docsconz

Just yesterday I heated a can of tuna stuffed piquillo peppers that I brought back from Spain for lunch. They were excellent.

I too read about della Marisa in the Art of Eating before my trip to Venice in 'O3, but I did not get around to getting there. Too bad. If I had I might have left Venice with a higher opinion of its food.

As of last night the place was primarily filled with locals there by word-of-mouth. The restaurant has not advertized. I expect word of mouth to spread quickly to the track set. This is but one avenue.

Any new info on when (if still) in September this is likely to open?

My wife and I had dinner tonight at Beekman St. Bistro, the new restaurant at 62 Beekman St. in Saratoga Springs. Simply put, if it can consistently perform like it did tonight it is by far the best dining value in Saratoga! The concept of the restaurant is to use as much local ingredients and prime sourced ingredients as possible with a Mediterranean style. The restaurant itself is very comfortable, although if one is needing a lot of space to spread out on the table, one may be better off elsewhere. The tables aree almost, but not quite communal. In other words don't discuss any major secrets. But if one wants excellent bistro food at a very reasonable price in a comfortable environment, one need go no further. It was difficult to choose from the attractive menu. The difficulty was not so much with the total variety of choices, it was due to the fact that all the choices appeared appetizing. My wife started with a gazpacho. This was not exactly the traditional Spanish gazpacho that I am familiar with. Instead it was more of a puree, albeit extremely tasty. I starte with grilled shrimp with a romesco sauce and grilled scallions. This was a superb balance of flavors. The sauce adde a nice spice to the shrimp without overwhelmin them. Next up, my wife had a couscous salad with capers and mixed seafood - delicious with just the right amount of capers to be piquant but still subtle. I had a caprese salad with mozzarella di buffala and local heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and EVOO. This was superb. The buffala is from Italy and surprisingly good. The dish had great balance and really hit the spot. My wife had a roaste eggplant stuffed with lentils and goat cheese while I had half a roasted Muscovy duck with roasted carrots with caraway seeds. I'm not a big eggplant fan, but this was superb. The lentils and goat cheese provided the dominant flavors. My duck was perfectly seasoned and full of real duck essence. That is to say the duck flavor shone through and wasn't masked by an overly sweet, smarmy sauce. The carrots were awesome as well. The place does not yet have a license to sell wine or liquor. I knew this ahead of time so I brought a couple of bottles of wine with us. The nice thing though is that I didn't need to open either, as they poured complimentarey glasses of an Italian white (the predominant grape was greco) and a crianza tempranillo (vintage 1999). Unfortunately, I do not recall the names, but both were fine food wines and eminently drinkable. I saved my own wines for future consumption. For dessert we shared a cheese and fruit plate. The fruit was local canteloupe and great dried figs. The cheeses were a nicely matured Great Hill Bleu and a luscious St. Andre. We also had a blueberry granita with whipped cream and mint. The bill before after tax but before tip came out to $88. The telephone number is (518) 581-1816. The chef is Dan Spitz. Tim Meaney is the owner. I wish them the best of luck!

I've been to the Wine Bar several times for drinks and apps but never dinner. I've got a soft spot for Springwater (we get treated royally) and the others in my group insisted on going Italian at least one night. ← Italian is tough in Saratoga. I never thought there was a top notch Italian in the Spa. ← Chianti is probably the last place in Saratoga I would go during the meet as they don't take reservations and it gets insanely and rudely busy. Then again it is not my favorite restaurant at any other time of the year. IMO it is about attitude only. The food and wine, while showy, is clearly secondary. If you must have Italian, try Luisa's Bistro on Rte 9 off exit 17 heading towards South Glens Falls.

I'm hoping to get to the new Beekman Street Bistro tonight for dinner. I have heard good things. I'll report back if I go.

Never been, but the rep for Ciro's that I have heard is that it is all about the "scene", albeit with good though not great food. At those prices I'll go elsewhere.

Thanks, Mark, I will look out for them. Do you know who the importer is?

Nice article. Thanks. I got my pluots today. Excellent!

David, would you (or anyone else) prefer these chocolates over pierre hermes or some of the other Parisian chocolotiers?

Where can one find these?

