14 choices in Binghamton Restaurant Week

BINGHAMTON, NY -- Fourteen restaurants are scheduled to participate in the latest Binghamton Restaurant Week.

The establishments will offer special prix fixe three-course menus for $20 and/or three-course lunches for $10 from April 5 to 14. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Binghamton.

Participants:

• Crepe Heaven, 217 Main Street
• Cyber Cafe West, 176 Main Street
• Downtown Cabana, inside Boscov's, 13 Court Street
• Grande's Bella Cucina, 1171 Vestal Avenue
• Little Venice Restaurant, 111 Chenango Street
• Lost Dog Cafe, 222 Water Street
• Mad Moose House of BBQ, 53 Chenango Street
• Number 5, 33 South Washington Street
• Remlik's, Kilmer Building, 31 Lewis Street
• River Bistro, Riverwalk Hotel, 225 Water Street
• Sake-Tumi, 71 Court Street
• The New Argo, 117 Court Street
• Tranquil Bar & Bistro, 36 Pine Street
• Whole In The Wall, 43 South Washington Street

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NY Riesling tops international field

ROCHESTER, NY -- Could it have been scripted any better? Nah. A Riesling from the Finger Lakes, which has staked a claim to being the Riesling capital of the known universe, won the top award in that category of the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.

The 11th annual event, held March 26-27 at the Rochester Plaza Hotel, is the largest charitable wine competition in North America. All net proceeds benefit Camp Good Days and Special Times, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life-threatening challenges.

Zugibe Vineyards of Geneva took the top Riesling award with its 2009 Late Harvest Riesling. The winery was established in 2005 by the Zugibe family on the shore of Seneca Lake. The father, Frederick II, died unexpectedly in 2006, and his three sons -- Frederick III, Brendan and Sean -- operate Zugibe Vineyards now.

Other major winners:

Best Chardonnay: Santa Barbara Winery of California, 2008 Reserve.
Best Cabernet Sauvignon: J. Lohr of California, 2007 Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon.
Best ice Wine: Vignoble Riviere du Chene of Quebec, 2009 Vidal.

A record 3,259 wines from 788 wineries were entered in the competition. The wines came from 19 nations, six Canadian provinces and all 50 states. The international judging panel awarded more than 70 double golds, which requires unanimous agreement among the tasters. Not surprisingly, four of New York's double-gold medalists came in the Riesling category.

Here is the full New York double-gold rundown:

Other White: Arbor Hill Rhine Street White NV (Diamond, Cayuga and Delaware grapes); Woodbury Vineyards Seaport White NV (Chardonnay, Cayuga White, Vidal).
Late Harvest White (24 brix +): Chateau Lafayette Renault Late Harvest Riesling 2010.
Viognier: Goose Watch Winery Viognier 2008.
Riesling: Heron Hill Winery Semi-Dry Riesling 2009; Red Newt Cellars Riesling 2009; Wagner Vineyards 2008; White Springs Riesling 2009.
Ives: Johnson Estate Winery Ives 2009.
Shiraz-Syrah: Long Point Syrah 2007.
Vidal Blanc: Schulze Vineyards & Winery Vidal Blanc Semi-Dry 2010.
Brandy: Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery American Fruits Pear Brandy NV.
Pear: Young Sommer Winery 2 of a Kind Bartlett Pear 2010.

Go here for the full list of medalists in all categories.

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Buffalo Wine Festival wineries unveiled

BUFFALO, NY -- The lineup for the 2nd annual Buffalo Wine Festival is an impressive one.

The event, scheduled for Saturday, April 2, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, also will feature food samplings from local restaurants and food vendors, as well as craft booths. Ticket information and more details are available online.

The winery lineup:

7 Vines Winery
Ashley Lynn
Bagley's Poplar Ridge Vineyards
Black Willow Winery
Crooked Lake Winery
Eleven Lakes Winery
Fox Run Winery
Freedom Run Winery
Fulkerson Winery
Glenora Winery
Heron Hill Winery
Hazlitt 1852
Hickory Hollow Wine Cellars / Highland Cellars
Imagine (Inspire) Moore Winery
Knapp Winery
Lakewood Vineyards
Lime Berry Wine Estate
Mazza Chautauqua Cellars
Merritt Estate Winery
Miles Wine Cellar
Montezuma Winery
Niagara Landing Wine Cellars
Pleasant Valley Wine
Rasta Ranch Winery
Thousand Islands Winery
Vetter Vinyards Winery
Winery of Ellicottville
White Springs Winery
Yates Cellars

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Lake George Americaid strikes State deal

Times Union archive photo

• From the Albany Times Union:

LAKE GEORGE -- The organizers of Americade and the state Department of Environmental Conservation reached a deal about the rent the motorcycle rally will pay to use state-owned land next to Lake George.

