With all the excitement of the 144th season, you may be looking for a place to wind down. What better way to do that than by enjoying some great food? But if you’re feeling limited because you’ve explored downtown Saratoga to the fullest, our Innae Park took a look at some hidden gems elsewhere, giving a whole different meaning to the expression, “Off Broadway!”

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SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. – It’s a common sight: the crowds, clamor and cuisine of downtown Saratoga. But how about going off the beaten path and putting the "Broadway blinders" away today? Just a few "lengths" away from the track is a shop with some hometown flavor.

They own the Spring Street Deli and Pizzeria now, but growing up, Brian Brumley and Anthony Gargano worked at the track. That, combined with a dream of homemade food from the heart, brought about their racing creations! Among them, the Secretariat, the Jim Dandy, the Man-o-war, Rachel Alexandra and the Sea Biscuit, which is given a strong endorsement. Brumley admitted, “The Sea Biscuit's my favorite. Blackened chicken and cheddar cheese and homemade cajun sauce we make, it's delicious.”

He added, “We’re original. There’s nobody like us on Broadway.”

The range of their food is vast, with the expected sandwiches and pizza, as in the name of their eatery. They also have more Mexican-influenced cuisine, such as quesadillas. When asked about the diversity, Brumley said, “We serve to every age. We serve to kids to businessmen to construction workers in the neighborhood, all aspects we serve. So it's just a nice variety for people to have something to choose from.”

Looking for something more formal? How about food from a founding family of Italian cuisine?

The oven’s still burning at Panza’s, which opened in 1938 on Route 9-P, next to Saratoga Lake. Current owner and chef Anthony Panza said, “My grandmother and grandfather were from Naples, Italy, and they kind of brought pizza to the capital region in the 1800s, when they had a bakery.”
As a result, Panza calls his restaurant a modern dining experience, tempered with tradition.

“We're the oldest restaurant in Saratoga County continuously run by the same family,” he said.

If you’d rather a quick bite, or something to top it all off, just a short drive away, the Whistling Kettle in Ballston Spa is opening its door to all.

Co-owner Kevin Borowsky said, “When people think of a tea establishment, they think of older women in dresses with fancy china and dainty little tea sandwiches, and we're not about that. We're for the democratization of tea.”

And democracy means decisions, especially when there are so many options. At the Whistling Kettle alone, there are more than 125 varieties.

Borowsky compared the liquid to another popular drink, wine. “Just like wine, you can pair almost an infinite amount of combinations,” he said. “There are literally thousands of tea farms around the world that produce teas, just like wine, you would produce wine at different heights, elevations, climates all affect the tea.”

These are just some of the few hidden gems in Saratoga County where you are able to enjoy a delicious bite to eat without the mid-summer masses.

For more information:
Spring Street Deli and Pizzeria - www.springstreetdeli.net.
Panza’s Restaurant - panzasrestaurant.com.
The Whistling Kettle - www.thewhistlingkettle.com.