Landed upon this gem by chance before a show a show at the Troy City Music Hall. It didn't look…read morelike much on the outside (it was dark), but it had an Italy vibe. Walked in and we were lucky to be seated right away without a reservation. Great choice! The food was amazing, and the service was pleasing. We both ordered the Eggplant (one with spaghetti, and the other with penne pasta) and the portion size was surprising and the taste was fantastic. I'm not a fan of Troy, NY; however, I would return to dine to Lo Porto's either before the weather gets bad or in the spring. I will be sure to make a reservation, because there was a lot of traffic on a Tuesday evening. We were not disappointed. I'm having my leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

This is my second time here and you can't go wrong with this restaurant you have to try the bread…read morewith the house oil and cheese dipping sauce our entrees I had the veal Scorsese's and my wife had the Veal and Eggplant dish was delicious you need to ask for Emily she was outstanding she took care of 9 tables and kept all her customers needs as thought they were her favorite

Our most amazing Sunday takeout is from only the best! The chicken parmesan is always so wonderful…read moreand comfort food on a rainy day. We share this meal with love and have full bellies . Valentes is always what you should expect...perfect sauce from the family perfected family heirloom, top quality products and always a generous portion on all meals. Yes we placed it proper dinnerware .

Went back to Valente's this past weekend and had another solid meal. Not pictured, the delicious…read morestrawberry cheese cake!

Our daughter is home from college and wanted to try De Fasios 216 for dinner. We made reservations…read moreand added she has a Nut allergy. We arrived 10 minutes early and were pleased to be seated right away. Inside is beautiful. One complaint about the inside is how loud it is. There is nothing to dampen the sound of all the guest speaking. The waitress came over and at times couldn't hear us either. The waitress was quick to provide us water and ask about drinks. Once she provided drinks, she asked about appetizers. They came out quick and were very very good. Foccacia and Meatballs. That's where it goes awry. We ordered 2 pizzas. 40 minutes went by without additional drinks or the pizza. Others in the dining room that were seated after we received our appetizers received their meals while we waited. There was a moment where the waitress looked over, and realized that she had not checked on us or we had received our pizza and you could see panic come across her face. 10 minutes later, she decides to stop at the table and apologize because there was a " rush on the kitchen, all at one time" however there were five tables in the dining room that were empty in an additional five tables in the bar area that were empty and no one sitting at either bars. We finally received our pizzas, however, you could tell they were rushed as the crust was not crispy and still doughy.. She apologized for having us wait. However, that did not make up for a very bad experience. As always, we ask, would we come back? And to be honest, in Troy there are so many opportunities for us to have Italian or to make our own Italian that I doubt that we will ever make it a second attempt. It's too bad because we love Troy and we love DeFazio's pizza from the original location. I wish them luck and hope that they can figure it out.

DeFazios has done an incredible job with this space and food. It's more elevated food than the…read morepizza shop and a nice open space. The pesto pizza is to die for and the servers are so friendly even on a slammed Saturday night.

I was in Albany for my doctoral hooding ceremony and subsequent graduation, when I was left…read morewondering where to take my family for dinner afterwards. I was promised that Grappa 72 would exceed my expectations. As an Italian-American AND a foodie, it's hard to wow me at an Italian venue. I can honestly say that this place was all that I was promised and more. What we ordered to share: crispy arancini (special app that day), eggplant parm, fried calamari. I am a red sauce snob, and all three of these delivered on presentation, quality, and overall flavor. Entrees we ordered included: halibut (entree special and my choice), pappardelle loaded with shrimp and chicken (also a special), pork osso bucco (stole the show!). We ended with individual desserts, and their Italian cheesecake was smooth and creamy. Service was reflective of high-end dining, yet the check for six people was moderate to affordable. Considering the quality, quantity, and overall experience, this is a place I need to get back to. Now I need to find an excuse to be in the Capitol Region so I can go back!

My boyfriend, his family, and I arrived at Grappa '72 to celebrate my boyfriend's graduation from…read moremed school! Our hostess was just the sweetest. She had lots of recommendations for what drinks and dishes to order, and she was really attentive towards our party. When we sat at our table, we helped ourselves to the fresh table bread and tapenade while we decided what to order. I decided to get the seafood special, which was a grilled branzino served with blistered green beans and wild rice. While the dish tasted a bit too oily for my liking, there was LOTS of food that came with this dish - enough for me to pack as a lunch the next day! What was also memorable about this experience was the live music playing at front. This is a very nice Italian resto for special occasions and date nights.