I'm not very knowledgable about Mexican food, but after hearing raves from several friends, I ate there tonight and really enjoyed it. The owner told me they are opening another place near Saratoga in about two weeks.... right off Northway (I-87) Exit 13N. I hope they don't spread themselves too thin. By the way, this is my first post. I love eGullet. ← This is exciting! I am looking forward to trying it. Welcome to eGullet! ← My first post - but I've been "lurking" for about two weeks now. Im pretty new to the area - moved here about a year ago from Miami, and wanted to contribute my 2 cents. I've enjoyed el Mariachi a great deal - I prefer the one on Hamilton, rather than the one on Washington. I usually get the same item - enchiladas with mole. Their mole is very complex and they do a terrific job at it. The margaritas are also divine. Of course, if I have the time, (and budget), I'd prefer to travel to Hudson NY and go to Mexican Radio. I think this would be a great place for our local group to meet - terrific food and outstanding drinks. As far as other restaurants in the area, casa mia is "decent" italian food, but not anywhere near cafe cappricio. If you are looking for outstanding sushi, I'd recommend none other than Yoshi's in Latham. The place is certainly nothing great to look at, but the sushi is second to none. If you'd like to try something low key (i.e., inexpensive), I'd recommend Mamoun's falafel on Washington & Lark (do NOT park in the lot next door). Of course Im still waiting to try out 677 Prime on Broadway - the new steakhouse in town, but recently had occasion to visit Jack's for the first time two weeks ago. I went for lunch, and although the meal was decent, it wasnt anything exceptional. I will have to try it again for dinner. I hope this helps. I look forward to your review of el Mariachi. --Chirag ← Appreciate your input. welcome to eGullet! By the way I haven't been to any of these places. I have rare occasion to descend on Albany. Nevertheless, when I do it is good to have an idea of what is available.

I know that I certainly make more than my share of typos! I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist this one It hit too close to home

. . . my favorite being 2002 Rollan de By. I'm making arrangements for one of my importer friends to ship me some cases. ← Rollan de By, at least in previous years has been available in New York. I really don't know the comparative pricing between NY and France, but a previous vintage was once recommended to us by a NY sommelier to serve to a large group of people. It was a special occasion and a much larger group than I normally care to wine and dine, but also a group that included some fine taste buds I didn't want to offend. ← Rollan de By was 14 Euros at the source in Bordeaux. I imagine that after importing fees it will still be under $30 in the US. The '02 and '03 were stunning wines. ← I will have to keep an eye out for this. What is the wine like stylistically? Is it international or more traditional? In either case, if you liked it that much, I have no doubt it is excellent.

I'm not very knowledgable about Mexican food, but after hearing raves from several friends, I ate there tonight and really enjoyed it. The owner told me they are opening another place near Saratoga in about two weeks.... right off Northway (I-87) Exit 13N. I hope they don't spread themselves too thin. By the way, this is my first post. I love eGullet. ← This is exciting! I am looking forward to trying it. Welcome to eGullet!

Anyone been here recently? What do they have besides pastries? What is lunch like?

Precisely!

Sounds like a great addition to the arsenal of peri-theatrical dining! By mid priced, if I read you correctly, you are spending about $40pp? What exactly does that $40 get - drink, appetizer, main course and dessert?

Excellent first Post, ChristianB! Welcome to eGullet! Your description of the Caprese Salad makes me want to have one right now and I just had dinner! Alas, all I had was hospital cafeteria food and not a Caprese Salad from that beautiful isle. Don Alfonso was a wonderful place. I can understand your point about "tiredness", though.

Mark, what wines did you have there? Any gems to bring back

Rich, how does the duck breast compare to that at Chez Sophie? That is actually where I first got turned on to duck. Is it sweet? While duck is certainly rich enough to stand up to a fruit sauce, I hate it when it is too sweet.

Is this locally made chocolate? I go with Jacques.

I can think of a few surgeons I work with who I wouldn't mind preparing sous vide!

Get a room and have dinner at The Inn at Erlowest. It is probably about thirty to forty minutes from Saratoga depending on traffic. The rooms and the food are the best in the area. If that is still too much get a room in Glens Falls. That should be much more reasonable. The Queensbury Hotel is probably the best one in town. You can still dine at Chez Sophie or Erlowest.