MezzaNotte Ristorante

On the final night of restaurant week in the capital district I expected a busy scene as Permanent Partner and I walked into MessaNotte on Western Avenue. We were 15 minutes late for our reservation and would not have been surprised if our table had been given away. Instead, we were greeted with a welcoming smile and quickly passed through the waiting throng at the bar to our table.

It was the first pleasant surprise of the night but not the last.

Our server (Yanna?) and the others who briefly crossed our path were perfect in their mixture of attention, willingness to spend a minute to connect and efficient service. The restaurant is just the right size to make you feel you are out on the town without hearing every other voice in the place and not so big you feel part of a convention.

We really enjoy an open kitchen and this was well done. Executive Chef Mark Graham is in easy view as he and his staff worked with ease and grace over an open grill. Chef Graham was most recently at Chez Sophie in Saratoga (one of our favorites) and has brought his best from that experience to MezzaNotte.


As the last night of Restaurant week we opted for the choices in the price fixed option but were impressed with the extent of the menu. I've had the Chilean sea bass on my last visit to MezzaNotte but learned they change the prep style every few days to keep things fresh.

Permanent Partner ordered the squash/apple bisque while I opted for a salad with chunks of goat cheese and vinaigrette dressing that was fresh, balanced and tart. PP raved over the bisque and left me a sampling. It was a wonderful mixture of flavors with the apple neither overwhelming nor obscure. A perfect setup dish for a cool fall evening.

Breaking away from the price fixed fare we also ordered an appetizer version of one of the specials for the evening, a risotto with fennel and prosiutto that was a delightful blend of flavors and texture. Along with a bottle of Joseph Carr Cabernet from Napa Valley we were shocked with the excellence of the cooking and flavor mixtures. We were anxiously now anicipating our entrees.

Our main dish arrived with perfect pace and we dived in. PP had selected the pollo al chianti and I went with one of my favorites - rigatoni a la vodka. As much as I enjoy this dish, and it is relatively simple, my search in the capital district for a well prepared vodka sauce that is not too thick or thin and neither bland or strong has been frustrating. I fell in love with vodka sauce at a small restaurant in Brooklyn 15 years ago and I've never had that perfection repeated until last night. The pasta was fresh and well cooked and the sauce was EXCELLENT. I could not believe the number of flavors and subtlety of the combination. Every bite was taken lovingly and the bread supply was exhausted with sopping up the remaining sauce.

PP's pollo al chianti was divinely mixed with a perfect combination of autumn bounty. The onion and grape chianti sauce delicately topped chicken that was placed over a bed of baby spinach and the right amount of mashed potato. The combination of the vegetables was a nice complement to the moist, marinated chicken.

A small desert of pistacchio flavor gellato with a chocolate dipped short bread topped off the evening.

The price fixed menu was $20.09 each and the wine wa $41. Most entrees range between $20-$30. Our final bill was 98.00.

We may have found our new favorite restaurant in the area and will return again soon.

MezzaNotte, 2026 Western Avenue, Albany 518-689-4433