Goodbye Racing Season Hello Wedding Season
by Elizabeth and Michael Phillips on 09/05/11
Today is the last day of racing here in Saratoga. Thank you to all of the tourists and locals alike who kept us busy all summer. We had a great summer, full of new friends and visits from our dedicated customers who knew that The Lab would take care of them with the love and care that we do all year long. The Skidmore students arrived this weekend, which here in town means that fall is here.
With the addition of fall comes the exit of some of our favorite guys who we will miss until they come home for the holidays. Evan started classes today at R.I.T, Alec is comfortable in his new room in Binghamton, Jake took off for Suny Pottsdam and Lexi is back at Johnson and Wales. Work hard, but come back soon!
With the end of racing season, we have opened up our fall wedding season. Our first wedding was Saturday at The Mansion. It was beautiful, but hot and muggy at 3pm. A baker's worst nightmare is a cake that wilts before it's eaten. This time we made it to the table before the cupcakes melted.
Our weddings will continue through the next several weekends. I'll post pictures as we go along. Happy Labor Day. We'll be back at The Lab tomorrow.
Beer, Wine and Dinner at The Lab
by Elizabeth and Michael Phillips on 08/02/11
We are so excited that our big news can finally be shared. We have received our beer and wine license and are starting dinner this week. Michael has a wonderful menu of small plates that sound so delicious I'm not sure I could decide which one to have. Cheese plates, local angus sliders, salt and pepper calamari, wasabi shrimp, and frittatas are just a few of the items on the menu which will rotate based on the availability of the local products we intend to feature. As you know, we already have Locust Grove bacon, Easton View Angus, and Battenkill Dairy, but we intend to use some local cheeses and produce when possible.
Enjoy a glass of Albarino, Verdicchio, or maybe a Rhone blend to compliment our offerings. We will bring you fun, and interesting wines from as many regions of the world as possible. I would love to write more, but we have a menu and wine list to complete. Meet us at The Lab. Dinner available Wednesday through Saturday until 9pm. Tell your friends
ChopBiscuit Review
by Elizabeth and Michael Phillips on 07/24/11
http://www.chopbiscuit.com/2011/07/chopbiscuit-at-home-dining-review.html
Sharing our review from ChopBiscuit
Please follow them. They are so informative and entertaining.
And They're Off
by Elizabeth and Michael Phillips on 07/24/11
Opening weekend of track season is over. It was a flurry of preparation and planning and like a wedding or a holiday, it has come and gone. We were very busy and met some great new people along the way. Some will probably never come to Saratoga again. Many will be back several times before the meet is over. Welcome back to our NY/NJ horse girls. We missed you guys! So glad you are back.
Virginae was kind enough to bring our Hario order up from Tarrytown so we're stocked full of fresh coffee, filters, and some awesome new 1000ml glass serving pots. We've been waiting patiently for this order to arrive and we had a wonderful gift of delivery from our friends and loyal customers. Thanks Virginae and Bruce!
Unfortunately, we also experienced a theft at the lab. We are so bummed for Alec and Evan. They worked their tails off this weekend and didn't deserve to have their hard earned tips stolen. It reminds us of having to be cautious when the transients arrive in town. We are so comfortable with our regular customers and new guests that it just never seems like a possibility, but it happened. They learned a valuable lesson about trusting people and looking for the signs of nefarious behavior.
We also got our loose leaf tea order this week from Divinitea! These teas are delicious and can be brewed as hot tea or iced tea. This has been a missing link for us and we're very excited to be working with Linda and her team. We would love your feedback on your favorites and some suggestions of flavors you would like us to carry.
Off to bed. Tomorrow morning will be coming far too soon. Meet us at the lab!
What's Happening at The Lab
by Elizabeth and Michael Phillips on 07/02/11
It has been an exciting year at The Lab for the past year. We've had many long days and rewarding days since we opened The Lab on March 27th, 2010. We've met so many wonderful people that have become family to us. We say that The Lab isn't just a cafe, it's a community.
As a business moves through time, there are some great opportunities to make some changes and improve upon the initial plan for the business. While we expected our cupcakes, coffee, and comfort food to be a good fit for our community, we had no idea that the response to the way that we approach our business would be so welcomed. We thank all of our customers and neighbors in Saratoga for making our first year a wonderful one.
Some things are not so much new, but a larger part of our business now and we want you to know about them. The Lab has a very large and diverse drop off or pick up catering menu for meetings, events and home parties. We are not just a cupcake bakery, we have many offerings made from scratch including our house made bread, scones, cookies, bagels, and buttermilk biscuits. One of our latest and greatest additions has been Michael's beautiful gluten free French Macarons filled with buttercream. They don't stay around for long.
As the sun shines longer and we all stay up a little later, The Lab will be serving delicious evening selections that are unique, using the freshest local ingredients we have available to us. Our new menu and evening hours will be posted shortly.
For now, if you're looking for one of our famous chocolate chip cookies or cupcakes during your evening walk, you can find them at Johnny's Gourmet Italian Ices on Broadway. The Lab has partnered with Johnny's because like us, they are dedicated to quality and customer service that is unmatched in Saratoga. We will also be featuring iced treats from Johnny's to pair with our delicious evening desserts. We're very excited about this new partnership.
For now, enjoy your warm, sunny 4th of July weekend and as always, "Meet Us At The Lab."
