Offbeat Eats

In late September, I ended up having my third trip to the Adirondack region, this time with Carol and the dogs accompanying me, which really opened up a lot of options when it came to dining since we didn’t have to race anywhere to take care of the doggos. My previous trips had focused primarily on breakfast joints, local watering holes, and smaller dinner spots, and this time, we decided it was a good excuse to go with our hosts Liz and Wesley to one of the better high-end dining options in Saratoga Springs, Hamlet & Ghost.

My third weekend in Saratoga Springs was supposed to be dedicated to helping re-supply the Northville-Placid Trail thru-hikers at their halfway point, but multiple complications ended up with everyone on the trip leaving the trail that week, so my schedule instead shifted to getting up a bit early on Saturday, having breakfast in Saratoga Springs, and heading up to Lake George to transfer some of the leftover gear from the trip. I’d already experienced Country Corner Café the previous weekend, so I decided to check out the other breakfast diner near my friends’ condo: Shirley’s Diner.

When I was staying with my friends in Saratoga Springs, I had asked them for local restaurant recommendations, and while most of their recommendations where either on Broadway or Putnam Street downtown, they mentioned that one place in particular was worth checking out due to it’s proximity: Eddie F’s Lobster Roll & Seafood House. Located in a residential neighborhood on Saratoga Springs’ west side, it was less than 100 feet from where I was staying, ideal for ducking out during a quick lunch (since I was working remotely).

I love it when you pass by cozy little cafés and can immediately tell that the place is popular with the locals and has its set of “regulars”. That was the case with a small little cafe located just about two short blocks from my friends’ condo in Saratoga Springs: the Country Corner Café.

After completing a day of working remote in Saratoga Springs, I took off to explore the downtown area while waiting for my hosts to arrive. After having a really enjoyable pint at Whitman Brewing, I wandered along Broadway doing some liht window shopping and looking at both cocktail and dinner menus. One place that drew my eye was a relative newcomer to Saratoga Springs, Rhea. Seeing folks enjoying bowls of ramen and some nicely-composed cocktails, I decided it would be on my short list for dinner, and when my hosts arrived, they agreed. So we headed back to Rhea and managed to score three seats at the bar, despite the relatively busy Friday evening.

I was recently helping friends with a hike along the Northville-Placid Trail in upstate NY, and my friends Liz and Wes helpfully offered that I could stay in their condo in Saratoga Springs over the weekends while doing the trail support. This worked out quite well, since I was able to drive over early on a Friday, work remotely for the day, and have the entire weekend available for hiking and trail support. It also gave me a chance to explore Saratoga Springs, which, honestly, my previous first-hand experiences had been merely getting stuck in traffic on my way to the NY Thruway. On my first trip there, they had left a number of recommendations for lunch, so on my lunch break I decided to go check out the sandwich shop on the list: Fat Paulie’s.