Fun in Saratoga

Saratoga Thoughts May 14, 2012

 I don't have a lot of thoughts this week, but I do have a few links to share:

• Want 20% off your order at Saratoga Coffee Traders?  Click here

20% OFF your entire order. This coupon may not be used with any other coupons or promotions. Print out and present to cashier or show on your smartphone. Feel free to share this coupon with friends and family Exspires: June 15th 2012

 

• Check out Savoring Saratoga's blog post about the Saratoga Food Tours.
• Saratoga Arts has announced their 2012 workshop series.  They are all free and open to the public, and include topics like making slide presentations, copywrite and intellectual property, grantwriting workshop, and gallery submission process.  Click here to learn more.
• The Saratoga Farmers Market has a new Saturday vendor - Slyboro Cider House.  This isn't Hannaford mass produced cider, these people take it to a new old level:  Still ciders, sparkling ciders, ice ciders...Slyboro Cider House reintroduces the lost craft of American Ciders."  Cool!  I hope they have samples - I would like to try the ice ciders.  They sound sweet.

 

• Click here for the May newsletter for Longfellow's and the Olde Bryan Inn.
• Maestro's is celebrating a year at the new place.  Check out their party on Monday May 21.
• Here's the latest news from Saratoga Arts Fest
• I'm a little late, but check out local blogger Tom Noonan's comments on the Kentucky Derby, and be sure to look for his analysis on the site before the Preakness.
• It would appear that Chianti is going after the Vegetarian/Vegan dollar - at least on Tuesdays:

 

• Chianti's sister restaurant, Forno Bistro, is continuing it's Tuesday night takeout special:

Every Tuesday get two wood-fired pizzas or stuffed focaccie breads to-go for just $12. Add a 1/2 Tray of Forno’s Classic Mista Insalata for just $6 more. Join our email list or Facebook page to find out the featured pizza or focaccie ahead of time.

• Sticking with DZ Restaurants, if you like on Facebook their newest and yet-to-be-opened Restaurant, Boca Bistro, you can win a $500 gift certificate.

Not to show favortism to just one ethnic restaurant group, so Capriccio Saratoga has Skip Parsons performing every Thursday in May and is offering any pizza on the menu for $13.

 

 

• Don't forget The Wine Bar has some nice Monday night specials.
• Well that's it for now. Have a great week. Don't forget PJ's Bar-B-QSA is opening tomorrow (Tuesday)

 

 

 

Saratoga Thoughts February 25, 2012

Well it's not my intention to make this the "Saratoga Thoughts" blog, but lately my schedule has limited my efforts, at least somewhat, to these types of postings.  OK, with that half apology out of the way, here we go:

• Well I went to the Beer Week events, sort of. I stopped out for some food and beer with the Funsaratoga field agent and an out-of-town guest.  I'm glad to have any event that brings visitors (and their wallets) to Saratoga Springs in late winter, but as someone who was in several of the venues, it didn't seem so well organized.  Perhaps if I actually bought tickets and went as an attendee, it would have been better, but as an accidental attendee, I was underwhelmed
• I saw the Maestro's porch was getting some use in Thursday's and Friday's nice weather.  Who ever thought that porch would get nearly year-round use in 2011-2012? 

File Photo

• Well it sure seems like there are several Saratoga restaurants that are hiring.  A perusal of Craig's list shows that Ravenous, Forno Bistro, Jacob & Anthony's, Sabina's, The Parting Glass, and Angelo Mazzone's several restaurants and catering establishments are looking for employees.  That doesn't count the several unnamed Saratoga restaurants that were advertising jobs as well, including one "new restaurant opening in late March" that I assume is Russo's, which is opening in the former Brindisi's location. 
• Speaking of  Craig's list, you'll never know what you'll find on there - here's an ad from someone looking to have a partner in opening a bar in downtown Saratoga.  Yea, bars and business partnerships always work out well - especially when they start out from Craig's list.
• Continuing with the Saratoga bar/restaurant scene, I reported way back when that Mine would have a full menu and I noticed them promoting it along the sidewalk on Broadway this past Friday night, as evidenced by the picture below. 

