Photo via the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
WILTON — The Saratoga Food & Dessert Bar recently opened at the Wilton Mall, adding a robust selection of cookies, cakes, ice cream, grilled cheeses, and breakfast items to the food court.
The bakery celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 16.
Although the business initially started out only offering dessert items, it has “naturally evolved,” it said, due to its food court location. Sourdough grilled cheese with scratch tomato soup has become one of the bar’s top-selling items.
The Saratoga Food & Dessert Bar is open Monday through Sunday. It also accepts online orders for pickup or delivery.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — New Yorkers for Harness Racing, a harness racing education and advocacy organization, recently announced the launch of its website, www.newyorkersforharnessracing.com.
The site highlights harness racing’s economic impact on New York State, which currently hosts seven racetracks, including the one at the Saratoga Casino Hotel.
According to the organization, harness racing supports thousands of jobs and a statewide network of more than 100 breeding farms, training centers, and boarding facilities. A 2024 economic impact study by the Empire State Harness Horse Alliance estimates that the harness racing industry generates more than $400 million in economic activity for New York State annually. Some of these funds, the organization said, flow into local communities and thus benefit the agriculture, farm equipment, construction, animal health services, and tourism industries.
The Saratoga Casino Hotel is currently in the midst of its 84th season of live harness racing.
From left to right: Skip Carlson, vice president of external affairs at the Saratoga Casino Hotel; Maggie Fronk, CEO at Wellspring; and Colleen Carlson, director of sales at the Saratoga Casino Hotel. Photo via the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Casino Hotel recently commemorated Giving Tuesday by awarding a total of $120,000 to twelve Capital Region nonprofits at its annual Make A Difference holiday luncheon.
“Over twenty years later, this remains the event we look forward to most each year,” said Skip Carlson, vice president of external affairs at the Saratoga Casino Hotel. “Supporting organizations that enhance the lives of so many—our guests, our team members, and the community at large—is a core value of our company and something our owners deeply believe in. We’re honored to be able to contribute.”
Each of the following organizations received a $10,000 donation at the event:
AIM Services, Inc.
Capital Roots
The Donna M. Crandall Memorial Foundation
Folds of Honor
Franklin Community Center
Jake’s Help from Heaven
Saratoga Hospital/CHC
Saratoga Sponsor-A-Scholar
SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children)
Eddie Fazzone and Mario Cardenas. Photo via the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
CLIFTON PARK — Sonny and Cher. Batman and Robin. Eddie and Mario.
On Monday, the eatery formerly known as Eddie F’s Clifton Park transformed into Eddie & Mario’s New England Seafood and Pizzeria, marking the official collaboration of two Saratoga stars: Mario Cardenas of West Ave Pizza and Chicken fame, and Eddie Fazzone, owner of Eddie F’s New England Seafood Restaurant.
“Eddie & Marios was created with a simple idea—bring together the comfort of handcrafted pizza and the freshness of quality seafood in one inviting place,” the business’ website states. “Our kitchen blends classic techniques with bold flavors, using fresh ingredients to craft dishes that feel both familiar and exciting. From oven-baked pizzas with crispy crusts to satisfying seafood favorites, every meal is made with care and passion.”
The restaurant’s new menu includes pizza slices and pies, subs (hot and cold), Italian entrees, wings, fish baskets, lobster rolls, and much more. The offerings are available for takeout, dine-in, and third-party delivery.
Although Eddie F’s in Clifton Park has undergone these changes, the Eddie F’s in Saratoga Springs will remain the same.
Eddie & Mario’s New England Seafood and Pizzeria is currently hiring for all positions.
For more information about the restaurant located at 1742 Route 9 in Clifton Park, visit www.eddieandmarios.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Dec. 2, Lisa Sondhof, founder of Operation Gingerbread and the Youth Forward Foundation, joined more than 40 residents of The Wesley Community for an afternoon of holiday cheer and gingerbread house decorating.
Sondhof founded Operation Gingerbread in 2023 with the aim of cultivating a sense of community and spreading holiday cheer.
Sondhof’s Youth Forward Foundation is a Saratoga-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering disadvantaged and underrepresented youth by creating access to athletic, music, and academic opportunities. The foundation was launched earlier this year.
CLIFTON PARK — A new pickleball club will celebrate its grand opening in Clifton Park on Dec. 20 after opening festivities were postponed earlier this month.
Stephen Frye, a former math teacher and athletic director, founded the FryeGuys Pickleball Club as a space where people of all ages can enjoy the game, stay active, and connect socially. The club will feature three new indoor courts, and three instructors are already listed as staff members on the FryeGuys website.
According to the website Pickleheads, pickleball saw a 158.6% nationwide growth rate from 2020 to 2023, and has become “the fastest-growing sport in America.” There are now hundreds of places to play pickleball in New York State, with a number of them scattered throughout the Saratoga region.
