Power's Inn & Pub

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  My wife and I went to hear our favorite folk singer play.  The small bar area translates to bad acoustics, and very few people can see the entertainer. But we could live with that.  What we couldn't live with was getting overcharged for our drinks. The woman bartender, for two rounds, poured the wrong beer for my wife (which we had to correct), and overcharged me $8 for my IPA. We didn't know this until the male bartender handled our third round and gave us a receipt with the correct price on it ($7).  It's bad enough that their beer prices are so high, but to get overcharged on top of it is the last straw.  We won't be back.

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  Posted on 06.08.13 Tom W.

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  Revisited this spot after a long hiatus and I'm glad I gave it a second chance...I feel like I'm home again!
  
  I held a function here for a sizable group of people last night.  Everything went very smoothly and, although the bar and restaurant were busy, our party was given impeccable service throughout the evening by Aline and Maureen.  
  
  Power's Pub has finally found it's identity and seems to be thriving with a nice balance of attention paid to diners and bar patrons alike.  Power's has a very good selection of handles and bottles behind a picturesque wood bar in an ambiance reminiscent of a cozy Adirondack Inn.  I stuck with beer, but they have a full bar with a nice wine list as well.  The bar is also a great intimate venue for live entertainment.  
  
  I can't speak of the food myself, but many in our group got there early for dinner and the reviews were very positive.  I will definitely be indulging when I return.
  
  Bryah Gifford and his staff have made numerous changes to Power's Pub since it's inception and have put this place back on the map as a Southern Saratoga County destination.  I left last night with a membership to Power's Mug Club courtesy of a very generous friend.  Can't wait to begin taking advantage of that.  It's good to be home!

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  Posted on 01.26.13 David K.

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  Went here for a business meeting.  I made sure to peruse the menu before I went to see what I could have that was gluten free.  I was fully prepared to have the standard 'burger, no bun'.  When we were seated, we were told the specials (which sounded delicious) and I asked what was gluten free on the menu.  MUCH to my surprise, I was told they had gluten free bread and gluten free rolls so not only could I have a burger on a roll, I could have any of the sandwiches on the menu (except the one with stuffing)!!!  SA-WEEET!  I ended up getting a Vermont sandwich which was turkey, maple mayo, sliced apple and bacon served with a side of cole slaw, instead of fries.  I wasn't impressed with the cole slaw, so I asked for a side of garlic mashed potatoes, which were really good.  Hubby ended up going with one of the specials - a type of chicken wellington - chicken and broccoli in a puff pastry served with mashed potatoes and green beans.  He said it was delicious.
  
  In addition to good food, they have a GREAT tap selection - they even have gluten free beers (in bottles) and cider on tap.  We arrived during happy hour and tap beers are 1/2 price.  Wow!  
  
  The interior is really cool.  It is a VERY old house that has been redone and there are several rooms upstairs.  Very well done.
  
  Staff was very attentive and accomodating to our group.  We will definitely be back!

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  Posted on 11.07.12 Wendy N.

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  Still at 5 stars in my book.  Beers selection is better than my first trip here.  They have 3 different October fest brews on....ok maybe 1 isn't a October fest brew but it still has to do with October.  The one I am talking about is Ship yard pumpkin ale.  I can't common on that because I didn't sample it but I will sure be going back to.  I did sample Brooklyn and Spanten October fest with Brooklyn being the better one for me and at 4 buck a pint??  Can't beat that.
  
  So for dinner, we started with their famous Irish nachos, I would definitely order them again but pass on the salsa verde sauce.  For my meal I choose Flying Irishman sandwich with a side salad instead of fries.  Other meals ordered was a cheeseburger and fries and a ruben with pasta salad.  
  
  It took a while to get our meals but I didn't mind, I was enjoying my beer.  I really hope that they do introduce more bands than Irtish bands just for a change up every once in a while.  
  
  Food came out and for the most part it was good.  The only thing I didn't like was my side salad, they must have fix the salad and left it out, as the greens were warm, and the pieces of carrot in the salad was too much.  Sandwich was good, I wish they grill or toast the bread though.  The ruben was the star of the night.  The corn beef on it was excellent. Let's face it if you are a Irish restaurant/bar and you can't make a great ruben, something is wrong.  That is definitely not a problem here.  The burger was also surprisingly good.  Really moist and flavorful.  For dessert we brought a container of their home made bread pudding home to eat.  All I have to say is it is OFF THE CHAIN!  
  
  Even though my meal was just ok I still have them at 5 stars because their deck is kick ass and they have a GREAT variety beer.

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  Posted on 09.12.12 Eugene L.

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  Excellent food, charming atmosphere and remarkable customer service is what you'll find when you walk through the doors at Powers Irish Pub.
  