            I give Mine credit for trying, and their menu looks like it has reasonable prices, but I'm not sure if I can take a dining establishment seriously that is offering a full dinner menu, and also a "Pisces night" (it was last night - "Pisces get in free all night"), a teen night (tonight - for all of you under-21 kids that fanatically read this blog), and has a web site that is not working (at least when I checked).  My casual walk by and internet look gives me the feeling they are all over the board.  Just my thoughts.

• When I was a kid, there was just one free newspaper, and that was of course the Pennysaver.  Saratoga Springs has Saratoga Today, The Spotlight, and the Spa City Moneysaver - and there seem to be many other free specialty publications as well.  It's almost overwhelming - and all this in the internet era. Go figure.
• With Saratoga diners dropping left and right (namely Beverly's, Friendly's, and the Saratoga Family Restaurant), I thought it would be a good time to check out Shirley's, on West Avenue.  You may recall it was purchased last year by someone who was going to add some Montreal, Quebec cuisine to the menu.  Well the chowder was excellent but the grilled haddock I ordered came out cold - I think it was prebaked and never heated for me.  Oh well, if I ever get my fat blogging butt to the YMCA anytime soon perhaps I'll get rid of enough guilt to try Shirley's rather fattening sounding Poutine -  which is a French-Canadian specialty consisting of french fries, gravy and cheese curds.  I'm half intrigued and half disgusted, but my gluttonous curiosity will get the better of me eventually and I'll report on here how it was - and what my cholesterol was before and after.
• Speaking of eating things I shouldn't - the wings at the Stadium pass my four-part test - and I'm from Buffalo, which makes me an expert. The four part test is as follows: (1) Wings should be big with plenty of meat - not those wimpy tiny ones you get in some restaurants. (2) The sauce should have the right balanced flavor and have enough substance to cling to the wings. (3) They should never be undercooked, and in fact should be cooked extra crispy, and (4) the blue cheese should be of high quality.  The Stadium passes all four of those tests, with an extra star for their chunky blue cheese. 
• From Buffalo errr...fine dining to Buffalo fine arts - I see the Buffalo Philharmonic will be playing at SPAC this summer - on July 25th.  I'll be there....in a Bills jersey with my face painted.  It's a Buffalo thing. 
• And finally, Saratogian editor Barbara Lombardo had a great idea when she proposed that the Skidmore bookstore move into the empty former Borders location.  She asked "I can dream, can't I?"  Yes you can, and I like your thinking Barbara.

Have a great weekend everybody. 

Saratoga thoughts February 20, 2012

Here we go....

• I see the third annual Saratoga County Restaurant Week goes this year from March 16-25. For $20.12 you will get a three-course dinner at more than 40 participating Saratoga County restaurants, many right here in the Spa City. When this first started in 2010, there were very few Saratoga Springs restaurants that participated, but that changed starting last year.
• I pointed out last week that Mayor Scott Johnson made the right call on the South Side Rec center, and I was happy to see the Mayor mention South Broadway's problems in his recent state-of-the-city address.  The only problem is that I was pointing out these same problems over a year ago.  The city Democratic Committee recently wrote an opinion piece in The Saratogian accusing His Honor of having no vision, being slow to react, and certainly not being proactive.  With the aforementioned Rec Center being the lone exception, I couldn't agree more. 
• Speaking of failing to be proactive and lacking foresight, I haven't heard much lately about the dangerous traffic situation on South Broadway.  Did NY State DOT go back to sleep?  I certainly hope I'm wrong, but I just have a feeling there is another awful accident pending on that deadly stretch of highway. 
• I don't know if I'm a subscriber, member, customer or what of Groupon, but I've recently signed on and have noticed there are not too many offerings for places here in the Spa City.  Most offerings seem to be centered around Albany. 
• There seems to be quite a buzz about the Brad Pitt movie about Solomon Northrup.  That's great that this historical figure, who certainly had an amazing life, will be getting his due on the big screen.  I just am not expecting a shot in the arm for the local economy from it - there are no indications that any of the filming will be done here.  In fact, why would they film here?  It would be very costly and there isn't a whole lot left, as far as buildings and such, from Northrup's time in this region.  I'm not saying this won't have some positive effects for our region; I'm just not expecting those effects to be significant. 
• Well, Van-Halen is coming to the north, south, east, and west of Saratoga on this spring's tour - namely Montreal, NYC, Boston, and Buffalo - but no SPAC.  Well a SPAC show could have been a mess, with all sorts of crazies, but I would still like to see it.

