Fun in Saratoga

Newburgh Beer Dinner at Boca Bistron November 12, 2013

Football Special at PJ's/BarbQSA

BAR-B-QSA FOOTBALL SPECIAL! AVAILABLE ANY DAY THROUGHOUT THE FOOTBALL SEASON

Halfback Option SERVES 4-6 $39.00 plus tax ★ 1 lb. -Your choice of ★ Chopped Brisket Pulled Chicken Pulled Pork ★ 6 Slider Rolls ★ ★ 1 Large BBQ Sauce ★ ★ 1 Rack of Ribs ★ Memphis or Kansas City Style ★ 2 Large Sides -Your choice of ★ BBQ Beans ★ Macaroni Salad Coleslaw ★ Mac & Cheese Curly Q Fries ★ One 2 Liter Bottle of ★ Logan berry or Diet Loganberry   Fullback Option SERVES 8-12 $75.00 plus tax ★ 2 lbs. -Your choice of ★ Chopped Brisket Pulled Chicken Pulled Pork ★ 1 Dozen Slider Rolls ★ ★ 2 Large BBQ Sauces ★ ★ 2 Racks of Ribs ★ Memphis or Kansas City Style ★ 4 Large Sides -Your choice of ★ BBQ Beans ★ Macaroni Salad Coleslaw ★ Mac & Cheese Curly Q Fries ★ Two 2 Liter Bottles of ★ Logan berry or Diet Loganberry

Call 583-7427 to place your order Cannot be combined with other offers, discounts or promotions.

★ Credit Cards Accepted ★ BARBEQUE - IT'S NOT WHAT WE DO... IT'S WHO WE ARE. ® 1 Kaydeross Ave West Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518)583★CHIK (2445)       (518)583★RIBS (7427) www★pjsbarbqsa★com

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Sunday "Family Values" Meals at Maestros

    

Enjoy a great family meal together for a change.....and all for a great value. Only $20 per guest. October Menu Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque Toasted pumpkin seeds & crema Biscuit Basket Warm cheddar, cracked black pepper & sea salt, Apple butter     Choose from the following: Braised Veal Short Rib Chianti braised, bacon Brussels parmesan risotto Grilled Pork Porterhouse Forked baked potato, braised savoy cabbage Pan Seared Chicken Dijon cream sauce, warm French potato salad, green beans Gnocchi Potato gnocchi, leeks, roasted cauliflower, preserved lemon, roasted garlic, white beans, EVOO, grated Romano Jamaican Jerk Catfish Cedar roasted, rice & beans, creole sauce   Pumpkin Chiffone Cheesecake Squares Cinnamon Whipped Cream Each month our Chef's create a new menu which we serve from Noon-10pm every Sunday Make your reservation today!

Saratoga Snippets October 16, 2013

Well life, fatherhood, and a huge amount of back pain has gotten in the way of my blogging.  But that's OK, because I'm very happy being a Dad!  In the meantime, here's a few thoughts - most of which I've been meaning to write about for a few weeks now:

• It seems like quality sports writers from The Saratogian tend to leave our hometown daily soon enough.  That was the case with Nicole Russo, and is now the same thing with Andrew Champagne.   He not only put out good articles with commentary, but a lot of them.  His hard work paid off, and he is moving on to a Horse Racing TV network out in California.  Good luck Andrew!
• Sometime when I wasn't looking, The movie "Ass Backwards", which was partly filmed in Saratoga Springs and Albany, was released direct to video in September.  It reportedly will be released in theaters on November 8th.  If the facts that (1) the movie was filmed back in 2010, (2) had major financial difficulties and was shelved for a while along the way, and (3) went to video on demand before being released in theaters doesn't make you as uninspired as I am on this movie's prospects, perhaps the trailer below will seal the deal for you.  I always want anything associated with Saratoga to succeed, but this flick seems like a dog to me.  We'll know soon enough. In the meantime, you can watch the film on demand via Amazon.com.

