Fabulous visit to Ember & Cork. It was a group of 4, 3 of whom had never been before including myself. The Espresso Martini was not on the menu but they were able to make it. For appetizers, we ordered the oysters and burrata and prosciutto toast. I did not try the oysters but the others said they were good. I would order the toast again. For my entree I ordered the steak frites. One of the best steaks I've ever had. Perfectly cooked to medium rare. Had a lovely crust on it. For dessert, we shared the bread pudding with salted caramel gelato, burnt basque cheesecake and pear fritters. All three were delicious but the bread pudding was the standout. I highly recommend ordering it. Also have to mention our server Frank who was lovely and very attentive. We had a lot of questions, if there was something he didn't know he was very quick to find out the answer and was very thorough. read more

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Had an incredible dinner here the other night. The restaurant has a wonderful wine list - varied by region, lots of price variety. They had one of my favorite wines by the bottle (Alto Reale from Sicily) and it was reasonably priced! For food we had oysters and the octopus appetizer. The octopus had a wonderful char and the perfect texture. We ordered the duck and salmon entrees - both cooked and seasoned to perfection. This may be my favorite duck dish I've ever had. And for dessert the bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream was recommended by our server and was excellent. Really just a great dining experience overall' read more

Ember & Cork - Octopus appetizer with crispy chick peas - A grilled octopus tentacle is presented on a white plate, garnished with chickpeas, sauce, and shredded vegetables, with decorative drizzles. - Seafood Near Me - Schenectady, New York

This place came highly recommended to me by a person that I know. After having dinner there, I'm not sure if I'm going to speak to that person anymore. As soon as my wife & I walked in, thanksgiving eve for dinne, the place was completely empty. 1st warning sign. The host sat us, the waiter greeted us & told us the specials, never mentioning the prices. 2nd warning sign I had the "special " of the night. A $90 ribeye with 2 soggy asparagus sticks & a mystery, I don't know what. My wife had the duck that was good once she moved the feathers. She had a added bonus of a mystery something in a pocket. The only good thing we had was the oysters. Thank goodness the chef didn't make those. Good thing he had enough time to sit at the Bar & hangout. 3rd warning sign. IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON GOING TO EMBER & CORK, SAVE YOUR $$$, GO DOWN THE BLOCK TO JUNIORS. BETTER PRICE, ABSOLUTELY MUCH BETTER FOOD read more

I was really excited about Ember and Cork. I really Love the new revitalized downtown State Street and I visit frequently. There is a parking lot behind the restaurant with free parking after 5. The menu reads exciting and includes a lot of fun and modern ingredients, the space is bright and inviting and we had great service. The cocktail menu was small and uninspired, but we enjoyed a few cocktails. My favorite of the night was a dirty martini with house stuffed blue cheese olives. Their aviation inspired cocktail called Flight 99 was okay, but left me wanting an aviation. We decided to get a few appetizers the share over some cocktails and didn't order any entrees. We started with the Shrimp Ceviche and the Foie Gras Torchon. Both plates arrived and the presentation left a lot to be desired. The shrimp ceviche was good but the baby corn and sweet potato were weird. It didn't belong at all. I don't know if it is traditional or what but it just took up space, made the presentation uninviting and added nothing to the dish. The chips were great though and the shrimp were large and of great quality. The Foie gras torchon was like a chilled pate, it was alright. 4 tiny slices of toast was not enough for the plate, the green strawberry compote was a good pairing, the dressed greens were fine but again, didn't add much to the dish. We heard the special of soft shell crab and wanted to order it. For the second round, we ordered the bone marrow and soft shell crab. The bone marrow was maybe 3 bites, the bones were very dry and didn't have much marrow to scrape so that was disappointing. The soft shell crab was a large portion and was very good and treat to have during the season. However, it was $65. Maybe our fault for not asking but that price is obscene for that dish. It was soft shell crab over spinach. We were pretty full and ended the meal with bread pudding which was fine. Our bill before tip was $280 for 4 appetizers, 6 cocktails and a dessert. I was sticker shocked. I really regret not asking the price on the soft shell crab. The food did not live up to the hype at all and I don't think I would return based on the quality and prices. read more

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Had a lovely experience at Ember and Cork. First want to start by saying the drinks alone were enough to come back for. The bar tender was able to whip up anything you wanted. The oysters were fresh, and large! I loved the edition of the tiny hot sauce for that extra cute flare. The Burratta toast is popular for a reason, and was easily shared between four. My steak was medium rare; cooked to perfection and the peppercorn sauce was tasty. I was expecting a little more from the fries though- maybe some kind of truffle or garlic parm situation but other than that I have no complaints. The white chocolate bread pudding had us all in awe- seriously one of the best desserts from a restaurant I've had! Highly recommend and looking forward to coming back for more mocktails and apps. The raw selection really caught my eye! read more

