The end of the school year rapidly approaches, and as usual, I went looking for a restaurant that would be suitable for graduates to suggest to their families for dinner: something, perhaps, a bit nicer than the typical college student budget usually calls for, but not too fancy, either—the last thing I wanted after sitting through four hours of sweltering graduation ceremony was to get dressed up again. I found pretty much exactly what I was looking for in the Albany Pump Station.
The establishment draws its name from its location—a warehouse-sized building that was formerly used to draw water out of the Hudson and pump it into Bleecker Reservoir (which used to be at the current site of Bleecker Stadium on Clinton Avenue).
As you enter, the red brick facade gives way to a cavernous interior with tables on multiple levels. The huge roaring fire at one end of our room rapidly drove away the chill from the nasty downpour outside and gave the impression of a Beowulf-style, Middle Ages-era mead hall.
Which is quite appropriate: The Albany Pump Station is a brew pub, after all, with eight of its own varieties of beer on tap. The distilling vats are located right above the bar, visible from all areas of the restaurant, and the huge 20-ton cranes that were originally part of the water works have been restored and are now used to lift the vats to the second level.
The beer, though, was actually the weak point of the meal. For six bucks, a sampler including three-ounce glasses of all eight beers can be had, so we got to sample them all. Some were quite unusual—one had a very fruity flavor, while another had overtones of cocoa to it. The more straightforward brews seemed best to me, though. If you like lighter brews, go for the Scottish Light. Dark beer fans should try the Belgian Double. In my not-so-educated opinion, though, the best in the house was the Kick-Ass Brown, which has won multiple awards for the brewery.
What really sets the Pump Station apart, though, is the kitchen. For an appetizer, we ordered a spinach and artichoke dip that came in a bread bowl and was very tasty. The French onion soup was panned for having soggy croutons, but made up for it with lots of cheese. The seasoned fries that came with some of the entrees were excellent: crunchy, flavorful, and neither too salty nor too greasy.
The entrees were even better. Beer-battered whitefish, shepherd’s pie, chicken cordon bleu, and the house specialty burger all met with approval; my steak sandwich topped them all, with strips of tender, marinated steak and perfectly sauteed mushrooms and onions. In fact, all of the meat was very in high quality and was prepared extremely well.
It’s a little bit more money than other taverns—we spent just under $20 each—but the food is, bar none, the best of any such establishment in the area. This should definitely be one of your top contenders for restaurants to take your parents to after graduation; at the very least, I know I’ll be heading back there again in the near future.
The Albany Pump Station is located just off I-787 in downtown Albany. To get there, take I-787 south to exit 4B, Clinton Avenue. At the end of the ramp, turn right onto Broadway. Make the next right onto Spencer St., and then right again into the parking lot.
Editor’s Note: Please send comments or suggestions for new restaurants to The Poly at restaurants@poly.rpi.edu.