Americade founder Bill Dutcher threatened to move the popular event last year when the state raised the price from $52,000 to $90,312. After negotiations that involved Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, and Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, R-Willsboro, the state will charge Americade $50,000 for the use of parking lots along Lake George Beach, Battlefield Park and Prospect Mountain.

The 28th annual Americade will be held June 7-11. In the past as many as 50,000 people have attended.

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'Whisky Live' links to Tartan Week

NEW YORK -- St. Patrick's Day is behind us, but Tartan Week is just ahead in this season dear to the hearts of Celts everywhere.

"Whisky Live New York" returns to Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers on Wednesday, April 6, as part of the city's Tartan Week festivities. It will offer an evening of whisky and food tastings, plus live music.

Specially-priced tickets for Friends of the Tartan Day Parade will be available. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to the National Tartan Day New York Committee in support of the parade.

There are several different ticket packages. Full details are available online. And, you can go to the official Whisky Live website and all the details of what's scheduled.

Pier 60 is located on the Hudson River at 23rd Street in Manhattan.

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Damiani seeks 'name that wine' assistance

In Damiani's tasting room.

BURDETT, NY -- Have you ever tried a wine, double checked its label and thought, "I could have come up with a more descriptive name than that" ?

Well, put your Twitter where your mouth is and help Damiani Wine Cellars name its newest wine.

The sparkling wine is 60% Cayuga grapes, 15% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir and 5% Pinot Grigio. It has 1.5% residual sugar, is unaged, fermented in the bottle, and will retail for less than $20.

The Seneca Lake winery's website describes it as a style similar to the Italian sparkler Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine.

Deadline for submitting names is Thursday, March 31. The winner will receive a case of the wine. Submissions may entered by e-mail, by tweeting them to @damianiwine, or by placing them on the Facebook page "Help Damiani Name its Wine."

The name must be approved by the New York State Liquor Authority before it can be formally accepted.

Damiani Wine Cellars is located at 4704 State Route 414 in this Schuyler County town. Phone: (607) 546-5557.

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NYC pub crawls are under fire

Photo courtesy of Pubcrawl.com

• From The New York Post:

NEW YORK  -- It soon may be illegal to drink and crawl.

A Manhattan community board is mulling a ban on pub crawls, those nights of revelry in which organized groups stumble from bar to bar and imbibe at great discounts.
The Internet and social networking have tripled the size of many of the pub crawls, said Toni Carlina, district manager of CB6, which covers 14th to 59th streets between the East River and Lexington Avenue.

"Nobody wants to prevent people from having a good time, but they must be considerate of the neighborhood," she said.

Following a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl, which enticed thousands of drunken, sometimes underage, partygoers to the neighborhood for $1 drafts, board members were prompted to move ahead with a possible ban, Carlina said. A public hearing will be held Thursday.

According to Town & Village, a newspaper covering the community, the neighbors complained of rowdy revelers vomiting in the streets. Eddie Miller, one of the founders of pubcrawls.com, which sold tickets to the St. Patrick's Day event, said they accounted for only 1,000 drinkers, a tiny percentage of the festivities that day.

"I don't believe the vomit in the streets is caused by pub-crawl clients," he told The Post.

[Go here for the full story.]

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At the garden show, stop and smell the ... wine

TROY, NY -- After this ridiculously dismal winter, any breath of spring is welcome. That bodes well for the annual Capital District Garden & Flower Show to be held this Friday-Sunday at Hudson Valley Community College.

Besides the fact it's a nice event, it also comes to my attention because it has a wine tasting component. This year it has the participation of seven wineries, some of which you don't often see being represented in this area. They are:

• Brookview Station, Castleton
• Cold Brook, Hammondsport
• El Paso, Ulster Park
• Merritt Estate Winery, Forestville
• Montezuma Winery, Seneca Falls
• Pazdar Winery, Scotchtown
• Thousand Islands Winery, Alexandria Bay

You can get all the details on the show by going here.

