New restaurants opening in Clifton Park and Saratoga
A new restaurant is fully open in Clifton Park and another is in a soft-opening phase in Saratoga Springs.
The Flats, located in a plaza at the corner of Grooms and Vischer Ferry roads, takes its name from a former name for the area, Rexford Flats. It has been open since June 16 under owner Mel Hathaway, a Clifton Park resident whose background is managing chain restaurants.
The large menu features a variety of influences, among them Cajun and Mediterranean, and includes apps, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps, entrees and desserts. Main-dish prices range from $15.50 (blackbean burger, ratatouille wrap) to $36.50 (14-ounce ribeye with potato and veg). Among the more unusual items is a burger called The Rexford, a kobe beef patty topped with lobster, tomato confit, bacon marmalade, crispy pancetta, roasted red onions and gruyere cheese, for $28.50.
According to the voicemail greeting, hours for now are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday and Tuesday. (The hours differ slightly from what’s listed on the restaurant’s website.) The address is 675 Grooms Road; phone, 518-357-3827; web, theflats675.com. The restaurant does not currently accept reservations or online orders.
In Saratoga, a restaurant called The District has been serving food in recent days as the latest eatery at 43 Phila St., home over the years to dining spots including R&R Kitchen + Bar, Seven Horse Pub and 43 Phila.
The online menu shows largely Italian and Mediterranean fare, including grilled or fried calamari, kofta, lamb with lentils and a “market fish” entree with peppered hummus, crispy chickpeas, Swiss chard, paprika and saffron. Prices are not listed. The District has not yet applied for a liquor license, according to the State Liquor Authority, but photos on its website suggest it intends to serve alcohol.
The owner, chef and hours/
days were unclear earlier this week, and an inquiry seeking more information was not returned.
Schenectady deli closing after 33 years in business
After serving customers since January 1989, La Gioia Italian Deli on Van Vranken Avenue in Schenectady’s Goose Hill neighborhood will close after business on Saturday, according to a post on the deli’s Facebook page.
The sisters-in-law co-founders, Modesta Dicarlo and Anna Dicocco, will be able to “rest and heal, as they can no longer do all they do,” the closure notice says.
It also says, “Through the years we have made so many friends, laughed, cried and shared recipes. We’ve watched many people grow up.”
Hours for rest of this week are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The address is 2003 Van Vranken.
New bistro due in Delmar
A restaurant called Grove Bistro is being developed at 360 Delaware Ave., which was home to the last independent drugstore in Delmar until Four Corners Pharmacy closed in November 2020 after 15 years.
Interior renovation appears to be underway, a Grove Bistro sign is up, and a large shrubbery previously between the sidewalk and the building has been replaced by a white picket fence and potted flowers.
A potential opening date and the owner or owners are unclear. Grove Bistro does not have an obvious online presence, and incorporation papers for it cannot be located in a state database.
Also, no application for a liquor license has been filed for a business named Grove Bistro or for the street address, according to a representative of the State Liquor Authority.
Four Corners Pharmacy was started in 2005 by friends Paul Pagnotta and John Croce, who moved it in 2013 to 360 Delaware Ave., a former bank building on the same block.