Fun in Saratoga

Cold Stone Creamery for sale?

It would appear that the ice cream franchise location on Broadway is indeed for sale, assuming the internet listings I found here and here are still current. 

I'm travelling this week and have been busy all summer. Let's hope I can get some blogging in later this week. Have a good one folks.

 

 

Check out the new handcrafted cocktail list from Panza's - 28 Tables!

I received the following information from Panza's/28 Tables regarding their new handcrafted cocktail list.  Damn these sure look good - to be blunt they make me want to drink!  Here is the release along with a few flyers:

At 28 Tables we are offering a new Handcrafted Cocktail list. Prices range from 9.00 - 12.00 and will offer about 8 drinks.  The new drink menu drops this Thursday night (7/26). 

We are still offering the late night menu on Friday and Saturday till midnight with the addition of a DJ starting at 10pm on Friday night.

Here is the drink list:

• The Piggly Wiggly Bloody Mary: Milk Stout Bloody Mary mix with Bacon Infused Vodka
• Lychee Martini : Vanilla Vodka, Lychee Puree, Cointreau, Ginger Simple
• Erratic Cuke: Lanazul Tequila, St. Germain, Cucumber Juice, Chili Infused Simple
• Risley Mule : Bombay Sapphire Gin, Lime/Mint Muddle, Ginger simple, Goslings Ginger Beer
• Tombstone Sazerac: Old Overhotl Rye, Amaro, Honey Simple, Peychaud Bitters, Lemon
• Zara Luxardo: Grey Goose vodka, Amaretto, Luxardo Cherry Juice, Cherry/Lime Muddle, Club Soda
• Man Law #2 : Rye, Sherry, Grand Marnier, Angostura, Soda, Brulee of sugar (yes we will be using a blow torch at the bar)
• Kentucky Sidecar: Red Stag Cherry Bourbon, Licor 43, Grapefruit Juice, peychaud bitters, spiced sugar, grilled orange
• Sparkling White Peach Sangria: House made Chardonnay and Brandy mix with peaches, apple and white cranberry, soda

OK these drinks look really good, and I'll be going there this weekend with some friends to try the place for dinner, so I'll report back on here how the drinks and food were.  Check back on here next week for a full report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saratoga thoughts July 23, 2012

Thought, thoughts, and more thoughts.  Here we go.

• Wow! What terrific weather for opening weekend.  What unfortunately wasn't so terrific seemed to be the attendance - there was a nice crowd but plenty of empty seats, parking spaces, and from my very unscientific perusal - hotel parking spaces.  That is not a dismal thing - I think it's just the fact that many people, both Capital District residents as well as out-of-towners, don't get too excited about track season until August.  Still, with the near-perfect weather, I would have liked more people.
• One guy who wasn't complaining this weekend was jockey Ramon Dominguez.  Congratulations Ramon on your record six wins on Sunday!
• I really appreciated the weather during the Silks and Satins 5K.  It was cool and almost misty during the race - and Margarita and I enjoyed the run through the east side.  A big thanks to all the volunteers and corporate sponsors.
• Well there sure was a lot of hoopla about the food choices this season at the track.  The owner of Hattie's sure complained with her new location in the Carousel, but there was a line for me to wait in when I went to Hattie's stand at the track on Sunday.  I would think twice about going to Hattie's again - I made what I thought was a simple request and asked for an extra plate so the three of us could share a fried chicken dinner and a few salads and they said they didn't have any.  I pointed to the containers they serve the food in and they said they are inventoried and they couldn't give one of them either.  Four pieces of fried chicken is a lot for one person for lunch on a hot day - so we wanted to share.  C'mon Hattie's get with it.
• On that subject, it would be nice if they could reserve some of the tables in the Carousel for the diners at Hattie's, Shirley's etc. - there was nowhere to sit because the betters just sort of squatted there.  The kicker, and therefore the answer, was that the upstairs part of the Carousel was completely empty. If they set it up for betters to sit (with TVs etc.) so the diners could dine downstairs that would work.
• Still talking about track food - I see Duo also has a booth.  I'm just not feelin Sushi at the track.  I'm also not feelin Moe's - not so much an anti-Mexican thing - just an anti chain thing.  Chains are fine in their place - like Wilton. 
• The music at Hats Off Weekend was fantastic as well - at least the two bands I saw were.  Maximus, playing on Caroline Street, was really good.  The lead singer reminded me of Leather Tuscadaro - at least from 30 feet without my glasses (You probably have to be over 40 to get that Leather Tuscadaro reference).  Captain Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers were just phenomenal, and I really enjoyed their last set, which included not only their signature cajun numbers, but some inspired renditions of Beatles and Doobies songs, to name a few. 

 

What wasn't so great was my experience on the Saratoga Chamber's web site when I looked up info for the Hats Off Festival.  I had to search the relatively small font on the front page to find the Hats Off information.  That information should have been featured in a large banner or something, but the Saratoga chamber's web site is old and tired - even the colors are drab - and doesn't offer a way to feature timely information.  Maybe a new site is already in the works, but if not then they really should get going on that. 

• When I was downtown during the festival I hated seeing the empty storefronts - the old Borders and Grey Gelding locations sure stood out.  But there were some bright spots - like the new place in the old Divinly Revolution location, and Boca Bistro sure looked great.
• Going further down Broadway, I predicted a while back that the Thirsty Owl Wine Tasting room would be open by track season. As the below picture shows, it sure seems like they are doing major work there and there is still a ways to go.  They originally hoped to open by July 1st, but it seems more like it will be late August before they finish. Travers weekend? 

