Grand opening: Portelli hard at work rolling, frying, icing donuts

At Portelli's Joe N' Dough, the donuts are selling like...well, donuts. During Saturday's grand opening, these pastry concoctions were flying out of the fryer almost as fast as the $1.00 coffee. "I had a contest for some of them. People made up flavors, and if I liked them, I let them name them," says owner Alex Portelli. Vickey's Delight is a lemon donut with vanilla icing topped with blueberries. R.G.'s Craving features cookie butter frosting. The Erika donut is a glazed donut dipped in chocolate and finished with rainbow sprinkles. "Erika's my sister, that's why she got first dibs on the sprinkles," says Portelli.

At only a dollar each, these donuts are priced to go.

But breakfast isn't the only meal on offer at Portelli's Joe N' Dough. "People love my burgers. They love my sliders, pigs in a blanket," Portelli says. With sliders starting at $6.00, and pigs-in-a-blanket starting at $4.50, and grilled cheese with fries starting at $4.50, this menu has a price point everyone can appreciate. "We try to keep the prices affordable. We don't try to inflate our costs," says Portelli.

Portelli's been in the restaurant business since he was a teenager, starting with bussing at Ristorante Paradiso, before moving on to food prep at Cardona's Market. He's also worked at Blu Stone Bistro in Colonie. This is Portelli's first time in business for himself, and two days in, he says it's going well. "It's hard work, but it's rewarding," Portelli says.

The restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday 10am-4:30am, and Saturday 2pm-4:30am.  Please visit the eatery's Facebook page here for more information.