Gotchya Balls

Erica and I went out to First Saturday, Saratoga's version of a community event that I've been to in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and a few other cities. Art galleries are open late, with cocktails and nibblies, restaurants offer discounts, etc.

In addition to the standard stuff on Broadway, there is Beekman Street, in the "Dublin" section of town. Saratoga may be famous for its money and its summer activities, but like any other town, it has its rough spots. Ten years ago, Beekman was one of them, but people have been building, renovating, and opening the kind of places that would lead to an area revival. Of course, real gentrification will follow, but that's a whole other post.

We only did the Beekman half yesterday, because we got a late start and it was raining, so we didn't feel like walking 5 blocks to get to Broadway. As it was, we had 6 galleries to see, so that was enough.

After we hit all the galleries, we went over to Gotchya's, a well regarded restaurant we hadn't been to yet. We didn't want to hit the budget too badly so we ate at home before we went out, but figured a cocktail and some dessert would be a nice way to end the evening. The place was packed and we had no reservations, but managed to get the last two bar stools. A quick perusal of the menu and we decided real food was in order. Erica went for the greens-and-beans, one of her favorite dishes, and I went for a baby pizza.

Then we noticed the Gotchya Ball, their interpretation of the "Scottish Ball," something I had certainly never heard of before. Anyway, take a hard-boiled egg, pack it into ground beef to make a giant meatball, beer-batter it, and deep-fry. Who the fuck am I to turn that down? Three apps it is.

Erica wasn't too hot on the G&B (too salty), but the pizza was excellent, as was the Ball. We decided that next month, we'll start at Broadway, move over to Beekman, then head to Gotchya's with reservations to sample the dinner menu. Very nice place.

A beer (Hennepin draft), a glass of wine (Hess chardonnay), 3 appetizers that stuffed us: $40 with tip. Perfect.