 

• Speaking of movies filmed in Saratoga, how is it that I never heard of the movie "Aftermath" being filmed here in the Spa City?   Perhaps because it was filmed in 2006 and apparently has been mothballed until early this year, when it looks like it was shown at the Cinequest Film Festival.  The thriller, starring Anthony Michael Hall and Tony Danza, was also the last film for the late actor Chris Penn. Penn died in 2006, which is a clear indicator of how long this film has been languishing.  That's a heck of a delay, much worse than Ass Backwards.  Netflix lists the movie, but has a notation "DVD availability date unkown".  I guess there were scenes filmed at Clancy's Tavern on Caroline Street, but I don't know much else about the filming locations.  Please comment if you can add some knowledge on this.  You can watch the Trailer below:

 

• And continuing with movies, I am nothing less than thrilled about the new downtown theater.  Margarita and I are looking forward to walking downtown for some nice entertainment - and to have a clue what the Oscar-nominated movies are all about during the awards ceremony.  Of course, with a newborn baby in the house, I don't know how often we will get out, but it's exciting to know the movie theater is here.
• Shifting gears, it seems like the groundwork is being laid to develop the St. John Neumann residence next to St. Clements Church on Lake Avenue.  The parcel is apparently going to be split up so the vacant residence building is on its own parcel.   What else could that mean other than an effort to sell it? It's a picturesque site with many large beautiful trees giving nice shade and serenity to that area.  I hope any development there keeps those trees, the beauty of the building, and the residential nature of that neighborhood. I feel another condo development coming on.
• If you haven't been to Congress Plaza lately, the portion of the building slated for demolition is completely gone.  It really looks a lot different there.
• Speaking of Congress Plaza, I really appreciate the CVS plaza being open 24 hours.
• So when's Papa Johns opening?  Inquiring (and hungry) minds want to know. 
• I wonder how Jacobs and Anthony's is doing?  I was walking by there the other day and I want to go there in theory, but when I'm in the mood to go out to dinner it just doesn't excite me.  I was there for dinner once when it first opened and it was just OK.  The dining room is comfortable, but to me there are just better choices in that price point.
• I don't like the new Saratogian's print edition; the appearance has the appeal of USA Today.  It looks too much like the Times Union as well.  The extra-early deadline, imposed because the T-U is now printing the paper, is only going to make our hometown paper that much less relevant. On the plus side, the new web site looked sharp and clean at my first glance.
• Has Breuggers reopened yet? Will it ever reopen?
• Continuing on restaurants, I wonder which ones will close this winter.  There are usually at least a few that don't make it through the winter.
• I've been to Cookies & Milk a couple of times.  Really cool.  Go there.
• NYRA finally has what I call the floating horse numbers on the bottom of the screen for simulcasts. You know, those computer generated colored and numbered bubbles that show you where your horse is on the track. Other tracks have had them for years, but now NYRA tracks finally have them.  I can sleep well now.

OK folks, that's it for now. Enjoy the rest of the week.

Thanksgiving at Maestros

 Thanksgiving offerings from Maestro's are below.  Click here to find out what Putnam Market is offering for Thanksgiving. 