 

• I'm hearing word that the Oklahoma Track may open early this year.  Well that would be a good thing - and would be something that could give the local economy a shot with horse owners and trainers moving here that much earlier.  If this is true I'm assuming it means 2 or 3 weeks early, meaning a very late March/early April opening.  The buildings there aren't winterized, so I couldn't imagine how they could open up any earlier. 
• Click here for the latest newsletter from Saratoga Bridges
• How sad that Saratoga's own Tuskegee Airman Clarence Dart died a few days ago.  At least he was able to see the movie Red Tails, and he even received a standing ovation when introduced at the Wilton Cinemas' debut of the movie last month.  His death is sad, but I'm very happy that he at least lived long enough to receive honors from the President, Congress, and Hollywood, and knew before he died that neither he nor his fellow Tuskegee Airmen would ever be forgotten. 
• February is almost done and Saratoga Springs organizations are talking summer.  SPAC recently announced the lineup for the 35th annual Freihofer's Jazz Fesival on June 30 & July 1.  The Oklahoma Track is opening soon and we're talking about summer concerts.  Life is looking good in Saratoga Springs! 

• I'll end with this link of a reporter writing about a chance meeting with Whitney Houston here in Saratoga Springs in the late 1980s.  Perhaps it was the same time she was performing at SPAC in 1987 that this Youtube video below shows. The late singer sure gave an energetic performance of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" that night, and the crowd was jumping and the place was rocking.  They sure got their money's worth from Ms. Houston that night. 

 

That's it for now folks.  Have a great week!

Saratoga thoughts February 12, 2012

Had I won Powerball, I wouldn't be blogging today but....

• I've said it before and I'll say it again, the South Side Rec Center is a great asset to our city and I will give Mayor Scott Johnson two thumbs up for his decisiveness and leadership on getting that place built on an underused park site.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of The Mayor, but he made the right call on the rec center.
• The You Idiot blog has become a great source for rumors, many of which turn out to be accurate.  The latest rumors he is reporting on, and again these are just rumors and not confirmed, is that Virgil's House and Pizza Works, both on Henry Street, may be closing.  He also is reporting an unnamed popular NYC eatery may be opening in the Bonacio Price Chopper building. He also showed a picture of a sign announcing the new beer garden on Broadway - which is news I believe he originally broke as well. 
• I was out with a few friends last night at Cantina and the Franklin Micare duo was rocking the house. They had the place jumping and it was really an enjoyable show. It's good to be in a bar and not feel like you have to be 22 years old, and it's also good to see Franklin Micare still in town on Saturday nights now that the Grey Gelding is long gone.

 

Yours truly (in my scruffy phase) with my wife Margarita and Franklin Micare in 2009

