We've seen the light at the end of the Italian food tunnel and it's called DeFazio's Pizza. J and I have never really been satisfied in our choices of pizza and pasta in the 518, even turning to a certain restaurant chain (NOT of the unlimited breadsticks kind) just to satisfy a quick hankering for carbs, cheese, and sauce. Lucky for me, I started a new job that introduced me to DeFazio's. I've long heard about this gem of place but never made the effort to go in person until I had a bite of the wood-fired stromboli and pizza from the Empire State Plaza Farmer's Market. The magic was in the crust, even from a mini portable oven. One crackly bite later, I knew J and I had to hit up the small Troy storefront.
Upon sitting down at a cozy corner, a loyal customer couldn't help but brag about the hand-grated jars of parmesan, scratch-made pasta, and even hand-ground meats for the meatballs. I had tried the meatballs in the stromboli and had no doubt that the food was made with care and passion. I had a massive pasta craving and ordered the linguini with red clam sauce. This bowl of wonderfulness was more than satisfying. Fresh pasta made all the difference. The texture of the linguini was perfectly al dente. The clams were thankfully not overcooked and brought the dish a delightful briny seafood flavor while the light, bright tomato sauce just brought everything together. It was hard to share even one bite. I'm still drooling over the dish, particularly the pasta. Lucky for me I can find fresh DeFazio's pasta to take home from the farmer's market. I made the best chicken alfredo thanks to some fresh fettuccine and usually this Asian can't cook Italian well.
As intriguing as the General Tso's pizza was (Mozzarella Cheese, Italian Herb Chicken, Fresh Broccoli, Topped with General Tso Sauce and Spices), J went with a Brown's beer crust pizza topped with prosciutto. Good pizza needs a good foundation and DeFazio's delivered. The magic really was in the dough. The crust was delightfully crisp and charred from the wood-fired oven yet still chewy, tender and very flavorful.The ratio of sauce to cheese was just right and how could you go wrong with crispy prosciutto. It was a good balance of toppings to crust and just plain tasty overall. Now we know why DeFazio's Pizza was AOA's Tournament of Pizza champion. Can't believe it took us this long to stop by!
We fell in love with The Hollow Bar + Kitchen during Restaurant Week. I was so impressed with our experience that I returned the very next day for lunch with my co-worker. I was curious to try their burgers and couldn't pass on the signature Hollow Burger. It was love at first bite and quickly became my new favorite hand-crafted burger in the Capital Region. Cooked to a perfect medium-rare, the grass-fed patty was well-seasoned and the burst of velvety yolk from the fried egg added such a luxurious touch. The signature burger also comes with a side of house-made tangy habanero ketchup. A schmear on the bun adds just the right amount of zip to the burger. It was also a great dipping sauce for the sweet potato fries that I opted for. I knew this was a burger that J needed to try too.
A week later we returned to The Hollow for date night. We came smack dab in the middle of front bar renovations but the staff was more than accommodating making sure that the noise wasn't too crazy loud. We honestly didn't mind at all, it felt like we were in the middle of an episode of Restaurant Impossible, one of our favorite Food Network shows. J went with an order of the aforementioned burger and raved as much about it as I did.
My goal was to try the handmade pasta and lucky for us the night's special was a pappardelle with asparagus. At first sight, the dish could feed an army but proportion was no obstacle. I was more than happy to have leftovers for lunch and dove right in. Kudos to chef for making hand-made pasta everyday. The difference between fresh pasta and the boxed kind is unbelievable. Fresh pasta has a lovely texture and toothy bite to it. Finally I understood what al dente is suppose to taste like. A light tomato basil sauce allowed the pasta to shine and for once I didn't miss a heavy, rich meaty sauce like bolognese. The addition of grilled asparagus elevated the pasta dish that much more with that familiar smokey, charred flavor. Ribbons of asiago completed the dish with nutty, salty bites of cheese.
As if our meal couldn't get any better, dessert was on the house for us for all the construction noise. We were hesitant to try the apple cider donut bread pudding again but boy was it a major redemption moment. This time, each spoonful had that creamy custard that we were looking for the first time. Plus we were treated to more of that raw honey we loved so much. Dessert more than exceeded our expectations. Not only is The Hollow Bar + Kitchen now our new favorite place to grab a burger, but our new favorite date night joint.