  Bartender Mike will remember your name and make you feel like old friends in addition to serving a darn good libation. When you come back, he'll greet you by name and ask if you are drinking the same beverage as last time. I must also give a nod to Bartender Ryan who provides great service and a barrel of laughs.
  
  Restaurant Manager Aline aims to please and endeavors to accommodate customer's requests. Everyone performs their duties with a smile and strives to make you feel like a V.I.P.
  
  The atmosphere is unique in a pleasing way. The bar is welcoming, fits the period of the structure and dining occurs on at least three separate levels. They have spacious rooms for larger parties and cozy nooks with one table for a more intimate dining experience. They are happy to give you a tour of this two hundred-year-old edifice and you may just run across one of the long time residents from generations ago.
  
  I was in town for training during January and February and a co-worker and I tried this place early on. During our stay, we ended up drinking and dining here a couple dozen times we enjoyed it so much.
  
  The traditional Irish fare is superb. They create an incredible Reuben Sandwich and I recommended the Shepherd's pie to a gentleman sitting at the bar who told me that it rivals the ones he's eaten in Ireland. I highly recommend the Sunday Breakfast Brunch. Every item is mouth watering.
  
  If I was a local I would frequent this establishment a minimum of two to three times per week.

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  Posted on 07.03.12 Lyndon C.

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  I don't know how an "Irish Pub" can serve 3 grilled hot dogs on a plate covered in onion and a side of mashed potatoes bangers and mash! The shepards pie actually tasted like they opened a can of Dinty Moore beef stew! I am not usually this critical but I was so disappointed with the food here that I left feeling like I wasted alot of money.
  If you are looking to sit down and have a beer I'm sure this place would be suitable.
  Be warned however if you are looking to eat! I would actually  walk another block and have a Stewarts hot dog before I would ever eat anything here again.

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  Posted on 06.01.12 Lori R.

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  This is the second time in a week I've been to Powers Pub. They have a new expanded menu and it is delicious! Friday I had the Fish and Chips and they were very good. The fries here are really fantastic! Today I had the Turkey Melt which had fresh oven roasted turkey topped with Caramelized onions and cheese on a toasted marble rye. Very, very good. They have a kids menu which is very economical 3.99 and it included a side and a drink. Great service, great food. I can't wait to go back!

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  Posted on 04.01.12 Pamela F.

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  "Getting Celtic in Clifton"
  by Josh K.
  
  Power's Irish Pub is historically housed in a 18th century building.  Former dining establishments range from a Revolutionary War era tavern that supposedly George Washington himself once stopped at, to a more upscale and quaint eatery, called the Olde Dater Inn.  The Olde Dater was popular with the local Clifton Park residents for providing an alternative to the more casual chain restaurants in the area.
  
  Now an Irish pub and restaurant, Power's is divided into a pleasant bar area for drinking and socializing.  The rest of the building's space is efficiently used for seating in this old refurbished house.  Tables are strewn across three crowded floors.  The seating at the top floor gives you the most space and comfort.  This is certainly not the most handicap friendly place, and you would be wise to leave Granny at home, but I can't help but to appreciate this Old World charm in the middle of suburbia.
  
  We came to Power's Pub last Friday, and had a pleasurable evening sampling many of the appetizers and entrees on the menu.  Although there were some missteps, most of what was presented was tasty and well prepared.  The service was friendly, quick, and efficient.  There was also Irish folk music being played at a reasonable volume so that conversation was not sacrificed.
  
  PROS:
  
  1. Appetizers.  
  
  We ordered the Irish Nachos ($9.00) and the Frickles ($6.00).  We were served monstrous portions that were more than enough for the six of us in the party.  The Irish Nachos are waffle fries covered in cheddar-jack cheese and topped with jalapenos, salsa verde, bits of corned beef, and sour cream. The waffle fries, which fried to a golden brown perfection, were able to stay crispy despite all of the toppings.  I would have liked more corned beef and sour cream on top, but our waitress noticing that the sour cream was devoured, was happy to bring out more.
  
  The "frickles" are pickle chips and banana pepper strips that are deep fried in beer batter and served with a spicy horseradish mayo. Although this option is heavy and unhealthy, I don't know where else in the Capital District to get this sort of delicacy, and thus I was happy to put my health on hold to indulge in this calorie bursting option.
  
  2. Potato Leek soup -served with oyster crackers, this yummy and well-seasoned home-style fare went down smoothly on a cold winter evening.
  