• Bed and Breakfast update:  The Batchellor Mansion Inn price has been lowered again, to $2.9 million, and the Westchester Inn is not only for sale, but also for rent at $3,500 a month.  Hmmmmm.
• Congress Plaza could use a dollar store.  It just seems right.  Besides, what else is going to move in there anytime soon?
• In a post last month I noted The Saratogian had well-written editorials, but that there were too few of them. I encouraged our hometown daily to write more of these opinion pieces, suggesting a goal of two per week.  The Saratogian acknowledged that post of mine in a tweet of their own, and since then there have been editorials written consistently every Sunday.  Although short of my suggested two a week, these Sunday editorials have been comprehensive, well-written, and well researched on topics of high importance to Saratoga Springs.  Today's editorial, about the numerous empty buildings on South Broadway, also had numerous pictures of the several vacated premises along one of the key our gateways to the city.  The editorial was laudatory of the city's efforts in some respects, but encouraged the city officials to cooperate and communicate more - it noted there were two different plans that were seemingly created without inclusion of all officials.  It's good to see The Saratogian as an advocate for a reasoned and apolitical approach in fixing some of the city's problems, and I look forward to a continued effort in that role. 
• Although I somewhat agreed with the Saratogian's point (above) regarding the need for cooperation and communication, I nonetheless applaud Supervisor Matt Veitch and City Council Member John Franck for trying to take some action on South Broadway. I appreciate their initiative and effort; let's hope they can make some headway on this.
• And I'll finish up with a roundup of links with updates on various Saratoga businesses and organizations:  Universal Preservation Hall,   Saratoga Olive Oil,  Longfellows and Olde Bryan Inn, Saratoga Arts, Maestros,   Sloppy kisses, DZ Restaurants, and Saratoga P.L.A.N.  Ok folks that's it for now.  Have a great week.

Saratoga thoughts January 25, 2012

OK here we go with a mid-week posting:

• I am hoping to see the movie Red Tails - partially because it is a WWII movie (my late father, Ted De Federicis, was a B-24 Bomber co-pilot during the war) and partially because a Saratoga Springs resident was one of the Tuskegee Airmen.  That is so awesome. If anyone has seen it please post a comment on here.

• I was glad to see the Rail, Ski, and Stay package offered utilizing Saratoga Springs hotels, restaurants, and shops.  I hope it is successful - although I imagine this winter's mild weather isn't exactly helping.
• I wrote a few weeks ago how the T-U lost interest in their Community Blogs, and now I see the Post Star's Saratoga Snippets blog hasn't been updated in almost two months. Not sure what's up with that but I may give reporter Tom Dimopoulos a quick email to inquire.
• It looks like Maestro's is starting a monthly newsletter announcing specials and other offers, such as their Valentines Day menu.  Their February issue can be found here.
• You Idiot is reporting on a few rumors, one being that the former Brindisi's location will be filled by the restauranteurs who also own Russo's Grill in Amsterdam, ADDED: The Saratogian has the details here.  Also another post by You Idiot indicates, amongst other things, that Sangwych "is in serious trouble", Bowtie Theatres are moving into the old Borders location, Max London will be appearing on the Food Network Show "Chopped", and a Spanish Restaurant will be moving into the old Grey Gelding location.  Again these are rumors, and the last one (Grey Gelding) could have been mixed up with the confirmed news, of which I reported part of on last week, that the Zecchinis (owners of Chianti and Forno Bistro) will open a Spanish Tapas Restaurant in the old Pizza On Broadway location.  You Idiot has his ear to the ground so I'm sure more than half of what he reported on is true.  Just not sure which half. 
• Did you know that there was a Saratoga Musical?  It was on Broadway in the late 1950s, but didn't do so well.  You can buy a poster from the play from someone on Amazon.com.

OK so Saratoga the Musical is not such a surprise, but Saratoga Ointment????  Yup. Not kidding, and you can buy that on Amazon as well. Oh the City Hall jokes I can come up with on that one....

