How awesome is it to be able to watch a head to head cook off between Chef John Ireland (2014…read moreChef's Challenge Winner) from Saratoga Golf + Polo Club and Chef Thomas Gulbrandsen from Saratoga Marriott Courtyard + Excelsior Springs BBL Hospitality?! From a cocktail competition kick off between Athos, Brown's Brewing, and Mingle to the People's Choice Competition with the following competitors: Cafe Calabria, Reel Seafood Co, Mazzone Hospitality, Capital City Gastropub, The Gingerman, BBL Hospitality Catering, New World Bistro, and Treviso by Mallozzis...it was an exciting evening to 'experience, sample and savor!' To benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, this event was very unique and successful. Host Chad O'Hara (B95.5FM) was lively and a great personality. What a great cause this event was to support local children matches. The 4th judge seat was given to the highest bidder, serving among the panel of judges. Not only did they get to try all the amazing food, but being a part of the People's Choice Competition and casting votes for both food and cocktails was super fun and meaningful. My personal favorite was New World Bistro's pork belly with kale, a peanutty flavor, and caramel sauce. They came in 2nd as Treviso came in 1st with its roasted kale, pork, cornbread combination. Cocktail - wise, Brown's Brewing came in 1st with their popular vibrant orange cocktail if I remember correctly the Leela. This was their 2nd year winning in a row! Other samples worth mentioning include mozzarella and tomatoes with balsamic reduction, raw oysters and clams, seafood paella, watermelon gazpacho, and pulled pork mac n cheese. The evening concluded with the announcement of the 2015 Chef's Challenge Winner: Thomas Gulbrandsen and a variety of desserts presented by Mallozzi's (fruit tarts, cannolis, cream puffs, lemon tarts) + Stewart's ice cream sundaes. Kudos to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region and Excelsior Springs for presenting this awesome event, and also thanks to Yelp for the opportunity!

What makes an establishment like the Adelphi Hotel host a Yelp Elite event? Maybe they're doing it…read moreout of the goodness of their heart. Perhaps it's due to the persuasive powers of our Ambassador, Daniel B. But I think at least some of the motive is a hope we'll enjoy the evening so much we'll tell our friends and come back when the meter is running and give it a great review. (Since we can't review the restaurants themselves at the event but only the event itself, and nobody's going to see the reviews unless they check our profiles or troll through the Recents.) If that is the case, the Adelphi is going to get paid back in spades, at least by me. I know these establishments pretty well as a Saratoga local, but the prices are a bit high to put them in my regular rotation. Now, I can't wait to get back and have more of those enormous scallops swaddled in bacon at Salt & Char, or that pillow-soft salmon with the crackly crisp skin at Blue Hen, or that Dr. Pepper cocktail at Morrissey's. I also need to drink more of the very excellent house wines at the Blue Hen, like the unoaked Chard in the silver bottle or the oddly leathery Pinot Grigio. And figure out what Chef Chris is doing with the carrots that appeared as the base of several of the Blue Hen items to make them seem so delicious and exotic. Well done, Adelphi.

A five star review for a five star event at a five star venue…read more Over the course of two hours we were able to sample each of the Aldephi's three restaurants. A major undertaking for the restaurants and hotel staff. I was impressed with how well timed each dish was and that's to say nothing of the quality of the food. Each portion was just enough to really get a taste for what each of the restaurants had to offer, but not overwhelm the guests with so much food that we didn't enjoy the later offerings. The proteins, which included salmon, duck, and beef, were all prepared very well and each included a unique preparation method or flavor profile giving it an exciting flair. For example, in Salt and Char the strip steak was dry aged in a special salt cellar I believe, giving it a taste quite different than most other steaks I've tasted. A more complex and savory flavor that paired well with the buttery hollandaise sauce. As a non-drinker, I asked for a Shirley Temple at the bar and was amazed at the quality of maraschino cherries. I didn't get a chance to ask, but I suspect they make their own. I can honestly say I've never ever felt compelled to write about a drink so basic, but this alone warrants a mention.

Absolutely incredible service. Our server made our night, so incredibly charismatic and outright…read morehilarious! Everything our group tried on the menu was a 10/10 including the desert. Such a great place for a girls night out. We look forward to coming back!

Bruh their online menu was much lower than the menu inside the restaurant. Felt like there was a…read morebait and switch. Not cool man. Lame in fact. Food was good though. Just don't lie to people.

I got a seatbelt ticket on the passenger side on a busy Saturday morning in Saratoga a while ago…read more The ticketing cop was arrogant (cops in Saratoga are usually pretty cool unless you are fighting), and seem to enjoy making a spectacle out of pulling us over. I live 2 blocks from Broadway as my license states, and had been in the car for 30 seconds. I thought I'd see him in court as we agreed to after the ticket was issued but it was said he had a cold (I think this is a ploy to make this even more of a pain in the ass by making me go back to court) so he was not there. At my turn to appear before the judge my crime was made public and my defense (I'm running low on cash and would prefer no punishment) was rejected by the DA. Turns out no seatbelt is a moving violation and points on your license. In total is $180 and 2 points if you plead guilty. My crime was reduced to a monetary punishment of $50 and no points. I liked the judge, I felt like he was fair and I could respect him. The DA (He looked exactly like the guy from the office Creed Bratton) didn't seem to budge and I felt like it was he that was really running the show. It didn't take to long, I was in and out in an hour. All the cops and security were nice. I just feel like I should be above the law (like cops are), or at least I should only have to obey the laws that I agree with. I mean how many laws are there anyway? It's just when you get caught that you have to pay $50 and pick up the trash. I usually wear my seatbelt (it's said that people who don't have suicidal tendencies), but I feel like you should get one waring, and if you show up to court, dressed smartly and with you hair combed you should get a get out of jail free card. I'm not going to let it ruin my day. Justice (I like to think of Justice as that statue with the boobs out that during the bush administration had to wear a robe.... she is pretty hot) has been served.

Maybe I am a bit biased, but my mother works here and I personally know all the employees that deal…read morewith tickets and setting up court dates and the judges. They are all very nice and the new judge seems great. I've only met him once when he took office, but everyone is friendly.

Ok, so my husband and I have lived in Saratoga for about 9.5 years now; we're from the Mid-Hudson…read moreValley originally. Whenever we see a pizza joint or an Italian restaurant, we always try to remember to check them out but after trying so many different places, we discovered that the single best pizza in all of Saratoga Springs hands down is.... Drum roll...,, in your groceries freezer!!! Not kidding, the pizza and the Italian food in Saratoga is disgustingly shameful! Until..,,, our neighbors gave us a gift card for Mama Mia and we used it tonight. (If the 2 lovely ladies from Mama Mia see this; yes we had a rough start with my pizza not being started or whatever but shit happens; it wasn't your fault) this is the very best pizza we have had since moving here. We ordered the Meat House Special and I swear it tasted like it just came out of my nonna's oven! Definitely give them a try, you'll thank me!

Went for dinner and was in the mood for a steak so ordered their queen cut prime rib for $31. I…read morehave never had prime rib drowning in the au jus before and I was not a fan. I asked the server to bring another plate and started to explain why but she was on major caffeine or something and didn't inquire as to why I wanted the plate or why I moved my food. Anyway, the au jus was WAY too salty. Luckily once I took my beef, mashed potatoes and veg off the drowning plate, the food wasn't quite so salty and was pretty good. I think the extra salt helped for the leftovers because normally I need to add salt on leftover beef, but not this one. The veggies were cooked perfectly btw. My partner got the rigatoni (no meat) and it looked dry to me, but he liked it. The house wine was a caraffe for $18 and was ok tasting. Our server was too efficient. She was so fast and it was uncomfortable. She did not make any small talk she just rushed about and it did not feel like an old school Italian place in that regard. The people next to us got a giant NY pizza and it looked amazing. Would try that if we go again.

My wife and I are frequent diners and always sit at the bar. Last night we had terrific service…read morefrom John who unfortunately was filing in for a regular bartender. Eye contact with customers was great as was quick service which is not normaly the case.

I was taken here for my birthday dinner and couldn't be happier! I had three children with me all…read moreunder 5 and the staff made us feel right at home! The servers thought of things we needed before we did and were extremely prompt with clearing plates and providing for any and all needs which was just so awesome. The space itself was beautiful and the food was spectacular! I got the two mocktails and they were also delightful.

Last night we had reservations for 11 people at 7pm. This place was amazing. The staff and owners…read moreworked their butts off to accommodate such a large group. The service was perfect. The food was super delicious. The spicy shrimp risotto dish was superb. Risotto is hard to cook correctly, and Taverna Novo executed. The short rib raviolis were hugely popular among the group. The libations were tasty. Hats off to the staff and cooks. I would highly recommend this place while in Saratoga Springs.

Just not overly impressed with Taverna Novo. Maybe dining in is a better experience, but take out…read moreis just not great. Penne alla vodka portion was small, sauce great, but chicken really chewy and over done. The pizza crust was under done, but flavor of toppings were good.

Excellent food and service. We ordered the clam spaghetti, octopus appetizer and chicken Parmesan…read moreand everything was fantastic. The wines we ordered were also delicious. Really happy we chose this place on our quick stop in Saratoga.

We chose Solevo Kitchen for a special-occasion date night, expecting a standout experience based on…read morethe price point and prior reviews. Unfortunately, the night fell well short of expectations. The evening started with the usual downtown Saratoga parking battle no fault of the restaurant, but worth noting. The free lot was full, it was below zero outside, and by the time we arrived we were already a bit rattled. We were seated promptly with our reservation, which was appreciated, but the dining room was ice cold. Tables are packed extremely close together; close enough that we were essentially part of the couple next to us on what appeared to be a very uncomfortable first date. If you're looking for an intimate or romantic dinner, this is probably not the place. The wine-by-the-glass selection was very limited only one cabernet option and the overall wine list seemed designed to push diners toward very overpriced bottles. Our server was slow to come over and didn't know the specials, which didn't help set the tone. We started with the spicy calamari, which was decent but nothing special about a 6/10. It was a bit chewy, which is disappointing for a restaurant positioning itself as high-end. For entrées, we ordered the salmon and the strip steak. Both were cooked properly, but overwhelmingly salty. If you love salt, this might be your dream meal. For us, it wasn't enjoyable we didn't finish our dishes and discarded the leftovers entirely. Maybe it was an off night for the kitchen, but given the cost and overall experience, we won't be returning. Saratoga has far too many excellent dining options to justify another try. We'd much rather spend our money at 15 Church or Chianti Il Ristorante, where the food and atmosphere have consistently delivered. Disappointing overall, especially for what was meant to be a special night out.

On a rainy Saturday night, we decided to try Three Vines Bistro which was conveniently located in…read morethe same plaza off Broadway as our hotel. The menu on line looked intriguing enough with classic Italian dishes and pizza to try. Upon entrance to the restaurant, it was surprising how empty they were despite relatively good Yelp reviews. It was already late (after 8PM in Saratoga Springs is considered late even for the start of the summer season with this being Memorial Day). There were only 2 other tables of patrons and by the time we finished dinner, we were the only ones left. The restaurant was clean looking and appeared to have ample staff between chefs/cooks which you could seen with a large open window to the kitchen and coal fired pizza oven, waitresses and a bartender. We ordered a wedge salad and a Bistro salad to start. Both were absolutely huge and could easily have been shared. Known for there meatballs served in a variety of styles, we ordered the Polpette Di Manzo which was 3 meatballs. The meatballs themselves were rather plain tasting, but the sauce made up for that. A half order of penne a la vodka and a full order of Pasta Primivera were both very good and rather filling for a late night meal. We didn't have room for dessert. One item for management to address is their on-line menu vs. their in restaurant menu which has a difference in pricing of ~$2 per item. Our friendly waitress said that the rain and cooler temps were keeping patrons away this May and of course this evening. Hopefully for Three Vines, the weather improves and they have a wonderful summer season in Saratoga Springs!

I wouldn't say this place is 100% authentic Italian, but it was still very tasty. All dishes were…read moreaccommodated for everyone's dietary needs, except the menu did not describe what contents were inside the arancini. Me being a vegetarian, I assumed it was only cheese but there was a meat/pea mixture so that was my fault for not asking.

Incredible night out at Panza's. From the food to the service to the atmosphere, I can see why this…read morerestaurant has been operating for over 80 years. They definitely lean toward an old school dining experience which some may find dated but I found it refreshing and made it easy to actually relax. The menu had your classic like chicken parmigiana and chicken piccata to name a few but the presentation made everything fresh, modern and elevated . The crab & shrimp fritters are a MUST. Please order them. The crispy exterior, filling and the hot honey sauce create a wonderful bite with a touch of heat. All the desserts are made in house including the gelato. It's a pricier night out but worth every penny. Panza's is in a league all their own when it comes to fine dining.

Clams trilogy was gritty with sand. Salad was bitter and veal medallions were tough. Very…read moredisappointing