Restaurants in Schenectady

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, on Fridays and Saturdays 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.

Since opening the first location in 2004, the crew behind Hot Harry’s has attracted a slew of press for their Mexican-fusion fare. Chefs marinate six varieties of meat in cilantro, lime, and fresh-squeezed oranges before stuffing them in warm flour tortillas or piñatas designed for a butcher's retirement party. In addition to the classic triad of guacamole, sour cream, and cheese, they can enhance burritos with drizzles of thai-peanut and buffalo sauce.

Yelpers give Ambition Coffee House and Eatery a near perfect 4.5-star average, and eight TripAdvisors give it 3.5 owl eyes:

Chez Daisie is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

New York style deli/restaurant featuring over stuffed sandwiches, homemade soups and salads. Great burgers and a nice selection of desserts, including homemade rice and bread puddings. Nightly dinner specials. Off premises catering for all occasions.

No matter how hard he tried, Kevin Brown couldn't shake the chef's hat. After years of working in restaurants and hotels throughout Connecticut and New York, he finally decided to leave the kitchen for good in exchange for a family-friendly job at GE. Once he retired, though, the siren song of the professional kitchen beckoned to him again, and he purchased a Cajun catering company. In no time, Kevin Brown was back in the kitchen at Café NOLA, which stands for New Orleans, Louisiana.

As both the chef and owner, Kevin devises a menu that spotlights the distinct blends of herbs and spices that characterize Cajun food. As a result, the kitchen churns out alligator bites, crawfish nachos, and crab cakes, as well as sandwiches with a Southern influence, such as the NOLA club and a grilled portobello sandwich. Honey-stung fried chicken served with cornbread makes stomachs grumble from across the room, and étouffée, a house specialty, sails out to guests accompanied by dirty rice. The beignets aren't the only sweet thing around the place—live entertainment occurs up to five evenings a week, running the gamut from tarot-card readings to zydeco music.