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Archive for the ‘Saratoga economic development’ Category

 I don't have a lot of thoughts this week, but I do have a few links to share:

• Want 20% off your order at Saratoga Coffee Traders?  Click here

20% OFF your entire order. This coupon may not be used with any other coupons or promotions. Print out and present to cashier or show on your smartphone. Feel free to share this coupon with friends and family Exspires: June 15th 2012

• Check out Savoring Saratoga's blog post about the Saratoga Food Tours.
• Saratoga Arts has announced their 2012 workshop series.  They are all free and open to the public, and include topics like making slide presentations, copywrite and intellectual property, grantwriting workshop, and gallery submission process.  Click here to learn more.
• The Saratoga Farmers Market has a new Saturday vendor - Slyboro Cider House.  This isn't Hannaford mass produced cider, these people take it to a new old level:  Still ciders, sparkling ciders, ice ciders...Slyboro Cider House reintroduces the lost craft of American Ciders."  Cool!  I hope they have samples - I would like to try the ice ciders.  They sound sweet.

• Click here for the May newsletter for Longfellow's and the Olde Bryan Inn.
• Maestro's is celebrating a year at the new place.  Check out their party on Monday May 21.
• Here's the latest news from Saratoga Arts Fest
• I'm a little late, but check out local blogger Tom Noonan's comments on the Kentucky Derby, and be sure to look for his analysis on the site before the Preakness.
• It would appear that Chianti is going after the Vegetarian/Vegan dollar - at least on Tuesdays:

• Chianti's sister restaurant, Forno Bistro, is continuing it's Tuesday night takeout special:

• Don't forget The Wine Bar has some nice Monday night specials.
• Well that's it for now. Have a great week. Don't forget PJ's Bar-B-QSA is opening tomorrow (Tuesday)

I'm very happy for John and Carolyn Davis, and their kids Johnnie and Jady, for this Tuesday's (May 15, 2012) grand opening of the new, year round, PJ's Bar-B-QSA Restaurant.  I definitely want to be there on its first day, and I imagine hundreds of others will be as well.  See you there!

Click here for PJ's Bar-B-QSA web site 

Click here for PJ's Bar-B-QSA Facebook Page 

Click here for PJ's Bar-B-QSA Twitter feed

I stopped into PJ's Barbecue   PJ's Bar-B-QSA on Friday and caught up with John "PJ" Davis and got an impromptu tour of the new place, which he tells me could open as soon as this week.  The new place looks awesome and I am happy to report that much of the outside, including the covered areas with the picnic tables and the "PJ the DJ" booth, are exactly the same.   Stay tuned to find out the exact opening date, but don't be surprised if it's this weekend.

Congratulations to the owners of Saratoga Olive Oil for not only getting through their first year, but for doing so well that they are expanding in Vermont!  This weekend the owners will be celebrating their one year anniversary and that means lots of treats, deals, and other promotions.   Stop by this Saturday May 5 (10am-7pm) or Sunday May 6 (10am-6pm) for FREE truffle popcorn made with their original Truffle Butter olive oil and Truffle Sea Salt. Yum!  As good as that sounds, that is certainly an adult indulgence that the kiddies may not appreciate, so they will also have free balloons to keep the little ones happy.   Plus there will be a prize wheel, a $100 gift basket giveaway and 10% off everything in the store.  See you there!

Siro's Restaurant has unveiled a new web site, however it barely makes mention of the original Siro's Saratoga location or Siro's Trattoria at the Lodge.  Other than a passing reference in the "About" part, the web site only acknowledges the New York City site.  And in fact, the word "Location" (singular, as opposed to "Locations") and the "Contact Us" link only list the Manhattan Restaurant.  Kind of odd, don't you think?  Well maybe it's a work in progress, but it just seemed odd. 

Well it's not often that Saratoga Springs related restaurant happenings are reported on in the Wall Street Journal, but I noticed this article in the Wall Street Journal from a few days ago reporting on what we all know - namely that Siro's will be opening a location in NYC with new partner Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.   You can read the article here.  Also,  Forbes Magazine web site mentioned  about a party there with a picture from the inside of the place.  It's big and looks very New York City-like.  Go figure.

The Business Review has the article and slideshow here.

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 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!