🍖 Meat & Company might have the best sandwiches in town

Happy Tuesday, Capital District! Today, we’re taking you to Niskayuna’s Meat & Company, which does smoked meats & NY-style BBQ to perfection. Plus, check out our Home of the Week 🏡 and all the notable music & events this Thanksgiving week.

Btw, we need to run a correction to our correction last week 🤦 We somehow mixed up DeFazio’s with Fazoli’s (a franchise chain which doesn’t hold a candle to our beloved Italian joint). Apologies to all you devoted DeFazio fans! 

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Meat & Company takes a chef-driven approach to sandos & smoked meats

Walk into Meat & Company in Niskayuna, and you’ll immediately sense something good is coming your way.

You might smell the scent of sweet, smoky meat lingering in the air. Or notice the 4,000 pound smoker in the open kitchen. Or plop down on the leather couch next to the cow’s hide rug, noticing the unusual, upscale touches for a fast-casual spot. Or you might watch an employee carve the meat for your order, right in front of you.

These signs all point to one thing: A focus on craftsmanship that goes right into the food—which, if you haven’t guessed by now, is off-the-charts delicious.

Owner Benjamin Albright spent years in the restaurant trenches. A classically trained chef, he was part of the original team at Colonie’s Cheesecake Factory, helped reopen Troy’s Dinosaur BBQ in 2012, and was the executive chef at Morton’s the Steakhouse in Saratoga.

Like a brisket that cooks low and slow, Benjamin mulled over the idea for his own restaurant for years before opening the place in Nisky with his wife, Emely. Although the concept is still evolving, what Meat & Co. does really well is New York-style barbecue, which begins with traditional BBQ techniques but takes an elevated, chefy approach to the final dish.

“We have nine different sandwiches and most of them have some smoke in them, but they're not barbecue forward,” Benjamin tells The 518. “We are really accentuating the product and the meat. We don’t see barbecue joints as our competitors in that way.”

Take the porchetta sando, which we had to try. It takes 5 hours to get the pork belly roast done to perfection. The exterior has a beautiful rich crackling texture. The interior is stuffed with garlic, rosemary and thyme, with notes of lemon. This carefully crafted meat is served on a buttered roll with Boursin cheese, chimichurri mayo and arugula gently tossed with lemon. Ugh, it’s sooooo good!

For vegetarians, Meat & Co. has an excellent Japanese eggplant sandwich. Just know that the restaurant serves only barbecue on Saturdays.

The deets: Meat & Company, 2321 Nott St E, Niskayuna. Hours: Mon-Sat, 11a-8p. Sandwiches: $13.95-$16.95. Saturday barbecue features pulled pork, brisket, ribs and more. Pro tip: Don’t sleep on the hickory-smoked grilled wings ($19.95 for 12) with flavor profiles like “K-Pop,” hot honey garlic and horseradish mustard BBQ. Meat & Co. also caters and even hosts private events on Sundays. This might be your new favorite sandwich shop!

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🚨 Albany’s Lark Street is having a moment—and not in a good way. In less than a week, the commercial district saw a spate of violence that left one man shot and a glass door shattered at Bitchin’ Donuts. The shooting at Cafe Hollywood has prompted the city to shut down the popular bar (for good, it seems). But not everyone thinks the bar is to blame; some say the city isn’t doing enough to beef up the police presence.

🦃 Up to 36% of participants in this year’s Troy Turkey Trot are new to the event, which could help the 77th annual race set a record. That number is approaching 6,500 runners 🏃‍♂️🏃 

🍺 Capital Region Restaurant Roundup: Table 41 Brewing Co. in Cohoes is closing after a decade in business. Simone’s Kitchen, the fast-casual Mediterranean eatery, opened its third location in Stuyvesant Plaza. Rotterdam has a new bakery—the Honey-Mills Bakery on Duanesburg Road. After 14 years, Garden Bistro 24 in Slingerlands is going out of business after Nov. 30.

Dunlap Farmhouse is an enchanting Georgian Colonial settled on 3.4 scenic acres with wide open views of the Mohawk Valley and Adirondack foothills. Built by Assemblyman William Dunlap in 1870, this lovingly maintained and charmingly decorated home includes wood-burning fireplaces, a 4-seasons sunporch, and plenty of room to roam.

Outside, the fun really begins: Splash around in the sparkling in-ground pool, unwind in the adorable cabana, or stroll the orchard for fresh-picked apples. Think solar-powered energy savings, endless starry nights, and views that will steal your breath away. Come home to the good life, conveniently located just 15 minutes from town and a breezy 35-minute drive to Albany.

The deets: 4 bd, 2 ba, 3200 sf. Asking: $495,000. Days on market: 18. See the full listing here.

🎟️ WHAT’S HAPPENING

Note: For Thanksgiving, we’re going heavy on the pie and light on the events. Check out our Top 5 Weekend Picks on Thursday and then get on with your holidays!

🦃 The Troy Turkey Trot is the Capital Region’s only Thanksgiving Day 10K race. Expect up to 7,000 runners converging downtown—many in costume! Btw, Saratoga and Bethlehem have their own turkey trots on Thanksgiving.

🛍️ This Saturday is Small Business Saturday, so get out and support your local businesses (not your big box stores). Merchants everywhere will be putting on special sales and events, like the Holiday Craft Marketplace in Saratoga and discounts in downtown Troy.

🎤 Didn’t make it out to the Eras Tour? On Sunday, The Egg is bringing Fearless: The Taylor Swift Experience to the stage—it’s touted as the most authentic recreation of a TS show you’ve ever seen.

🎅 Also on Sunday, get to Lark Hall for the cleverly named Hung with Care: A Queer Holiday Burlesque Extravaganza!

🍗 Don’t feel like cooking or making a mess for Thanksgiving? Dine-in or take out at these fine establishments.

🎄Looking for that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling—without getting out of the car? Get to Holiday Lighted Nights at the Washington Co. Fairgrounds or the Magic of Lights at the Altamont Fairgrounds.

🎸 LIVE MUSIC & MORE

🫵 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Hate us or love us, drop us a line at [email protected] and let us know what you’re having for Thanksgiving—or tell us about a cool event or business we absolutely need to cover 🧡 🦫 🎩