The interior of the Saratoga Arms Hotel, decorated for the holidays. Photo provided by the Saratoga Arms Hotel.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Arms Hotel recently announced the launch of its new, limited-time holiday tea service, which will occur every Saturday this month (Dec. 13, 20, and 27).
The experience includes a selection of hot teas paired with a three-tier tower of sweet and savory finger sandwiches, tea cakes, and other treats. A special children’s tea menu will also be available.
Reservations must be made in advance at the following link: tables.toasttab.com/restaurants/a8887a6a-3716-46ff-ad7b-42328f250a71/reserve.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Neither snow nor sleet could stop Noah’s Italian from delivering on its opening night, which saw the new Phila Street eatery more stuffed than a conchiglioni.
Packed with a boisterous crowd, the highly anticipated Italian chophouse that features handmade pastas by Chef Danny Petrosino (of Osteria Danny fame) rolled out a menu that included early favorites like fried mom’s spaghetti, mezzi rigatoni, K.D.’s chicken parm, and hand-selected USDA Prime steaks. The dishes were served on plates that a server said were made by the same company that provides dishware to the White House.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given Chef Noah Frese’s background at the track-adjacent Siro’s, a few notable names in horse racing were among the opening night attendees (trainer Chad Brown, jockey Katie Davis, and former jockey Trevor McCarthy, to be specific).
Noah’s now joins several new establishments that have created something of a restaurant renaissance on Phila Street. Nearby are Familiar Creature, a wine bar from the owners of Hamlet & Ghost; Standard Fare, the latest venture from the duo behind Bocage Champagne Bar; and Fillies on Phila, a casual wood-fired pizza joint.
Noah’s is located at 43 Phila and is open Tuesday through Sunday.
Photo of Saratoga Hospital’s new da Vinci 5 surgical robot provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Ushering in what it called “a new era of precision and patient-centered care,” Saratoga Hospital recently announced the addition of a da Vinci 5 surgical robot.
The robot’s “enhanced ergonomics, improved visualization, and dramatically faster energy generator” are designed to improve surgical precision, reduce operation time, and support smoother instrument exchanges, the hospital said.
“Introducing the da Vinci 5 elevates our surgical capabilities and reinforces our dedication to delivering the highest quality care close to home,” said Jill VanKuren, president and CEO of Saratoga Hospital. “This technology supports our surgeons with new levels of precision and control, and it opens the door to safer, more efficient procedures for patients across our community.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — If you’re looking for Broadway’s newest bookstore, look up.
Botanica Books hovers above downtown Saratoga, a couple flights of stairs removed from the shoppers, drinkers, and gallivanters.
“I wanted something that felt a little bit off the beaten path, something that people might be curious about,” said Botanica’s owner and manager Carissa Mina. “The foot traffic has been great… Booklovers will go as far as they need to see a bookshop.”
The short climb is rewarded with a boutique-style store that looks more like a treehouse than Tree House Brewing: a plant’s tendrils fall between two bookshelves; a floral rug rests beneath two green cushioned armchairs; and a bird named Stevie Nicks is perched above the patrons. (Yes, Botanica has its own pet bird named after the witchy singer-songwriter.)
If the arboreal vibes aren’t enough to lure you in, the shop differentiates itself from other Broadway booksellers with its special-interest titles that cover literature, art, antiquity, botany, history, religion, politics, and more.
“I think my distinct personality would be that I love to read and I love to learn, and I really wanted to have a bookshop [where] all the books in it are books that I’m really interested in reading or learning from,” Mina said. “People can come in and find something that maybe they weren’t looking for and that they might have an interest in reading or learning about.”
Mina is a New York native (Niagara Falls, to be exact) who moved back to the great Upstate after living in Colorado, where she owned and operated a children’s bookshop called The Wandering Jellyfish. She’s also a writer herself and was active in Colorado’s wordsmith scene. After journeying back to New York, she hoped to recreate that community here in the Spa City. To that end, Botanica offers itself as a meeting place for writing workshops, book clubs, classes, and other small gatherings.
“Writers, we’re a lonely bunch,” Mina said. “I missed my community and [wanted] to give writers a reason to get together.”
Although Botanica only recently opened, local authors are already drawn to it. Saratoga Schaefer—a self-described “author, poet, and graveyard dweller” who is both named after Saratoga Springs and now lives in the area—stopped by Mina’s shop with an advanced copy of the forthcoming horror novel “Trad Wife.”
“It’s fantastic,” Mina said of the Schaefer book that’ll be out in February. “I love a good horror book.”
Lovers of good books of all kinds can stop by Botanica Books at 456 Broadway, Suite 302. It’s open Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those interested in using Botanica as a meeting place for book clubs or writing workshops can contact the store at hello@botanicabooks.com.
