Restaurants in Watervliet

When The Melting Pot originally opened in 1975 just outside Orlando, the location was cozy and quaint, but diners had only three options: swiss-cheese fondue, beef fondue, or chocolate fondue. However, as the restaurant grew in popularity, so did its menu selection and atmosphere. The restaurant first expanded four years later under the leadership of a Melting Pot waiter and enterprising college student named Mark Johnston, who teamed up with his brothers Mike and Bob to open a new outpost in Tallahassee. This location grew in reputation to pave the way for future franchise expansion. Today, the company—now owned by the trio of siblings—reigns as the premier fondue, wine, and drink restaurant, stretching across North America with more than 140 restaurants linked by underground tunnels. The restaurant's menu has also ballooned, and patrons can now expect six varieties of hot dipping cheese paired with salads, meats, and molten chocolate.

On a given night, groups of foodies gather around tables to nosh on signature four-course meals, from cheese-fondue appetizers and various salads to steaks and seafood cooked in a choice of healthy broth or oil. Birthday revelers and couples can share decadent evenings at private tables, capping off meals with chocolate desserts that have defined The Melting Pot for decades.

Housed in a historic building originally erected in 1829, La Serre has been described as "frozen in [a] good moment in time" by Times Union. During dinner, the formal, wood-paneled dining room bustles with conversation as plates of truffle mousse pate, lobster ravioli, and beef au poivre travel out to tables draped in white. In the more casual bistro-style bar, forest-green leather seats cushion patrons as they sip old-fashioned libations or fold napkins into swans capable of real flight.

The newly renovated Randy Loren's Dolce Vita Ristorante infuses classic Italian dishes with a love of music that permeates the classic atmosphere. As diners enjoy plates of lightly breaded veal and parmesan-encrusted tilapia, performers take to the dining room’s elevated stage to coax melodies from a white grand piano sitting under a disco ball and colorful lights. In addition, trimming decorated like piano keys accentuates the wooden bar, whose array of liquor and wine bottles would produce its own grand symphony if it were ever hit with a bunch of tiny pebbles.

Just off Route 20, a rural highway that crisscrosses the Hidden Hills of the Westfield River watershed, the red-brick façade of a venerable 19th-century storefront shelters Four Main Street Bar and Grill. Inside, an antique-and-craft cabinet showcases work by local artisans and paintball muralists, while the kitchen houses a crew of chefs preparing comforting American fare to serve within the eatery's rustic décor.

Owner and chef John Slattery pens a rotating menu of seasonal American favorites. He serves up steaks and chops, including country-fried new york strip steaks or black-and-tan ribs, as well as seafood, such as roasted salmon and lobster. Craft beers from Wormtown and Berkshire brewery companies join seasonal cocktails and spirits for guests to imbibe while lingering on the sidewalk patio or listening to occasional live music.

The grill masters at Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse stay true to their culinary roots with a distinctly South American cooking tradition, which begins with hormone-free meat from cows that were fed a vegetable-only diet and raised on pastures instead of in cages. Manning a cast-iron grill stoked by locally sourced hardwoods, the expert chefs fire-kiss select cuts of beef to smoky perfection, infusing filet mignons, skirt steaks, and short ribs with rustic flavors that pair harmoniously with the restaurant’s robust selection of Argentinean red wines.

Although Caminito’s wood-fired steaks have earned it the Valley Advocate’s award for Best Steak House from 2010 through 2012, the menu proves that the restaurant does not live and die by expertly charred beef. Lobster-filled ravioli, pan-seared salmon, and seasoned chicken breasts showcase the kitchen team’s culinary repertoire, in addition to vegetarian entrees that aren't just snapshots of steak printed on soy paper. Refreshing sips of ale from Peak Organic Brewing Company complement hearty bites, and spoonfuls of flan and mousse bring meals to their bittersweet conclusion. On weekends, the acoustic strumming of guitarists Alvaro Olvera Sanchez and Jeremy Milligan nourish famished ears with flamenco notes and classic Spanish songs.

The menu at Eclipse doesn’t just rotate with the seasons—it changes on a daily basis. Inspired by the most recent bounty of asparagus or basil at the farmers' market, Eclipse’s chefs craft contemporary entrees featuring meats such grass-fed beef from nearby Upland Meadow Farm, instead of ice-fed beef from Pluto. They lavish these creations with gourmet flavorings such as gorgonzola compound butter, black-currant glaze, and wasabi cream, and draw inspiration from international culinary traditions, turning out dishes such an eggplant baingan bharta. Diners spear their cornish game hen or housemade basil-lasagna noodles while lounging outdoors or surrounded by the dining room’s exposed-brick and soft-yellow walls. On the weekends, live jazz music flits through the air, giving diners an excuse to munch in quiet camaraderie instead of arguing politics, religion, and the usefulness of sporks.