Ravenous

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

After a fantastic weekend in Saratoga, my sister and I wanted to have brunch before we headed home. Ravenous, a crepery on Phila Street, came highly recommended by the locals and the internet. A few people we met the night before strongly advised us to go as early as possible because it fills up fast. And right they were. We arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes after it opened, just in time to grab the last table. Ravenous is a cozy spot, with limited table seating, and room to sit along the windows and at the counter. Unfortunately service was a bit disorganized. On arriving, it is unclear if you should sit down or wait to be seated, since there is no signage for guidance. Several diners who arrived after us were ignored for several minutes while the staff ran around -- until they attempted to sit at a recently vacated table and were told that it had already been reserved by another party by phone. Frankly, I’m surprised they stepped outside and continued to wait. From the time we were sat till the time we had our drinks took about 11 minutes. The servers were very nice, but extremely harried.

Luckily, the food was excellent. We were very torn between the sweet and savory menus, and in the end my sister opted for savory and I decided I needed to try both. You only live once, right? I chose the Zorba the Greek Crepe, which was filled with spinach, feta, scrambled eggs, tomato, onions and fresh basil. The filling was perfectly portioned, and the crepe was surprisingly savory in of itself, and not just a vehicle for the filling. It was really tasty. My sister chose the Lumber Jack crepe containing scrambled eggs, bacon and cheddar, which she deemed excellent. Almost better than the crepes was the homemade pommes frites and the selection of dipping sauces available. We had ours with the BBQ Mayo and the Mango Chutney, which was surprisingly creamy. The pommes frites were delicious and the sauces were good enough to eat with a spoon. For dessert, we ordered the Lemon Blossom crepe, filled with their house made lemon curd and topped with whipped cream. I was happy to see that they use sweeter and fluffier version of the crepe batter for their sweet crepes. And when I tried my first bite of the filling, I was in heaven. It is, far and away, the best lemon curd I’ve ever had.

If you have the time and the patience to wait, the food at Ravenous is excellent. But make no mistake, you’ll be waiting outside, so you definitely don’t want to go on a day that calls for rain. I give them 2 forks for service, but 5 for food. Since the food is the ultimate focus, I compromised on 4 forks and being an impatient person by nature, I doubt I’ll return.

Zorba the Greek Crepe

Sip and Stroll Event Saratoga

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Category: Events

Written by Kent

Back by popular demand, the 2nd Annual Saratoga Sip & Stroll is happening on Wednesday, May 14. Pick up your ticket and nab a wristband for an evening of sampling and sipping throughout Saratoga. The night begins at 6 p.m. and includes free samples of beer, wine, and food as well as specials from more than 20 restaurants and giveaways to remember the flavorful experience.  Discounted (1/2 price) tickets may be purchased on LivingSocial for a limited Time.  Original Ticket Price: $20   Websites Here:

http://thesipevent.com/event/saratoga/

https://www.livingsocial.com/events/cities/368-albany-capital-region/1095019-admission-to-2nd-annual-saratoga-sip-stroll?

Comfort Kitchen

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

While in Saratoga Springs over the weekend, my sister and I decided to try Comfort Kitchen, in the Saratoga Marketplace at 454 Broadway. The online reviews were very good, and most of them raved about the Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese and the homemade Tater Tots in particular. When we arrived at our hotel, I made a point of asking the front desk about it and they hadn’t heard of it. But we stuck to our plans and walked down to check it out. The Saratoga Marketplace is a small indoor mall, and the Comfort Kitchen is one floor down from the Broadway entrance, in the back of the building. There are tables set up both in the restaurant and just outside it. You first order and pay for your selections up at the counter, and then your food is delivered to you at your table. I chose a Chicken Taco, a Carnita, and a side Caesar Salad to start. My sister ordered the Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese and also got a side salad. We decided to split an order of the Tater Tots and get some hard cider, which was on special, to wash it all down.

The Caesar salads arrived first and we could tell right away that the dressing was homemade. Garlicky and lemony with crisp greens, it was really refreshing. It set the stage for the rest of our order, which did not disappoint. The Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese was fantastic. Sharp cheese flavor and perfectly cooked pasta mingled with bites of pulled pork and a tangy barbeque sauce. And the portion was so large, my sister had to take half of hers to go. My Carnita had pulled pork, red cabbage, pickled jalepenos, and cilantro on a corn tortilla. The Chicken Taco was made up of shredded chicken, avocado crema, pickled red onion and fresh cilantro on a corn tortilla and was my favorite of the two. But the real star of the night was the homemade Tater Tots. Crispy and crunchy on the outside with soft flavorful potato on the inside. If we weren’t so full, we would have ordered more. They are worth stopping for on every future trip I make to Saratoga.

I would absolutely return to Comfort Kitchen. The staff was friendly, the hard cider was crisp and refreshing and, most importantly, the food was nothing short of amazing. I am thrilled to give them my very first Five-Fork rating. The entire bill including tax and tip was $40, which makes it an economical choice as well. You don’t always get what you pay for. At the Comfort Kitchen, you get a lot more.

                   Side Caesar Salad                                           Carnita and Chicken Taco

                Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese                                     Tater Tots

Hilltop Restaurant

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Category: Restaurant Reviews

Written by Brian

Hilltop Restaurant is located in Watervliet in a little strip mall.  It was recommended to us for their pancakes.  When we wandered in late morning on a Saturday, there was only one customer there.  We were immediately greeted and told we could sit wherever.

Since we were directed to Hilltop because of their pancakes, I ordered those with a side of bacon.  Josie ordered her usual French Toast with a side of hash.  When I ordered the bacon the waitress asked how I would like it (soft, crisp or in the middle), I ordered it in the middle.  Sure enough, the bacon came out and it was just that - in the middle.  Often places will ask how you want it and then just ignore it and make it however they like.  It was a nice touch.  The pancakes were heavy.  Very heavy.  I think I was able to eat just about one of them (maybe not even that).  But they were cooked really well, with a slight crisp on it and a golden brown.  I would order them again, but probably get a short stack.  Josie's food on the other hand was not nearly as good.  Her French toast dish was incredibly small - just two pieces of thin white bread.  The bread was dipped so fast that nothing soaked in, and they even missed major portions of the bread so it was incredibly dry.  The hash was ok, but lacked seasoning.  I think she ate it primarily because her French Toast was so difficult to digest.

 I felt the service was quite good, and the staff was very friiendly, even as we were leaving the Chef was outside having a smoke break, she said, "thanks for coming, have a great day".  The friendliness of the staff and the pancake were the only things keeping Hilltop from getting 1 or 2 forks.  So, 3 forks for them and probably no return trip for us.

Pancakes with side of bacon	French Toast

Corned Beef hash