From the Culinary Vault Dept.: Twenty years ago, I reviewed a restaurant in Saratoga Springs that seemed destined for a long run, but didn’t make it very far off the back stretch. After eight years, owner Tim Meaney put the business up for sale, telling the Times Union that winters were a struggle, and it was time to move on. As near as I can figure, the address was next home to a tapas bar calling itself “62 Beekman”; currently, it’s an Italian eatery called Taverna Novo.
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, a friend of mine ran a drop-in center for kids in a storefront on Saratoga’s Beekman Street. Although he was doing good work, offering a place for teens to engage in meaningful activity, he wasn’t particularly welcomed by the neighborhood. After the program fell apart, he encouraged his board of directors to hang on to the building, predicting that the neighborhood would develop a more artistic identity. They unloaded the building anyway, for a sum they must these days deeply regret.
Unlike Lake George Village, the burg just up Route 9 that swells into life each summer with throngs of vacationers, Saratoga is the place to go to lose money in games of chance. Both cities have struggled to attract the kind of tourist happy to drop some coin on a fancy dinner, but Saratoga’s demographics have eased it ahead in that race.
Owner Meaney and Chef Spitz met while working at the popular Flying Fish in Lake George, but the restaurant went away and left them considering options. The partnership was a good one and Saratoga beckoned.
“We opened last July, on the 14th,” says Meaney. “I couldn’t open until the new sidewalks went in. They were poured on the 12th, so we were able to start serving two days later.” They did so with no fanfare, but were able to attract word-of-mouth attention during track season. “By the end of those six weeks, we were doing a good business, and it persisted through the fall.”
Business was light when I paid a recent mid-week visit, but it was steady and included many good-to-see-you-again welcomes from the staff as regular customers arrived. The building sits beside an art gallery, and is itself hung with a regularly changing artwork display. Which may be the most striking aspect of the space when you enter; the dining room itself is a comfortable, calm, discreetly lighted space.
Service throughout the evening was easygoing and we had attention when it was needed, but we, as newcomers, were given far less attention than those who’d been there before. Both chef and owner took time to talk with others; neither stopped by our table. It’s a dangerous practice to pay too much attention to anyone in the room just for this reason, and the virtuoso restaurateurs know how to spread the table-stops around.
Our server also succumbed, for too-lengthy periods, to the lure of conversation with an adjoining party. It’s tempting to linger when you have friends in the house, but a good server has an inner clock that allows only a few seconds of chat before she excuses herself and shimmers away.
So it is with rabbit as well. They have a new supplier, which they celebrated by offering rabbit three ways – three different preparations on one plate. Previous offerings included rabbit hind quarters braised in olive oil with stewed artichokes and black truffles ($25), and the same meat braised in pork stock with leeks and cream, bacon and thyme ($20). I enjoyed a somewhat simpler preparation of braised rabbit over soft polenta ($19), scented with a piquant mixture of herbs.
Seasonings suit the ingredients well here; potato and leek soup ($7), was not the traditionally creamy variety, and was livened with pepper; a starter of PEI mussels, generously topping the bowl, sparkled with the flavors of chili and fennel ($9).
“I’m surprised at what we’re able to sell,” says Meaney, citing the sardines with bruschetta ($7) as an example. I sampled the dish, or rather, the fish – the dish itself was a long, handsome platter on which three large, fresh sardines awaited my attention as I easily scraped the meat off the bone. You’ll never go back to the canned stuff after this.
Oxtail is another neglected item, usually the basis of a soup. Here it was stuffed with tasty breading and served, lightly sauced, over polenta ($18) – very moist, and rich with delicious fat, tasty enough that my wife, who usually bitches about such things, finished it all.
Grilled quail has its own strong flavor, so if it’s going to be marinated, it needs the strength of balsamic vinegar to accomplish anything. This dish ($19) is served over creamy mashed potatoes and adds the fun of eating with your fingers.
With a vegetarian friend in tow, we sampled a pastry shell packed with porcini mushrooms and ricotta, among other savory ingredients ($15).
Desserts are made in-house, and a chocolate-and-figs tart ($6) was unusually enough flavored to give my daughter pause; even as she passed it around, though, she decided it was good enough to reclaim. A $10 fruit and cheese plate was a disappointment; no crackers, little fruit, and no explanation of the items. Also, with the arrival of warm weather, I’d like to see some vegetables on the plates.
The menu and the servers here need to stress the local origins of the products: there’s no better place to preach the gospel of local harvests than where you can taste the stuff, and the philosophy of this restaurant – supported by an extraordinary kitchen. For Saratoga dining, this place is a safe bet.
The Beekman Street Bistro, 62 Beekman St., Saratoga Springs, 518-581-xxxx. Local meat and produce gets extraordinary cooking in this off-the-track eatery, located in a burgeoning arts district. Be sure to try the rabbit. Serving dinner Tue-Sat 5-9. AE, MC, V.
– Metroland Magazine, 23 March 2006
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