The Ruck — Restaurant in Troy

In town on business and did some Yelping to see what was good in the area. I checked out this place and their menu then made the decision. Here's how it went...

Atmosphere/Appearance: Right off of a city street is this gem. It's got a good mixture of a dive bar and a decent pub. They were in the middle or doing some renovations so I'm excited to see what the new interior looks like when they're all done! For now there's lots of darker woods all over along with a decent bar rail right near the front entrance. Along the back wall is a very long bench seat paired with tables that you can push together to form one long one. It's a college town so it was a bit loud inside, but you kind-of expect that from these types of bars.

Service: Katie took great care of us. She was so friendly, charismatic, funny and just overall brought an extra level of joy to our dining experience.

Food: I saw wings on the menu so l went for it. They had a list of flavors with some interesting names. I went with the "Brother Rob Hot" which is supposed to be some super hot sauce, but it wasn't. It had a good amount of eat and great flavor, but it's nothing to be afraid of. Another flavor I got was the Buffalo Garlic Parmesan. It was delicious and my preferred sauce over the others. Next up was Medium. Medium was medium. I also got the chance to try their Honey BBQ which was a great deep, tangy flavor with natural-tasting sweetness. Last, but not least was the "Sauce of the Day" a sweet, tangy, honey-based selection. It was okay, but quite different. The wings were also big, juicy and not fried so much to where they were burnt. Their house-made bleu cheese was fantastic and went perfectly with the spiciness of the wings.

Value: 20 big juicy wings with bleu cheese, celery and carrots will run you $28.00. Given the size of them and that I can get more than 1 FULL MEAL out of them makes them worth it for sure.

I'd totally come back here specifically for the wings. It's a nice chill place to hang out with your friends or coworkers to get a beer, some food and take a load off...

We made an online reservation for Fri. 7/17/20 6:15pm. We arrived at 6pm and were seated in a high top across from the bar. All NY State COVID19 protocols, masks, 6' separation, cleaning surfaces between customers, were followed to the letter. Our waitperson, Liz, took our drink order while we looked over the eclectic menu. We were not in a rush at all this evening. The Ruck is where you come to explore beers. Both local and national brands available on draught, bottles, cans, crowlers, & growlers. Omost n draught are 27 beers from lagers to IPAs to sours to stouts & two ciders. Beer you lists are updated weekly, watch for tap takeovers. I ordered a Love U Most IPA by Zeus Brewing from down the river in Poughkeepsie, NY ($7). A very hoppy & refreshing IPA. My dearest had her usual Pinot Grigio ($7). We split the "I want to Love You" fried green tomato appetizer ($9) -tasty, nicely cooked, w/ chipotle ranch dressing for dipping. She ordered a KLUCK- AMATA CAESAR Wrap $12 Lemon Herb Marinated Chicken, Kalamatas Shaved Parmesan. Romaine. Kalamata Caesar. She really enjoyed it and took half home. I had the tangy Capreseballs - House Ground & Seasoned Chicken Meatballs. IPA Pesto. Fresh Mozzarella. Tomato. Shaved Parmesan. Balsamic Glaze ($12). Perfectly seasoned and a filling serving. I would have liked them more if they were cooked a bit longer to get a crispier crust. I would order these again. Lotsa interesting choice for apps, nibbles, small plates. And you can build your burgers from plenty of options. I had one more pint during our meal. An old standby, Switchback Red Ale (10 oz $4) - always perfect. And poured perfectly & delivered by bartender Eli. Always a great place to meet friends in Troy. Plenty of room and also an outdoor area in the back. Total w/ tax & tip was $75. A great value for us. Thank you Liz & Eli and the rest of the staff @ The Ruck. C-ya...

We, a party of 5, arrived on a Saturday afternoon around 4:45. The back area tables were full, and the music was on. We decided to sit up front near the door where we would be able to converse and eat. Our server came right over and was very friendly and helpful. Knowing that they have quite a draft selection, we asked questions and were offered samples to make appropriate choices. We put in an order of the "wasted white man" tater tots while we waited. Our server came back with our samples and 4 or us ordered pints. As our tater tots were delivered, so were our pints. The tots were hot and delightful sinful. Covered with beer cheese, bacon and ranch dressing (not something you can order more than 1x/week) our pints were the perfect temp. We went and ordered 8 buffalo garlic parm, 8 garlic parm wings, an order of pierogies with homemade french onion dip, and a bacon gouda cheeseburger Everything came out timely and perfect temp. The burger was huge and very flavorful. Wings were big and satisfying-although the buffalo sauce was a tinge spicier than expected. The pierogies were a bit dry and hard, but the dip helped. By the time 6pm rolled around, more people were beginning to roll in, and the music was pumped up 5 notches, no joke, and we were thankful to be done. We got our bill and paid without problem. We loved seeing the Bills themed decor, as our friends were visiting from Rochester. We will be back but will prob arrive earlier in order to sample more beers and be able to converse...