Taste The 518: Manila Grille brings the Filipino flavor bombs

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Happy Labor Day, Capital Region! Today, you’ll notice that we’ve made a few changes to the newsletter.

First, the Live Music & More listings are now hosted on our website. This allows us to fit more content into each newsletter and also gives us the ability to continually update the listings throughout the week. Yay!

Second, we now have room to add a second story to “Talk of the Town.” Today, we’re featuring a piece from our friend, Taliesin Thomas, who writes about art for Hyperallergic and Chronogram, among others. We really want to see more art projects in the Capital Region. That starts with giving local curators, artists, and art critics more visibility for their work.

We hope you enjoy our labor of love on this Labor Day!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Manila Grille: Worth the drive for big Filipino flavor 🇵🇭 🍗 

This story comes from our intrepid correspondent Natalie Moore, editor of Saratoga Living and Saratoga Living After Hours, where this story was originally published.

Manila Grille has been serving up authentic Filipino fare on the weekends in Gansevoort for nearly a year now, but word only recently has gotten out about this food truck find.

My boyfriend, Pete, and I decided to make the drive up to Manila Grille’s location at The Day Dream Farmer to check it out.

Open on weekends through the fall, Manila Grille is a family business run by native Filipinos Romeo and Teresita Soriano, and their American-born children. When their son, Troy, was little, Romeo ran a restaurant in Albany called Romeo’s Tavern.

After the restaurant closed, Romeo found other work, but never lost his passion for cooking. When the idea for a food truck came about, he decided to give it a shot. 

At first, the family catered events and served food at festivals like the World’s Largest Garage Sale in Warrensburg and The Shirt Factory’s Thursday Market & Food Truck Corral in Glens Falls. 

Then, they got a good deal on a space at The Day Dream Farmer, a farm cooperative and garden center located just off Exit 16 of the Northway, and decided to set up a more permanent shop.

Now, Manila Grille is open at Day Dream Farmer on weekends (but you can still find them at The Shirt Factory on Thursday evenings.)

When we arrived, we noticed a couple of tables and chairs next to the food truck. These were occupied by some regulars who were more than happy to offer us food recommendations.

Troy defines Filipino food as hearty, rich, and consisting of a lot of meat. The cuisine draws influence from Spanish, Chinese, American, and Southeast Asian flavors, and is known for combining savory, tangy, and sweet flavors all in the same dish.

On the Manila Grille menu itself: a variety of pork and chicken dishes, Filipino spring rolls called lumpia, and pansit—a noodle dish with vegetables and chicken. 

“Whenever anyone comes up, I’m conditioned to recommend our No. 3, which is a sampling platter of four different items,” Troy tells me. “If you’re unsure about this, unsure about that, try them all and see what you like from it.”

Pete got the chicken adobo and the pansit. When I explained that I don’t eat meat, Romeo assured me that the pansit is made with chicken breast, so it should be fine. (I didn’t eat the chicken, but I did eat the noodles around it.) Before we left, Romeo snuck a few lumpia into our to-go container.

The deets: Manila Grille, 892 US-9 Gansevoort, NY 12831. No regular hours posted, but you can call ahead to make sure they’re open. Call (518) 879-7608 or (518) 879-7622. You can also catch them at The Shirt Factory’s Thursday Food Truck Corral, 71 Lawrence St, Glens Falls.

‘Powers House Revel’ captures our end-of-summer imagination 

This story comes from Taliesin Thomas, a Capital Region writer for Hyperallergic, Chronogram and Brooklyn Rail.

Closing out the summer art season with flair, “Powers House Revel” presented an art-and-performance pop-up in Troy’s Lansingburgh neighborhood on Aug. 30. Featuring 15 artists (including artist-duo collaborations), the vibrant artworks and live performances took place outdoors on a grassy, two-acre yard of a private residence. 

The scene was sheer “arty-end-of-summer-fun” and community spirit with children frolicking about, a round of DJs keeping the beat, and a banquet-style table with dinner for all guests. Organized by Daniela Kostova (project director), Adam Frelin (Capital Region curator), Eun Yong Choi (curator), and Meglena Zapreva (project manager), the event was a “do-it-yourself” presentation with a professional edge. 

Several site-specific installations charmed the crowd, including Michael Oatman’s “Anniversary” sculpture consisting of a silver aluminum canoe covered in novelty baking pans and cookie cutters and suspended by ropes above the water’s edge of the Hudson River (a wonderfully Dada-esque absurdity to behold) as well as Adam Tinkle’s “Lightweight Lightbox” with two video projections inside a vintage camper. 

The highlight of the show (quite literally) was “Rising Action” by Adam Frelin, featuring two monumental 30-foot inflatables (one a vision of red fire, the other blue ice) with LED lighting that became even more magnificent as the evening took hold and other light-infused sculptures illuminated the yard, including Jeremiah Teipen’s “Ice Cubes Melting in a Plastic Cup,” a tent-like structure with a wild glowing video projection inside that inspired freestyle dancing. 