•  I know the Saratogian has assured us that the sale of their Lake Avenue building was just a simple "internal transaction", but I'm reserving the right to let it get me nervous for reasons I can't exactly articulate. 
• I'm pretty pissed off to find out how quickly the Genting Corporation, the ones who run the Casino down at Aqueduct, is apparently willing to jettison the horse racing at Aqueduct so they can knock things down, kick everybody out,  and build a huge convention center, hotels, and an even bigger casino.  Maybe I was a bit naive and my love for horse racing blinded what should have been obvious.  Genting looks more to me like a wolf in sheep's clothing a Trojan horse (pun not really intended) than a savior.  I'm not against a Convention Center there, but does that really mean they have to end horse racing too?  Why can't we have a gigantic and unique convention center, one with something special in addition to the mundane slot machines and table games?
• I see the Horse Racing Museum and Hall of Fame is closing until March 1st for some "exhibit updates".  I don't doubt that is the reason, but something tells me the slow winter months likely influenced their decision to stay closed for a little longer than they may have otherwise.
• Saratoga General Music Rule #I - if you're a national act playing at SPAC, your career is doing quite well.  Saratoga General Music Rule #2:  If you're a national act playing at Vapor Nightclub, you haven't had a hit in 15 years.
• And finally, the best happy hour in Saratoga Springs?  The Turf Club, at least according to some of my friends.  I was there once recently and would tend to agree, if for no other reasons than the warm fireplace and the neighborhood feel.  That's all for now folks, have a great weekend.

The Saratogian responded to me via Twitter regarding their latest editorial

I appreciated The Saratogian's positive reply to my post from last week encouraging them to write more editorials.  Last night the Saratogian tweeted "@dmdefed Thanks for the praise (and the push) on our editorials this week, here's the latest:  http://saratogian.com/articles/2012/01/21/opinion/doc4f1b632704ccc412802811.txt."

This was a link to the Saratogian's Sunday editorial about the mess at the Saratoga Housing Authority.  It was not only well written - but appropriately hard hitting too!  I like to see the Saratogian taking a lead in the community, and this editorial was a great example of that. 

What does the proposed Aqueduct Convention Center mean for the Saratoga Race Course, NYRA, and New York Racing?

I attended Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's State of the State speech last week. It was probably the 9th or 10th State of the State address I attended in my life, and this one was certainly the most captivating.  The Governor had my attention for his entire speech - partially because he has an excellent conversational speaking style and he simply makes sense when he talks, and partially because much of what he had to say affected me either personally or professionally. 

From a personal perspective, my ears opened wide when The Governor proposed building what would be the nation's largest convention center at the Aqueduct Racetrack site.   I wondered for a minute if this meant that there would be a racetrack AND a convention center, or would the racetrack simply go bye-bye and in its place would be a gigantic building.  Knowing the Governor is apparently not a fan of racing and considering the tremendous size of the building he proposed, along with the likely parking and other ancillary needs, it didn't take me long to conclude that "The Big A" likely has its days as a thoroughbred track numbered. 

I see both sides of the coin here; Aqueduct is a large site within a mile of JFK airport and less than 10 miles from Manhattan, and the largest city in the country needs a convention center bigger and better than the relatively small and dated Javits Center.  The jobs and spinoff economic development benefits of a convention center make a compelling argument for converting the underused facility.  Governor Cuomo is not only über-competent, but he's starting to show some great vision and is thinking big.  I like that, I like that a lot. 

Photo courtesy of Timesunion.com

On the other side of the coin, and perhaps from a selfish standpoint, I can't help but be disappointed that just when NYRA and thoroughbred racing in New York State, and perhaps even the rest of the country, appear to be on a positive trajectory caused largely by the new and so far wildly successful Casino at Aqueduct, that whole uplifting ride may perhaps be derailed.  Not only will Aqueduct no longer be a thoroughbred track (I assume, anyway), but the funding source, Genting's VLT gaming, that finally put NYRA in a position to make New York Racing a leader again, may be disappearing as well.  That funding could disappear whether or not New York changes its Constitution to allow full casino gaming, as the Governor has proposed.

But so far no one in the press, at least from what I have seen, is commenting or asking the key questions about just what does this mean to thoroughbred racing in New York State, and what does this mean to Saratoga Race Course?  NYRA's President and CEO Charles Hayward is so far punting on the issue by tersely responding  "We have no comment until we see the proposal".  The best commentary I have seen so far has been from Nick Kling of the Saratogian's sister publication Troy Record, but while he seems to flag some key questions, I still haven't seen a discussion initiated that centers around "What happens to Aqueduct racing, what does that mean to Saratoga, and what happens to VLT money that presently is going to NYRA?"

