"Spaghetti doesn 't get the top billing of very many restaurants these days. The only reason it does at Joe 's is because the place has been around for such a long time, they wouldn 't dream of changing the sign. I suppose I should come back and at least give the spaghetti a try. But that would be a hard sell with such solid versions of tavern classics. For me, the four stars here really represent a meal that was better than one might expect. And there 's probably no better place to start than with the pizza. That crust was serious business. It 's not a tavern style pizza shell of oily dough pressed into a pan. This is a crisp on the bottom, yeasted dough, that has picked up some good color from the oven floor. It 's completely remarkable given the setting. The mozzarella and melba were fine. Clearly in the top half of the category, but not quite at the level of cracking into the upper echelon (currently occupied by Ralph 's, Scubbers, and TJ 's). Joe 's melba was more than just syrup, but could could use some of the brightness of the berries. Wings here are totally solid. It 's kind of a misnomer to say they are pan fried in olive oil since I got a look at exactly how deep that pan actually is. The wings get a nice bath in the stuff, which is really the only way they can get nice and crispy all the way around. And inhaling that classic Frank 's and butter aroma, makes the mustiness of the dining room fade away. I actually think the smell had something to do with the cleaning products used and not food smells or moisture. But it 's hard to say. This was actually my first taste of Utica greens ever, so I don 't really have much with which to compare the experience. But I was a big fan. A bit of heat, and some tasty chunks of cured meat, tossed into a whole heap of savory, tender greens felt both virtuous and decadent. Clearly one of the drawbacks of tavern dining is the lack of vegetables, and I appreciated this as a way to get a bit of variety into the diet without venturing into salad territory. Most salads in the region, for most of the year, are a crime. But that 's another issue entirely. I 'm thrilled to have found this place. It 's an undiscovered gem in Cohoes. And it clearly deserves a place in the parthenon of the region 's great taverns. I hope it stays open forever, and that those who go there all the time realize just how special it is."
