This pizza joint up in Schenectady is fairly good. I was expecting something rancid and offensive, so far from NYC. But the crust was nice – airy but crisp, with just the right amount of chew and dough bounce. I went with a mozzarella, ricotta, tomato and broccoli slice. I enjoyed it. If you find yourself in the area, this is a decent shop.
I LOVE NY PIZZA – YOU WILL TOO
1705 Union St
Schenectady, NY 12309
Peck’s Arcade is a great restaurant up in Troy, New York. My wife‘s friend Nick is the chef there:
When we were up in the area visiting my wife’s family for Thanksgiving, we stopped in to try the food. The building itself is a really cool historic structure that used to be an inn:
The place was full – even the wine bar next door that is under the same ownership.
We had a great bar style seat that was overlooking the small but extremely organized and efficient kitchen staff:
The cocktail menu is really dynamic, with old fashioned shit like the Pisco Sour, as well as new recipes like the Hibiscus Negroni.
Pisco Sour and a Red Scare are pictured below. Both were really tasty and well made.
We started out with several small plates. First was the octopus with hummus and roasted red pepper:
The char was excellent on this. The tentacle itself was expertly cleaned to be void of any chewy skin but the suction cups remained for a great crispy texture. It was soft and light.
Next was the bowl of wild mushrooms:
This might have been my favorite of the night. The mushrooms were simply but properly done with brown butter and coarse salt.
Next we tried a crostini with sardine. This was really flavorful and smoky, with a great savory punch to it.
The last of the small plates we tried were these fire roasted local carrots with dill, yogurt sauce, spicy smoked pepper paste and brown butter crackers:
Next we tried a pair of house-made pasta dishes. The first was the pillow soft gnocchi with a nice classic tomato and basil sauce:
The star, though, was the thick chitarra pasta that was served with broccoli rabe, a mild cheese sauce and some grated egg yolk.
It brought out the inner goombah in me so much that I started loading up my fork with twirling motions against a spoon, like my grandfather used to do:
For dessert we tried this really tasty smores panna cotta that came with chocolate cake, burnt sea salted marshmallow and homemade graham crackers.
Some cookies came with the bill as well. These also had a hint of salt in them, just like the dessert, which made the chocolate in both items really pop on the taste buds.
If you happen to be in the Albany/Troy area, definitely give this place a try. Everything on the menu looked so good, and with a seasonal menu that changes often, it will always offer something unique and different with each visit.
PECK’S ARCADE
217 Broadway
Troy, NY 12180
