The Borderline Café at The Sanctuary For Independent Media offers a limited selection of ice cold and piping hot drinks (including our own “Wake Up And Smell The Coffee” blend) as well as some packaged snacks–an hour before, during and an hour after each show. From time to time it is also the venue for potlucks with visiting artists and activists (check the event descriptions for details). If you’d like to make an evening of your visit to North Troy, try one of the many award-winning bars and restaurants surrounding us!
Below is a very selective and highly opinionated guide to local food and drink hotspots.
Please call the provided phone numbers before your visit to help prevent disappointment. And tell them The Sanctuary For Independent Media sent you!
Ale House (680 River St., Troy, 272-9740) Just a few blocks from The Sanctuary For Independent Media! Run the bar-patron gauntlet to get to the dining room in this cozy Troy pub, where you’ll enjoy homemade soups, great burgers, a variety of well-made daily specials, and some of the best chicken wings in the area. Lunch and dinner specials. Full bar, featuring microbrews and import drafts. Off-premises catering. Takeout available. $ [VOTED Metroland BEST PUB FARE 2006]
Ali Baba (2243 15th St., Troy, 273-1170) Just a few blocks from The Sanctuary For Independent Media! The prices have edged up but we don’t mind paying as long as the quality remains the same. Start with an appetizer platter, which also gets you a puffy loaf of lavash, and then try a wrapped durum kabob, which is known elsewhere as a gyro and is the real, carved-from-a-loaf thing. Turkish cuisine and pizza, which means you can get seasoned lamb on your pie. Most meals come with puffy lavash bread. $ [VOTED Metroland BEST MEDITERRANEAN 2006]
Brown’s Brewing Company (417-419 River St., Troy, 273-BEER (2337), www.brownsbrewing.com) Just a few blocks from The Sanctuary For Independent Media! There’s something amazing about beer-battered fries done right. Add one of Brown’s tasty burgers, bratwurst or a variety of tasty sandwiches, for the perfect pre-beer cushion. Grab some calamari (with honey-hop and chili sauce!) or wings (Jamaican rum and butter!) and you won’t be disappointed. This brewery-restaurant is located in a restored 150-year-old warehouse with a large deck overlooking the majestic Hudson River and Troy Marina. Menu offers pub-style fare, including appetizers, salads, sandwiches and wraps. Award-winning brewery offers 12 different styles of fresh ales and lagers. $ [VOTED Metroland BEST BREW PUB FOOD 2006]
Daily Grind (46 Third St., Troy, 272-8658. www.dailygrind.com) Really everything a coffeehouse should be: The atmosphere is spacious, warm and inviting. They serve food and coffee, and now a selection of beer and wine as well. The Grind also serves as an art gallery, plays host to live music, and is an apt all-around meeting place.A true coffee bar with plenty of tables and couches, offering coffee of the day, espresso, cappuccino, and latte, as well as gourmet soups, sandwiches and desserts. Select teas, too. $ [VOTED Metroland BEST COFFEEHOUSE 2006]
DeFazio’s Pizzeria (266 Fourth St., Troy, 271-1111) What can we say about this Capital Region institution that hasn’t been said? The pizza at DeFazio’s is legendary. Brick-oven baked, homemade sweet sausage that is perfection, and a zesty sauce that has survived through generations. This is the place, nestled in Troy’s Little Italy district, where you take visitors when you want to show off just how charming the Capital Region can be—and just how tasty its gastronomic offerings. Twenty-one gourmet wood-fired pizzas, 21 pastas, antipasto and salads. Homemade Italian sauces available in DeFazio’s retail store next door. No alcohol. Off-premises catering available. $ [VOTED Metroland BEST PIZZA 2006]
Famous Lunch (111 Congress St., Troy, 272-9481) Home of the Teenie Weenie! Serving 7 AM to 10 PM Mon-Sat. Closed Sun. Cash only.
First Choice (451 Fulton St., Troy, 266-9050) You’ll return again and again for the jerk chicken, but don’t forget to try the curries, callaloo and ackee. The lunch buffet is the area’s best bargain, and you dine in a casually appointed shrine to Bob Marley. [VOTED Metroland BEST CARIBBEAN 2006]
I Love Troy Pizza (125 4th St., Troy, 274-0071) Late night pizza; fast, simple, cheap.
