DREAM COME TRUE
The Flats serving up elevated tavern fare in Saratoga County
A new local hangout called The Flats Restaurant and Tavern is now open, serving elevated tavern fare within the Clifton Park community.
The Flats opened its doors in midJune at 675 Grooms Rd. in Clifton Park. It is located in a brand new plaza within the hamlet of Rexford, which was originally called “Rexford Flats” when it was founded in the 1800s.
This is where business owners Mel Hathaway and Deborah Milham got the name for their new restaurant, a longtime dream come true for the Clifton Park couple.
Hathaway has worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years, and gained experience opening several establishments
in that time.
However, The Flats Restaurant and Tavern is certainly the most special, as it’s the first entrepreneurial endeavor for Hathaway and his wife.
With a warm industrial atmosphere, The Flats was designed to be a place where everyone can feel welcome and comfortable. “Kind of like your community place, where you walk in and people recognize you and you recognize them,” Milham explained. “That’s what we were going for.”
The restaurant is set in an area of Clifton Park with a large volume of residential communities — and locals are thrilled to have a new neighborhood spot, Milham reported.
The large indoor dining room, bar area and outdoor patio — a total of 4,600 square feet — can seat 190 guests.
Executive chef Stefan Watts, who is well-known in the area from his former role at Smith’s of Cohoes, has created a menu of tavern favorites with a flare, along with introducing new specials each week.
Some of the most popular menu items so far are the hummus plate appetizer, the Shrimp Po’Boy and “The Rexford” burger, which includes a kobe beef patty, lobster, tomato confit, bacon marmalade, crispy pancetta, roasted red onions and gruyere cheese. For dessert, the chef’s carrot cake is proving to be a major hit with customers.
Looking ahead, Hathaway and Milham said their goal for The Flats Restaurant and Tavern is simply to serve the community. “We just want a place that everybody can feel comfortable,”
Hathaway said. “And welcome, and have really good food,” Milham added.
“We just have a real passion for treating people well,” Milham continued. “We take the hospitality business seriously. We want people to feel welcome, feel like they want to come back, like they had a good time when they were here.”
To celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening, the team at The Flats was recently joined by local elected officials and representatives of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Flats Restaurant and Tavern is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
Happy hour is offered from 3 to 5 p.m. on weekdays, featuring half-priced drinks in the bar area.
The restaurant hopes to expand its hours to offer Sunday brunch in the future.
More information about Flats Restaurant and Tavern is available online at www.theflats675.com, where online orders can be placed for takeout, as well as on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.