A while back I was excited to read about the planned opening of Sabina's Woodfired Restaurant on Union Avenue across from the racetrack, in the old Bruno's location. My excitement about Sabina's stemmed from the fact that (1) it was in my neighborhood and (2) I believe and have written previously on here about the need for neighborhood restaurants, in addition to those downtown, in order to keep the city vibrant.
I have been to Sabina's twice, once to dine in and once for take-out, and know three other people that have eaten there as well. The problem is that as much as I want the place to succeed, I found the food just so-so, perhaps approaching good, and two of the three aforementioned people seem to agree with me on that. I had the Lasagna Ravioli one night, and it was good but not great, and the lasagna pizza another night (I guess I like lasagna flavored items - looks like we all know one blogger that better back off the cholesterol and get to the gym). The pizza was overcooked almost to the point of being burned, and therefore it was dry.
UPDATED: Some other friends subsequently told me they liked the food there.
On the plus side, One of the three aforementioned people I know thinks that Sabina's has the best pizza in town. Also, the owners and staff are friendly, and as my look into the kitchen indicated, they sure work hard there and seem dedicated to their profession. I just feel that in a bad economy and with an out of the way location (at least 46 weeks out of the year) they need to be blow people out of the water in order to make it. I will try their pizza again, based on my friend's enthusiastic recommendations, and hopefully this one will be as good as he says they are.
On a related note along the Saratoga woodfired pizza trail, I stopped out at a party last month at the Harvest & Hearth Woodfired Artisan Pizza, located about 6 or 7 miles out of town on Fish Creek. The place is big and is located in a nice location with docking spaces for boats and it gives you both a country and lake/river feel for such a short drive. The place was busy and the pizza was good - again not great. The place is big and it has a separate back room which is ideal for a party. Again the location is nice and if you're looking for a change of pace with a bit of a country and nautical feel then this may be the place.
For those of you who think that all I do is eat fattening foods in and around Saratoga and write about my dining, or rather, eating experiences on this blog, well maybe there is a little truth to that. Hey it's all about the blogging for your benefit. On the plus side I did run the Lake Placid half marathon last weekend and finished in a respectable 2 hours and 2 minutes. The trouble is, at the rate of my eating-blogging, I'll have to keep running (hello Boilermaker!) so I don't gain weight this summer. Well I hope you're enjoying these entries and feel that perhaps they are informative.
Looks like the pizza place on Fish Creek is in the building that used to house Chameleon on the Lake?
Posted by: ljk | June 23, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Yes you are correct. I forgot to link a Saratoga Seen posting from last December on the place, which mentions that it was formerly Chameleon on the Lake. To view that entry, click on: http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/go-now-to-harvest-hearth/945/
Posted by: Dan | June 23, 2009 at 10:12 AM
I have to disagree with this review of Sabina's. I have been there for both lunch and dinner with my wfie and we had a wonderful meal each time. The lasagna pizza was incredible. Could not wait to go back and get it again. As a matter of fact we are going for lunch tomorrow. We will be there at Noon! On top of the great food we found the service was exceptional I will go back many, many more times.
Posted by: Mike | March 27, 2010 at 08:57 PM
Well Mike, as you can see this entry was posted 9 months ago, so I am not sure if the place has changed for the better or if I just have a different opinion than you. Since I did eat there soon after it opened and may have suffered through some early hiccups, maybe I should give it a chance again. Take care.
Posted by: Dan | March 27, 2010 at 11:17 PM