I've been hearing good things about Anthony's for awhile but I didn't think the pictures of food I…read moresaw were that exciting. Don't be fooled the food is outstanding. I was also hesitant to try the Alfredo because it is made more authenticity without cream and I enjoy the Americanized version. I decided to take a chance anyway and got the Shrimp Romano with tagliatelle. It was one of the best Alfredo sauces I've had. Service was great also.

Dinner before a show at Cohoes Music Hall…read more Walking in, the restaurant was more casual than other Italian restaurants in the area. It was mostly empty at 530 on a Friday night, service was fine but it seemed to be just one woman. We started off with wine and I was pleasantly surprised at the pour. We decided to start with the arancini. They were as expected, a creamy and cheesy risotto, breaded and fried. They were a little bland, and the sauce was very spicy, which we were not expecting, but was fine. The bread brought to the table was very crusty, maybe stale, the pesto dip was nice and the cute "A" in the balsamic was a nice touch. We then moved onto our entrees which were great portions. I ordered the Veal Francese. It costs an extra $5 to put this over pasta, for a $25 dish. So to my understanding, this dish is $25 for a piece of veal in a sauce and a half a cup of zucchini ... that doesn't make sense. Just include the pasta in the price. But, the pasta was great. You could tell it was made in house and had a great texture. The sauce was a thickened lemon/wine/butter sauce. The flavor was great but it was a little goopy. It was thickened with something like cornstarch as opposed to being reduced. There are many notes here, but it was a perfectly fine dish. I took half of it home and enjoyed it later after the show. My friend ordered the sorrentina, which was chicken and eggplant. She loved the dish and it was enormous, I did not sample it but it looked great. This is just a run of the mill average Italian spot. The parm cheese offered for the dishes was a flavorless shaker brought to the table. If you're looking to be impressed, maybe not the best spot, but if you're looking for a quiet dinner to catch up with a friend, why not!

Don't judge a pizza by its bar…read more What you might call a dive bar, I could call a culinary exploration. Located in Eldorado bar in Troy, some might call this place a dive, dumpy, a hole in the wall, but I found it to be a homey and comfortable setting. And, it is exactly what it's not trying to be, an excellent pizza spot. You could randomly stumble in here after a night on the town expecting crappy bar food, and find truly excellent Detroit style pizza. Uncle Doms was a last minute addition to a local pizza tour. We came late, the bar was pretty empty, and we quickly snagged up 6 seats at the bar. We came for pizza and ordered some beverages for our wait. The bar was well staffed and we chatted up the bartenders who were all raving about the pizza, rightfully so. The menu is simple, Detroit style pizza is what they serve. We opted for a large 8 cut plain cheese pie, double cut for sharing. It came in about 20 minutes, cooked fresh and delivered hot and beautiful. Detroit style pizza is a thick cut pizza cooked in a deep sheet pan, cheese covered to the edges to give you the most delicious and burnt cheesy crust, topped with sauce. This pizza was amazing. The crust, while thick, was so light and airy with a crisp and buttery bottom. The cheese and sauce were heavy, but paired perfectly with the thick crust. This pizza is crave worthy, balanced and very unexpected. Highly recommend checking this place out for a casual beer and pizza night. It's seriously unexpected and down right delicious.

I'm going to start out with a tip. Ask to have your 4-cut pizza cut into 12 slices. (Easy math…read moreconversion if you get an 8-cut instead.) I've never been to Detroit and only had Detroit style pizza at one other restaurant which just so happens to also be local. I read that the chef at that other restaurant was originally from Detroit and was therefore quite knowledgeable and experienced in making the Detroit style. I've enjoyed the pizza there enough to have returned several times. So, I was anxious to try Uncle Dom's when I heard about it last week. After all, it's about 25 miles closer to home. I've Googled Detroit style pizza in the past and learned that it "is a rectangular pizza with a thick crust that is crispy and chewy. It is traditionally topped with Wisconsin brick cheese that goes all the way to the edges and caramelizes against the high-sided heavyweight rectangular pan." Uncle Dom's meets that criteria! (Actually, I don't know if the cheese was from Wisconsin.) Google also tells me that Detroit style is 1 1/2" thick. I mention this because Uncle Dom's is slightly thicker than what I've had elsewhere, is awkward and messy to eat when served in Dom's standard size cut (see my above tip), and you're likely to get sauce on your nose! At the pan's edge of a slice, Dom clearly hits the 2-inch mark (see photo). The dough at the center may be 1 1/2" but the generous amount of toppings, especially the delicious sauce, cannot help but kiss the inner top of the takeout box. All that dough is delicious. It has a great flavor on its own, but the caramelized melted cheese at the edges takes it up another notch. Chunks of ham and pineapple on the Hawaiian, blend great flavors with the sauce and dough. Sautéed peppers and onions along with a nicely fenneled sausage, also go great with Dom's sauce and (Wisconsin?) cheese. Love that sausage! Note: Beware of the prices shown on the webpage. They are out of date. My Hawaiian was not $14 but $16, and the Sausage, Peppers, and Onions was not $14 but $18. Both pizzas were well worth the higher cost.

