Fun in Saratoga

You will soon have to pay to get Saratogian articles on line

The All Over Albany blog has the story here how both The Saratogian and The Record will soon have paywalls on them - which means you'll have to pay to get articles.   It is part of a national strategy by the papers' parent company Digitial First Media. 

 

Sign up for one of eight Northshire Bookstore Reading Groups

I am copying an email below from Northshire Bookstore:

We are getting ready to launch eight reading groups in the new year!
Register now!

"Northshire Cookbook Reading Group" We will meet on the third Tuesday of every month beginning on January 16th at 6pm in the evening at Spring Street Gallery, 110 Spring Street.  If you love to cook, collect cookbooks, nosh on home prepared foods and talk of food and the kitchen, don't miss out on this irresistible group! Email Maureen Sager, maureen.sager@gmail.com for more details.   "Truth and Tales Reading Group" Approaching each topic from a factual and then fictional perspective, the group will explore a myriad of topics from art, history, mythology, women's studies and religion by reading one book from an historical/biographical account, followed the next month by a fictional version of the same or similar topic. Email Maeve Noonan, mnoonan@northshire.com if you are interested in joining this group.   "Northshire Poetry Reading Group" Whether an anthology or work by an individual poet, each month, our poetry reading group will enjoy a new volume of poetry from which group members will choose a poem to be read aloud and then discuss. Contact Carol Graser at cgraser@northshire.com to join.   "The Armchair Explorer's Reading Group" Travel the world with a selection of novels set throughout time and around the globe. Each month we'll explore a new country and discuss the characters and themes that make up the culture, giving each novel its unique atmosphere.Please contact Amelia Stymacks, astymacks@northshire.com, for more information.   "The End of the World Reading Group" Is the end really near?  Explore a genre that may be predicting the future without even knowing it.  Prepare for post-apocalyptic worlds, the thrill of hostile takeovers, dangerous dystopias, and more. Consider the end of the world with Tara and Jess E as your knowledgeable guides! To register, contact Jess at jelder@northshire.com or Tara at tswahlan@northshire.com. "'WeAreNotTooOldForThis' Reading Group" Are "adult" books just not cutting it for you? Do you love reading about early life struggles, first loves, angst and dreams? Whether it be contemporary fiction, paranormal romance, or sci-fi adventure, booksellers Tara and Paige invite you to join like minded adult readers of YA fiction. Contact Tara at tswahlan@northshire.com or Paige at pmushaw@northshire.com for more info. "Knit Wits Reading Group" Knit Wits, Northshire's new reading group for knitters is here to save you from cold lonely winter nights - or at least one of them every month! Designed for knitters of every level, we will try new patterns and read new books!  We will explore books of all different genres, and new knitting projects each month. Leah suggests listening to the audio-book while working on your yarn project - improve your mind and your wardrobe at the same time! Please contact Leah, lmoore@northshire.com for more information about this fun monthly group. "Reading Salinger Reading Group" Starting with the new biography, Salinger, by David Shields, this reading  group will then move on to explore the remainder of Salinger's fiction.  The initial meeting will take place on Monday, February 3rd,  at 7pm in "the Library"  of the Crown Grill in downtown Saratoga Springs, with future meetings on the first Monday of every month thereafter. Registration will be limited to 15. Please email Pat Friesen, mcfriesen2@gmail.com to enroll or receive additional information

Tickets are on sale now for three great upcoming events!

Friday, November 15, 7:30 pm, Holiday Inn Saratoga:  Mitch Albom, The First Phone Call From Heaven             Friday, December 6, 7 pm, Saratoga City Center:  Doris Kearns Goodwin, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism            Wednesday, December 11, 7 pm, The Saratoga Ballroom of the Saratoga Hilton:  Ann Patchett, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage

The best in digital reading, here at your independent bookstore: Kobo

The Kobo Glo or the Kobo Mini are a great gift to give to the digital reader, while supporting your local indie bookstore. Kobo offers over 3 million eBook titles - including best sellers, hidden gems, Indie Next List great reads, and other recommendations - that can be downloaded instantly over Wi Fi, making it the ultimate in convenience. How to get started? Easy - one, two, three: Set up your Kobo account at kobobooks.com through a link on our website, or via your Kobo Mini or Glo eReader bought from our store. Login to kobobooks.com with your new account to browse, search for, and buy eBooks. Start reading! Download a free Kobo reading App here to read on your smartphone, computer, or tablet. (You can also purchase eBooks through the app. Sign into the app with your new Kobo account and continue to support this store. We sure do appreciate it!)

20% off Indiebound Hardcover Bestsellers!  Don't forget to check out the latest books on the Indiebound Bestseller List. Each of the top ten hardcover books on the Indiebound bestseller list is discounted 20% at the Northshire Bookstore. To see the latest bestsellers, visit us online or stop by the store.

Thank you for supporting independent bookselling!

Check out new restaurant 15 Church's new web site and Facebook page

This restaurant, which has been in the works since earlier this year, will make great use of a historic building behind the post office.  The owners and the chef have a great following and I believe this place is going to be special and am in eager anticipation.  You can link 15 Church's web site here and its Facebook page here.

 

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.