Lansingburgh Cafe (469 Fifth Ave. at 112th Street, Troy, 238-2673) Nice neighborhhood diner, inexpensive food. Just a few blocks from The Sanctuary For Independent Media!
Lo Porto Ristorante (85 Fourth St., Troy, 273-8546) Martin Scorsese’s favorite Capital Region restaurant is still going strong, serving Italian specialties with a Sicilian flavor. Full bar, off-premises catering. Space available for private parties. Takeout available. Reservations strongly suggested. AE, D, DC, MC, V. $$$
Manory’s (Fourth and Congress streets, Troy, 272-2422) Troy’s oldest restaurant has been open since 1913. Menu features breakfast all day, gourmet deli sandwiches, wraps, appetizers, salads, homemade soups and desserts—such as ice cream and pies. AE, D, MC, V. $
Moscatiello’s Italian Restaurant (99 North Greenbush Road [Route 4], Troy, 283-0809, www.moscatiellos.com) This family operated restaurant boasts a variety of Italian fare. In addition to the traditional, the menu also includes gourmet specialties and salads, including chicken rustica, shrimp scampi, chicken marsala, New York strip steak, and the bruschetta appetizer. Full bar and wine list. On/off-premises catering. Reservations accepted for parties of five or more. AE, DC, MC, V. $$
Red Front Restaurant (71 Division St., Troy, 274-6114) Pizza, traditional Italian fare and prime-rib dinners are the specialties at this venerable Troy institution. Full bar. Catering for small parties. Banquet facilities. Takeout and delivery available. Reservations suggested. AE, D, MC, V. $$
The Ruck (104 3rd St., Troy, 273-1872) College hangout bar with burgers and wings.
Shalimar (405 Fulton St., Troy, 273-8744) Inexpensive, spicy Indian fare to eat in or take out. Serving a variety of vegetarian, meat and chicken dishes, fresh-baked tandoori bread and other stuffed breads. No alcohol; catering available. Lunch buffet 11:30-2 Mon-Fri (and also 12-3 Sat). AE, D, DC, MC, V, traveler’s checks. $
Sushi King (200 Broadway, Troy, 274-0015) Enjoy Chinese and Japanese cuisine, including numerous sushi selections, in this restaurant overlooking Monument Square. Beer and wine. Takeout available; free delivery within five miles. AE, D, MC, V. $
Testo’s (124th Street and Fourth Avenue, N. Troy, 235-0444. www.testosrestaurant.com) Just a few blocks from The Sanctuary For Independent Media! It may seem like the sort of joint where you’d get funny looks if you’re not from the neighborhood, but you don’t have to live in Lansingburgh to eat at Testo’s; hell, people cross rivers to come here. Seriously, the food is dependable and damn good, and modestly priced, and the staff are equally welcoming whether you live a block or a county away. To coin a new phrase for Italian restaurants, we’re all family here. Family-run Italian restaurant with a family ambience, specializing in pasta dishes, veal, seafood and homemade meatballs. Home of Testo’s Gourmet Pasta Sauce. Beer and wine. Off-premises catering. Complete menu available for takeout. $ [VOTED Metroland BEST FAMILY ITALIAN 2006]
Valenti’s Pub (729 Pawling Ave., Troy, 283-6766) Pub fare, specializing in pizza and pasta. Also burgers, wings, salads, subs and much more. Full bar. Takeout and delivery available. AE, CB, DC, MC, V. $
Verdile’s (572 Second Ave., Troy, 235-8879) Selections include fresh veal, homemade pasta and seafood specials. Full bar. Takeout available. Reservations not accepted. AE, D, DC, MC, V. $$
KEY:
Credit Cards: AE (American Express) CB (Carte Blanche) D (Discover) DC (Diners Club) MC (MasterCard) V (Visa)
Entrée Price Ranges (Dinner): $ (Average entrée below $10) $$ (Average entrée $10 to $15) $$$ (Average entrée $15 to $20) $$$$ (Average entrée more than $20)
