's I reckon it's like gravy, only better. Smith's is a long way from JC but someday I hope to make it back in better weather for waterfall viewing. I do hope the limited-time Pierogi Bun Smashburger has a shorter interval between appearances than the McRib.

I really liked this place! The atmosphere is sophisticated and moody and fun. Our server was great…read moreand was highly entertaining! He knew every item on the menu from personal experience because he has tried everything. He was able to make great suggestions for our meal. I got the hibiscus lemonade for my drink from the mocktail menu, which was stupendous. I did something I never do and ordered the chicken Parm off this menu. And to my great surprise, I was not disappointed! They have a very good chicken Parm! I got the house salad, and that was also good. And our waiter suggested the lemon blueberry cake for dessert which was also great and so dense and filling that it ended up being breakfast the next day as well with a lovely cup of tea. This was a wonderful experience and I will be back.