Parillo's Armory Grill

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At the time it was a neighborhood hangout on the South Side of Amsterdam with not much more than the bare necessities - beer, liquor, a dart board and a pool table. We would open around nine or ten in the morning and close whenever we felt like it. The Grill was the kind of place where you would shut the lights and lock up if you had the right people at the bar and didn't want to be bothered by strangers coming in. If you were a regular though, all you had to do was show your face at the door and someone would let you in. 

Just about every body who hung around the Grill at that time was a guy from the South Side. 

Very few women frequented the place then. It really wasn't the kind of place you would bring a date to. You went there before and after your date. There was usually a card game going, a Sinatra song on the jukebox and more often than not, something cooking in the back. 

Nearly everybody hunted, fished or picked wild mushrooms and greens. When they did, they usually brought whatever they got back to the Grill. Depending on how much there was, it would either be shared with whoever was at the bar or arrangements would be made to enjoy it on a day and time when everybody could get together. 

Venison, rabbit, all kinds of fish, wild mushrooms, mustard greens, fiddle ferns, rappini and once even bear meat found its way to the table at the Armory Grill. Soup, stew, sauce, and homemade sausage was made with favorite recipes that had been handed down for generations. What I learned in those early days at the Armory Grill, influenced the rest of my life.

Eventually, people came to expect food on a regular basis. We began by offering a few kinds of sandwiches or maybe soup for lunch every day (well, almost every day). 

It wasn't long before we had a regular lunch menu. Business was good and our reputaion started to grow. The next thing you know, it wasn't just the regulars coming in anymore. People from all over town began stopping by on their lunch hour and after work. 

Feeling confident, and bouyed by our success, Ralph and I decided to expand into our seldom used backroom and try our hand at serving dinner. We started by offering one dish, one night a week. It was usually one of our favorites from home (we were still bachelors at the time and living at home with our parents ). 

It wasn't long after that till we became a full fledged, full service restaurant. Over the years, we built a new kitchen and did extensive remodeling. Today, Parillo's Armory Grill enjoys the reputation of being one of the finest Italian restaurants in the Capital region. Veal, fresh seafood, poultry, homemade pasta, chops and steaks are all served in an unmistakably authentic Italian fashion. Some of the dishes are tradtional while others are distinct and unique.