From the editor
Happy … Thursday?
Special Thursday morning (!) edition since Mr. Dispatch and I are headed out of town and I won’t see you again until Monday. (The joys of being a solopreneuer!)
I’ll be coming in hot with Dinner Club (Oct. 14 is heating up!), where to find me during the Book Festival (where are my crime fiction girlies?), and of course MAHJONG. So get ready.
Have a fantastic weekend.
— Abby
In this issue:
🀄 Tile me all about it — NEW beginner classes!
🥟 Moment of truth
🍺 Lederhosen time
🎸 Mini version of something that used to be weekly…
⛺ Follow-up to Monday’s story that got one reader asking, “Saratoga is safe enough to do this???!”
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🀄 Mahjong corner
Rack ‘n’ roll! Six sold-out beginner mahjong classes in, and our newly minted players did an amazing job at our first-ever Beginner-Level Open Play. Are you ready to join in the fun? ——> at a NEW venue, McGregor Links Country Club!
Beginner class: Sunday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m.
Beginner-level Open Play (with instruction): Sunday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m.
Beginner class: Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 5 p.m.
🥟 MOMENT OF TRUTH: TANG DUMPLINGS
During the hotspot’s first week, diners waited an hour for Tang dumplings. Kathleen shares a better solution. (Stock image by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels)
Early diners, including this one, are sold on Tang's. (But order ahead!)
Let’s be real: Saratoga Springs has a ton of great places to eat. But dumplings? Not exactly. Which is where Tang Dumplings comes in. I made the mistake of going in to order takeout on the fly during their first week of opening. Big mistake. Huge mistake. Tantrum-causing mistake. (They very kindly told me that it would be “at least” an hour’s wait for a selection of dumplings. The tantrum was mine, and I hope invisible and interior).
Instead, order online — a smooth process, my dumplings + buns were ready on time, and packed neatly, the next day.
I went home, and discovered perfectly seared pan-fried pork and chive potstickers. My son, in literal 13-year-old style, accurately but bluntly described them as “porky with some kinda tang.”
Indeed. I would add: fabulously juicy and cohesive, zippy, crisp but plump, complex textural contrast.
I also discovered chicken soup dumplings, which my snarky and smart daughter, also 13, described them as “slurpy and like something that tastes great — definitely what you should get us the next time we’re sick.”
Right. But I’d also add: delicate but rich, savory, plump, slurp-able.
We also loved the pork buns — I will say that Rhea does a great job with their quirky pork buns (hi, PB& J bao bun!), but it’s great to get my paws around a basic bao bun that I can really sink my teeth into. Fluffy, with just enough piggy chew, and a reassuring moist, warm sweetness. My kids were too busy snarfing them to discuss tasting notes.
🍺 2 OKTOBERFESTS THIS SATURDAY
Saturday is the official kick-off to lederhosen season. Here’s where to get your German wieners.
A Downtown Block Party Collab; 247 Broadway $50; 21+, 12-5 p.m.
Druthers Brewing Company and Franklin Square Market are partnering to bring ’Toga the brewskies, German-inspired food, live music and commemorative stein. Prost!
Off the Beaten Path Brewfest; 617 Maple Ave.; Free, all ages, 12-9 p.m.
Head over to Artisanal Brew Works for an all-day Oktoberfest featuring German pretzels and brats, live music, a best apparel competition, German-style beers … inside and outside in a bierhall tent.
📌 ICYMI…
🎸 TOP LIVE MUSIC WEEKEND GUIDE
By Jonathon Norcross
Thursday
6 p.m. – Pepper Shakers at Carson’s Woodside Tavern: An acoustic duo that “sounds like a full band”
7 p.m. – Reed Foehl Trio at Caffè Lena: A Grammy-nominated Americana folk singer
Friday
7:30 p.m. – Sister Hazel at UPH: The band that sings that song “It’s hard to say what it is I see in yooouu” that has 200 million plays on Spotify
7:30 p.m. – Billy Hart Quartet at Arthur Zankel Music Center: A jazz master leads an acclaimed quartet
8 p.m. – Sara Milonovich & Daisycutter at Caffè Lena: Catch this Americana folk rocker before she embarks on an international tour
Saturday
6 p.m. - Harmony Rocks at Carson’s Woodside Tavern: Five-piece, high-energy party rock
7:30 p.m. – Oliver Wood at Putnam Place: One member of the Grammy-nominated Wood Brothers flies solo
7:30 p.m. – Uptown at UPH: R&B and pop hits delivered with choreography and impressive vocals
8 p.m. – Aztec Two-Step 2.0 at Caffe Lena: Singer-songwriter who was the subject of a PBS documentary leads his latest outfit
Sunday
💃 12 p.m. – Fiddles & Foliage Festival at High Rock Park: “The” big fundraiser for Caffè Lena’s School of Music that features four bands — FREE!
🍽️ DISH
The Market’s new all-you-can-eat brunch (Franklin Square Market) will have live music this Sunday: stellar jazz singer Jeanne O’Connor with a pianist. (The whole experience sounds so glam.) O’Connor will next perform at Panza’s (with guitarist Bobbie Van Detta) Oct. 2 and returns to The Market Oct. 18.
So far, the new owner of Brook Tavern hasn’t changed much, to the delight of its regulars. “But the fries,” reports one regular. “No more crispy shoestrings.”
The wine list at the new VIVA Empanadas (26 Congress St.) features Keuka Spring Vineyards, whose top-notch tasting room on Spring Street has become a personal fave. Love the neighborly vibe.
⛺ SLEEPLESS IN SARATOGA
After an eagle-eyed reader sent in a photo of Skidmore students sleeping in tents before the annual ROOM•MATE: Living with Tang Art pick-up event (published Monday), I rustled up some fun facts.
Students are borrowing original works of art to live with for the academic year.
Students borrow tents from the Skidmore College Outing Club to sleep in overnight.
This year, the 100 works of art include pieces by Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.
All-nighter: This student studied in his tent for 40 hours in order to be first in line. He chose this 1950 Japanese woodblock print by Kawase Hasui. (Photo by Megan Mumford)
📰 BRIEF IN BRIEF
A huge New York Times story on Opera Montana called Opera Saratoga alum Christine Taylor Price (Eliza Doolittle in this season’s My Fair Lady among others) the “loveliest sound in the cast.”
The Daily Gazette dove into the backstory of the “lyrical signs” that Saratoga Report clocked in a recent column.
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