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New NY 'man's' soft drink debuts

SCHUYLERVILLE, NY -- This meeting of the He-Man Woman Haters Club is called to order. No girls allowed!

It has come to our attention that a new soft drink for men is being made right here in Saratoga County and sold online. It's called Exalt, and is made using white tea, juices, and light carbonation. Here's what Terna Tonics, a new Schuylerville company, says about it:

"Exalt has the taste experience of a soda, but uses only natural and healthful ingredients - without any added sugar or sweeteners. Plus, Exalt is fortified with nutrients linked to prostate health. Exalt is not an energy drink, a nutritional supplement, or medicine. Exalt is thirst quenching bottled refreshment for men; healthy and natural with the flavor pumped up."

Apple juice is used as the base flavor, but the various flavors are named for the juice that gives the drink its dominant taste -- pomegranate, black currant, guava and tropical blend. They sell for $23.95 for a case of 12 bottles.

Also, says the company:

"Exalt's mission is to help men lead healthier lives by making soda drinking a healthy choice. Exalt is donating 100% of its net profits from the first ten thousand 12-packs sold by ThirstMonger.com to ZeroCancer ... a non-profit organization dedicated to winning the fight against prostate cancer."

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Spring in Cayuga Wine Trail schedule

As the weather improves -- honest, it will -- activities ratchet up on the state's wine trails.

The Cayuga Wine Trail is one such. It has a number of events on the schedule to help shake off the winter doldrums.

• "Say Cheese" -- Saturday-Sunday, March 26-27, visitors will receive a wine glass and wine glass lanyard at their first winery visited, then travel along the trail for an experience of pairings of wine and/or hard cider from the particular winery and samples from a Finger Lakes Cheese Trail cheesery. The event will be coupled with "Say Cheese" packages at various hotels and inns in Ithaca. Each package includes accommodations, transportation for two and two tickets to the tasting event.

• "Spring Barrel Tasting" -- Saturday, April 9, both Cayuga Ridge Estate and Hosmer Winery will hold tastings with their winemakers. They will be offering visitors samples of their 2010 harvest wines from the barrel or tank, plus the current vintages. Each wine will be paired with a light food.

• "New Vintage Days" -- Saturday, April 9, sister wineries Swedish Hill and Goose Watch wineries will be offering visitors samples of their new releases.

• "April Barrel Dinner" -- Thursday, April 14, King Ferry Winery will offer food by Catering of Ithaca paired with its own wines, served in the renovated barrel room. Reservations are required by Friday, April 1.

• "Jazz Appreciation Month Wine Dinner" -- Saturday, April 16, Knapp Vineyards will serve music-inspired foods. Examples: “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” features sourdough bread and “Cry Me a River” represents a salmon dish, while “Georgia on My Mind” dictates a peachy entree. Reservations required.

• "Easter Brunches" -- Easter Sunday, April 24, will see three winery brunches -- at Knapp Vineyards, Sheldrake Point Vineyard & Simply Red Lakeside Bistro, and Americana Vineyards & Winery’s Crystal Lake Cafe Brunch.

• "19th annual Wine & Herb Festival" -- Friday-Saturday, April 29-May 1 and Friday-Sunday (Mother's Day), May 6-8, ticket-holders will receive a wine glass and a potted plant of either an herb or vegetable grown by Dickman Farms of Auburn, a plant carrier and a garden plan with growing hints. This year's plants include big bertha pepper, boxwood basil, Cajun belle (hot pepper), Cherokee purple tomato, cilantro, fern leaf dill, Napa grape tomato, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, Thai basil, thyme, white lavender and yellow sweet onion.

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'Gatsby mansion' to be torn down

The Lands End mansion and grounds.

SANDS POINT, Long Island, NY -- The Gold Coast, as a swath of Long Island's North Shore is known, will be tarnished just a bit more when the mansion that is said to have inspired "The Great Gatsby" is razed.

Lands End, the 25-room Colonial Revival mansion locals say was the catalyst for F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel about love and intrigue among the moneyed set in the 1920s, is in such disrepair that its present value lies mainly in the land on which it sits.

