Albany (for Springsteen) Where to eat?

[rruben1]

I'll be in Albany on a Thursday evening in November to see Springsteen. I went to law school there and used to be quite familiar. . .but, sadly, my favorite place, Cavaleri's, is gone. Where to have a great Italian meal in Albany these days? Casual or business casual.

Thanks!

[jspear]

Try the Pearl for quiet dining or Jack's Oysterhouse, both pretty close to the arena. D'Raymonds has a great veal and crab dish.

[Fred19]

I like Jack's Oysterhouse. Good Prime Rib.
~Fred19

[yumcha]

I'd recommend Mercato's on Delaware ave in Delmar. They're a nice red sauce type joint with great food and fair prices.

[PSZaas]

How about D'Raymond's in Loudonville before the concert; old school Italian, no parking issue, easy shot downtown?

-----
D'Raymonds Restaurant & Lounge
269 Osborne Rd Ste 4, Albany, NY 12211

[swarttav]

great plce - I totally agree

[laurenko]

McGuire's (on Lark) is great

[Fred19]

If you have a few people, Buca di Beppo
http://www.bucadibeppo.com/
has great family style Italian food. We had lunch there last week and it was excellent.
We ate in Albany Pump Station last Thursday and the food was very good. I liked their beer, which is brewed on-site.

~Fred19

[MisterBill2]

Buca di Beppo is over by Wolf Road and not particularly convenient for the arena. I've been to the Pump Station a few times and always enjoyed their stuff (of course, all we order are burgers and wings, but they're both really good). And while it's not walking distance from the arena, it's relatively close.

[MisterBill2]

I like Albany Pump Station. Their Thai Peanut Wings are great! And I guess the beer is good too, but I don't drink.

PS the Times Union Center (formerly Pepsi Arena) was built in 1990 and seats 17,000.

[Shayna Madel]

I went to SUNY undergrad--there's a place big enough to hold a Bruce concert now? Guess things have changed since 1981...We used to love burgers at Sutter's, on Western Ave., but clearly not what you are looking for. And by the way, no business casual for Bruce, if you can help it.

[rruben1]

Madela, I've seen Bruce more than 100 times, and I have the T-shirts and stubs to prove it. But I'll be traveling from work,and won't change clothes until right before the show.

Sutters was a mainstay in my years in the Capitol District, along with the Ginger Man, the Elbow Room, and Lark Tavern. Is Grandma's Pie Shop still there?

BTW, I was in Albany from 1982-85 for law school. I was poor, but ate well.

[Shayna Madel]

Ah, you have me beat. It's only been about a dozen or so for me. And if the t-shirt from the River tour still fit, I would be VERY happy. My place was WT's (Washington Tavern, apparently renovated, and now long gone). Loved those $1.05 rum and cokes. With mixed drinks at that price, it was financially manageable not to be a beer drinker. Heard of the places you mentioned, but don't know whether they still exist.

Enjoy the show--like there would be any doubt?

[L_W]

WT's is GONE??? Say it ain't so!

[ChefJeffe]

How about O'Heaney's???

[Shayna Madel]

Don't know if it's still there, but will ask friends. Was trying to remember the name of the place somewhere downtown, in the middle of some block somewhere between Washington and Western, really small and overcrowded and kinda notorious for being for particularly heavy drinkers/partiers...

Miss that WT's pizza...

[ChefJeffe]

That's the one. They still had a trough for a urinal.

[shajack]

Could it be the Long Branch? That's where I hung out back in 80 - 84. On weekend days they used to have drink specials that if you had ? drinks you got a free t-shirt. They changed to colors every so often so I collected quite a few different colored shirts...

[Shayna Madel]

Is Jack's the fancy seafood place downtown, with the cloth napkins and silverplate flatware? I think I had graduation dinner there in 1981!

[swarttav]

Yes it is

[swarttav]

re WT's It ain't so - remodeled to resemble an Irish Pub, but Mike Byron still owns it

[Shayna Madel]

Guess I was given misinformation. Sorry.

[rindy2k]

i also attended sunya back in the '80s

anyone remember the grinch? what a great hangout

agree with mentions of: sutter's (cheddar burgers/cheddar fries) and loved wt's for the bar pies (also long isl. iced teas & bloody marys)

what was the place that had the great wings (by central ave.)?

partridge pub had good burgers back then

how about frank's living room, jb scott's, the a frame (wolf rd), across the street pub, o'heaney's, etc...

thanks for letting me reminisce

[L_W]

Mild Wally's? I was an early 90s attendee of SUNYA

[rindy2k]

i think the wings place i was trying to remember was called hurley's

don't recall a mild wally's...

[King Vulture]

The place by Central Ave with the great wings - could be Ralph's Tavern on Central, near Fuller Road. Still a great place for wings and other tasty (but decidedly non gourmet) fare like chicken parm subs, fried scallops, decent pizza etc.

[AmyH]

The Ginger Man, Elbow Room, Lark Tavern, and Grandma's Restaurant and Bakery are all still there. But for pre-concert dining I would agree that Cafe Capriccio is a good choice for Italian. Albany Pump Station or Jack's or Nicole's Bistro or La Serre would also be good if you're not limited to Italian.

[NYchowcook]

I may be in the minority, but I hate Cafe Cappricio. Too many bad meals.

I would opt for Nicole's Bistro or Lombardo's in that area. But if I had time I would head down Central Ave for some fried eggrolls and shrimp over vermicella at Van's.
Or perhaps you can get an early seating at Yono's?

[markabauman]

A perennial favorite is Cafe Capriccio, off of Madison, behind the Times-Union Center.

www.cafecapriccio.com/