Downtown's reluctant local celeb
PLUS: Everything everywhere all at once weekend guide and dish
Happy Saturday, Dispatchers!
🎉 I’ve got a big announcement coming your way on Monday.
I’m so excited — but not “quite” ready to share just yet…
So for today, here’s a special mish-mash/weekend vibes/everything everywhere all at once Saturday Dish Saratoga. (Stay tuned for more on that too…)
To start, there’s just something about that popular bartender Dylan Hinds of Henry Street Taproom — wait until you read his story.
So much good stuff!
So let’s get to it.
— Abby
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🍀 What are everyone’s plans for today? For the history of Saratoga’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and a list of this weekend’s events, take a peek at Michael Hallisey’s Guide to 🍀 St. Paddy’s in Saratoga.
Dylan Hinds’ ‘kind of weird’ local celeb turn
He’s warm and chatty when there’s time, and stays perfectly collected during the rushes — at Henry Street Taproom, there are plenty of those.
If you’ve ever stepped foot in the popular bar with the most underrated food menu in town (I said what I said), you know I’m talking about Dylan Hinds, who holds court at the bar.
And while handling a crowd of squirrely patrons jonesing for a hazy IPA would ruffle a lot of us (raises hand), Hinds takes it all in stride. Maybe that’s because his authentic charisma that guests are drawn to is the kind that was earned.
Yup, he’s been through it.
Imagine your best year ever — and then your worst. Now imagine those happening at the same time.
Hinds got together with his now-wife, Sarah Lopez-Hinds, in 2018. That same year, his mother’s beloved Emerald Restaurant in Ticonderoga burned down. A few months later, the Lopez Saratoga Springs family home was destroyed in an electrical fire.
“It was an intense year,” Hinds says, with the kind of characteristic understatement that has made him a bastion of generous, calm hospitality.
While Sonja ad Ryan McFadden own and run the show, Hinds stars in it. Chances are, you’ve seen him (reluctantly, “It’s kind of weird”) pop on their social media feeds.
“My first job was at my mom’s restaurant as a dishwasher when I was 15,” he says. “Working in hospitality is just fun. You become friends with the people who come in all the time, because they’re good people and you want to hang out with them.”
And when he doesn’t recognize a face at the bar, it’s usually because they’re on a first date.
“Henry Street is casual and un-intimidating, but we’re known for our great beer and food, so it’s kind of the perfect spot for a first date,” he says. “They’re really easy to spot. Generally, people come to the bar and they want to chat. These people do not want to chat with me.”
Local lore has it, Henry Street has been the site of many a love story, including for a time, his own.
“Yep, it does seem to be a place where a lot of people fall in love,” Hinds says. “Sarah and I worked together here for a year. And we actually had Ryan officiate our wedding. He had to get ordained.”
Wait … did they get married at the bar?
“No, on top of Gore Mountain,” Hinds says. “Ryan is a great talker, so it just made sense to have him officiate our wedding.”
You know you’ve got a sweet gig when you not only want to invite the boss to your wedding, you ask him to essentially bless it.
Visit Hinds—and the rest of the Henry Street Taproom crew—at 86 Henry Street. And if you get thirsty for beer’s more buttoned up brother, head next door to Kindred, where the same ownership team runs a wine bar that is as delightful and creatively curated as Henry Street—but with vino.
HEADS UP
Yellow Ribbon drive begins today
Grocery shopping this weekend? Consider bringing some snacks with you — not for you, silly. Saratoga County’s ninth annual Yellow Ribbon Day Donation Drive — aimed at filling “Freedom Boxes” for local troops serving overseas — begins today. Donations of individual-sized snacks and personal care items will benefit Blue Star Mothers of America NY-2, who assemble and ship the packages. Look for collection boxes at municipal offices throughout Saratoga County, and Hannaford stores county wide. The drive runs through April 6 and coincides with New York State’s Yellow Ribbon Day on April 9, a day dedicated to honoring active-duty military members and their families.
“Newcomer” $25 opera tickets available (now)
For only $25 bucks, newcomers to the opera can buy a ticket to Opera Saratoga’s summer shows (including the musical My Fair Lady) — but you have to plan ahead. Available now but not for long (there are only a set amount per show, so when they’re gone they’re gone), the tickets also cover The Elixir of Love and Happy End: “Soaring voices, big emotion, and live music that hits you right in the chest.” Use discount code NEWCOMER. I’ll see you there.
📰 IN BRIEF
Brookmere change of management
That was fast. The stunning Hotel Brookmere (where Longfellows used to be) already has new management, reports the Albany Business Review. Out: Hay Creek Hotels. In: Delmonte Hotel Group, which manages downtown’s Hampton Inn & Suites, a personal fave. (Their friendly newish bar is my go-to when I want to duck out of the scene for a minute.) Brookmere is co-owned by Sonny Bonacio.
What’s happening on Monday?
Holy cannoli. After being snowed out in January, Greg Veitch will take the floor Monday for a deep-dive into Saratoga’s gangsta past. “[Veitch] didn’t set out to become Saratoga Springs’ foremost chronicler of mob history,” reads the invite on Civic Conversations. “He was a police chief doing what police chiefs do—reviewing old files in the basement archives of the Saratoga Springs Police Department—when a thin folder stopped him cold.” The label? “Parillo Murder, 1936.” Veitch’s book is titled A Gangster’s Paradise, and the talk begins at 7 p.m. at the Saratoga Springs Holiday Inn.
What’s happening on Tuesday?
Farmer’s Daughters
Don’t let the new snowfall deter you — Saratoga’s own ice cream must-have Farmer’s Daughters is opening for the season on Tuesday.
Henry Street Taproom
While the Henry Street hotspot serves legions of Jack’s Abby Lager stans, Guinness is always available — making it the perfect stop for hardcore fanatics on St. Patrick’s Day. For the Irish festivities, bartender Dylan Hinds (see above) says they’ll open an hour early and serve $1 oysters all night: “Should be a good party.”
The Parting Glass
Gotta raise your Guinness at least once at The Parting Glass, which has been partying all month — and will continue doing so through the 28th. Plus, they’re serving corned beef and cabbage all week long. On Tuesday, the party starts at 11 a.m. (go early to grab your seat; no reservations allowed), with live music kicking off at 1 p.m. with Kevin McKrell. Later, they’ve got Irish Step Dancers at 4, Maggie’s Clan at 5, and 1916 at 8 — plus Irish Piper Dooley throughout the day.
Support the Dispatch!
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Please contribute what you can so we can keep this movement going! Any and all help is SO appreciated.
— Abby
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