The village has approved a developer's plans to tear down the sagging structure and divide the site into lots for five custom homes starting at an estimated $10 million each.

Hundres of once-grand mansions have been razed in the past 50 years as financial situations changee, maintenance costs skyrocket and land value creeps ever upward. Taxes, insurance and maintenance of the 24,000-square-foot house and 13-acre grounds total as much as $4,500 a day.

Sands Point Village in January approved plans to raze the house and divide the site into lots for five custom homes starting at $10 million each.

The Gold Coast stretched from Great Neck to Eatons Neck and down to Old Westbury. Its grand homes were designed by the likes of the legendary architect Stanford White, and were home to the Astors, the Woolworths, the Vanderbilts and the Morgan, and the guests lists read like history books.

For more information on the gilded-age mansions of Long Island, and a video on Lands End, go here.

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Ravines' new tasting area a surprise

HAMMONDSPORT, NY -- Ravines Wine Cellars is adding a tasting bar in space adjacent to its main tasting room.

Why is this news? Well, because it's a chocolate counter and tasting bar, featuring creations from Hedonist Artisan Chocolates of Rochester.

As more and more wineries are adding locally-sourced edibles to their tasting rooms we inevitably will be seeing more than simply salsas and cheeses as the imaginative folks who make wineries financially successful in a down economy come up with new ideas to attract visitors.

Ravines had been carrying some Hedonist candies, but this change will expand the offerings and place more emphasis on the pairing of wines and chocolates. The winery also plans to open a cafe later this year on the floor below the main tasting room.

Hedonist is not new to the wine scene. Since 2009, it has made a truffle collection for "Truffles and Tastes," an annual Keuka Lake Wine Trail event held in February. The collection has eight truffles, each meant to complement a specific wine from the trail’s member wineries.

Ravines is located at 14630 State Route 54. Phone: (607) 292-7007.

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'Around the World In 80 Miles' a safe bet

Given the high price of fuel and the uncertainties of travel abroad these days, you may want to consider becoming involved in an 11-nation trip that can be done safely and with minimum fuel consumption.

“Around the World In 80 Miles” is a June 19-20 event involving all members of the Shawangunk Wine Trail, during which each of the wineries along the trail adopts a different country.

The trail meanders between the Shawangunk Mountains and the Hudson River, from New Paltz in Ulster County to Warwick in Orange County.

At each winery, food samples from the particular nation’s cuisine will be available in the proper atmosphere while you pair them with samples of the host wineries’ wines

Here’s where your passport can take you, although visitors can pick and choose as they like:

• Adair Vineyards will represent Mexico
• Applewood will represent Cuba
• Baldwin Vineyards will represent Italy
• Benmarl Vineyards will represent Ghana
• Brimstone Hill Vineyards will represent Greece
• Brotherhood Winery will represent France
• Glorie Farm Winery will represent Chile
• Palaia Winery will represent Belgium
• Stoutridge Vineyards will represent Germany
• Warwick Winery will represent Spain
• Whitecliff Vineyards will represent the U.S.

Ticket details are available here for June 19 and here for June 20. Prices are $28.67 for wine tasters and $6.52 for designated drinkers. (Oddball prices are inclusive of sales tax.)

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Menus set for Shawangunk 'Pasta Primo Vino'

Wine goes nicely with so many foods, but for some reason pasta stands out for me. Luckily, the members of the Shawangunk Wine Trail feel the same way. Thus, the "Pasta Primo Vino" spring event that has drawn participation of all 11 trail members.

The event, which will from from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the weekend of April 16-17, will offer different pasta dishes at each winery, paired with their own wines. Some of the wineries will be offering new releases to sample and, if you're in the mood, purchase.

Two levels of tickets are available: Wine taster ($23.76), which includes a wine glass, wine tastings and tapas tastings at all 11 wineries; designated drivers ($5.40), which includes pasta tastings but no wine glass or wine tastings. (The odd prices reflect the inclusion of sales tax.) Each ticket is good for one day only. At the door, tickets are $30 each. If you order early, 10% discounts are available. Go here for April 16, and here for April 17 ticket details. (Use discount code newsltrmarch.)

