"But I mean, where do people eat?"

In the local food blogs and rags with food columns there's an ongoing conversation about the passion that Capital Region denizens have for chain restaurants. Predictability, convenience and plenty of parking are perhaps higher than attributes of the food being served on the lists of many of our friends and neighbors.

So when someone piped up with the question above in a local cafe recently I asked "Applebees?" and smiled a goofy smile. The room developed a distinctive negative tone. Several others in the conversation offered similarly unsatisfactory responses.  So the question stayed in mind and I've been pondering it on and off.

For a different reason in the past couple months I began to look at Albany's heritage of family Italian restaurants.  Some scorn these places as uninspired "red sauce joints". I have looked past that generalization and have begun to seek out these places. I have also included newer Italian restaurants that have gone a bit beyond nonna's recipes from Sicily and have taken on trained chefs. I have a list in process that argues for the idea that these Italian places are the places in our region where everyone eats. This is a list of 79 restaurants, and it doesn't include (as far as I know) chains, pizzarias and delicatessens.  Please feel free to add ones that you don't see, or clarify if any of these are not restaurants but pizzarias or delis in the comments.

Check it out:

Amo La Bella Behind times union ctr

Angelo’s Tavolo Scotia

Anthony's Canal Riverside in Rotterdam Junction

Aperitivo

Appian Way Schenectady

Augie’s

Barcelona in Albany

Bellini’s Slingerlands

BonGiorno

Cafe Calabria (Guilderland

Café Capriccio

Caffe Italia

Ca'mea (hudson)

Canali’s

Chianti il Ristorante

Ciao Italia

Civitello's

Cornell’s

Deangelos Ristorante Crisler Ave.

DeMarco's

D'Raymonds

Dorato’s 20 Mall

E.K.’s Cibo

Ferrari’s

Forno Bistro

Grappa72

Johnny's in Schenectady

Il Faro Menands

LaBella’s Wynantskill

La Cucina (amsterdam)

Lanie’s Italian Café 471 Albany Shaker Rd Albany, NY 12211

La Perla

Limoncello

Lombardo's, Albany

Lo Porto’s

Lorenzo’s Italian Cafe Schenectady

L’Ultimo, Amsterdam

Mama Mia’s on Rte. 50 in Saratoga

Marisa’s Place

Marotta's

Mezza Notte (Guilderland)

Milano

Minissale's Wine Cellar Cafe

Mio Posto

Moscatiello’s in Troy

Nicole’s

Nona Maria’s in Halfmoon

Nove Italian Restaurant (gansevoort)

Paolo Lombardi's in Wynantskill

Pasta Pane, located at 18 Park Ave. Clifton Park

Pennell’s Saratoga

Perreca’s

Petta

Ralph's Tavern

Randy Loren’s Dolce Vita

Riccitello John Schenectady

Ripe Tomato

Ripepi’s St. Johnsville

Risotto

Romo's, Glenmont

Rose’s

Rudy’s Rennselaer

Sam’s Italian American

Scotti’s in the Upper Union Street district of Schenectady

Tesoro (Guilderland--I assume the Tesoro's above is referring to Schenectady)

Tesoro’s

Testo’s

Three Vines Bistro

Treviso

Two Brothers East Greenbush

V&R on Madison Ave

Valente’s

Verdiles

Villa Tuscan Grill Schenectady

Villago

Wheatfields

We also love going out for breakfast in the Capital Region, and so I just began a list of breakfast spots. This one is very rough at this point - I'm sure there are dozens more to add.  Soon this may overcome the Italian places, but for now it's a bit shorter. Brunch is often only on Sunday or weekends, so go to the website of the place or call. 

Please do add more places or make corrections in the comments, but no chains.

Breakfast and Brunch
76 Diner

Angelo’s Tavolo at Glens Sanders Mansion brunch

B-rads in troy

Bellevue Cafe in Schenectady. They open at 6am

Blueberry Hill - New Lebanon

 Bob's in Watervliet

Bubbles Restaurant in Mechanicville

Buckley Farms, Ballston Spa

Burnt Hills Café

Carol's Place in Troy

Chuck wagon

City Beer Hall has Saturday & Sunday brunch

Daily Grind Albany

Daily Grind Troy

Delmar Bistro

Duncan's in Troy

Gideon Putnam Hotel, Saratoga Springs brunch

Good Morning Cafe in Ballston Spa

 Halfmoon Diner

Homefront Cafe in Altamont

Illium Cafe in Troy

 Indian Ladder Farms Yellow Rock café

innovo kitchen brunch

Iron gate

Jake Moon. Clarksville

Jimmy's Egg in Clifton Park

Johnny B's in Glenmont

Karavalli in Latham and Saratoga brunch

Lakeside Farms in ballston spa

Manory's in Troy

Max London's

Midway Cafe Rt 9W Ravena

Oliver's in Glenville

Over the Moon Cafe and Bakery in Schuylerville

Park Side Eatery in Saratoga

 Perreca's in Schenectady

Ravenous Saratoga

Ripe Tomato

Scallions in Saratoga

Settles Hill in Altamont, NY brunch

Silver Spoon in Ravena

Skyport Glenville

Snyders

Spillin the beans - downtown Troy

Sweet Mimi’s

Tanzy's in Hudson 
The breakfast spot in cohoes

The Iron Roost Ballston Spa

The Low Beat monthly brunch

The stockade inn  brunch

The Ugly Rooster, Mechanicville

The Window Box in Slingerlaands

Treviso by Mallozzi’s at the Italian American Community Center brunch

Union Cafe, Upper Union Street, Niskayuna

Village Cafe & Bakery Greenwich

Wellington's Albany

Whistling Kettle - Ballston Spa

Whistling Kettle Troy


So there is my empirical evidence that we spend our mornings in cafes and we love eggs, waffles, toast and home fries.  Also we love our Italian heritage so in the evening we go out to the red sauce joints and their step children here in the Capital Region.  And I challenge you to throw down your own answer in response.