Last weekend, Jen and I went had a great time on the Saratoga Springs Food Tour. The tour took us around downtown Saratoga where we sampled some of the best foods of the area, and even learned a little history too!
We started off at the Saratoga Farmers Market where we met up with our private tour guide Joe. Our first stop was So Lively Tapenade where we we tried some delicious homemade red pepper chips.
We started off at the Saratoga Farmers Market where we met up with our private tour guide Joe. Our first stop was So Lively Tapenade where we we tried some delicious homemade red pepper chips.
We then went to the Argyles Cheese Farm booth and sampled some amazing Greek Yogurt. We learned about their annual Cheese Farm Tour - a driving tour of different cheese farms in Upstate New York and Vermont.
Next, we made our way down to see Ana Mae. Her jams are made from fresh fruit grown in her own garden. I was amazed at the amount of different combinations you could choose from - from Blueberry-Melon to Strawberry-Raspberry, the combos are pretty much unlimited. Her top seller is Sour Cherry which sells for about $5.50 a jar.
We then tried some delicious chocolate peanut butter from Saratoga Peanut Butter Co. I never knew there were so many flavors!
Next, we mosied on down the road to one of Saratogas natural mineral
Springs. The water tasted like a bad seltzer to be honest - but at least we can say we tried it!
Next, we headed up the hill to
Olde Bryan Inn - one of my favorites. We each had our own Balsamic Beef Bruschetta that was ahhh*mazing! This dish consists of tender hand cut beef tips were combined with fire roasted red and yellow bell peppers, broiled in
balsamic vinaigrette, then placed over grilled garlic toast with
shredded parmesan cheese. Yum. We learned a little bit about the ghost
stories of Old Bryan Inn as well.
Next, we headed over to Broadway to visit the Saratoga Olive Oil Company. What a cool
store! Here we sampled a number of flavored balsamic vinegars, gourmet
olive oils, sea salts and more. Jen bought the Wild Mushroom and
Sage and Tuscan Herb oils.
After that, we headed over to the Saratoga
Salsa and Spicy Company. They have a huge selection of all different kinds of hot sauces and homemade salsas. I typically am not a huge cranberry fan, but I tasted this cranberry salsa that was absolutely to-die-for. It was a pleasant burst of fresh, fruity and spicy flavors all
in one! The owner also made us try the Scorpion hot sauce - which is made from
the hottest pepper on the planet. Whew-weeeee was this hot! We almost
had to call in the fire department for Jen.
Last but not least,
it was desert time. Usually the tour goes to Betty's Cupcakes, but
this day we went to Euginios Cafe Gelato. This place was gelato heaven!
For those of you who didn't know (I didn't), gelato is an Italian-style
ice cream made with all fresh natural ingredients and has less calories then regular ice cream. I opted for half Rocky Road and half
Chocolate Peanut Butter. It was the perfect way to end our tour!
All
in all, we had an amazing time. Our tour guide Joe was so kind and knowledgable - you
could sense his passion for the amazing food and history of Saratoga. If you have a chance, we highly recommend going on the Saratoga Springs Food Tour. If you have friends coming into town or have a family members birthday coming up, this truly makes a great gift! For more information on the Saratoga Springs Food Tours, visit there website here.
Next, we made our way down to see Ana Mae. Her jams are made from fresh fruit grown in her own garden. I was amazed at the amount of different combinations you could choose from - from Blueberry-Melon to Strawberry-Raspberry, the combos are pretty much unlimited. Her top seller is Sour Cherry which sells for about $5.50 a jar.We then tried some delicious chocolate peanut butter from Saratoga Peanut Butter Co. I never knew there were so many flavors! Next, we mosied on down the road to one of Saratogas natural mineral
Springs. The water tasted like a bad seltzer to be honest - but at least we can say we tried it!Next, we headed up the hill to
Olde Bryan Inn - one of my favorites. We each had our own Balsamic Beef Bruschetta that was ahhh*mazing! This dish consists of tender hand cut beef tips were combined with fire roasted red and yellow bell peppers, broiled in
balsamic vinaigrette, then placed over grilled garlic toast with
shredded parmesan cheese. Yum. We learned a little bit about the ghost
stories of Old Bryan Inn as well. Next, we headed over to Broadway to visit the Saratoga Olive Oil Company. What a cool
store! Here we sampled a number of flavored balsamic vinegars, gourmet
olive oils, sea salts and more. Jen bought the Wild Mushroom and
Sage and Tuscan Herb oils. After that, we headed over to the Saratoga
Salsa and Spicy Company. They have a huge selection of all different kinds of hot sauces and homemade salsas. I typically am not a huge cranberry fan, but I tasted this cranberry salsa that was absolutely to-die-for. It was a pleasant burst of fresh, fruity and spicy flavors all
in one! The owner also made us try the Scorpion hot sauce - which is made from
the hottest pepper on the planet. Whew-weeeee was this hot! We almost
had to call in the fire department for Jen.Last but not least,
it was desert time. Usually the tour goes to Betty's Cupcakes, but
this day we went to Euginios Cafe Gelato. This place was gelato heaven!
For those of you who didn't know (I didn't), gelato is an Italian-style
ice cream made with all fresh natural ingredients and has less calories then regular ice cream. I opted for half Rocky Road and half
Chocolate Peanut Butter. It was the perfect way to end our tour! All
in all, we had an amazing time. Our tour guide Joe was so kind and knowledgable - you
could sense his passion for the amazing food and history of Saratoga. If you have a chance, we highly recommend going on the Saratoga Springs Food Tour. If you have friends coming into town or have a family members birthday coming up, this truly makes a great gift! For more information on the Saratoga Springs Food Tours, visit there website here. 
Deb Castellucci is happy to share food related tips & tricks, recipes, favorite restaurants and ideas for entertaining and more! I'm happy to share what I have learned over the years and look forward to learning more from my Glens Falls neighbors! I grew up in the Glens Falls area and I know that there are tons of fellow foodies out there who would love to share what they know too! Feel free to contact me here or like us our Glens Falls Gourmet Facebook page to see daily posts!
Mary Longley Beside cooking being my middle name, most people call me Mary. My cooking experience started out of necessity, and with lots of successes and not so successful gourmet delights, I learned to be a little creative with some foods and found things that stay consistently on my list. Spending time in the kitchen is therapy for me and entertaining to share the successes. I look forward to sharing some of my creativity with everyone.
Amberly Rundell Hey foodies! My name is Amberly and I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of this blog. One of my greatest passions is trying different foods from around the world - from Asian to Indian, to Thai and Mexican, I love it all! My recent travels have opened up my palette to whole new world of tastes, spices and aromas and I'm so excited to share them with you all. Im also a huge wine enthusiast. I love to cook with wine. (And sometimes, I even add it to my food!) I welcome you to add little "spice" to your life. Explore our blog for some of the best recipes and wines from all over the globe!
Thank you Jen and Amberly for your nice review.
It was a pleasure meeting you and having you on the tour.
Joe