Enzo's of Arthur Avenue

Enzo's was highly recommended by our friends. We came here after a Yankee baseball game on our bus trip from the Italian American Community Center of Albany, NY- May 23/2024. Everyone was free to choose their own shopping & dining options during this 2-1/2 hour stop. Having passed on the $14 beers & $10 hotdogs at the stadium, we were really ready for some refreshing adult beverages & a great dining experience. We sat at the bar at 4:40pm. We were greeted by the busy bartender Melady P. She brought us waters, a glass of Italian Pinot Grigio ($12) & a tall tequila, club, & lime ($14). We asked if they served dinner at the bar, she replied "Yes we do." & brought us menus. So many choices: 10 antipastos, 6 insalates, 10 pizzas, 13 pastas, 9 carne, 6 pollo, 6 pesce, & 4 contorni. note: lunch offers paninis & *12 lunch choices but only M-F 11:30am- 3pm. We started with another drink and the mozzarella caprese w/ tomato slices, roasted red peppers, & spicy Calabrese olives ($19 enough for 2-4 people). My bride's dinner was the focaccia special - perfect chewy bread w/ arugula, speck, creamy goat cheese, w/ balsamic glaze drizzle ($23 - shareable, she took home half). At the bar you can watch them make the focaccias & pizzas. My dinner was chicken rustico-sauteed boneless chicken, sausage, hot cherry peppers, artichoke hearts, & a 1/2 order of orecchiette pasta in a balsamic vinegar sauce ($26 & $5) - Wow! A spicy home run. A very generous portion but took half home because I mopped up the sauce with some great Italian bread. They also offer an extensive dessert, cordial, & coffee menu. So two more drinks & we split a cannoli ($7). Perfecto! We go out like this only on a few special occasions per year. But Enzo's is a high value restaurant, well worth the price for quality of the food, service, & atmosphere. Again thank you to Melady P, the focaccia maker, & the rest of the staff at Enzo's. A few other observations: plenty of attentive staff, plenty of seating, & plenty of food choices. Reminder: Enzo's is large but gets busy, so reservations are required. Hours: *Lunch M-F 11:30am-3pm ONLY. Dinner M-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun 12-9pm. A great first time dining experience at Enzo's. Ciao & Grazis. Nicola & Liz, Albany, NY USA