Food & Drink

Thinking Outside the Closet

Custom closets are just one of the many storage solutions California Closets Albany can create for your home.

California Closets is a great name for a nationally renowned brand that has been providing clients with custom closet and storage solutions for more than 40 years. But, here in the Capital Region, in the midst of an ongoing pandemic that’s kept homeowners in their homes more than ever before, the name “California Closets” only scratches the surface of all the brand’s Albany-based franchise can do.

For one, the storage units sold locally are actually built locally, too—not in some far-off west coast locale as the name suggests. “What many people don’t know is that we manufacture our product locally at our facility in Albany,” says Joy Rafferty, who has co-owned the local franchise with her husband, Sean, since 2003. “Our installation team then professionally installs the custom product in the client’s home. We are a full-service company, with local employees doing all the work. We’ve built our team from four people to 40 since we began this business.”

And then there’s the “Closet” part of the name. Whether you’re looking for a top-of-the-line walk-in or to make the most of a less-than-spacious space on a budget, the California Closets Albany team certainly has you covered. But they also do much, much more than closets. “We can build just about anything, but we’re asked a lot to create mudroom systems,” Rafferty says. “Especially in the winter months, people are eager to have a space for all of their boots, coats and hats.” And when the pandemic began, Joy and Sean saw new needs arise: “We’ve seen a noticeable increase in home offices and media centers. People are watching more TV and want something custom that surrounds it, and we’ve created more

All of California Closets Albany’s products are designed and constructed locally. (from top) During COVID, California Closets Albany saw a spike in customers looking for custom home offices; California Closets can create built-ins for any room in the house.

home offices in the last 18 months than ever before—everything from a simple desk and drawers to entire rooms with multiple workstations, overhead shelves and cabinetry.”

So, while “California Closets and Mudrooms and Entertainment Centers and Home Offices” may be a more accurate name for the Raffertys’ business, understandably, the couple sticks with “California Closets.” And those customers who aren’t in on the best-kept secret in the home storage biz? Well, they can prepare to be amazed by all the possibilities. ■

home stretch:

fashion || food & drink || book nook || haute property

Here Comes the Sundress

SPRINGTIME IN SARATOGA MEANS PIPER SUNDRESSES, BRUNCH—AND WEARING PIPER SUNDRESSES TO BRUNCH. photography by DORI FITZPATRICK

the second i saw these two flirty sundresses at Piper Boutique, I had a onetrack mind: brunch goals. There’s nothing quite like getting all dolled up to chow down on a bougie Broadway brunch after the weather turns warm, and letting the mid-morning slip away into Bellinifueled oblivion. I’d choose the creamcolored babydoll dress for a Sunday morning Max London’s soirée— accessorize with a simple short heel and gold jewelry; and the slightly sexier, springier floral number for see-and-be-seen Morrissey's. Be sure to snap a pic in the Adelphi’s Insta-worthy glass atrium: This dress deserves to bask in all the natural springtime light it can get. Oh, wait—I forgot about Boca Bistro’s brunch. Another dress, another day… —Heather Thompson

@heathermariethompson

DAPHNE LO ORANGE BLOSSOM DRESS

PIPER | $68 ENYA EMBOSSED BABYDOLL DRESS

PIPER | $72

home stretch:

fashion || food & drink || book nook || haute property

The Ramen Empire

there’s no denying that when former Druthers chefs Mike and Shelley Spain opened Seneca in 2019, they raised Saratoga’s foodie bar a few notches. And now the husband-wife duo is at it again.

The Spains’ newest venture is Rhea, a sister restaurant to Seneca that will take over the former Saratoga Stadium location on Broadway this spring. Inspired by the Noodle House pop-ups that Seneca offered during the pandemic, Rhea’s menu will be split into two sections: One offering globally inspired sharable small plates (chorizo dumplings, fried chicken bao buns, blackened green beans and tuna tartare), and the other reserved for ramen. “We’ll feature house-made noodles and broths that can take days to prepare,” Mike says. “The idea is to keep learning new techniques and researching ingredients while having fun in the kitchen.”

As for the restaurant itself, the Spains are “blurring the bar/dining areas to create a laidback and energized atmosphere.” There will be a 30-seat bar (serving draft beers, wine, tiki-style cocktails and more) running down the center of the dining room, with leather booth seating around the perimeter. The entire front of the building will be replaced with a retractable all-glass wall, to again “blur the lines,” this time between indoor and outdoor dining.

Rhea is scheduled to open mid- to late-March, supply chain willing. “Saratoga is known for so many things, and we think being a food WORLD TOUR destination is one of them,” Mike says. “It’s exciting to be a part of a group of owners and chefs that make up such a great restaurant scene. We hope that Rhea will be a great addition and complement to what is already here.”

dig in to china When it opens this

spring, Rhea will be a continuation of Seneca’s Noodle House pop-ups, which featured dishes including steamed duck wontons, steamed pork buns and Korean fried chicken wings.

overlooking glass While

Carson’s will still have plenty of outdoor seating, the restaurant is transforming its covered patio into a year-round dining room with huge windows that overlook Saratoga Lake.

