When umami meets amore: A sneak peek of Albany's Itameshi

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Happy Thursday, Capital Region! Apologies for the late send, it’s been an unusually busy day! 🙃 Back to regular programming next week…

Today, we’re giving you a sneak peek of Itameshi, a happy marriage of Japanese and Italian cooking that just opened on Broadway in downtown Albany. Plus, we’ve got your weekend plans all dialed in with our Top 5 Picks and more!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

When umami meets amore: The happy mashup that is Itameshi

Let’s start by saying this is NOT a restaurant review.

It wouldn’t be fair to the folks at Itameshi, which just hosted its (very) soft opening last night in Albany, to take measure of their work so soon.

But we do want to give you a sneak peek of this promising Japanese-Italian fusion concept, a joint project of two powerhouse restaurateurs—Dave Zheng of Tanpopo Ramen & Sake Bar and Mike Pietrocola of Pastina.

We say promising because a marriage of these two classic cuisines makes a lot of sense. Both share a love for umami-rich ingredients like parmesan cheese and miso, and a deep respect for noodles, seafood and beautiful meats like Wagyu beef.

We also say promising because it’s clear that Itameshi needs time to hit its stride and nail the execution on some dishes that don’t quite yet come together on the plate.

At Wednesday’s dinner service for a small handful of invited guests, the staff at Itameshi generously took us through a wide swath of the expected menu—with cocktails to boot.

Among the apps we sampled:

• Calamari with spicy miso crema and agrodolce

• Wagyu meatballs in a miso tomato sauce, topped with ricotta, parmesan and furikake

• Sunomono cucumber salad with tomato, yuzu, sesame, pistachio and fresh chili

• Shrimp on crispy rice with roast tomato in a Calabrian chili sauce

• Grilled octopus with edamame salad and eel sauce

And for the mains:

• Udon noodle bolognese with whipped miso ricotta and crispy prosciutto

• Ramen with shrimp scampi, seaweed salad and garlic bread crumbs

• Misoyaki-marinated free range roast chicken with olive mashed potato and cippolini onion gravy

The inaugural menu will also feature prime New York strip steak with wasabi mashed potatoes; miso salmon with forbidden rice; pork chop katsu in a tomato sauce; and Wagyu braised short ribs with udon noodle.

The grilled octopus was one highlight that showed us just how delicious a fusion of these cuisines can be. The charred, briny slices of octopus contrasted nicely with the nutty undertones of the edamame and the umami sweetness of the eel sauce. 

We also enjoyed the unctuous indulgence of the Wagyu meatballs, which were well complemented by the creamy ricotta (although someone at our table questioned whether a beautiful piece of Wagyu should be ground up at all.)

Another distinct highlight were the in-house craft cocktails. We loved the Spaghetti Western (Italian Amaro, chili liqueur and mezcal), and the Seikos Kiss (vodka, melon and coconut).

The ramen with shrimp scampi offered a good example of a dish that needed more, um, noodling. It seemed to be missing something to tie together the ramen with the seaweed; a sauce maybe. Also, the same-same texture of soft noodles and slippery seaweed wasn’t great.

The decor, mainly white walls with white marble floor and white tablecloths, calls out for a dramatic pop of color somewhere. The same could be said for the food—more pops of bold flavor, spice, and heat please.

We can’t wait to get back to Itameshi to try it again once the kitchen has found its footing.

The deets: Itameshi, 745 Broadway, Albany. (The website doesn’t show much at this point.) Opens this Friday at 4p. Regular hours are Tue-Sat, 4-6p for happy hour, then dinner service. Reservations highly recommended; book via Resy.

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🚧 The demolition of Albany’s Central Warehouse officially started this week. With Gov. Kathy Hochul looking on, the first bulldozer took a wack at the infamous eyesore. You can watch a short clip of it on our Instagram. The Albany Business Review has a timeline for the rest of the demo, which is expected to take until late 2026 or even early 2027.

📚️ The Troy Public Library is asking taxpayers for a 30% increase in tax levies to help maintain its building. The main library branch was only open for a total of six days in July due to a lack of staff and air conditioning. If the new budget isn’t approved, the library warned that it won’t be able to staff its Lansingburgh location. [WAMC]

⭐️ 🌲 The Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy puts on its first-ever Trail Tunes music festival at Bender Melon Farm Preserve in Slingerlands. Wander the trails and discover local musicians —including one of our faves, the Dylan Perrillo Trio—playing acoustic sets. Stroll, listen, repeat. Check the website for the full lineup. Sun, 1–4p, free.

⭐️ 💃 The Albany Latin Festival takes over Washington Park with plenty of food, rhythm and vibrant traditions for this all-day celebration of Latin culture. Come for the music, stay for the mission: “Appreciation through Inclusion.” Sat, 11a-6p, free.

⭐️ 🚵 The Fourth Annual Mountain Bike Fest is a wild weekend of two-wheeled fun in the southern Adirondacks. With races, demos, clinics and food trucks, bikers of all levels will find something to love at this gathering in Caroga, NY. Sat, 8:30a–10p; Sun, 8:30a–2p, free.

⭐️ 🍽️ Schenectady Restaurant Week is your chance to dig into delicious multi-course meals for one set price ($20, $30 or $40) at some of the best foodie spots in downtown Schenectady. Through Sunday. Find participating restaurants here.

⭐️ 🎸 In Troy, the Powers Park Concert Series is putting on its season finale with a special all-day event, which kicks off with the Adirondack Muscle Car Show! Sat, 1–8:30p, free.

🎟️ MORE NOTABLE EVENTS

TODAY

🍺 The Arts Center of the Capital Region and Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce invite you to their End of Summer Sip, featuring craft food and beverage tastings, live music and plenty of networking.

🚴‍♂️ Beers, Bikes & Barges is your chance to tour downtown Troy by bike with the Erie Canal Museum and Hart Cluett Museum, tonight!

🌲 The Albany Pine Bush Preserve hosts “Nature Night Out,” featuring extended hours, food trucks, live music and storytelling.

🎸 Tame the Rooster plays the last show of Watervliet’s Summer Concert Series.

FRIDAY

📚️ The Hive invites you to its Grown-Up Book Sale at Wolf Hollow Brewing Co.

🦉 The Utica ZooMobile returns to the Arkell Museum and Canajoharie Library for a free event.

🎸 Dive Presents Pile with NNAMDÏ & Prize at Hangar on the Hudson.

SATURDAY

🖼️ Get to Mabee Farm for its Arts & Crafts Festival, and browse from among 75+ vendors.

🐕️ Think your pup is runway ready? Bring them to the Dapper Dog: Pet Fashion & Talent Event at the Clinton Market Collective.

🎨 MoJo’s Cafe and Gallery hosts a reception for artist Rachael Duchnycz and music by Gray Monitor.

⛱️ The 518 Fatties Social Club invites you to their beach meetup at Grafton Lake State Park.

🌼 Have you reserved your own custom bouquet picked fresh from the Ten Broeck Mansion Gardens? Pickups are on Saturdays at the mansion. Details here.

🧘 To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Lululemon at Crossgates Mall is throwing a party with free yoga and giveaways.

SUNDAY

🐶 Bring your well-behaved pup to Dog’s Day Out, a benefit for the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, at Indian Ladder Farms. DeFazio’s will have dog bone-shaped pizzas!

💰️ Danny Killion, owner of Troy’s Weathered Wood, will be at 518 Craft to talk about his memoir, Portrait of a Bank Robber. Details here.

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