Milestone Restaurant & Bar

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  It took a little while but Milestone you have lost a star in my book. It started with a return visit a few months back with the crab cake which I had so highly praised initially. It is now mostly fillers, a sad comedown from what it was. It continued with a serving of salmon that disappointed because it was a flat tail portion rather than the thicker filet that it should have been. And it ended with my most recent visit. The salmon was a filet all right but I felt it was a small portion. I would have guessed about 6 ounces. The dish was tasty overall but now the value of it enters in. The price has gone up quite a bit from when they opened which is only 6 months or so ago. At this price point, I expect more. So Milestone, you lose a star account value and for the crab cake which is the low quality variety you can find in your average restaurant across the Capital District.

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  Posted on 06.02.12 Steven K.

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  Food 4 stars plus; environment and service 2-3 stars.
  
  Driven - as many others I suspect - by recent TU review, we visited on a Tuesday evening.  The menu doesn't *look* especially inspired, the wait staff are lacking in friendliness and service level, and the room is marginal.
  
  But the food turned out to be really GOOD.  Carefully and well-cooked without exception, subtly and imaginatively seasoned, well-constructed combinations.  Very impressed, which is hard to do.
  
  Needs significant work on service staff, but the potential here is very high; we'll definitely go back.

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  Posted on 05.26.12 ewan M.

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  I was looking forward to visiting Milestone knowing that Chef Michael of the former Indulge in Latham had recently openend this establishment.  The interior decor appeared much as it has in past incarnations, but the menu is excellent and features a number of the items that were specialties at Indulge.  The pork Osso Bucco was outstanding; others in the party (three total) also found their entrees - chicken and salmon--very well prepared.  Service was uneven, however.  Salads were delivered by someone who hadn't taken the original order and were incorrect.  After another try, two of three were what was ordered; the third we accepted rather than try again!  The lag time between completion of salads and serving of entrees was unusually long...I suspect more a problem in the kitchen rather than with the servers themselves.  This is a restaurant that has real promise and, as suggested in a recent Times Union newspaper review, with some expert guidance and fine-tuning, could easily be a 4-5 star establshment!  I'll definitely go back, as there are other dishes I want to sample, but I hope Michael starts to pay a bit more attention to the fine points that contribute to an exceptional restaurant experience.  The basics of an outstanding menu are there...but the "devil is always in the details!"

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  Posted on 05.02.12 Jeff B.

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  Long time yelp user, but my experience here actually prompted me to sign up so I could give them a review.
  
  I Stopped here on my way to Syracuse from boston for lunch. The place looked like any other hole in the wall from the outside but inside was quite nice.
  
  I had the roast beef sandwich on some kind of fancy bread and it was soooo good. If you like a good Arby's roast beef once in a while, this thing blew the doors off that!  
  
  Also a good sautéed spinach with garlic side.
  
  It was lunch and I was driving so no booze, but the bar was nice and they had some nice martinis on the menu.
  
  I will be coming here each time I pass through town!

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  Posted on 04.09.12 Brian T.

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  I never made it to the highly acclaimed Indulge in Latham before it closed, but that's not to say I didn't try.  The one weeknight we pulled into its parking lot expecting it to be a slow night, we couldn't find a parking space and decided we should go elsewhere.  Shortly after that Indulge closed without warning.
  
  Hearing that the same young chef had now opened Milestone in the former Stone Ends building, We decided that we wouldn't chance another miss by waiting seven months to sample the menu.  So ten days after it's opening, believing that driving by the restaurant on a trip to our car dealer was an omen, my wife and I traversed the strange Southern approach from route 9W to Frontage Road into a reasonably full parking lot.  It's a very simple approach ramp if you are coming from the North on 9W.
  
  To my recollection, I'd been in this building twice before over the last 30 years, but nothing seemed familiar.  There were a number of people drinking in the bar area which was a few steps below the entrance walkway.  A hostess station was positioned at the end of the walkway where we were promptly greeted and taken to the main dinning room where the two walls without windows were constructed from stacked flagstone.  There is a cathedral ceiling with exposed beams and maybe 20 tables.  Three or four tables were occupied at 7:30.
  
  My wife started with a glass of Estancia Pinot Noir ($10) and I ordered a Guinness ($5.50) while we waited for the Flash Fried Calamari ($9) - served w/ smoked chili remoulade and homemade marinara.  The "flash" could have been just a bit faster as the calamari was the slightest amount overcooked.  Initially, we also thought it was a little greasy, but once we started dipping into the smoked chili remoulade we only spoke of how delicious the remoulade was.
  
  I had also ordered a cup of the Chef's Seasonal Soup ($6) - potato leek flavored with bacon.  This was a very flavorful and rich soup that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Its only drawback was how the leek was cut during preparation.  The cooked down pieces of leek were too long and narrow causing them to hang from the spoon dripping with cream making it difficult to neatly take a mouthful.  (I won't mention what the hanging leek reminded me of.)
  
  My wife was excited to see the menu offer Veal Meatloaf ($16) - over a cremini mushroom demi-glace, served with mixed potato pave and sautéed spinach.  She was not disappointed.  While my taste of it seemed to indicate that it was lacking in flavor, my wife believes that such comfort food does not need to be overly spiced and this was just fine.  It was also a very large serving.  Each order appears to be its own mini-loaf and not slices from a larger preparation.  At least half of the mini-loaf came home with us.  The pave and spinach were just ok.
  
  As soon as I started to look at the menu my eyes were attracted to the Pork osso bucco ($23) - served over a bed of wild mushroom risotto, natural reduction and finished with white truffle oil and crispy arugula.  This dish was excellent.  The shank stood tall in the middle of the bowl surrounded by the risotto that had been topped with flash fried arugula.  The pork pulled away easily from the bone with a fork and was still pink and tender on the inside while slightly crisp and browned on the outside.  The risotto was creamy while the mushrooms not only gave a wonderful flavor to the risotto, but also provided a contrasting chewiness.  The crispy arugula added still another fun texture.  Can you tell I enjoyed this?  Again, this was a sizeable portion so half came home. (It was just as good the next day, if not possibly more flavorful.)
  
  Our server, Jordyn, was knowledgeable, attentive and very pleasant.  Seeing that this restaurant was only in its first ten days of business, they still have a few things to work on.  An error was noticed on the bill but promptly corrected with the explanation that the computer was not properly programmed for both cup and bowl soup sizes.  The salt/pepper shakers did not look clean on the outside and the votive candle holder, which was not lit on our table, looked dirty.  There also seemed to be a musty aroma when we first were seated.  If this is the level of cooking that was served at their previous location I would have been disappointed with the inconsistency and curious why they received such high praise.  I hope they settle into this new space and fine tune their operation.

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  Posted on 11.04.11 Roger K.

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