Here's my guess as to what the future holds for Aqueduct:  The Queens racetrack as we know it is done, at least after a few years of planning, legislating, and building, but NYRA will get oodles of money which will allow them to build a winterized track at Belmont.  Beyond that, I have to believe that NYRA, which will then have only two tracks with which to fill an entire year, will expand the Saratoga meet yet again.  Two extreme possibilities even include a separate spring Saratoga meet and perhaps a NYRA involvement/partnership at some level with Finger Lakes Race Track.  I'm admittedly just guessing on those two points, but I'll stick by my general points that NYRA racing as we know it will change significantly, and part of that change will involve some level of an expansion of Saratoga racing.  Those logical implications are huge, but again I haven't heard much from the Capital Region or Horse Racing press on this.  God I miss the I-Saratoga blog. 

So let's hope the deeper discussion will soon commence - namely what does the Governor's proposal mean for NYRA, and what does it mean for Saratoga?  Inquiring minds want to know - because many of those minds have their livelihoods depending on those answers.   Stay tuned.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  Here are a few thoughts to start the year right.

• What a great First Night Saratoga Springs hosted yet again.  I ran the 5K (I was the chubby slow guy at the back of the pack) and caught a few performers at the City Center which even got me dancing with my wife Margarita (I was the chubby no-rhythm guy with the beautiful out-of-his-league wife on the corner of the dance floor).  The band Funk Evolution initially looked like a bunch of dorky guys who were not the right group to cover the likes of Kool & the Gang, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson, but they quickly won me over with their talent and mostly their energy and enthusiasm - they looked like they really had fun up there.  They certainly delivered an eclectic mix of music too - they rounded out songs from the aforementioned African-American performers with the likes of songs from The Who, Chicago, Maroon 5, and even Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Long story short - I'm a fan.  Congratulations to all the First Night organizers and volunteers (especially the 5K volunteers who I really appreciated).  And the weather and fireworks were great as well!
• What a shame to wake up on January 1st after such a great night with news of the stabbing at Metro Nightclub.  The best way to address this is to control the bars - not with earlier closing times - that's a red herring - but with the Police Department and City Council working closely with the New York State Liquor Authority and putting pressure on these establishments to not attract the types of people who would carry and use a weapon in a bar.  Hit 'em in the pocket book.  This is an early challenge for new Public Safety Commissioner Chris Mathieson.  Here's my view as a resident and taxpayer:  Not in my town!  The city PD needs to make a quick arrest on this and then let Jim Murphy take it from there.  The city must simultaneously work with the state to ensure the bars are complying with all applicable laws and hit them hard if they aren't.
• Back to the mundane, Sperry's has a new winter menu - which you can find more about on the Times Union's Table Hopping Blog here.
• Speaking of the T-U, I see they finally dumped the dormant Saratoga Springs residents blog that I ultimately was the only contributing blogger of.  The T-U lost interest in supporting it over the past year or two, and, even when I recruited potential bloggers and passed their contact info along to the paper they wouldn't respond to them.  After I realized they weren't going to support my recruiting efforts I stopped posting on there and focused more on this blog.  I'm surprised it took this long to drop it, and presumably other ones on there.
• The PJ's Barbecue construction is picking up steam.  The Saratogian wrote an article about it last week, which can be found here, and I took a quick picture below.

 

• I was walking through Congress Park this weekend noticed the nice brickwork the city did in front of the Canfield Casino over the summer. I took a quick picture of it below.

Well, that's about if for now.  As I am finishing this up Sunday night I just noticed on the Saratogian's web site that there was a fatal pedestrian accident on Rt 9 just South of PJ's.  I don't know the details, but I wrote back in 2010, after an elderly man was hit and killed on that same stretch of highway, that DOT was dropping the ball on the issue of ensuring a safe Route 9.  I really feel they should lower the speed limit there to at least 45MPH because there have simply been too many pedestrian and bicycle accidents on that stretch of roadway over the years. 