New Times Union restaurant critic reviews Jack Dillon's Farm to Fork Cuisine

New Times Union restaurant critic Bryan Fitzgerald reviewed Jack Dillon's Farm to Fork cuisine in today's edition.  The review can be found here and the Table Hopping blog post, which includes readers' comments, can be found here.

 

You may recall I gave an overview of my dinner there early last month.  The Times Union gave Jack Dillon's a very good review, which was consistent with my experience.  Let's hope he can keep it going over the long winter months.

Wonderful News!

Just over two weeks ago, Margarita gave birth to our beautiful daughter Antonella Eva.  Obviously, blogging comes way down the list after feeding her, diaper changes, reading to her and generally loving this precious gift that my wife and I have been waiting a long time for.  So hopefully in the coming weeks I will fire up the ol' blog and start posting again - after all I have so much to say - but for now, fatherhood comes first.  Take care folks - life is good!

 

 

 

Jack Dillon's: Worth the short drive

Margarita and I recently had dinner at Jack Dillon's Farm To Fork Cuisine, the relatively new restaurant on South Boadway where the Big Apple restaurant previously was.  The long and short of it is it's worth getting off the beaten path of downtown's Broadway and going to Jack Dillon's.

First of all, let's give former Siro's chef-owner Tom Dillon credit for having the confidence to go out and open a restaurant in a large building on Saratoga's restaurant skid row.  In addition to the Big Apple, that location was the site of the brief stay of Morrissey’s and before that, the Joe Collins Restaurant for many years.   It says here that Dillon still has what it takes to run a first-rate restaurant and it is so satifsying to patronize an establishment where the owner, and consequently the staff in both the front and back of the house, both have a cool confidence and know what they are doing.

It's great to have restaurants offer locally produced food, and I should note there are many Saratoga area restaurants that have been doing just that quite well for years.  Jack Dillon's does it while offering a unique and pleasing overall experience with great service, presentation, and taste.  This is a minor point but something I appreciated: even the bread service had a level of proficiency and thought to it. 

Margarita ordered the fluke, which was breaded and pan fried with a tropical theme - it was served with a cooked banana still in the skin,  and a mango, onion, and parsley salad.  I ordered the wood fired salmon, which came with polenta and a remoulade.  As  you can see from the pictures above and below, they were presented beautifully and tasted as good as they look. 

So venture out of downtown every now and again and try a restaurant or two in the outlying stretches.  You might just like what you find. 

For Steve Barnes' comments about Jack Dillon's on his Table Hopping blog, click here.

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First look: Jack Dillon's in Saratoga Springs

Istanblue Restaurant: Not so great

I have been looking forward to dining at Istanblue Mediterranean Cuisine ever since I heard about its planned opening.  I like Lebanese and Greek food, and understand that Turkish food, which Istanblue specializes in, is similar.

Margarita and I dined at the relatively new restaurant, located in the former Friendly's location at Congress Plaza, Wednesday night.  Our experience was disappointing, and I don't know if the place will last until January. 

There's a certain cluelessness about the operation there.  We were in our seats for several minutes and given water and bread without a word from the young staff members working in what are apparently support roles, but no one came back to take a drink order.  That became somewhat understandable when our waiter, who eventually arrived on the scene, informed us that they didn't have a liquor license yet.  That's not so unique to new restaurants, but Istanblue initially opened without even a web site, so I'm not sure if the lack of liquor (during track season!) was the owner's inexcusable lack of planning or the New York State Alcohol Control Board not being efficient.  In any event I don't know when the liquor license will arrive but the lack of one seems to be affecting business; there were only five tables occupied when we arrived at 7:20PM on the Wednesday before the Travers.  I should acknowledge the server was friendly and relatively knowledgeable about the menu.

It started off all right, and Margarita's  lentil soup was good and a the smoothness of the pureed beans created a different taste and texture.  She also ordered the chicken kabobs $16), and I ordered the Iskender ($18), which the menu described as Lamb and beef gyro, zesty red sauce, yogurt and hot butter sauce over seasoned seared pita. 

Our waiter said there was a mistake in the kitchen with my entree, which caused Margarita's meal to be served minutes before mine.  OK, stuff happens.  And the kabobs were moist and very good, but the Iskender had a pungency and flavor that didn't agree with me.  That may be understandable - after all I was trying a new cuisine - but I didn't enjoy the meat or the red sauce.   In all fairness, I nearly got sick the first time I tried Indian food, and I eventually acquired a taste for it.  Nonetheless, the iksender was supposed to come with pita, but instead it was served over the exact same type of bread that was served before the dinner.  That made me wonder.  I didn't realize this bread was a diversion off the menu  until I got home and reviewed the menu and started writing this mini-review.  I get annoyed when the menu says one thing and you end up getting something different.

So maybe Istanblue will get a clue (that rhyme was unintended) and hit their stride and perhaps find a niche this fall amongst returning Skidmore students, who tend to be more open-minded about trying new cuisines, pungency and poor service or not.  The uniqueness and potential of the food, especially in Saratoga Springs which has a limited variety of ethnic restaurants (lots of Asian, Italian, and Mexican but little else), gives me some hope.  Otherwise, Istanblue has a long long way to go if it is to survive the challenging and competitive Saratoga restaurant scene

Wednesday's Saratoga Farmers' Market update

The crops are coming in and there are wonderful things to be found at Wednesday's Farmers' Market, held from 3-6pm at the High Rock Pavilions.  Find out more here.