 

• Attorneys for trainer Rick Dutrow, whose 10 year suspension was just upheld by the State Supreme Court Appelate Division, defiantly declared they would appeal the latest ruling to the New York State Court of Appeals.  The sports reporters covering this case apparently weren't well versed on the New York court system, because the two articles I read failed to mention that Dutrow has an extremely low chance to even have his appeal heard by New York's top court, much less win.  Dutrow must request "leave to appeal" and those requests are rarely granted - in probably well less than five percent of the cases.  Obtaining leave to appeal can be done, in fact I was involved in a successful effort once, but the odds are against him - and this is just to get his case before the court - then he has to win.  If Rick Dutrow doesn't think these justices read the papers, and therefore know about the problems in the horse racing industry as well as Governor Andrew Cuomo's recently expressed concerns, he's not smelling the coffee. My money says this appeal goes nowhere.
• Let's end with some pizza.  I'm not a big coupon user but Inferno Pizza has some pretty good coupon deals in the Saratogian's What's Happening Thursday insert, as well as on-line here.

OK folks, have a great week.  See ya at Inferno!

Come meet Tom Durkin

Come meet and hear "the voice of NYRA" as veteran sports journalist, Mike Kane, has
a conversation with race track announcer, Tom Durkin, about his career of 20 plus
years.  This event will be held at the Saratoga Springs Library this coming Monday, July 23 at 7 PM in the H. Dutcher Community Room, and is part of the Library's "Saratoga's Racing Legends" series.

Durkin has been bringing his special brand of excitement to race fans at Aqueduct
Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course since 1990. A native of Chicago,
Durkin studied theatre at St. Norbert College and began calling races at county
fairs in Wisconsin in the early 1970s. Including the Breeders' Cup, which he called
from its inception in 1984 through 2005, and the Triple Crown, which he called
through 2010, Durkin has called races at more than 50 tracks in six countries."

Saratoga thoughts July 17, 2012

Heeere's Johnny Track season!  And here's what I'm thinking near the eve of the 144th meet of the Saratoga Race Course:

• If you love Saratoga a fraction as much as I do, then give a hand to John Morrissey, whose vision a century and a half ago to make Saratoga Springs a horse racing center (OK, a horse racing and gambling center) really made the Spa City what it is today, and ultimately saved us from becoming another Amsterdam, Utica etc.  Without John Morrissey (and  William R. Travers, John R. Hunter, and Leonard Jerome) we likely would not have a track season in Saratoga. If you don't know who John Morrissey is, then I'll link a Wikipedia entry on him here. That entry doesn't do him justice - and he wasn't all good - but he sure was a thinker and a doer, not to mention a great boxer.   
• The Saratoga Race Course meet may be starting on July 20th, but NBC's TV coverage of Saratoga won't start until three weeks into the season, on August 11th when the NBC Sports Network broadcasts the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap. That's a big difference from last year, when NBC was covering races starting on July 23rd.  Tell me again why Time-Warner doesn't carry HRTV? 
• Virgin Alexander, the movie filmed in and around Saratoga Springs, gets released on Amazon today, and presumably will also be available on Netflix as well.  Margarita and I saw it last year at the Spectrum, and you can read my review that I wrote about the movie here.  I'll also post a video of the trailer below - note that the opening scene is Gardiner's Alley behind Uncommon Grounds above Putnam Den.

• Damn they did a nice job on the Route 9P bridge over the Northway.  It looks clean and modern - not to mention roomy enough for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• If you were wondering what happened to Jamie Munks, who recently left the Saratogian, she is now writing for the Post-Star, which I believe is where she originally was working.  She wrote this article this week about the upcoming track season.
• Here's a Forbes article about Philanthropy in Saratoga Springs.  Don't worry, I didn't read it either.
• Did you know the National Museum of (Thoroughbred) Racing and Hall of Fame, located of course here in Saratoga Springs on Union Avenue, has an app that you can download?  I use the RedLaser app, but there are others too, to scan for apps, videos etc.  You can download Red Laser or one of the others and then scan this below to get the Racing Museum app: 

    

• So is Siro's Restaurant ever going to acknowledge on their web site that their original restaurant, you know, the one that's been around since World War 2, is located in Saratoga Springs - and not Manhattan?  Other than the music calendar and some historical references, you'd never know there is a Siro's in upstate NY.  Ditto Siro's Facebook page, which is all about Manhattan - just three days before track season. 
• Speaking of NYC, a reader alerted me to this New York Times article about Genting's Aqueduct Casino, which of course affects NYRA and therefore Saratoga directly.
• Around and about: It's the Final Week of the NYC Ballet at SPAC.  Next year, opening week will be final week.  What a change a few years makes. You have until Thursday to get $20 off a bill (minimum $60 total purchase) at Chianti.  Saratoga Coffee Traders talks about their family and offers a coupon here.  The Silks and Satins 5K will be held this Saturday, and they are still looking for volunteers.

That's about it for now folks.  I have a busy week ahead, so I have no idea if I will get a chance to post more before next week.  Enjoy opening day - the weather looks like it will be absolutely great!

Snapshot: ★★★½ for Mio Posto

Snapshot: ★★★½ for Mio Posto.

Mazzone Hospitality, Wishing Well advance to cookoff finals

Mazzone Hospitality, Wishing Well advance to cookoff finals.

Everything you want to know about dining at the track

Everything you want to know about dining at the track.

Check out nearly 200 old Saratoga photos on the Times Union web site

Click here to see some great old photos of Saratoga Springs (like the one of the track in 1938 below) on the Times Union web site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke and Fire moving up to Broadway near the Post Office

Maybe having a head shop next door will help the U.S. Post Office, at least locally.  Anyway Smoke and Fire, currently on Caroline Street in that short "rough and tumble" section along with Trotters, Clancy's, and an Indian Restaurant. OK, maybe it's not so rough and tumble, anyway Smoke and Fire is moving up to Broadway, as indicated below: