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💲 DIG IN

By Kathleen Willcox

You know you’re entering new financial territory when Chili’s goes viral for dunking on fast food prices, and people are now filtering their water instead of buying the fancy bottled stuff. 

In Saratoga Springs though, there are still some incredible, edible deals that will satiate your appetite, please your palate, and tame your wallet blues. 

Augie’s To Go: Big Platter Takeout
The name says it all: Augie’s Family Style Italian To Go. The vibe, menu and bargain hark back to the 1980s, when it was possible to feed a family of four without breaking the bank.
The best deals are the daily specials — at $23.95, they come with a hefty salad and bread, easily feeding four hungry people. Think Chicken Parm (Monday), Mama’s Ziti (Wednesday), and the Kitchen Sink (Thursday).

Artisanal Brew Works: Food & Drink Combo Deals
When you want a beer and a good deal, head over to Artisanal Brew Works. They buck convention and forgo Taco Tuesdays. Instead, expect Pizza and Beer Day for $14, from opening to close. But on Wednesday, head there for Taco and Beer Day for $16. And Thursday? Just $18 will get you a Burger and a Beer — a bonanza considering the skyrocketing costs of ground beef. 

Rhea: Happy Drinks + Meals 
If ramen and saving money make you happy, use your noodle and hit up Rhea for a stellar happy drink + meal Wednesday through Friday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (at the bar).
There are $5 beer deals (including Sapporo and Sloop Juice Bomb), $8 wine specials (including Bellafino Prosecco and Catena Malbec), $10 cocktails (get the Mother of Zeus, just trust me), and $15 Bao Bun and Ramen specials (choose from one Bao + one Ramen). 

Chianti: Blue Hair Special
If you are willing to eat dinner between 4:30 and 6 p.m., you can score one of the legendary Saratoga deals of all time at Chianti. We’re talking Carpaccio (with gorgonzola fondue or grand padano) for $11, a 4-ounce strip steak for $13, spaghetti Bolognese for $13, and an Aperol Spritz for $10. And that’s just the beginning…

Boca Bistro: Flights and Bites
Spanish maestros Boca Bistro offer Siesta Happy Hour specials from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, and Sunday 3 p.m. to close. There is a plethora of options, but I’ll always go for the ham croquettes ($8), stuffed pepper ($10), fried potatoes ($8), meat and cheese platter ($14), garlic shrimp ($11), and Kir Royale ($8). Bring a friend (and a mint if it’s that kind of friend). 

Seneca Restaurant: Date Night Steak
Everyone knows about Seneca’s addictive house-made Parker house rolls ($5!) and fantastic pierogis ($15), but a consistently under-the-radar date night draw is the wood-grilled hanger steak for $41. It comes with duck fat potatoes—need we say more?

📌 ICYMI…

Belmont Park is officially open — build-out hiccups, a four-horse $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup and all.

Saratoga’s own Spa Infield Goose fanned the frenzy online — then kept those of us back home abreast of the action. This morning, the Dispatch’s feathered correspondent called the new race course “a beautiful, modern facility that is still very much a work in progress.”

Our A-list avian reporter was all-in on the razzle-dazzle of Day 1: “People were siloed into different hospitality areas and suites, which is typical of big race days (Derby, Breeders’ Cup, Royal Ascot), but General Admission was all inclusive as well — except alcohol.”

When not snapping the day’s more memorable fashions or waving to Saratoga native jockey Katie Davis, the Goose delivered the “first-ever escalator report from the new Belmont Park” and caught Forever Young on video after his big win.

“It will be interesting to see how the facility is used on regular race days,” says the Goose. “It felt a little confined in indoor public areas, but the racing surfaces are beautiful and well designed. Looking forward to have our first runners there.”

Not every school has art worth sleeping in a tent for — or the option to do so.

Saturday morning was Skidmore’s annual Room Mate art pick-up, when 100 pieces of original art from the Tang Museum go home with students on loan for the school year — on a first-come, first-serve basis.

So that means spending the night in a tent during what was a pretty chilly night. “We are waiting in line to get art!” one excitedly told reader Diana, who drove by — perplexed — before 7 a.m.

🏃‍♀️ Rain Run

“I’m always a fan of the elements when it comes to racing,” says Frances Schaeffler, 25, winner of the overall Women’s division of the inaugural iRun Saratoga Half Marathon. “The rain is refreshing if you’re not afraid of puddles!”

Not that this was a tropical rain: Temps dropped down to 55 on Sunday morning, but it was Schaeffler’s time to shine. The former captain of the University of Chicago cross country and track teams is training for the New York City Marathon Nov. 1. “My mother,” she says, “went to Skidmore — class of ‘82 — so I was so excited to sign up for Saratoga’s first half marathon.”

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