If ever there was a reason to travel to Troy, NY just for pizza I promise you, you will not regret…read morethe drive and it's well worth it! Pizza was so damn delicious I forgot to take time out to take a picture, won't forget next time. Owner, has great conversation and very diverse staff! Ben's Pizza in Soho, NY was my favorite until I went to DeFazio's. Not comparing the two but hands down just say'n!

DeFazio's has exploded in popularity in recent years because of rave reviews from pizza purists…read more It's critically acclaimed as not only one of the premier pizzerias in the Cap District, but some (me) say it's a top ranker across the country. And that ranking is well deserved. You get a strong familial feel walking into DeFazio's. If you're lucky enough to meet the Boss himself (he will actually be wearing a shirt that says "Boss"), he will give you a history lesson on the pizzeria, his family, and the state of pizz-ology Nationwide. He proudly proclaims that he is still The Sauce Guy around these parts because he has to keep up the quality control. There's something special about eating at a restaurant where the owner cares that much about the product, and they want you to as well. I encourage you to take the plunge and order the General Tso's pizza. It sounds insane, I know. But if you grew up eating this stuff, it will take you back to a time where you were traversing a mall food court and eating free samples (funny enough, that was the inspiration for this pizza). A lot of chicken-based pizzas will have red sauce as a base, but this is actually replaced with the Tso's special blend which has a beautiful sweet-heat to it. If you're coming here for the first time, it's nice to also balance a pizza like that out with a classic. Maybe a cheese or something similar. That way you can try out the red sauce and cheese in its purest form. I had the pleasure of walking through a cheese packing session that was going on in the restaurant, so I got to see that raw mozz up close, maybe 20 pounds of it. At that moment, I felt as though I was approaching enlightenment. When fully melted on that 'za, this cheese has the ideal mix of density and squish. DeFazio's has a special place in my heart. Your time here will make you feel like you are in a pizza sitcom. And you will leave with a feeling that you may have just had some of the best pizza of your life.

Love it here. 4 of use had dinner some drinks and appetizers. The chicken cutlet over Caesar salad…read morewas excellent our server was very nice

Great stop for a quick and inexpensive dinner! Donna's has been on my list since the sad loss of…read morePeck's Arcade. The space is still warm and cozy and intimate. We walked right in at about 630 on a Friday night and were seated immediately. We ordered a couple of drinks. Although I was put off at the shape of the martini glass, it was actually really good and used high quality olives. We decided to go for a pizza and it was the perfect dinner for two to share, we didn't even want anything else. We ordered the brocc but asked for no tomatoes. It was delicious and cooked perfectly! I loved the balance of the garlic, bitter broccoli and the char of the crust. A quick dinner for two at less than $50 works for me! A great place to grab a bite before a night out on the town.

This place is a hidden gem. The menu has sooo many pictures and the food looks like the menu. The…read morestaff is very kind but often there is only one waiter or waitress on staff. Don't be in a rush if you go here. The high top chairs are comfortable and heavy enough for kids to sit on. The tables are big enough for the food. We love it here!

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!

Great spot but be warned rezzies are required. We popped in while in town for a sporting event...no…read moretables available. Front desk staff kindly let us st at the bar. Such a sweet lady. Mike the bartender was fantastic. The food was delicious. The calamari and salad (artichoke, tomato, olives, olive oil and caper) sooo good. Ambiance was great. Outside it doesn't look like much. Inside super cozy. Eating at the bar was perfect. When in town and need pasta...this is the spot.

When you have to wait 20 minutes on a Wednesday evening something good is happening…read more Great service and suggestions from our server and a good bar and drink menu. Appetizers were great and an added treat of dessert Zeppole as a complimentary item. Food was great no complaints on anything and portions enough for a second home treat. Great selection of background music and a lively vibe.