So, what's cooking:

• Adair Vineyards: Southwestern pasta bean salad
• Applewood: Spring pasta salad with fresh vegetables and lemon vinaigrette
• Baldwin Vineyards: Baked rigatoni with ricotta and fresh basil.
• Benmarl Vineyards: Gnocchi in a sage butter sauce
• Brimstone Hill Vineyards: French pasta Provencal
• Brotherhood Winery: Orzo with mushrooms
• Glorie Farm Winery: Sassy peanut pasta
• Palaia Winery: Pasta quattro formaggi with semolina bread
• Stoutridge Vineyards: To be decided.
• Warwick Winery: Pasta and homemade sweet sausage, shaved fennel
• Whitecliff Vineyards: Cacio e Pepe, a cheese and black pepper pasta

NYC Craft Beer & Food lineup unveiled

   NEW YORK -- The centerpiece of the Get Real NY Craft Beer & Food festival will be the Cask Bar. Beer lovers who have been anxiously awaiting for details can now relax.

The event, which will be held March 19-20 at the Altman Building, will offer more than 80 cask ales from sources ranging from craft breweries to home brewers.

Among them: Sierra Nevada Harvest, Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA, Sixpoint Righteous Rye, Dieu de Ciel Peche Mortel, Green Flash Le Freak, Firestone Walker Union Jack, Firestone Walker Pale 31, Lagunitas Brown Shugga, Ridgeway Quercus, Dieu de Ciel Corne Dia, Great Divide Oak Yeti, Great Divide Hercules Double IPA, Great Divide Belgica, Victory Yakima Glory Ale, Blue Point 10th Anniversary IPA, Fuller’s ESB, Fuller’s London Pride, RCH Old Slug, Greenport Harbor Disorient, Williams Bros. Fraoch, Williams Bros Session, Lagunitas Imperial Stout, Lagunitas Censored, Sixpoint Bengali Tiger, Blue Point Old Howl, Geary’s Hampshire, Green Flash Hop Head, Green Flash West Coast IPA, Green Flash Double Stout, Defiant Long Shadow, Ballast Point Calico, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA and Sixpoint Diesel.

Food tastings will be provided by Anfora, Luke's Lobster, Fatty Crab, Cascabel Taqueria, Cafe D'Alsace, Brother Jimmy's, Loreley Williamsburg, Mexicue, Frites 'n' Meats, Murray's Cheese, MexiQ, L'asso Pizza, La Bella Torte, Petite Abeille and several others.

The festival also will have a "Locals Only" section featuring local beers from Brewery Ommegang, Brooklyn Brewery, Greenport Harbor Brewing, Kelso of Brooklyn, Empire Brewing Company & Sixpoint Craft Ales, as well as several New York City beer-focused bars such as Rattle N Hum, Jimmy's No. 43, The Stag's Head, Brickyard Gastropub, Idle Hands Bar and Manchester Pub, who will be at the festival serving up specialty beers and some bites.

Attendees can expect food tastings from some of the city's top restaurants, bars, food trucks and food artisans, including Anfora, Luke's Lobster, Fatty Crab, Cascabel Taqueria, Cafe D'Alsace, Brother Jimmy's, Loreley Williamsburg, Mexicue, Murray's Cheese, L'asso Pizza, South Houston Restaurant, The Delta Grill, Frites n' Meats, Lucy's Whey Cheese Shop, Orwasher's Bakery, Rick's Picks, My Friend's Mustard, Kings County Jerky Co., Meze Grill, MexiQ, Frites 'n' Meats, Grandaisy Bakery, La Bella Torte and others.

Mary Izett and Chris Cuzme of the New York City Degustation Advisory Team will be working with local beer sommeliers, including Gianni Cavicchi of Cafe D'Alsace, to pair the food tastings with the craft beer selections. Get Real NY has teamed up with Flying Dog Brewery to create growlers for the festival to allow guests to take some of their favorite craft beer home. Empty growlers will be available for purchase.

The all-you-care-to-taste event will take place during two sessions each day: noon to 3 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Each $65 general admission ticket also covers a souvenir glass, unlimited food sampling, admission to brewery discussion panels and live music; $80 VIP tickets also will include one-hour early entry, admission to a VIP tasting room, and access to additional brewery tasting panels and discussions.

Tickets are available online here and here.

Get Real NY, a festival production company, will donate a portion of the ticket proceeds to the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) to assist in its mission to meet the immediate food needs of low-income New Yorkers. Get Real NY has plans for a Belgian Beer Festival and an All-American Beer Festival later this year.