Saratoga Thoughts November 14, 2011

• Saratoga restaurants seem to be in one of two distinct groups - the haves (buzz, a social media presence, and lots of business) and the have-nots (no buzz, usually little or no social media presence, and not much business). One of the haves seems to be Capriccio Saratoga, which was doing bang-up business and had a full dining room with people waiting for tables when I stopped in Saturday night. Sure, Saturday is a good night for every restaurant, or so you'd think. Some Spa City restaurants (the have nots) seem to have so-so crowds on even Saturdays, making me concerned for their survival over the long winter.
• I always try to spread my money around in Saratoga, and one of the places I like to buy greeting cards is that Hallmark Store (I guess it's called "Scott's Hallmark Shop") in Congress Plaza. It would be easier to get my cards at CVS or even Price Chopper, but I give Scott's credit for staying in business in an out-of-the-way location in a dying plaza (Friendly's just closed there) so I like to do my part to help a local business. I have to think having Purdy's Liquor Store right next door helps keep them going.
• Not only is the empty downtown Borders location becoming more of an eyesore, but the long empty Big Apple Restaurant is almost the first thing people see after entering the city on Route 9 from the south, and it simply just looks bad. The city has to come up with a plan - too many prominent locations are empty.
• Sabinas Restaurant is the little engine that could. I didn't give them much of a chance a few years ago, but they're chugging along with some in-house diners and take-out customers - some which apparently come in from the neighborhoods around Saratoga Lake. I'm never totally satisfied with Sabinas food, but it's at least pretty good and the restaurant does fill a niche - that being decent Italian food at reasonable prices - in Spa City Dining.

 

• I linked earlier in the week that Hattie's is doing a weekend southern brunch which looks like something different. If anybody tried it out please let me know how it was. C'mon Mr. Sunshine, were you there?
• The In the Biz blog had some interesting information from Sperry's Restaurant.

OK, that's about it for today. Have a great week.

Saratoga thoughts week of October 24, 2011

Well, I'm just not blogging as much as I used to, but I'm happy that I am posting at least once or twice a week.  Here we go for this week's "thoughts" post:

• I've viewed the Saratoga Lip Dub video twice now, and it put me in a great mood both times I saw it.  I realize it wasn't necessarily an original idea, and I don't have an opinion on the money the Chamber spent on it, nor do I have any thoughts on whether it will bring any visitors here to the Spa City, but it was fun anyway.  Hell, anything that gets Mayor Scott Johnson to loosen up a bit (which can be seen about 45 seconds into the video) can't be all bad, right?

 

• So did we find out yet whether The Boss' kid is going to Skidmore???
• Man, did the You Idiot blog sure kiss some serious Riggi butt last week.  He made some good and valid points, but YMCA donations and free cider can't totally wipe out memories of the whole 23 Greenfield travesty. I agree the Riggis deserve some credit in this community, but for a little bit of balance in opinions, I will link here a post from the now dormant, but still accessible, I-Saratoga blog, which had a less than complimentary view of the Riggis a few years back.
• I hate to see any Saratoga business close, and the Zola Kids closing is no exception.  I am truly concerned for Saratoga businesses this winter, and will do my best to do as much of my Christmas shopping downtown as I can.
• I'll also try to support Saratoga Springs as much as my budget and health and fitness concerns allow by dining in our city's many great restaurants when I can.  I have yet to get to Maestro's since their move earlier this year, except for a recent fundraiser at the bar. Their large and beautiful porch is still going strong, with the addition of several heat sources, so perhaps my wife and I can get there for some late autumn alfresco dining.
• Finally, I will link a Times Union Places and Spaces blog entry about a beautiful old home for sale on North Broadway.  It was an interesting read, especially some of the comments.  Have a great week.