Prix Fixe Thanksgiving Dinner Serving Dinner 12-8pm $29 Adults $15 Children Appetizers (choice of one) Butternut Squash Bisque with Warm Nutmeg Crema Five Cheese Ravioli  Broccoli Rabe, Garlic Confit, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, Sweet  Ricotta Artisan Lettuce Dried Cranberries, Roasted Golden Beets, Sugared Walnuts, Chevre, Minus 8 Vinaigrette Our Chef's Famous Maryland Crab Cake Duck Bruschetta Entrees (Choice of one) Traditional Roast Tom Turkey Dinner White and/or dark meat, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, traditional sausage stuffing, maple roasted yams, house made cranberry sauce, wild sage gravy. Family Style cream corn w/pearl onions, green bean casserole with fried onions, Herb roasted  mushrooms, House made breads and rolls, or Grilled Pork Porterhouse with sweet potato gnocchi, brown butter, sage, caramelized apples, braised Brussels sprouts, Calvados demi glace   or Pan Roasted Alaskan Salmon Filet with baked cornbread cranberry stuffing, buttered bream beans, vanilla parsnip puree, tangerine butter or Center Cut Angus Filet Mignon with Augratin potatoes, braised greens with house  cured bacon, roasted wild mushrooms, cabernet demi glace ($15 supplement) Dessert Two great Options for Dessert included Option #1 Enjoy dessert here All American Apple or Pumpkin Pie Pecan Pie w Cinnamon cream Pumpkin Creme Brulee w/ maple cookie Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake w/ hazelnut sauce Option #2 Take dessert home for later! We will package freshly baked pumpkin and apple pie for you to enjoy at home --------------------- Make your reservation now! Spend Thanksgiving with us. Maestro's at the Van Dam 353 Broadway * Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 518.580.0312 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              518.580.0312      end_of_the_skype_highlighting Maestro's To Go! Let us do the cooking for you! Three Great Options Dinner for Two Dark & White Roast  Turkey Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Wild Sage Gravy Maple Roasted Yams Classic Sausage Stuffing Green Bean Casserole Cranberry Sauce Creamed Corn & Pearl Onions Apple & Pumpkin Pie Breads & rolls Only $85 Dinner for 8-10 14-16 lb. Roast Tom Turkey Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Wild Sage Gravy Maple Roasted Yams Classic Sausage Stuffing Green Bean Casserole Cranberry Sauce       Creamed Corn & Pearl Onions Apple & Pumpkin Pie   Breads & rolls Just $235 Have your heart set on cooking your own bird?? You cook the turkey and let us take care of the side dishes! Feed 8-10 Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes Wild Sage Gravy Maple Roasted Yams Classic Sausage Stuffing Green Bean Casserole Cranberry Sauce Creamed Corn & Pearl Onions Apple & Pumpkin Pie Breads & rolls All for $135 All packages must be ordered and paid for no later than November 17th. Packages can be picked up on Thanksgiving day between the hours of 10am and 2pm

New menu and Monday night live music at Brook Tavern

Order your free-range Thanksgiving turkey from Putnam Market

Putnam Market if offering these birds from Misty Knoll Farm in Vermont.  Get your order in by November 20th.  Click here for the latest newsletter from Putnam Market which includes some information about their Thanksgiving offerings, and here for their Turkey Day menu.

Columbus day is the last day to get PJ's charcoal cooked ribs in 2013!

PJ's is open year round these days, but as the weather gets colder they shut down their outside charcoal grill and go exclusively to indoor electric grilling.  All of PJ's food is great, but the charcoal flavored ribs are absolutely the best so get there by Monday - otherwise you'll be waiting until spring.

Calling all PJ's Original Rib Lovers! Click here to view online.

CALLING ALL PJ's ORIGINAL RIB LOVERS!!   Although PJ's BAR-B-QSA is open YEAR ROUND.... PJ's original charcoal grilled ribs will be available for a limited time only.... thru October 14, 2013. Call us today to place your PJ's Rib order hot off the grill... or frozen for your convenience... while supplies last!   Follow Us:   PJ's BAR-B-QSA 1 Kaydeross Ave W, Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866 (518)583-RIBS (7427) (518)583-CHICK (2445) www.pjsbarbqsa

First Night 5K registration is open

In yet another sign that winter is on its way, The First Night 5K registration is now open for you brave and hearty souls who choose to run it.  As in the past few years, the number of runners will be capped at 1,500, so be one of the early registrants and you won't have to worry about getting blocked out. 

Don't forget the Fasig-Tipton auction on Monday starting at 11am

The Saratoga Fasig-Tipton auctions in August are big events, but the fall sale, in just its second year, sort of falls below the radar.  It is more officially known as the Saratoga Mixed and Horses of Racing Age sale, and it will be held tomorrow, Monday October 7th starting at 11am and going well into the afternoon.

 

It's not as high-end (and therefore not as dressy) as the August affairs; in fact it's downright laid back, but still interesting and fun.  For more information, including an on-line catalog, click here.