The Altman Building, a special events space where the festival will be held, is located at 135 West 18th Street.

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Hamptons Restaurant Week sites right here

THE HAMPTONS, Long Island, NY -- The 9th annual Hamptons Restaurant Week is nearing, with a wide variety of participating establishments.

The eight-day "week" will run from Sunday, March 13, through Sunday, March 20. Participating restaurants will offer their own three-course prix fixe menus all nights except Saturday when it will only be offered until 7 p.m.

The regional promotion is open to restaurants, wineries and lodging properties located throughout Long Island's East End. Participating restaurants include, by community:

BRIDGEHAMPTON
Bobby Van's
(631) 537-0590

EAST HAMPTON
Cafe Max
(631) 324-2004

Della Femina
(631) 329-6666

Fresno
(631) 324-8700

Michael's Maidstone Bar And Restaurant
(631) 324-0725

Nick & Toni's
(631) 324-3550

Rugosa
(631) 604-1550

Serafina East Hampton
(631) 267-3500

The 1770 House
(631) 324-1770

THE GRILL on Pantigo
(631) 329-2600

The Living Room at c/o The Maidstone
(631) 324-5440

The Palm Restaurant
(631) 324-0411

EAST QUOGUE
Dockers Waterside Restaurant & Marina
(631) 653-0653

Stone Creek Inn
(631) 653-6770

GREENPORT
Cuvee Bistro & Bar
(631) 477-0066

Noah's
(631) 477-6720

Scrimshaw Restaurant
(631) 477-8882

HAMPTON BAYS
1 North Steakhouse
(631) 594-3419

Edgewater Restaurant
(631) 723-2323

Rumba
(631) 594-3544

Squiretown Restaurant & Bar
(631) 723-2626

Sunday's On The Bay Restaurant
(631) 728-2611

Villa Paul Restaurant
(631) 728-3261

JAMESPORT
Luce Hawkins at Jedediah Hawkins Inn
(631) 722-2900

MONTAUK
East by Northeast
(631) 668-2872

Gulf Coast Kitchen by Robbin Haas at Montauk Yacht Club
(631) 668-3100

Gurney's Sea Grille
(631) 668-2660

The Harvest on Fort Pond
(631) 668-5574

RIVERHEAD
Bistro 72
(631) 369-3325

Boulder Creek Steakhouse
(631) 369-2900

Stonewalls at the Woods
(631) 506-0777

Tweeds Restaurant
(631) 208-3151

SAG HARBOR
Oasis Waterfront Restaurant
(631) 725-7110

Phao Restaurant
(631) 725-0101

SHELTER ISLAND
Vine Street Cafe
(631) 749-3210

SOUTH JAMESPORT
Bayview Inn & Restaurant
(631) 722-2659

SOUTHAMPTON
Le Chef
(631) 283-8581

red | bar brasserie
(631) 283-0704

Shippy's Pumpernickels East Restaurant
(631) 283-0007

Southampton Publick House
(631) 283-2800

The Coast Grill
(631) 283-2277

The Plaza Cafe
(631) 283-9323

SOUTHOLD
North Fork Table and Inn
(631) 765-0177

WADING RIVER
Amarelle
(631) 886-2242

Blackwell's
(631) 929-1800

La Plage Restaurant
(631) 744-9200

WESTHAMPTON BEACH
Sushi 1
(631) 288-5096

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Troy bar-and-dining scene getting new energy

TROY, NY — Just a few years ago, this riverside city had become one of the hottest enclaves for foodies in the Capital Region. That reputation took a hard hit over the past 18 months or so, but it seems to be bouncing back.

Last year, the city lost Tosca Grille and the Illium Café when chef/owner Larry Schepici ran into financial troubles and closed them, and several smaller spots such as San Juan Cuisine closed. In January, the Judge’s Inn — which had struggled to gain a foothold in the former Golden Fox space that collapsed under the weight of owner Joseph Greco’s financial and legal troubles — also closed. Positively Fourth Street, whose owner was one of the partners in the Judge’s Inn, closed.

But, there’s a flip side to the coin.