  3. The Corned Beef Reuben
  
  I think I found my new go-to place for a Reuben in the Capital land.  Topped with melted Swiss, this sandwich (perhaps my most favorite) is toasted like a grilled cheese sandwich but filled with slow cooked, thin and tender strips of beef that were devoid of fat but not flavor.  All the entrees come with your choice of either: fries, vegetable medley (not glazed baby carrots as the menu suggest), mashed potatoes or "Red Bliss potato salad".  I liked having these options as we had already had too many fried foods, so the choice of a vegetable was appreciated.
  
  CONS:
  
  1. The beer.  
  
  Being an Irish pub, I expected more Irish style beers and/or craft porters and stouts. The bottle selection was boring and the tap selection, although ample, did not impress. They no longer carried the Ten Penny Scottish Ale that was on the beer list, so I ordered one of the few distinctly Irish beers on draught, a Kilkenny Cream Ale.  Expecting a smooth, frothy experience, I was disappointed to be served a soapy tasting brownish ale, that lacked any discernible head.  It was served ice cold so was thus not poured or prepared correctly.  For my second beer, I opted for the Otter Creek Black I.P.A. and again I tasted something off.  Perhaps the beer was old or the pipes hadn't been cleaned.  Or they were recently cleaned but not drained so that I tasted the disinfectant.  Either way, I was disappointed in my beverage experience at self-proclaimed Irish Pub.
  
  2. The Fish and Chips.
  
  It was a Friday, so this was the most popular option among my dining companions.  Although I did not order these, I was able to sample some.  The haddock was not fresh and tasted like previously frozen and reheated by microwave fish stick quality meat.  The batter was left room for improvement as well.  I appreciated that Power's uses a distinctly different approach to their fish fry by using a heavier, browner, and corn-mealy batter.  The serving size was also humongous.  However, the menu advertises a light and flaky experience.   What was served was a tough and chewy, almost overcooked fried outside and bland rubbery fish underneath.  I was happy that I opted for the Reuben as a lot of the fish that was ordered was left on the plate at the end of the evening.
  
  The Reuben, soup, and appetizers easily push this menu to 4 stars.  However, the few misses of the evening, humble Power's to a 3-3 1/2 range.
  
  With the unbelievably good desserts brought in from the nearby J.S. Watkins, and a nice wooden deck outside for the summer months, I will definitely return.

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  Posted on 03.03.12 Josh K.

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  Summary- Another bar with averagish food into the frey in Clifton Park. I am excited they apparently have a "real" Irish breakfast/brunch on Sundays. The outside patio will be kickass in the Summertime. I will report back on the brunch.
  
  Food- 2.5 Stars
  Irish nachos were fine, could have used a bit more cheese but overall there was nothing wrong with them. There was a ton of the waffle fries, it was way too much for two.
  
  Fish and Chips was OK, I prefer a heavy fluffy batter this was more of a thin coating. It was maybe a shade over-fried. The fries were fine, the coleslaw was very good, not over dressed.
  
  My wife got a special panini (super Irish LOL). It was fairly disappointing (see pics), basically a grilled cheese. I know that panini has basically become anything pressed, but I think of it as something on ciabatta, which it wasn't.
  
  Beer- 4 Stars
  Although the menu wasn't as Irish focused as I would have expected, they do have some nice brews, esp the Otter Creek Black IPA. I would like to see a few more American brewery Irish themed beers, like Harpoon Celtic Ale.  
  
  Atmosphere- 4 Stars
  Loses points for being cold downstairs in the corner, but otherwise this is super cool old house that shows it's age in a good way. They have a cool thing on the back of the menu that explains the origin of the house.
  
  They have live Music Thursdays and Fridays, the guy was pretty solid last night. It ended pretty early.
  
  Service- 5 Stars
  Super nice and attentive. One of the owners I believe was checking in on us and asked us what we thought when we were all done.

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  Posted on 12.16.11 Josh A.

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  I went to Power's Irish Pub for their Sunday Brunch to celebrate my husband getting a new job.  Considering i had only seen there ad the day before and thought the building was vacant, i have to say i was very impressed.  Excellent sausage egg casserole, home fries, french toast, salads, fruit and the danish's were very good and didn't appear they were from US Food Service.  For $12.99 per person and $4.00 mimosa's and Bloody Mary's, you certainly can't go wrong.  The only thing i will say is they don't have an omelette or carving station, but i don't care because there selection was great.  We will be returning.

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  Posted on 12.11.11 Gina C.

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  We had been here several times when it was the Olde Dater Tavern.  None of the food was outstanding then, but there were a decent selection of beers on tap including a framboise lambic.  The current drafts are ok, but they no longer have the lambic. I just looked at their Facebook page and they mention that they have 18 drafts.  I don't believe there were that many printed on the table-top menu.  So maybe they have more good drafts to offer.
  
