I Went no-ware & Drank Some Absinthe [PHOTOS]

There have been a lot of changes in the Warehouse district of Albany and with it is a delicious new restaurant and a new name for the area.

/edit no-ware is no longer open.

What was once Vintage in Downtown Albany is now a brand-new restaurant called no-ware pint & plate. With the new food and soon to be new decor, they have also brought a new term for the area. Instead of just calling it the “Warehouse District,” no-ware is recommending “NoWare” because it’s more the NOrth WAREhouse district. Get it?

Regardless of how you refer to the area, you need to see all of the great growth that has happened down there with these changes, which includes, of course, no-ware pint & plate.

I had the pleasure of tasting some of the items on their menu a few weeks ago and they offer so much! What I like is that this space could be as “fancy” as you wish it to be. On a first date? Order a charcuterie plate followed by a delicious steak. With the family? Pick what kind of chicken wings you want and then order the mac & cheese. Go with my boyfriend? We’re ordering the bacon “charcuterie” board (carmel bacon, crispy bacon, bacon jam, bacon rillette & aioli- $14).

I went with some family and we started off with the raw board (oyster, clams, tuna poke, seasonal ceviche, shrimp cocktail- $14). I really enjoyed this as an option. Everything on the board tasted so fresh, in particular the tuna poke. I found the ceviche to be a bit spicy but I liked the unexpected bite that came with it. It was a nice balance that I would definitely order again.

For dinner, I got the veggie risotto (lemon ginger risotto cake, Swiss chard, roasted house veggies, crispy oyster mushrooms, on top of a roasted red pepper gazpacho – $19). This was delicious. I loved not only all of the different flavors together but the mix of textures within the dish too. The presentation was beautiful, it was a shame I had to knock it down and eat it (kind of).

Then, for dessert, it was a surprise and honestly, we dug into that thing so fast I don’t even remember. It was so light and airy and delicious and I would do there just for that and a drink any time. I also had a fantastic drink with rye, schnapps, Absinthe, bitters, and blackberry (back-woods sazerac). It maybe delicious but be careful having more than one!

Overall, it was a really great dining experience. They let me know that they hope to revamp the interior to go with more of the theme they want and less of the old “Vintage” feel. Having only been open a couple of weeks by the time I went, I was really impressed with the quality of food and the waitstaff.