Our Story
Jim Scalzo added the bar to the diner after he purchased it, and that bar is still there today. The ceiling, woodwork, the bar back and the upholstery in the booths are all brand new. The journey from a lonely, silent, abandoned diner to a rejuvenated, vibrant restaurant and nightclub has been a challenging, but exciting one. We knew we had a challenging project ahead of us in many ways. We are truly enjoying the challenge of not only providing our customers with a pleasant dining experience, but also building on their memories of the original Quintessence, good food, good people and great times.
Our cuisine is simple, classic, unique, and progressive. It’s simple and classic because we have hamburgers, pork chops with applesauce, club sandwiches, as well as your typical diner fare. We are unique in that we have taken a universally known dish—chicken teriyaki, and interpreted it in our own totally different way–this is actually the dish that we are famous for. We are progressive in that we offer vegetarian entrees such as our tofu omelettes and our garden burger. We are also in the process of developing more vegetarian dishes to not only accommodate the vast number of vegetarians out there, but also those who are just trying to eat healthier in general. We want to accommodate that niche.
We have maintained the original schedule of Saturday and Sunday brunch with live music and other live entertainment and events throughout the week. Three of the original Theme Nights (Mexican & German) have already been re-introduced.
New to the mix is Open Mic with the Charlie Smith Blues Band Featuring Donny Russo.
Wednesdays are all about JAZZ. See the best Jazz performers the Capital Region has to offer!
Saturday and Sunday days we serve a sumptuous brunch with a classical guitarist on Sundays. Click here to see our Brunch menu for more details. Sunday Night we have the most amazing Card Illusionist, Jason Ladanye performing tableside and at the bar from 6:30 to 11PM. You will talk about his skills for weeks!
Thursday Nights are devoted to all of our area College Friends. We like to call it Q University, where you can enroll at any time! We alternate between DJ/Karaoke and an Internationally known DJ TruMastr Trimingham, who plays the best disco, funk, blues, house and mixes it all up the way you like it!
Saturday nights, we have either a DJ or live band.
Every Sunday night is Mexican Night and German Night is every Wednesday night.
Our newest addition is Italian Night which will kick off Monday, Sept. 13th and will continue every Monday from there.
Several new elements have also been added to enhance our guest’s experience. Quintessence now offers FREE WiFi service to accommodate our many business people and students. FREE valet parking is now available every night beginning at 5pm. In addition, Quintessence now has it’s own parking lot for our guest’s convenience, located just across from our building on Dana Avenue. Most exciting of all, we are introducing our NEW ONLINE ORDERING with FREE DELIVERY Monday through Friday from 11AM to 3PM. Now everyone can enjoy their Quintessence favorites without leaving their office!
We are looking intently at the future of this area; The New Scotland Avenue corridor is going through a lot of construction and rehabilitation. We’re on the ground floor of the neighborhood revitalization, and it’s very exciting to witness the growth and change every day. We feel very fortunate to be a part of it all.
On a final note, we would like to thank our friend, Jim Scalzo, for his support, time and invaluable knowledge. Most of all, we would like to thank him for his original vision. If not for that, Quintessence could not exist as it does today.

