Phila Street's restaurant renaissance
Report: Loughberry Lake's OK — but stressed — water
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TOP: Phila Street is griving Caroline Street a run for its food and drink dollar.
BELOW: A new report commissioned by the city looks at Loughberry Lake and the health of the water.
Phila Street’s serving up a restaurant renaissance
With Danny joining Noah’s and Standard Fare booked solid, foodies are flocking to Phila Street.
By Melanie E. Snyder, Special to the Dispatch
Phila Street has always been a stable place for locals to get their food fix, but now it’s buzzing with so much restaurant news that it’s joining the fray for name recognition with Caroline Street and Broadway. What’s causing this culinary commotion? Here’s a before-and-after look at the hotspots wielding fully-committed Resy accounts and making it clear that for hungry foodies, this fall belongs to Phila.
Pint Sized, 33 Phila
The corner of Phila and Henry will soon be the new home of local fan favorite bar Pint Sized, owned by August Rosa. The aptly-named tiny bar opened on North Broadway in 2021 before becoming The Dive in late 2024. Now, the bar is re-adopting its original name and relocating to the current home of Mittler’s Market, which is a quasi-cross-section between what the space once was (a bursting-at-the-seams gift shop called Tailgate and Party) and what it is about to become, offering both a market and bar with ample seating space and a kitchen.
With its move — scheduled for December — Pint Sized will add food to its menu by sharing its space with hot burger joint Herbie’s Burgers (currently located at the Ice House on Putnum Street). “This moves Pint Sized from its off the beaten path spot to a much busier block with more pedestrian foot traffic, a parking garage across the street & close proximity to Congress Park as well as so many amazing businesses on the block,” Rosa posted to the bar’s Facebook account on June 30. “We are thrilled to add to the momentum Phila has seen as of late.” The announcement added that with the expansion, the bar will boast more than three times the space and more outdoor patio seating that its current locale.
Noah’s Italian, 43 Phila
With the announcement that the beloved Danny Petrosino — who sold his Osteria Danny in May — is joining Noah’s to make his famous pasta, it leveled up the buzz for the venue whose anticipation was already at a fever pitch. The next door neighbor of Fillies on Phila is looking to open this month, despite the partner owners being a little busy finishing up the season at Spiro’s (of which Peter Spitalny is owner and Noah Frese is head chef).
The restaurant aims to offer “a classic Italian-American fare with a modern twist,” as Frese told the Times Union in an article published June 27. The enormous space was most recently The District, a restaurant that never quite got its footing and closed in 2024. Before that, the storied location was home to Mother Goldsmith’s for several decades. Noah’s will offer a full bar on the first floor and a second-floor dining room.
Standard Fare, 21 Phila
Starting from Broadway and heading down Phila will bring you to Standard Fare, which celebrated its grand opening August 15. Although the hotspot — whose dinner times are currently booked solid for weeks — is a new restaurant, the owners are Phila Street heavy hitters Zac Denham and Clark Gale, owners of Bocage Champagne Bar, which opened right across the street (at 10 Phila) in 2022.
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Now Denham and Gale are branching out and spreading their talent and vision to the other side of the block. While Standard Fare’s location has housed restaurants historically, including Ravenous Creperie and Trattoria Fortunata, Standard Fare features a newly-constructed bar and completely redesigned interior, giving the space both a date-night and family-friendly feel. “Standard Fare isn’t just about food; it’s about energy,” Clark says. “You can feel it in the dining room, see it in the kitchen, and taste it in every bite.”
Fillies on Phila, 39 Phila
Across the intersection of Phila and Putnam streets, Fillies on Phila is a brand-new wood-fire pizza restaurant in the former spot of Nashville and Peabody’s. The restaurant and bar opened in mid-May and maintains much of what previous Nashville-goers loved about it, including an expansive backyard bar and patio, which has been fully renovated.
Owner Micah Henzel, who is co-owner of Milton Tavern, told the Albany Business Review that he’s good friends with the owners of longstanding Bailey’s at 37 Phila, another popular favorite for those looking for patio bar options and outdoor dining. Rather than posing as a competitor, Henzel said that he understands the need for “overflow” space from next-door on busy days and nights. “Now, people hopefully turn right into our place,” he told the outlet in the June 1 article.
Familiar Creature, 42 Phila
Across the street, the 6-month-old Familiar Creature is already becoming a familiar favorite in town and on Phila, a testament to owners Brendan Dillon and Dennis Kingaati of Hamlet and Ghost fame. (Though it’s not a surprise that the revered Dillon and Kingaati, who conquered Caroline Street with Hamlet, would be making waves on Phila now as well.) Familiar Creature sits in the former location of Creative Sparks pottery painting studio.
The new brasserie-style restaurant has a quaint patio that looks out onto Phila as well as an oversized, open front window that gives the dining area a unique indoor-outdoor feel. Familiar Creature is first and foremost a wine bar — a cozy and intimate setting for 50 patrons indoors and 30 outdoors — that brings a Montreal and France-inspired spirit to the eclectic neighborhood it is at the center of.
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The OK — but stressed — quality of Loughberry Lake's water
Study looked at the level of healthy production in the city's biggest reservoir.
By: Stephen Thurston
An engineering report on the health of the Loughberry Lake and Bog Meadow Brook water system, the main supplier of water to Saratoga Springs since 1871, says the lake holds about 7% less water than it did, which translates into 22% lower yield of drinking water to properties throughout the city, since 2001 when the lake was last studied. This report began in 2023.
At the same time, the lake has elevated levels
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