Hoss’ River House

Disgusting!
Chicken fingers with bbq sauce– BBQ sauce was the consistency of a chunky marinara with no flavor…
Opened ketchup bottle and it exploded all over me!
Cover charge for the luckiest band ever!
First and last time.

The bar itself is very nice looking and original. Great beer selection on tap with multiple IPA’s which is pleasing to me. Good bands on the weekends, and it’s not cramped. There’s enough room for the band to set up, a large dance floor, tables, and bar space. None of which seem too close to each other.
Nice location right on the river. I like this place.

From the outside it may look the same, but inside this is a Hoss of a different color. Since the new owner moved in, the inside has received a nice cleaning. There is a decent selection of beers on tap to satisfy both the less and the more discriminating. In other words, from Bud to Ithaca Brewing.
But the noise level can be very high. There were only two people sitting at the bar when we walked in, but when five others arrived a little later, it became very clear that their conversation could be heard anywhere in the bar. So could the occasional screaming child in the adjacent dining room. I can only imagine what it is like on a Tuesday night when beginning country line dancing lessons are going on.
From the more discriminating end of the tap lines, we chose a pint of Rushing Duck’s War Elephant ($ 6), an IPA that really paired nicely with both the Mozzarella Sticks ($ 7) and Hoss’ Nachos ($ 9), and a pint of Shmaltz Nut Brown Ale ($ 5.50) to go with the Pulled Pork sandwich ($ 9).
The Mozzarella Sticks are made in house and are offered with a choice of marinara or melba sauce. I hadn’t had deep fried cheese sticks in years, but I recall it was probably in the early 60s when I first had them someplace in Albany and they were served with a raspberry sauce. So for old time’s sake that’s what we went with here. It may not have been the best mozzarella since it was a bit oily, but the breading was nice and the cheese was trying to ooze out of its shell. It was a nice enough treat that I’d order them again.
Hoss’s Nachos came with tri-​colored tortilla chips topped with melted jack cheddar cheese, their homemade chili, roasted jalapeño, pickled red onions, and tomato. Sour cream and salsa was served on the side. Chicken, steak, or pulled pork can be substituted for an additional $ 2. The nachos were pretty standard and good, but they still didn’t satisfy the craving we have for the ones that were served at Malt River Brewing before it closed.
The BBQ Pulled Pork for the sandwich is made in house and topped with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. Slaw is served on the side with homemade pickles that are made with mustard, and the bun is toasted on all sides. Having the top of the bun toasted seemed a bit strange, since I’ve never had it served that way before. The fries that I choose to accompany the sandwich are listed as «fresh cut.» It just didn’t seem that way since many of the fries were very short in length like the ones you find at the bottom of the food service bag of frozen fries. For my taste, I would have liked the pork to have a deeper smoke flavor, and just a tad more BBQ sauce.
Our server said she was new, but she was efficient, right there to check on our needs every now and then, and was upbeat and friendly. They do not take the Amex credit card.