What’s wrong with Taco Tuesdays every night of the week? That’s the thinking behind a new taco- and margarita-themed restaurant, The Daisy, coming to Downtown Troy this November. The new spot, which will be taking over The Little Rice Ball’s space on Franklin Street, is the creation of husband-and-wife team Joe and Kelly Proctor, who are the owners of another popular local restaurant: Caskade Kitchen & Bar in Cohoes.
“Tacos were always something that I wanted to do,” says Joe, who’s been working in the local restaurant scene for the last two decades. “And they’re one of the cuisines that aren’t really touched upon for dinner service in Troy.” Though there are certainly places in Troy where you can grab a taco, an establishment with a dedicated and unique taco menu is not such an easy find. Plus, Kelly says it was a natural transition for them and their staff at Caskade. “Our bestselling dish at Caskade is our Korean tacos,” she says. “And our bestselling drinks are always our margaritas.”
The restaurant will feature a menu revolving around a variety of creative taco recipes—plus a number of signature margaritas, where the taco bar takes its name (margarita is Spanish for “daisy”). And look out for nips and tucks to the menu as time goes by. “We’ll probably add a few more tasty things,” says Joe. “It’s in the infant phases, so we’re still tossing around a lot of ideas.” (The Daisy will also be serving craft beers and wine.)
The Proctors opened Caskade, an eclectic eatery of mostly fare from the Americas, in January of 2018. Fans of the Cohoes restaurant need not worry, because it isn’t going anywhere; in fact, Joe and Kelly will split managerial duties between the two restaurants, and they’ll also be utilizing a lot of the staff and talent from Caskade at the future taco-and-margarita bar. “We wouldn’t even be able to consider opening a second restaurant if we didn’t have the team that we have,” says Kelly. “They really make everything work alongside us.”
Once The Daisy opens in November, the Proctors are planning for it to have the same hours as Caskade, Tuesday through Saturday, 5pm to 10pm or 11pm, during the week, and until 1am on the weekends. Just like its sister operation in Cohoes, The Daisy will also be available to host private events on the days that the restaurant isn’t open.
As for opening two restaurants in as many years, the couple seems surprisingly unfazed by the challenge at hand. “Joe and I just got married in June, and this has been a good year for us,” says Kelly. “We’re looking forward to this next stage.”