Views for Days

anyone who’s been to Carson’s Woodside Tavern overlooking Saratoga Lake knows that the stunning views from the patio are almost as important—if not as important!—to the dining experience as the gourmet American fare the restaurant serves. And that’s saying something, because the food is, in a word, great. Come this summer, AL though, outdoor diners FRESCO will find some changes to the Carson’s property. “We got rid of the old covered patio and are building a beautiful yearround room with two big walls of windows that can fold up,” says coowner Susie Carson. “So you’ll still get the fresh air wafting in during the warm-weather months, but we can close them up in a jiffy if a rainstorm blows in.” The new space, which will have a cozy fireplace for winter dining, will also be available for private functions.

But even with the new building, there will still be plenty of “real” outdoor dining opportunities for those willing to brave the elements. “Our big outdoor patio space and The Overlook Bar will open back up around Memorial Day or sooner if the weather warrants it,” Carson says. “We built a new kitchen just to service the patio and haven’t gotten a chance to use it due to the hiring challenge. Once we finally get that up and running it’s going to be fantastic.”

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home stretch:

fashion || food & drink || book nook || haute property

To a Tee

Taproom Tap Dance

it’s been a rollercoaster of a couple years for Artisanal Brew Works (ABW), a nationally known craft brewery that’s been serving Saratoga since 2016. (The brewery’s located in the Spa City, but distributes brews—including its popular Warheads® Extreme Sours, a collaboration with the sour candy brand—all over the country.) Upon leaving its original Geyser Road location in December 2020, ABW moved into a small space next to a car dealership on Maple Ave. And by January 2022, they’d moved again—this time into a space at the back of the same plaza. “Moving into this building has always been our plan, ever since we left our original location,” ABW’s Kelley Lanham says. “The new taproom is much larger than both our original location and our temporary space.” While ABW is finished with moving trucks for the foreseeable future, there are other big things on the horizon for the brewery. “We have plans to expand and utilize the rest of the 10,000-square-foot building by opening a full restaurant and having a large outdoor biergarten that will be surrounded on the backside by the Palmertown Range,” Lanham says. “We’re hoping to have more details and a concrete timeline on our expansion in the next couple of months.”

The opening of the new restaurant may be a ways away, but ABW has already made its first step beyond the beer world: This February, Bloody Marys made with Albany Distilling Co. Vodka hit the menu. In a recent Instagram post, ABW called its new Bloody the brewery’s “first” cocktail….In other words, there’s more—much more—where that came from.

new home, who dis?

Artisanal Brew Works’ new taproom; (top) ABW’s Welcome Home IPA, which was brewed in celebration of its new location.

MOVING DAY chad dorrough and ON chris mccarthy, owners of best-keptDECK Saratoga-secret The Hideaway at Saratoga Lake Golf Club, aren’t hiding away any longer. The restaurateur duo have announced a brand-new restaurant called Iron’s Edge, which they plan to open at Ballston Spa Country Club this April. “Iron’s Edge will be very much a sister restaurant, but we don’t want to duplicate The Hideaway,” says Dorrough. “You’ll see some of The Hideaway’s staple menu items, but it’ll have its own unique menu.” Since 2019, The Hideaway has been serving an array of soups, salads, sandwiches and Italian-inspired entrées—plus all sorts of boozy concoctions, wine and craft beer—to golfers and non-golfing foodies alike. The new restaurant will replace Mangino’s Fairway Grill at Ballston Spa Country Club and, like The Hideaway, be open to non-golfers as well.

“The trick to running a restaurant at a golf course, we’ve learned, is to go in and figure out what the golfers want first and then add your restaurant concept around that,” Dorrough says. “They’re there every day, so your

edge of glory (from top) Irons

Edge’s coconut shrimp; buffalo rangoons; and bourbon-glazed salmon; (opposite) the new restaurant will operate at Ballston Spa Country Club.

target market should be them. We’ve been pretty fortunate to do that at The Hideaway, and now we have the opportunity to do the same thing in Ballston Spa.” Comfort / Convenience / Luxury Amenities 1, 2 & 3- Bedroom Apartments with Private Entrance & Attached Garage

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perfect pair On Wednesdays

from 5pm-close, Barrelhouse customers can get a specialty pizza and pitcher of beer for just $30.

Pie Expectations

this past january, The Barrelhouse made a pizza-lover’s pie-in-thesky dream a reality: The Beekman Street BBQ joint started serving a Wednesday night pizzaand-pitcher special for just $30. Owner Charlie Usas says DEAL that while pizzas OF THE aren’t on the DAY restaurant’s normal menu, they were offering them on weekends during football season. Now, customers can choose between seven specialty pizzas, including the Wide Right (white pie with mozzarella, chicken, hot sauce and smoked blue cheese dressing) and the Ciao Randy! (red sauce, mozzarella, ground beef, pickles, onions, tomato and Russian dressing), as well as any beer on tap (or a bottle of Prophecy Wine), every Wednesday from 5pm-close. The deal is even good for takeout orders (minus the vino option)—customers should just come with a growler in which to bring home their beer.