Ever wondered why Putnam Market and its adjoining wine room are located on Broadway, not Putnam Street? Longtime Saratogians know the (sort of obvious) answer: The businesses got their start on Putnam Street. In 1995, Putnam Market—then a full-size gourmet grocery store complete with a locally grown produce section, fish counter, butcher and florist—opened in a converted warehouse at the site of what’s now all-you-can-eat sushi hotspot Wasabi. When Putnam Market’s co-owner, Cathy Hamilton, married wine expert William Roach, an Englishman she’d met at the London Business School in the 1980s, it ..read more

There are passionate restaurant owners, and then there’s Sara Ali. Born to Egyptian parents and raised in Abu Dhabi, Ali got her master’s in engineering in Cairo before her then-husband got a job at GlobalFoundries. The couple moved to the Capital Region about eight years ago and worked at their respective jobs while raising two kids. But massive change was on the horizon. “I was known to invite strangers—people from daycare—to my home just to feed them,” Ali says. “Cooking is my passion. It’s the way I communicate and relate to people.” After trying her food, friends encouraged Ali to open a ..read more

If you’ve ever been in downtown Saratoga and craved a snack—not a full-on meal, but just something to tide you over—listen up. Mittler’s, a convenience store and appetizer bar owned by former banker Steve Mittler, is coming soon to the corner of Phila and Putnam streets. “There used to be a market up on Broadway when I was in college, and that went away,” says Mittler, who plans to open his new venture in April. “I’ve been spending a lot of time in that part of the city, and I’m often like, ‘God, I wish there was somewhere I could just grab something to eat.’ And then I’m like, ‘You idiot—that ..read more

Ahead of a busy winter events schedule, the producers of CulinaryArts@SPAC—Kim Klopstock an Pam Abrams—sit down with SPAC President Elizabeth Sobol. Saratoga Living: SPAC’s CulinaryArts has become a regular series in record time, with tickets to every event selling out fast. When did this happen—and why?  Elizabeth Sobol: We started CulinaryArts@SPAC at our 2019 Wine and Food Festival. It was a chance to work with Kim Klopstock of Lily and the Rose, who brought along her farm-to-table ethos. I loved that she produced a dinner that featured the talents of both local and visiting chefs.&nbs ..read more

When Common Roots’ Bert and Christian Weber brewed their first beer together as a nod to their German roots, it’s safe to say that the father-and-son duo couldn’t anticipate what was to come. But since then, their passion for homebrewing has spawned a regional brewing juggernaut that recently opened a brand-new café that starts serving at 7am. This was on the heels of its roll-out of an expansive bierhall, also located across from the original South Glens Falls taproom. All this hasn’t been easy. In 2014, the Webers opened Common Roots Brewing Company’s taproom doors in South Glens Falls, and ..read more

When you can’t grab a slice of New York City pizza, go for the next best thing: Saratoga pizza made by a former Manhattanite. In 2018, after 20 some years working in restaurants in the City, Alex Rodriguez (no, not that Alex Rodriguez) was visiting a friend in Saratoga. “He looked at me and was like, ‘The best pizzeria in town is for sale, and you need to buy it,’” Rodriguez says. The next morning, the friends just so happened to be having coffee at Kru, and swung by the neighboring pizza shop to check it out. Rodriguez talked to the owner for two hours, then to his accountant for an hour, the ..read more

Photography by Rachel McNair/The Content Agency Lucy’s Bar is tiny, but it’s known for serving up decadent specialty cocktails that are huge on flavor. Come November, the watering hole is also known as the coziest, most Christmas-iest bar on Caroline Street. Inspired by their favorite bars with particularly inviting ambiances, owners Lucy Rivas, Zach VanEarden and Kelsey McPartland decided to go all in for the holidays. With VanEarden at the helm, decking the halls of their little-bar-that-could has now become a holiday tradition. And we’re not talking a corner Christmas tree and some fairy li ..read more

This past Wednesday, Saratoga Living joined forces with First Fill Spirits to put on our third annual Whiskey Night in Saratoga tasting event at Putnam Place. The event kicked off with canned cocktails by Sagamore Rye and small bites by Cardona’s Market and Bella Napoli before Holly Seidewand and Charles Grabitzky took the stage, walking attendees through tastings of five bourbons and ryes. For our full recap, check out this Saturday’s Saratoga Living After Hours post ..read more

Forget the holidays—in Saratoga, Restaurant Week is the most wonderful time of the year. And it’s almost upon us. Discover Saratoga’s annual week of lunch and dinner specials at participating Saratoga County restaurants kicks off Monday, November 6, and runs through the following Sunday. Which restaurants are participating? Here’s a complete list as of October 30; check Discover Saratoga’s website for the most up-to-date list, and be sure to check each restaurant’s operating hours before going. $15 Lunches Bare Blends Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill Bread Basket Bakery Hattie’s Chicken Shack PJ ..read more

The most popular dish at a restaurant is the most popular dish for a reason: People like it, and they keep coming back for more. So, we tasked Saratogian Shawn LaChapelle with photographing the most in-demand dishes at five of Saratoga’s trendiest restaurants. We’ll stop there—the pictures speak for themselves. Bon appetit! Osteria Danny Coconut Crème Pie The recipe for Osteria Danny’s impossibly fluffy coconut cream pie originally appeared in the 1962 edition of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary cookbook and was passed down from Chef Danny Petrosino’s grandmother Alice. The recipe has been ..read more