It's the Tromping Around Report! This is where you get to find out about new stuff happening in Albany that you might not have heard about yet. In this edition: lots of food and almost as many axes.
Even More Italian on Lark
Perhaps buoyed by how well 288 Wine and Tap seems to be doing -- it just got a glowing review in the TU -- the same folks are opening up another place next door. According to an employee, the new restaurant will serve "high-end pizza" and "casual fare," and will take up two full floors of the building.
Food Hall Throwdown
As vendors start to fill up downtown's 50 South Eatery, not one, but two other food halls are also going to be opening (within a few minutes' walk of each other) downtown over the next few months.
One of them will be a Redburn project: a food hall in a formerly vacant building at at 55 Columbia Street (between Broadway and Pearl.) This one hasn't been officially announced yet, but Redburn has been teasing something going into the building, and there's currently work going on inside. You can see the building permit for the food hall above.
The other will be only a few feet away from the Redburn project: the owners of 39 North Pearl are opening a 5-vendor food court in their building. The specifics of what the vendors will be has yet to be announced. It also remains to be seen how all of these competing food halls will far when forced to go head-to-head. May the best food court win!
Battling Axes
In related "very-similar-projects-opening-up-within-feet-of-each-other" news, a tale of two axe-throwing venues. One, opening up in Redburn's "The Knick" building on Sheridan Ave, will be called "The Yard Hatchet House and Bar," and feature indoor green space, axe throwing, and lawn games like Cornhole. Its competitor will be the Albany branch of Far Shot Recreation, which offers a more sober and martial form of entertainment: instead of beer and cornhole, try knife-throwing lessons and archery competitions. The Far Shot outpost's location hasn't been officially announced yet, but U/NerdJudge on Reddit, Axe Enthusiast, is saying that it'll be 69 Pearl -- right around the corner from The Yard. Evidence of people in the building recently seems to bear that out.
Finally, if you're worried that your body isn't quite battle-ready or are just of a more peaceful disposition, a new gym has just opened up on Steuben Street where the most violent offering is a kickboxing class.
Steuben Street Snacks and Sips
Pearl Street's somewhat misleadingly-named Steuben Street Market (there's no access from the Steuben side of the building, and it's more of a deli than a market) is moving one door down to a bigger space that will include a spacious indoor "courtyard" with high ceilings and skylights. Possibly more excitingly, that courtyard will be shared with a new wine bar/restaurant from owner Chris Pratt, who also owns the Pearl Street Pub across the street.