In addition to these and other fun works, there were several live performances, on-site creative experiences,and experimental sound improvisations by regional artists, including local art-illuminati Angus McCollough, Kim Tateo, and Pam Poquette, among others. 

The “Powers House Revel” event was the lively, cheery-on-top end to an abundant summer of art in upstate New York. There’s talk of making this into an annual event—we can’t wait for next year’s installation.

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🤠 Music fans at the Schaghticoke Fair got more of a rowdy rodeo than a concert on Friday. In case you missed it, country singer Bryan Martin was forcibly removed from the stage during his live performance after showing signs of intoxication. He later admitted he was struggling with his mental health, saying ”I’m not OK.” Watch this video of Martin literally being carried away by sheriff’s deputies at the fair. [People]

🔌 If you think your National Grid bill is high now, just wait. A recently approved rate hike is raising the average monthly household bill by $22, starting this month. The people are not happy. [Times Union]

🚓 Here’s a timely reminder for Labor Day: Tickets for drivers who don’t follow New York state’s Move Over law are up 40% since 2023. The fine for a first offense is as much as $150—and $300 for a second offense 😬 [Spectrum News]

👨‍🎓 Colleges everywhere are struggling with declining enrollment, most vividly illustrated by the closure of College of St. Rose. But one local college is bucking that trend. Russell Sage reports that it has seen an astounding 35% increase in enrollment. The current student population of 2,831 is its highest in a decade, partly due to transfers from St. Rose. [Albany Business Review]

This 1850 home in charming Charlton brings together historic character and practical updates with a farmhouse touch that’s giving authenticity and luxury. Indulge in wide expanses of hardwood floors and well-designed nooks. Other highlights include the sun-drenched kitchen with quality countertops and appliances, and newly renovated baths with tasteful contemporary fixtures.

The generous scenic lot leads to open fields in the back, but is located mere minutes from all the excellent shopping, dining and recreation found in Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and Ballston Spa. The home’s solid construction, tasteful updates, and cozy layout is sure to age beautifully.

The deets: 3 bd, 2 ba, 1686 sf. Asking: $375,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

Our full weekend roundup publishes every Thursday. Be sure to check your inboxes!

🖼️ Currently on view: Noel W Anderson: Black Excellence and Romare Bearden & Ralph Ellison: From the Archive | UAlbany Art Museum

🥳 First Friday Albany returns this weekend! Check out the full schedule of events. We’re looking forward to this printmaking collab with the Albany Institute of History & Art and Circus, the community print shop in Arbor Hill.

👩‍🌾 Formerly known as the Washington County Cheese Tour, the all-new County Bounty Tour has expanded its offerings beyond cheese to reflect the new stops, products, and farms added for 2025! This weekend only!

🎸 If you’ve never been to Lost & Found Bar and Kitchen in Albany’s Warehouse District, tonight’s Labor Day Show is a great reason to drop in.

💼 If you’re interested in working in local, state or federal government, get to the City of Albany’s free civil service workshop on Tuesday.

🎬️ Catch “Some Like It Hot” at the Capitol Park After Dark Movie Series on Wednesday evening.

🏳️‍🌈 On Thursday, Sapphic and Proud presents Karaoke in the Park, an evening of music, fun and community in Washington Park.

🧸 On Friday, check out Ritz Carlton's Game Show & Garage Sale at Hangar on the Hudson.

🎷Groove to jazz greats and emerging talents at the Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival on Saturday.

🎸 Get to Irwin Farm this weekend for Eastbound Throwdown 2025!

🐴 On Friday and Saturday, Burnt Hills United Methodist Church hosts its 75th annual Lord’s Acre Fair, with free pony rides, reptile shows, and other free family-friendly activities.

🖼️ The Stockade Villagers' 74th annual Outdoor Art Show is this Saturday in Schenectady.

🇮🇹 Also Saturday, it’s the 20th year for Schenectady’s Little Italy StreetFest.

🏃‍♂️The Malta 5k kicks off the Capital Region's fall racing season on Saturday.

🐾 Ever wanted to learn how to track animals in the woods? Join Mohawk Hudson Land Conservatory for this free wildlife tracking session at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary on Saturday.

🍺 Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. hosts its all-day Oktoberfest on Saturday. Camp chairs are recommended!

🎙️ Get a behind-the-scenes look at how radio stories are produced at the Hudson Mohawk Magazine Community Radio Day.

🌕️ The so-called Blood Moon lunar eclipse is occuring on Sunday night. Supposedly you will be able to see a total lunar eclipse cloaked in deep crimson.

COMING UP

🌽 Create Community Studios invites you to their first cornhole fundraising event at Artisanal Brew Works. Teams must register by Sept. 12.

🥧 June Farms is putting on their first-ever Pie Picnic on Sept. 13. This event is expected to sell out!

🎸 The first annual Women Are Making Music (WAMM) Fest on Sept. 14 celebrates women artists from the Capital Region music scene with an all-day concert at The Hangar on Hudson.

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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