  We started with a Ten Penny Scottish Ale and a Longtrail Ale ($5/pt).  My wife said her Longtrail tasted like dirty socks.  A basket with two warm poppy seed rolls and butter was brought to our table right away.
  
  We decided to try two of three soups ($5/bowl) that were offered by our server.  The chicken dumpling was full of flavor, shreds of chicken and several dumplings slightly smaller than the size of golf balls.  The Butternut Squash Soup had lots of flavor and was nice and thick but was only hot on the bottom of the bowl.  The top was close to room temperature.
  
  My wife had the Irish Nachos ($9) as her dinner.  Plenty of seasoned waffle fries with bits of corned beef, salsa verde, sour cream, sliced jalapenos and some melted cheddar-jack cheese.  After the soup she was not able to finish all the fries.
  
  I tried the Bacon Cheese Burger ($9).  Our server asked me if I liked it "pink or not pink."  I guess this is the new way of asking the customer how well to cook a burger as it's now the second time I've come across this question.  I said I'd prefer it to be as pink as the chef was willing to serve it.  It came out a nice juicy rare and I was happy to let our server know it was perfect.  What I didn't know was that when our server asked me if I preferred regular fries or waffle fries with my burger that there would be an up-charge of $1 for the waffle fries.  The menu says the burger is "Served with fries.".  It's not like it's a big deal, but if it isn't stated on the menu then it should be told to the customer when ordering.
  
  Our server was actually very friendly and attentive, checking on us periodically.  Upon leaving, however, I noticed the evening specials written on the chalkboard and saw that we had only been informed of the soups.  
  
  There were few people there when we arrived near 6 on a Sunday so noise level was not a problem.  There are dining areas on 3 floors other than on the main floor where the bar is, so it is possible to keep away from any noisy crowd when one exists.  Their WiFi signal was too weak to know if i really worked.   I'd really like to say 2 1/2 stars.

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  Posted on 11.27.11 Roger K.

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  Power's Irish Pub opened recently in the former Olde Dater Tavern, which is now owned and operated by the Giffords, who also own Giffy's BBQ down the road.
  
  This restaurant and pub inside an old house unwent some nice renovations and there are several cozy dining rooms with wood floors accessed by a few steps & the pub/bar area with big TV is in the front of the restaurant. There's also outside patio seating on the painted wood deck (seasonal).
  
  The menu offerings consists of pub fare with Irish influence such as appetizers, sandwiches, potato leek soup, salads, and entrees featuring Irish nachos, Guinness battered onion rings, reubens, fish n chips, bangers & mash, shepherd's pie and more. For the kids, they offer a Little Leprechaun Menu. See the menu at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.powersirishpub.com%2FMenu.aspx&s=98f39d3a1d553aac78683748811e596cd2cad0277260cb3bbefb3d320cc9eefc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.powersirishpu…</a>
  
  Also, there are over 15 draft beers including Guinness, Harpoon IPA, Smithwick's, McSorley's Pale Ale, Harp, Kilkenny, Power's Irish Red Ale and others, plus several bottled beers and wine are offered.
  
  I stopped here for lunch and the place was quite busy. I was seated in a small room with high tables and stools, just above the pub area. There were plenty of small framed pictures of Ireland landmarks on the walls.
  
  For a starter, I ordered the Frickles ($6) sliced dill pickle chips, and a few banana peppers coated in a light crispy Harp beer batter with a side of horseradish sauce. This appetizer was on the greasy side and a few of the pickle chips were deep fried clumped together with soft warm batter in between the chips.
  
  For lunch, I ordered the Corned Beef Rueben ($10) which had plenty of sliced corned beef topped with Swiss cheese, a thin layer sauerkraut & Russian dressing on toasted rye and served with fries. The Rueben tasted pretty good and the fries were very crispy and light, slightly greasy, potato skins on some.
  
  The food was decent overall and some items were on the greasy side. The service at my table was pleasant and acceptable.
  
  However, at the next table, the service was not good (I'm writing about this because I witnessed the following situation from my seat).
  
  A couple at the next table was already seated when I arrived here and they had already ordered their food before me and enjoying their drinks. However, my table and another table (father & son) both received food before the couple. I also finished off my appetizer and entree while the couple was still waiting for their food. The guy was very upset and complained to several servers about where was their food and this was unacceptable. The servers kept apologizing and he told his wife he was threatening to get up and leave the place if they did not arrive with their entrees stat. I would be very angry too and I would definitely do the same thing. Their food (a rueben and a shepherd's pie) was brought out eventually and their server explained that the computer system wiped out their order and the kinks still need to be worked out.
  
  Until next time, to the THIRD POWER!!!

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  Posted on 11.12.11 Ian W.

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