Column as I See ‘Em – Saratoga Report Publisher Dan De Federicis shares his Saratoga gripes, thoughts, gripes, experiences, gripes, and gripes.

 

 

Bah humbug!  OK, not really, but I was just running with the gripes theme.  How’s your summer going?  Fast?  Mine too!  Here we go:

• Wrestler Hulk Hogan died in July.  Do you remember the “Mini Hulkster” who used to show up often at the track and even some downtown bars back around 2010?

• I posted an article a few weeks back about one of Saratoga County’s Coroners stepping down. The article noted that his position will be filled in an election in the fall.  It’s 2025 – do we really need to elect coroners?  I understand that NYS law requires it, but there are workarounds – and laws can be changed.

• Can I get a 12 oz. can of soda at any convenience store in the county?  I don’t want 20 ounces and I don’t want 16 ounces, just a plain ‘ol can of Pepsi that’s not going to stay with me the rest of the day.

• I was at the Malta Market 32 in Malta a couple Fridays back around 7pm and while walking to my car I heard the roar of motors from the Albany-Saratoga Speedway.   Then I smelled what I assume was burning rubber in the air.  Yeesh!  The noise, the smells – made me feel bad for the people that live there and didn’t realize what they were getting into.

• I just read recently that Bill Mott never won a Travers.  I never would have guessed that.  Well, that may change in a couple of weeks with his horse Sovereingty..

• Word to the Wise: Don’t park at High Peaks Canna on Maple Ave if you are going the Olde Bryan Inn for dinner.  They get 10 points for cleverness for this “No parking or else” sign.

• Back in 2002 I saw Jerry Seinfeld’s standup act in Buffalo’s Shea’s Theater.  My date and I had front row seats, but I remember being underwhelmed at the comedian’s show.  This spring when my wife asked me about going to his (then) upcoming SPAC performance, I recounted my experience to her from 23 years ago and waved off.  After reading my friend Bill Gotimer’s review of his show a few weeks back (Exclusive to Saratoga Report, BTW), I wished we went, as did my wife, as it seemed like a nice show.  Oh well, next time.

• So I mentioned a couple of columns back that it seemed like the Mohawk Army-Navy Store, which was in the Shops at Wilton in the strip behind Panera, was moving to the vacated EMS store next at the other end of the building containing Best Buy.  I could not get confirmation at the time but now there is a sign up at the new location, and I think it’s even open already.

• And not far from that location,  it was announced a couple weeks back that Buffalo Wild Wings was coming to The Shops at Wilton.  I assume that’s in the old Fridays location.  Being from Buffalo, I’ve always held my nose up at wing chains and I’ve never dined, if that’s what you call eating chicken wings, at BWW.  But after they open, curiosity may get the best of me (or my daughters will insist on going) and I’ll give it a go and report back on the ‘ol column how my experience was.

• Ya gotta love the mistakes of AI-written articles.  This article here about coffee shops mistakenly (and humorously) lists our beloved Caffe Lena – a coffee house – as a competitor of Starbucks.  The article asks “How do some coffee shops, like Caffe Lena, the oldest coffee shop in the U.S., manage to evade the Starbucks effect and keep enough customers to stay open?”.   Wow, who knew Sarah, Mateo and the others at the Caffe were whipping up lattes in between booking world-class musicians?

• The Dairy Haus now has pizza, subs, hot dogs and…wait for it….baby turtles (soon). Thankfully, the super-cute infant reptiles aren’t on the menu!

• And further out Route 9, Winslow’s Restaurant was reportedly sold about 18 months back and news stories indicated that the new owners, who were not identified, were going to reopen it. I drove by the location recently and there were no signs of life and the Google profile lists it as “Permanently Closed”.  Anyone know the scoop?

• I see Comfort Kitchen added a small bar in their lower level Saratoga Marketplace Building.  I didn’t know they had bottled beer available for a number of years now, but the new bar will also let them serve some drafts.  Good for them!

• There are signs of life at the former St. Charles Motel on South Broadway, where plenty of construction is going on. I saw this sign pictured below laying outside – it made me kind of sad for old Saratoga.  You know, the one with charm and character that was around before you had all that gray hair come in.  And while it’s great to have stuff from the 1890s available at museums here, we need our own “modern history” museum here with old restaurant signs, menus, track memorabilia (read: giveaways) from the 90s etc.  The St. Charles sign would be good piece of the collection. I don’t want to go to a museum to see a dress worn by Lillian Russell – I want to see the PJ’s BBQ sign (sniff) – now that would be fun.

 

• In that museum we could show a picture of Gaffney’s, packed with customers from ten or twenty years back, because it is closed and lifeless today, the center of litigation…ugh. Hate to see that.

