Hide the protein shakes, diet plans and calorie counters—at least for a week or so anyway. Saratoga Springs is gearing up for Saratoga County Restaurant Week, which will stretch from Friday, March 22 through Thursday, March 28. Saratoga County Restaurant Week (not to be confused with Discover Saratoga’s Annual Restaurant Week in November) will feature more than 40 participating restaurants, each offering its own three-course meals for $20 or $30 (tax and tip not included). The 8-day, food-filled event is designed to bring more business to local restaurants during a normally slow time of the year.
“It’s a great opportunity to sample local restaurants that maybe you haven’t been to in awhile or never tried before,” says the President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Todd Shimkus. The Chamber of Commerce took over Restaurant Week after local radio station WJKE The Jockey, which had managed the event for years, was sold in November of 2017. “We knew from talking to restaurants that had participated, that it had always been a good business opportunity for them, so we decided to jump in and promote it,” says Shimkus.
On the menu will be, well, a little bit of everything. Guests salivating for some steak can head over to Prime, which is offering on its menu a choice of red wine braised beef short rip; Chicken National; or grilled salmon with caramel budino for dessert. Those seeking some slightly lighter, French fare should head over to Chez Pierre in Gansevoort and enjoy from its menu Chicken Chasseur (stuffed with prosciutto), Scallops Chez Pierre (broiled in garlic and shallots) or Veal Vosgienne (sautéed in a mushroom cream sauce); and for dessert, Bananas Foster or Chocolate Chambord Trifle. Some other local favorites participating in the week of $20-30 meals will include Gaffney’s, sports bar Saratoga Stadium and Lake Ridge Restaurant, just 15 minutes south of the city in Round Lake.
This is only the Chamber’s second year running the event, but they’ve already managed to spice things up a little bit. Last year, for its first Restaurant Week run, it added a raffle that included a $50 gift card from every participating restaurant. A family of three (soon to be four) won the more than $2000 in gift cards. Those interested in this year’s raffle have until the last day of Restaurant Week, March 28, to enter online. A winner will be announced the day after on Friday, March 29.
