Dining meets art at the new, unique Libby Supper Club
Take a breath and relax into a six-course meal at a new supper club that’s unlike anything else on the Saratoga food scene.
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A short walk from Saratoga’s bustling downtown but a world away from it: Libby Supper Club was an experience like no other currently on offer on the local food scene. As we walked up to the historic Union Gables Inn, water fountain trickling as a melodic soundtrack, it was hard not to imagine traveling back in time to when Union Avenue was a flurry of track-goers dressed up in their finest for a day of betting on the ponies.
Once inside the Victorian inn — a passcode at the front door adding to the thrill — we were asked if we minded sharing a table. We did not. Isn’t a supper club supposed to have a dinner party vibe?
“I had to get the babysitter situated,” Eva apologized as she sat down a few minutes late. “Oh, good — moms with babysitters are always an extra-fun time,” I joked. And when everyone laughed and agreed, I knew we were about to have an awesome experience.
If you’ve never been inside the storied Union Gables B&B, think regal and calming with a side of untold ghost stories. Since reservations for the Friday and Saturday night supper club evenings are made in advance — Chef Justin Daw plans to close bookings every Wednesday at noon for that weekend’s sittings — there were elegant place cards on the tables. Dinnerware was stunning (nothing too matchy-matchy here), and wine was served from a main table, which added to the homey feel.
The food was excellent, starting with a seared peach and burrata salad, the fruit perfectly firm, and an excellent combination with the slice of smokey prosciutto underneath. A refreshing crab salad and basil-accented tomato soup were also tasty. Courses were a good size, too — no one even thought of being full until the meat course, in our case a seared duck breast with cherry gastrique. “I’m having guilt,” said Victoria, fighting to keep her plate. “I don’t want to give up the duck. But I’m getting full.”
She eventually gave up the duck.
The last two courses were a light European-style, post-entrée salad and delightfully slim slice of a delicious blackberry and (gluten-free) cornmeal clafoutis dessert with honey ice-cream.
It was exquisite.
Not only was every course absolutely stunning, but it’s a true art form to serve that many exciting new flavors in one evening without guests feeling uncomfortably full. And with the larger meat course, those with larger appetites said they were satiated as well.
The best part about meeting new friends at a place where everyone knows they might be sharing a table is that going in, it’s almost guaranteed that the other diners will be a friendly bunch. At our table, we laughed and laughed as we compared Millennials to Gen X, and as a bunch of foodies we had plenty to talk about — from enthusiastic Dan Cohen at the Coat Room, to Hamlet & Ghost’s former cocktail guru Gerry Akins’ comeback at the company’s new brasserie, Familiar Creature. (“It’s fun to see him slinging spritzes now!”)
And then we parted ways downtown, another Saratoga summer evening in the books, knowing that we had a unique dinner no one else at the bars had even thought of.
Libby Supper Club is currently taking reservations on Tock for Friday and Saturday nights beginning July 18. It is located inside Union Gables Inn, 55 Union Avenue.
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