Gallery

March 28-31, 2022
“La Festa di Cacciatore”
Dinners at Café Capriccio
Article and Photos by William M. Harris, Bailli

Imagine having a terrific dining venue but with only 12 seats, while 48 members are rabidly clamoring for an invitation. What a dilemma! The solution: A dinner on four consecutive evenings limited to a dozen attendees each night.

Maître Rotisseur Jim Rua is the chef and proprietor of Café Capriccio, a legendary Italian restaurant in downtown Albany. On March 28, 2022, and on ...

February 21, 2022
Chianti il Ristorante, Saratoga Springs, NY
Article and Photos by William M. Harris, Bailli

On February 21, 2022, 42 members and guests of the Albany Bailliage convened at Chianti il Ristorante in the heart of vibrant Saratoga Springs, NY. The occasion was a black-tie dinner orchestrated by Executive Chef Fabrizio Bazzani. Born in Isola della Scala, Italy, Fabrizio developed a passion for food at an early age and was treated to delectable homemade meals every day during his ...

Induction Dinner at Loft 433, Troy, NY
September 19, 2021
Article by Desiree Farley, Vice Chargée de Presse
Photos by William M. Harris, Bailli

On September 19th, 41 Confrères of the Albany Bailliage gathered at Loft 433 at the top of the renovated Hedley building on River Street in Troy overlooking the scenic Hudson River for the annual induction ceremony. The building was originally built in 1917 as a shirt factory and maintains much of its industrial vibe with original masonry walls ...

Un Banchetto Italiano
February 10, 2019
Article by William M. Harris, bailli

Caffé Italia Ristorante was founded in 1980 by Joseph and Joanne Romeo and is now owned and operated by their four children: Suzanne Romeo, Paul Romeo, who is the Executive Chef, Maria Karandy, who handles the business end, and Michael Romeo, who runs the front of the house. This is a close knit Italian family that has maintained the traditions handed down to them by their parents, ...

The Blue Hen Restaurant
November 4, 2018
Article by William M. Harris, bailli and Christina Richards, vice chargée de media sociaux

What does 28 million get you these days? In 1877 well-heeled vacationers sought luxury in Saratoga Springs and were eventually rewarded with the completion of the Adelphi Hotel, a venue that served as a Mecca for the mucky-mucks of society. Years passed and by the 1990s, this once celebrated Grand Dame had grown tired and shabby, maintaining only a scintilla ...

A New York State of Mind
Article by Christina L. Richards, vice chargée de medias sociaux
and William M. Harris, bailli

On Sunday June 24, 2018, 41 Chaîne members and guests attended a New York State themed dinner at Chez Mike in East Greenbush, NY. The restaurant is situated in a strip mall nestled between a Sherwin Williams Paint store on one side and a dental clinic on the other, hardly the site for fine dining one might think, but after ...

Irouléguy for Dummies
Article and Photos by William M. Harris, bailli

Under the skillful guidance of Vice Echanson Michael Thomson, our Mondiale events have become an educational opportunity as we are introduced to wines heretofore unknown to most of us. On June 19, 2018, Dr. Thomson continued this exploration at the Cuckoo’s Nest Restaurant in Albany for 22 adventurous Mondiale members and guests. How this all came about is best expressed in our Vice Echanson’s brilliant invitation letter, a portion of ...

[forged, farmed, fished]
Article by William M. Harris, bailli

It is always a pleasant surprise when we encounter gourmet fare in unlikely places. This was indeed the case when 37 Chaine members and guests enjoyed our April 22nd dinner at [forged] Restaurant in a markedly unique venue, namely Hudson Falls, a sleepy village of some 7,000 souls located about 50 miles north of Albany. Vice Chargée de Médias Sociaux Christina L. Richards and Maître Rôtisseur Andrew J. Richards opened [forged] in the ...

A club where there is no “white wine”
Article by Christina Richards, vice chargée de medias sociaux

On Sunday, February 18, 2018, 29 Albany Chaîne des Rôtisseurs members and 16 guests were welcomed to a handsome brick building on Washington Avenue in Albany, home to the historic Fort Orange Club. In July of 1880, the Albany Evening Times opined “there was not a clubhouse in the country more pleasantly located, appropriately and richly furnished”. A club of “elevated character, worthy of ...

Feast of the Seven Fishes at Café Capriccio

Article and Photos by William Harris, bailli

A late cancellation by an Albany restaurant (whose identity will not be disclosed) forced us to scramble for another venue in a hurry or risk losing our December 3rd date. Maître Rôtisseur Jim Rua rose to the challenge and orchestrated his version of “Festa Dei Sette Pesci” or, for those not fluent in Italian, the Feast of the Seven Fishes. This is a traditional meal celebrated by ...