• The Illium Café, located in the middle of downtown on Monument Square, re-opened under new ownership.
• The iconic Dinosaur Bar-B-Que of Syracuse has been packing in the crowds at its new River Street location.
• Thai Spice Garden has opened in the city’s Lansingburgh section in a long-closed restaurant space.
• Renehan’s seems to have stabilized the dining scene at the one-time Olde Daley Inn in Lansingburgh, where a series of short-lived successors had closed.
• The faltering Daisy Baker’s bar and restaurant is being revitalized by new ownership and a new arrangement with Thunder Mountain Curry to provide lunch service and help transition the dinner menu to Asian fusion, as well as expand and revitalize the bar area.

The Daisy Baker’s situation is currently the most interesting to me. Stepping inside the 150-year-old 2nd Street brownstone and anticipating an icy martini at the ornate bar has long been a pleasure. The building, located opposite the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, is a four-story office and commercial structure designed by architect Marcus Cummings, known for his work in helping rebuild the city in the years following the Great Fire of 1862. The place is atmosphere squared, with its small tables, upholstered benches and wooden chairs, narrow plank floors, a head-high partition between bar and dining areas. The sheer height of the room and the old organ pipes high on the back wall emphasize the fact that this once was fundamentalist church space, and a YWCA, and a Christian Science Reading Room.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the bar space in particular under the revitalization after the business has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Jared Horton, a real estate broker, will oversee the operation and, once approved by the court, will be co-owner with Bruce Fleshman. Horton has worked at Daisy Baker’s on and off for several years. Thunder Mountain Curry is owned and operated by Mike Gordon, who is serving food at two locations on the campuis of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, as well as being a fixture at local farmers’ markets.

Bacchus Wood Fired Pizza, located in the bottom of the building at 33 2nd Street, continues to operate under Jim Scully, who had owned Daisy Baker’s.

The outlook isn’t as bright at a River Street watering hole, Meka’s Lounge. It has been served with an eviction notice from its next-door neighbors/landlords, Ray Wall and Maryann Stafford of Jose Malone’s Irish-Mexican restaurant. The two spots are located in the block north of the Green Island Bridge that also is home to Brown’s Brewing, Revolution Hall, Ryan’s Wake and Deli-icious Cafe. The two have been involved in a back-and-forth dispute since shortly after the martini and wine bar opened. We’ll have to see how that one plays out.

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Seneca Lake winery event features .. beer

GENEVA, NY -- If you've never seen a four-in-one adult beverage complex, you may want to consider attending the "Busted Barrel Brew Fest" this Saturday.

The Seneca Lake site is the Three Brothers Wineries & Estates, home to the Stony Lonesome, Passion Feet and Bagg Dare wineries as well as the Four Horse microbrewery.

This Saturday's all-day event is beer-centric, with barbecue food vendors, cigar rolling demonstrations, beer sampling and Q&A sessions with the brewers.

If you go, be sure to track down the complex's Four Horses Riesling Ale. It's a unique blend of New York riesling grape juice with an American wheat beer, just 4.5% alcohol by volume. It is brewed with pale, wheat, and CaraPils malts, hopped with Centennial and Mt. Hood. It's best as a warm weather drink, but worth a taste now.

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Saratoga Restaurant Week participants unveiled

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- The first grouping of restaurants planning to participate in Saratoga County Restaurant Week has been announced.

The promotion "week" actually will run for 10 days, beginning March 18. Participating businesses will offer three-course fixed price dinners for $20.11.

Check back online closer to the event to see the final list of restaurants. Meanwhile, here's the initial batch:

• Bentley's Tavern, Malta
• Brindisi's, Saratoga Springs
• Chianti Il Ristorante, Saratoga Springs
• Cliff's Country Inn, Malta
• Grey Gelding Bistro & Bar, Saratoga Springs
• Il Forno Bistro, Saratoga Springs
• Jacob & Anthony's, Saratoga Springs
• Limoncello Ristorante, Saratoga Springs
• Maestro's, Saratoga Springs
• Max London's Restaurant & Bar, Saratoga Springs
• Pasta Pane, Clifton Park
• Phila Fusion, Saratoga Springs
• Prime at Saratoga National, Saratoga Springs
• Sushi Thai at the Park, Clifton Park
• Sushi Thai Garden Restaurant, Saratoga Springs
• Tiznow Restaurant, Saratoga Springs
• Wheatfields Bistro & Wine Bar, Clifton Park

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