• Continuing with old Saratoga, I was walking with my daughter on Caroline Street and we got to Pavilion Way and I pointed to the empty lot and reminded her that D’Andrea’s once stood there.  She replied that she wasn’t necessarily sad the pizzeria was gone, but that the mural on the side, which she felt was beautiful, was gone.  I replied “That’s OK honey, because soon a gargantuan non-descript modern building will be here towering over the corner, and all will be fine.”  OK, I didn’t say that, but I was thinking that.

The site of the former D’Andrea’s Pizza and Union Coach Works on Caroline St. as seen from Walt Whitman Brewing

 

• On that walk we were looking for a quick dinner and we ended up at Taquero on Putnam Street, or what I like to refer to as “The tacos and donuts place”. We had burrito bowls ready in about 3 minutes.  My daughter had the Korean Pork and I had the Carne Asada – both were really tasty!  And the price?  Just about $15 for each dish – can’t beat that with a stick.

• My favorite downtown restaurant to bring the kids is probably Henry Street Taproom.  The food is great and – equally important – the menu is varied enough to please the entire clan.  Psssst: Dad likes the beer there too.   For disclosure purposes, I should note HSTR’s sister restaurant Kindred is a Saratoga Report advertiser.  Regardless of the relationship, I really like both places and I’ll continue going to them whether there’s an advertising relationship or not

• Some new restaurants arrived in downtown Saratoga Springs in 2025, and most of them are on Phila Street.  Of all the new places, the one that intrigues me the most is Standard Fare.  I hope to take my family there after track season, as basic dishes like my Mom used to make – think meatloaf, pork chops, roast turkey and the like – aren’t really available in town from what I can tell.  But they are featured at Standard Fare, as are fruity pebbles milkshakes, original art from local artist Daniel Fairly (“Duck, Duck, Goose” is sure to please) and a menu that has only two entrees over $30.  Truth is, they had me at meatloaf – but everything else looks great too.  Partners Zac Denham and Clark Gale, owners of Bocage Champagne bar, used their hospitality experience to conceive the restaurant in the former Trattoria Fortunata – and before that Ravenous – space on Phila.  “There was a gap in what was being offered in town,” noted Gale.  “Familiar favorites were often being overlooked.”  The Saratoga restaurant scene is an unforgiving world.  Here’s wishing all new – and established – Saratoga restaurant propietors the best of luck and prosperity.

Go Shawty Milkshake from Standard Fare:  Vanilla and fruity pebble milkshake with icing around the rim and more fruity pebbles and whipped cream plus a little cupcake.

 

• Am I some sort of out-of-touch Archie Bunker type if I continue saying “homeless” rather than “unhoused”?  I read how the word “homeless” can be dehumanizing – and I don’t want to dehumanize anybody – so I guess I’ll try to use the word “unhoused”.  I’ve been using the term “homeless” for decades now, and so have you, so none of us should be criticized if we’re slow to convert from  saying “homeless”.

• Man, last year Impressions, Lyrical Ballad, Magic Moon and a few other businesses were hit with an ill-timed flood that closed those businesses for weeks just as as tourists came to town. This year Northshire got hit with the flood from some sort of water break in the building in the floors above it – again just as the tourists arrived.  Damn, have to feel awful for the owners and employees.  Make it a point folks to drop in and buy something soon.

• Back to milkshakes, let me put in a plug for the sloppy track shakes that you can get at Caffe Lena. No, you can’t get them at Caffe Lena, you can only get the sloppy TRACK shakes at the TRACK of course.  Shake Shack, specifically.  More of an adult flavor, and the powdered cocoa really makes them….absolutely delicious!

 

• I stopped into First Fill Spirits some weeks back and had a nice discussion with co-owner Charles Grabitzky.  We talked about a number of things, including the track dark days being on Mondays instead of Wednesdays – and I just had the same conversation with friends a few days earlier. Charles and I agreed that it would be better if the track was open on Mondays and closed on Wednesdays.  He made the point that First Fill Spirits is closed on Mondays and that is likely the only day he – as well as most of the others working hard in the hospitality industry here in the region – could get to the track.  I didn’t think of that, but it makes sense.  Are you reading this NYRA?  Many of us feel you should open on Mondays and close on Wednesdays.

• Ending on a solemn note here.  Late last month Athur Gonick died after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.  Arthur wrote the 12866 blog, but he was much more than a blogger.  He was a very intelligent man who contributed a lot to the arts and philanthropy of this city.  I enjoyed sitting with him and talking at the mattress shop he worked at on Washington Street.  He was full of knowledge and good stories – and it seemed as if he knew everybody.  He certainly was not without his flaws, but he had some great attributes and he will most certainly be missed by me and many others.  RIP Arthur – you added a tremendous amount to Saratoga Springs.

Thanks for reading this folks.  Have a great weekend.