Sunday, March 6, 2016

Boca Bistro in Saratoga Springs

My brother and I were in Saratoga the other day and decided to go to Boca Bistro for lunch. It's a Spanish Tapas bar that I've been meaning to try.

Nice ambiance and good decorating. We were seated in the little wine cellar alcove and it was pleasant and fairly quiet despite the very large party seated in the main area. The service was quick, pleasant, and appropriately attentive.

They started us with a hospitality bowl of mixed olives (excellent) and sliced bread (a bit stale).  The menu was varied and interesting though prices seemed a bit high; more Saratoga in summer than winter rates.

They had a good wine and beer selection and the server was kind enough to bring us a sample of a local brew they had on tap. A coffee stout that I expected to love but didn't so very glad to have the opportunity to try it first.  I ended up with a Malbec that had a great description, but was a bit lacking in spicy notes (maybe it was just a bad alcohol day for me). Not bad by any means, but not what I normally expect from a Malbec. Matt had the beer (surprising both of us as he's not typically a stout drinker).

The special of the day was a filet mignon sandwich that sounded wonderful and we added calamari and sweet potato fries to round out the meal and give us enough to share. The calamari was excellent - barely coated in batter and very tender. The aioli was a bit lacking in depth, but they brought some freshly made cocktail sauce (extra spicy) when requested. The sweet potato fries were wedges not those stringy things you usually get, again perfectly cooked, and had a thyme honey sauce (honey from their own hives) that was stellar. And the sandwich - whew! Excellent. With a spicy coleslaw on the bun to add texture and crunch to the buttery soft steak.

So, I'd say a winner even with the slightly elevated cost. It ended up being about $35 each including tip and drinks. Certainly not bad, but more than I usually spend on a lunch with no leftovers.

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