Friday night is not the best night to eat out. I knew this, and yet I wanted to treat myself and Steven to dinner after a week of hard work. Don’t worry, the story has a happy ending.
First we tried Sorrento’s in Ilion. We luckily found a parking space, but they had no table available in the dining room. They offered to seat us in the front, more casual room, but I said we’d just be sure to make a reservation next time. One car had to back out of the parking lot to let us out, while another waited to steal our spot. As we pulled away, a third guy was hopefully pulling in.
Next we drove by The Brass Tack in Frankfort. We had never been there, but have tried unsuccessfully to find a space in their parking lot. No luck tonight either.
We tried the Montana, also in Frankfort, which is only opened on weekends. Apparently it is not even open on weekends any more. A sign on the porch thanked their patrons and said the owners were looking forward to their next chapter.
Before we had turned down the street to the Montana I had seen a sign for The Bistro that said Open. That looked more hopeful. To me The Bistro sounded kind of college student-y. You know, casual and quirky. We walked in and the place was drop dead gorgeous. Gracious dining surroundings and then some. Unfortunately we also saw a sign that said, “The Bistro is not currently accepting credit cards.” The waiter told us they took checks, but of course we did not have our checkbook with us. I liked the look of the place so much we walked across the street to a convenience store that had an ATM. We even paid an ATM fee, a thing we try to avoid, but I was getting pretty hungry.
We sat at the bar and ordered appetizers, one of our favorite things to do. Behind the bar was Sandy, one of our favorite bartenders from the sadly closed Albany Street Cafe. I felt that we had found a new home. Sandy and Kevin Cesarini are the owners. Sandy told us they had been open since January, and that they had been planning the place even when they still worked at Albany Street.
The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was friendly. At one point a group of people came in, and Sandy and one of the waiters both said, “Hi, Aunt Eleanor!” I turned around and said, “Hi, Aunt Eleanor! You’re not my aunt; I just thought I’d jump on the bandwagon.” She was OK with that.
I highly recommend The Bistro. They specialize in Italian cuisine. We had Fried Calimari and Provolone Sticks, but I am definitely going to return to try their antipasto, among other things.
The Bistro is located at 100 W. Main St., Frankfort. They are open Monday through Thursday 11 am to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11 pm. Phone number 315-717-9536. You can also find them on Facebook.
Mohawk Valley Girl 