Stopped by for farewell dinner with my sister, okay this restaurant is nice but I've been to nicer restaurants. The service was really good so I'll give them their flowers. The first server we had ( it sure of his name but brown hair slicked back) was super good, when he was transitioned to another server (dark hair) it went south. The server barely checked on us and when he asked us about dessert, we politely declined, he was like "you sure?" That was weird. Don't do that, yea I'm sure. Anyway the food was okay, we ordered the oysters, they were good some were big some tiny af, but it only came with one sauce. Not complaining, the Japanese pancake was gross we had it exchanged for the grilled avocado which is legit "fancy" guacamole, not worth the hype - would pass on both. We ordered the steak and I got the pork. The pork I thought was going to be suckling like a cracked skin situation, but it was like pulled pork. The steak was good but charred af we couldn't decide if we liked the char or not. We ordered fries too that were basic ass fries, no truffle no fancy seasoning nothing - don't get the fries. The highlight were our drinks they were really good. Also everything in there is beige. Wish Zen was back read more

Ember & Cork just opened in the former Zen space in Downtown Schenectady, across the street from Proctors. Ember & Cork offers a full service bar, raw bar and a variety of chef inspired dishes. They are open for dinner on Tuesday-Saturday and Sunday Brunch. The place offers a spacious lounge area with seating up at the bar (with TVs), booths & tables and another dining room to the right side. I stopped by for Sunday Brunch very recently and arrived here just after 2pm when it wasn't too busy. There was Sunday football on the TV. I took a few to decide on brunch items and went with the Mussels Escargot ($16 plus tax), the Pannukakku ($12 plus tax) and a side of Home Fries ($6 plus tax). The Mussels Escargot arrived first very hot, a dozen mussels in shell with lots of butter, garlic. Parsley, pastis and 2 big slices of grilled ciabatta bread for dipping. This appetizer was definitely like escargot, except mussels instead of snails. Next, the Pannukakku (Oven Baked Pancake) was a thick grilled custardy pancake topped with apple butter, caramelized banana slices & maple syrup on the side. This was sort of like a crème brulee grilled. The side of home fries in a bowl were seasoned & browned big pieces of potatoes with grilled peppers & onions, ketchup and hot sauce given. After I was finished, the check was $36.72 with tax and before tip. Overall, the dishes I ordered were excellent and had great flavors. The service at the bar was spot on as the food came out in staged order and refills on the ice water given. I will have to return here for dinner. read more

Delicious food and fantastic service. The grilled octopus is insane. The bar manager, Rain (sp.?), remembered me from when I was in for Happy Hour a few weeks ago. Absolutely can't wait to go back. read more

My boyfriend's on business and Schenectady so we need a place for dinner across the street with ember Court. We actually remembered a good friend of ours telling us about this wonderful place that his buddy renowned chef owned with his lovely wife gave him a call. We went bytruly an amazing experience. Let's start with the location centralized with parking across the street from the Hilton.. the restaurant itself is beautiful large to economy, crowds lovely bar and great to look at. Our waiter was truly a wonderful asset to this business who gave us great recommendations and awesome service. I actually had wine with dinner and wasn't disappointed once refresh and crisp totally complementing my meal a wonderful New Zealand Fanyon Blanc, and a delicious now back from Australia we ordered oysters for raw And a ceviche, which were simply delicious. They are two types of of each on the menu. We try the salmon which was recommended and I can't say we went wrong and the oysters were perfectly fresh and delicious.. my boyfriend ordered the steak with the potatoes gratin it was perfectly cooked. Perfectly delicious. My Bolognese was delicious al dente I had no more room, but my boyfriend did for the sherbet. The raspberry sherbet was completely refreshing so he said I am sad that I didn't get to try their bone marrow, which would've been on my list but with so many options, it was impossible to decide and we need to come back even though we don't live in the area, we will make the drive. This place had everything for complete success great staff perfect food great ambience Parking and a vision for food which you can't say often in the restaurant life thank you for a wonderful evening. read more

