The real dish on Noah’s. Fall menu scoop. ‘Comfort wines.’
PLUS: Ruth Reichl and why you should leave Saratoga for dinner — sometimes.
Pull up a chair! This week’s Dish serves up everything from foodie A-listers to fall menus — everything you need to know about the food and social scene in Saratoga Springs.
The real Dish on Noah’s (or at least what they’re doing with all that space)
I’d been wondering how Noah’s Italian is planning on filling that enormous space at 43 Phila Street. While there’s been a lot of talk about the food — sure to be great between the titular Noah Frese of Siro’s fame and Danny Petrosino of Danny’s fame — and even the white tablecloth experience, chef tastings and private events, I wasn’t satisfied. The place is simply massive.
It’s so big that the previous owner had dreams of opening an entire burlesque club upstairs (in honor of his late sister), but struggled from the start. It turns out, Noah and team don’t think that’s such a bad idea and has more of a “supper club” in mind — think Cirque du Soleil-worthy acts popping off while you eat, and characters of all kinds acting up as they stroll through the dining room as you eat. (We’re talking the upstairs ‘club’ part.)
I lived in Las Vegas long enough to be able to instantly visualize this — but there, you had actual Cirque performers eager for work and a constant stream of out-of-towners looking to stay up past their bedtimes. It was already out that Phila could be the anchor location for Noah’s with plans to expand to, well, Vegas and places like Vegas. Now that idea is starting to make sense. We’ll see if Saratoga — where the dinner rush is often over by 6 p.m. — can support something like that. I wasn’t able to suss out if the supper club of it all was planned only for special occasions or just for summer, etc. However it turns out, can’t wait!
Keep reading about Noah!
Snack-sized Dish
So far, the buzziest Oktoberfest beer is found — a bit to my surprise — at Seneca. Bravo.
Brunch Meets Football Season at Fillies on Phila
Starting next week, Fillies on Phila is making a hard pivot, filling glasses with the bottomless mimosa need downtown. That, combined with their new fall-themed food and cocktail menu, might make it your new favorite place to watch football this season. In lieu of the new Phila Street spots lunch hours Thursday through Sunday, Fillies will now do brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (I’m a brunch girlie and there isn’t enough brunch culture here — bring it on.) Or, skip over to the new “tailgate” menu for shareable, football-y things (wings, calamari, nachos). Drink options include bottomless mimosas and espresso martini flights.
They’re also extending their happy hour window this fall from 4 to 5 p.m. to 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. If you can’t wait until next week, pop in tomorrow for the Sunday football bucket specials they’re serving already: $20 for a bucket of domestic beer, $25 for imported beer and $30 for canned cocktails.
And their fall cocktail menu? Try the apple pie old fashioned, pumpkin spice espressotini or the white cranberry cosmo.
Reporting by Melanie E. Snyder
“Comfort wines”?
The team behind Bocage and Standard Fare made it into Wine-Searcher and were lauded for their “incredible success.” In the article, they were asked — as we navigate this “violent and unpredictable time” — to define “comfort wines.” Co-owner Zac Denham said that at SF, it means “varieties you already know, but sourced from boutique producers.” Across the street at Bocage, however, it means “Champagnes that are generous, round, fruit-driven and easy to love,” said his partner, Clark Gale. “Guests right now are reaching for bottles that feel joyful and approachable, not overly intellectual.”
Into wine? Follow this Saratoga-based writer’s ‘Good + Tasty’ Substack
Comfort Me with Apples
Help a girl out here. The queen of food writing herself — Ruth Reichl — is coming to Saratoga, and not enough people are talking about it. As a budding journalist in NYC, I worshipped my copy of Comfort Me with Apples, and she’s churned out one foodie bible after the next since then (when not at the helm of Gourmet magazine or writing reviews for The New York Times and Los Angeles Times). “Ruth Reichl is a rock star in the culinary world,” says Tiina Loite, who will be moderating the chat, which lands at UPH next Sunday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m.
Tickets: atuph.org
More on this event and other Book Festival headliners: Bela Fleck and Ruth Reichl are 2 of the Book Fest’s hottest tickets (literally)
Why you should leave Saratoga for dinner. Sometimes.
Yes, Saratoga has amazing restaurants. Yes, I live downtown and am guilty of favoriting places I can walk to. But we all need to also broaden our culinary horizons with just a short ride. Today’s soapbox: Next Door Kitchen in Ballston Spa and Farmacy in Glens Falls.
Next Door
I just had a girls’ dinner at Next Door that was dining perfection from amuse bouche to dessert. I had been craving fried chicken and will now go nowhere else for it. (It’s even called The Best Fried Chicken.) We also devoured brown butter Brussels sprouts, smoked tomato braised meatballs, some salads, a half order of shrimp & grits (so practical to order half orders and bravo to reducing waste) — and yes, even some Chocolate Decadence cake à la mode with house-made nutella.
Farmacy
Farmacy is on the mind thanks to Saratoga Arts, which just had its rainy day “Foundation Experience” soirée — and everyone was talking about the food. The artsy-cool party was divided into different rooms, each with its own menu from the Glens Falls hotspot. (Highlights included crab fritters, beef tartare, wings and piles of perfectly grilled asparagus.) If you’ve never eaten at Farmacy, go. It is so good!
Meanwhile, bravo to organizer Spencer Sherry for another hit, this time at Night Owl. He brought in actual circus performers who juggled fire, ate swords (actually, that was the same guy), did acrobats within spitting distance of guests, and stood on chairs after being chained up by none other than my friend Garry White. “I met a few other artists and others interested in galleries,” says Daniel Fairley, the artist behind Standard Fare’s colorful display. “They pulled out all the spots for this event, which felt very artsy and was a good representation of the art community.”
Keep reading about the party and artist Daniel Fairley!
Shh: Saratoga Arts spills big secret before surprise-packed gala
Artist’s unique take on horse art lands first major Saratoga sale
Got an event you’d like me to cover? Email me at abby@saratogadispatch.com