Fun in Saratoga

More visitors to Saratoga Springs in first quarter

More visitors to Saratoga Springs in first quarter.

Elizabeth's Table is OPEN!!!!

How cool!  Congratulations to Mike and Liz Phillips for getting their new version of the Cupcake Lab, known as Elizabeth's Table, open after many months of hard work!  Elizabeth's Table made-from-scratch food (with many healthy options ie. gluten free etc.) is so good and uses many local ingredients.  Elizabeth's Table is located at 510 Broadway (Algonquin Building - near the City Center) and I'm not sure of their hours yet, but you can call at 518.490.6610.  To read much more about some great plans Mike and Liz have for Elizabeth's Table, click here.

 

 

Saratoga Mama gives Russo's Restaurant a "Thumbs down" review

It's sometimes difficult to get a good feel for a restaurant within the first week of its opening, but Saratoga Mama ate at Russo's Restaurant this past weekend and it seemed like it was pretty bad.  As the saying goes, "you only get one chance to make a first impression", and it seems like Russo's missed that opportunity with Colleen Pierre, the blogger at Saratoga Mama.

 

Food being sent back, forgotten items, short-staffed, watery and tasteless sauce, and iceberg lettuce are just a few of the problems that the blog post mentioned.  And I'm not being funny about mentioning iceberg lettuce - that is a sign to me, and apparently Saratoga Mama also - that the restaurant is out of touch.  Read her review here, and let's hope Russo's takes her advice "....I think they need to make some changes, and FAST". 

New owners for the Adelphi?

New owners for the Adelphi?.

Olde Saratoga beer dinner at Olde Bryan Inn

Olde Saratoga beer dinner at Olde Bryan Inn.

Mother’s Day at Maestro’s; new spring menu launched

Mother’s Day at Maestro’s; new spring menu launched.

Mother’s Day from Mazzone Hospitality

Mother’s Day from Mazzone Hospitality.

Check out the Turf Club this Friday night!

 

Not-so-great review for Pacific Grill (Added info)

The Times Union reviewed Pacific Grill, and had maybe one or two good things to say and probably a lot more bad to say about the Putnam Street Asian Restaurant.  Reviewer Cheryl Clark was also critical of the whole design of the interior as well.  I have eaten at Pacific Grill probably three times and I don't know why I ever went there after the first time.  I didn't find it awful, just lackluster and disappointing.  Oh well, you can read the T-U review here.  ADDED:  For another similar review on Savoring Saratoga Click here

Saratoga Thoughts April 15, 2012

Saratoga Thoughts - weekend edition:

• Margarita and I ran the Peppertree Rescue 5K yesterday at the Saratoga Spa State Park.  Great cause, great weather, and a great run (OK, a slow, great run).  I probably spent $80 on our race registrations and other items and raffles, but all for a good cause.  It was an unusual 5K b/c probably about half the runners ran with their dogs.  If you are thinking of getting a dog, I would suggest looking at Peppertree because they seem like a well-run organization that really cares about matching the right dog with the right person/family.  Click here for Peppertree's Facebook page and you can like them. 

• It looks like Elizabeth's Table may open this Tuesday.  I am glad it's that close - Mike and Liz Phillips worked their butts off to get the place ready and if their food is half as good as it was at the Cupcake Lab, the place will be a hit.  Give them some support and check it out later this week. 

• I've written on here more than once that I felt (now former) Saratogian sports editor Nicole Russo was an extremely talented writer, and it looks like the Thoroughbred Times has agreed with me because she was hired by the Lexington, Kentucky based company as their internet editor.  Congratulations Nicole!  Her recent departure as sports editor and subsequent replacement by Matthew Donato means the Saratogian has had five different sports editors in just over two years.  
• I wrote a post last week about Siro's either not completing its web sites or letting the URL's expire for its main restaurant on Lincoln as well as Siro's Trattoria web site, the latter of which incidentally closed quietly for the season.  Then I mentioned how I thought the New York City location apparently wasn't opening.  Steve Barnes of the T-U's Table Hopping Blog linked my entry, and then a Siro's manager quickly replied on Table Hopping. I was apparently wrong about the NYC location, which apparently is opening within a month, but the other facts were hard to argue with. Siro's PR people (probably an outside PR firm) contacted the Business Review to do some damage control, and this article was printed Friday.  Well I'm glad The Trattoria at the Lodge is opening back up soon, and I'm really glad the NYC location is opening as well.  Siro's has to pay some more attention to the details, namely completing their web sites and not letting the URL's expire, but I'm glad they're otherwise on track. 
• It says here that Stewart's Crumbs Along the Mohawk Ice Cream is fantastic.
• Below is a picture of a race horse I used to own, now a guide pony, Minister's Appeal, working with his rider at the Oklahoma Track.  I was thrilled when the training track opened last week, but when is the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business Association, or Convention and Tourism Bureau, or better yet all three, going to encourage NYRA to open it to the public, at least on the weekends?  With mimimal effort, you could limit public access to an area near the timer's shed and attract numerous people up here on the weekends from April to November.  That's numerous people, and families, who will eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and, by the way, get all that much more excited to attend the track in the summer which can only help attendance. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

• Who is Amy Sutton, and why does she have so many prominent listings at Roohan Realty?  I seem to see her names on signs everywhere.
• Finally, Margarita and I met some friends last night at Lake Ridge Restaurant in Round Lake (exit 11).  I was never there before but had the feeling for some reason it was a rustic, basic place, but it was very nice inside and had great food and service.  If you're ever looking for a restaurant down that way I do recommend it.

OK folks that's it for now.  It will be nice today (Sunday) and up to 80 tomorrow on Monday. Have a great week!