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I don't go to fine dining establishments often so it's a bit of a change in routine. A change in expectations is also part of the deal. Expect a higher level of service, a swankier ambiance, expend more money get less food, etc. Having a little experience as a server myself, I tend to look closely at how the "front of house" does its job. First thing I noticed about our server, he was training someone else. That means he is experienced and the establishment trusts him to acclimate a new person to their way of providing service. He greeted us cordially and went about the routine of asking us if we wanted water. Yes, please. Sparkling? Oooh, fancy, but no. Upon return, menus were offered and he asked if we wanted any other options to drink. Now we're talking. I won't bore you with the service portion any more. Suffice to say, it was excellent - knowledgeable, not rushed. We never felt as if the table needed to be turned over to serve another party. The pace of the evening's meal was leisurely and that, in itself, was a luxury. The food - impressive. We shared appetizers and a variety of small plates this evening. Most menu items were a top-tier choice. The standout for me, hamachi crudo. The fat of both the kombu cured yellowtail atop avocado was cut/accentuated by the acidity of the yuzu kosho and ponzu sauce. Those bites were worth savoring. The "most ordinary" (in this environment, at least) was the prosciutto and burrata toast. That flavor combination seems almost too familiar to make it noteworthy. Okonomiyaki - filling and satisfying, on the cusp of being too casual in a place like this, as it's considered a street food in Japan. Korean BBQ short rib wraps - very tender and flavorful marinated beef served over butter lettuce and a unique combination of herbs and other greens. Ash roasted beets - I thought layering of flavors was just an often overused term used by chef-y people. No, it isn't a myth, I could actually taste an intermingling of textures and flavors in this dish. Overall, our dining experience was very pleasant. We've made plans to come again. Next time, we'll graduate to ordering mains. Thank you for the wonderful evening. read more

I attended a business dinner. We had great appetizers followed by dinner from the menu. I had the steak Frits which was delicious, served fare and the right temperature. Service was excellent given 20ish people were served with class and together. The restaurant was nice. read more

I had a wonderful experience. Rain was my bartender/server. She was attentive and friendly. The food was amazing. I had raw oysters to start. The mini Tabasco sauce bottle was a cute touch. The oysters were cleaned well with a nice sauce. I then had oysters with what I think was a curry sauce. DEVINE. It also came with toasted naan. For my entree I had the lamb with polenta fries. Cooked perfect- tasted great. for dessert I had the basque cheesecake which tasted just like my family's secret recipe. the chef even introduced himself. 10/10 recommend. I also sat at the bar for preference. read more

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Amazing. You will not have anything but a great experience here. I've had the duck, the pork chop, and now the Salmon and the staff does great wine pairings with each dish. They are all knowledgeable and entertaining. If you read this review previously, I obviously didn't spell check it and I apologize to anyone that read that review. It is a GREAT Place to eat. read more

Ember & Cork - The duck with pear and rice. Sorry it's half eaten. It just smelled too good to take a picture of it before I started eating. - Seafood Near Me - Schenectady, New York

A fun meal in a lively atmosphere! We opted to split a number of the small plates as they looked innovative/intriguing. Some were just okay. The artichokes were saved by whatever nut was served with them (added just the right amount of flavor/texture to an otherwise average dish). The Japanese pancake was really thick- I would have preferred a thinner, more crispy texture with smaller pieces of cabbage. It sort of drowned out the pork belly. Other dishes were solid. The tomato/burrata had great flavor, I just would have preferred some smaller bites (the bread pieces were large and hard to cut/bite through). The octopus was well cooked, though the accompaniments felt random (still tasty though!). The short rib wraps had great flavor, but could have been more tender. The stand out dish was the Thai curry mussels- the flavor of the curry was amazing, I was using shells to drink the remaining broth! Desserts were good- the sorbet was very refreshing. I wouldn't necessarily consider the cheesecake 'Basque', but it had good texture and was not overly sweet. Our server was knowledgeable and made some good suggestions. The wine list was another stand-out, offering a lovely Sancerre by the glass. Highly recommend! read more

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I moved here 3 years ago and this is the only place I have found that has truly innovative cuisine. The Staff is very attentive and well trained. The food beautifully presented and very good. It is great place to "graze" with so many excellent small plates and cold seafood. There is no other place one can get a Foie Gras and a glass of Sauterne. The Hamachi Crudo, Octopus, Soft Shell Crap Oysters were divine. The duck perfectly cooked and the Lobster very tasty (although at the price it should include the claws. The Bread Pudding to die for A superb dinning experience from Chef Mark and his staff. People complaining about prices are not used to eating at fine restaurants read more

Excellent meal in a nicely remodeled restaurant. Everyone was fully satisfied with their choices that popped with great flavors. Attentive service, great food from appetizers to desserts, and reasonable prices (not cheap but not crazy) will put this on your list of favorites! read more

So I finally got a chance to give this place a try. The ambiance was nice. The menu was varied. I had the duck breast with huckleberry sauce which was very good (ditch the Asian pear). My sister had the steelhead salmon, which was a mish mosh of ingredients. Rhubarb, morels, fava bean and chick peas - with salmon? It didn't work. The salmon was excellent. Choose better sides. Yes it was pricey. Yes the portions are not generous. Yes the combination of ingredients doesn't work for me. Will I go back? Probably not. But I wish them well. read more

I thought it was overpriced and wasn't that great. Portion sizes as very small. Service was slow.