9 Miles East - simplysaratoga.com

{From the 2024 Spring magazine}

Written By Theresa St. John | Photos by Susan Blackburn Photography

Making it Easy for Busy People to Enjoy Healthy Local Food

For the Simply Saratoga SPRING feature, we have decided to visit 9 Miles East at 64 Excelsior Ave. So many friends and co-workers rave about this place, but I’ve only had their pizza, (made with award-winning sourdough bread and the freshest ingredients!!) —so, I’m excited to try other items on their extensive menu.

We really loved the casual vibe of the place and tables were already set up outside, with the promise of better weather coming soon! It reminded me of a neighborhood restaurant where folks could relax and converse over a great dish. And, speaking of a neighborhood café, I ran into three different parties I knew while there – it was great to say hello and chat for a few minutes before turning my attention to the menu.

When our appetizer was placed in front of us, we were delighted to see what was on the platter. We learned from our server that this dish could be built to serve several people or just a couple. It had hummus, baba ghanoush, lemon rosemary whipped ricotta, roasted veggies, and a savory coleslaw chopped salad. She also told us that the menu changes often, so we were delighted the winter salad was still available… offering a fantastic fusion of flavor, with organic baby greens topped with roasted beets (my favorite vegetable when done right!), feta cheese, red cabbage, toasted walnuts, and herbed vinaigrette that knew how to bring the flavor out of everything. The salad was so delicious and even better the next day when I broke it out of the doggie bag at lunchtime!

We tried vegan cornbread with apple jalapeno butter. Seriously, if we hadn’t been told it was vegan – and healthy - we wouldn’t have guessed.

The chef, Shane, was kind enough to come out from the kitchen to talk with us. We peppered him with questions (poor guy!), and he was happy to answer them all. Some were about the food we were eating, and others were a bit more personal. He’s been working in the café for three years and began his love affair with cooking, working in a restaurant his dad owned when he was 12. He told us he’s been in the business for 28 years now, which was impressive.

He's very adamant about his food philosophy: “We don’t use canned goods in the kitchen—food should be made from scratch.” And Gordon Sacks, owner of 9 Miles East, tells us they’re committed to Saratoga and want to continue making it easy for busy people to eat healthy foods made with the freshest ingredients. “You shouldn’t have to choose between healthy and delicious. At 9 Miles East, you can have both.”

With our meal, we tried three local beers: one from Artisanal Brew Works in Saratoga, another from Northway Brewing Company in Queensbury, and another from Common Roots out of Glens Falls.

Who knew they served a grilled lemon rosemary chicken dinner to die for? This was made from bone-in pieces of chicken with an herb pesto. When the dish arrived at the table, it was presented on a bed of piping hot mashed red potato, sweet potato, carrot, heavy cream, butter, and garlic mix. Talk about a taste of heaven! It was a dish of creamy bliss!

We noticed a few colorful number 9s around the restaurant's interior, which piqued our interest. Gordon told us that the restaurant’s name came from their vegetable farm, which is 9 Miles East of Saratoga. Café guests gifted the decorations of 9s over the last few years, and the three of us smiled at this charming detail.

We visited the restaurant during Montreal Month and were thrilled to try one of its specialties: the Montreal Steak Au Poivre. This grass-fed strip steak was ridiculously tender, with a pepper-crust cider demi-glace, served on roasted root vegetables. “Why did you bring a knife over?” I joked with Shane. It was that tender.

One of the best dishes we tried—because it was so different—was butternut squash risotto, made with barley instead of the typical starch you’d find in this recipe. The sauteed squash and fresh parmesan cheese made the barley so creamy, a nice change when you want to pack your day with fiber and not compromise on taste.

Near the register, we noticed various items for sale: butter, beeswax candles, loaves of sourdough bread cooling on racks, local eggs, nut-free and gluten-free farm pesto, 9 Miles East green hot sauce, local honey, and more.

We tried three different cookies for dessert. My favorite was the Gluten-free almond cookie. It had a soft center with a crunchy contrast of nuts and seeds. Sometimes, Gluten-free tastes like, well, Gluten-free, but this cookie was way above par.
Chris preferred the sesame cookie, and Susan loved the chocolate. All of them were tasty; it came down to preference.

With our meal, we tried three local beers: one from Artisanal Brew Works in Saratoga, another from Northway Brewing Company in Queensbury, and another from Common Roots out of Glens Falls.

We tried three different cookies for dessert. My favorite was the Gluten-free almond cookie. It had a soft center with a crunchy contrast of nuts and seeds. Sometimes, Gluten-free tastes like, well, Gluten-free, but this cookie was way above par.

Chris preferred the sesame cookie, and Susan loved the chocolate. All of them were tasty; it came down to preference.

For a restaurant that opened in June 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, 9 Miles East has done very well. “We are grateful for our customers; the local support has been wonderful, and we feel very fortunate,” Gordon says. “We are committed to continuing to offer healthy, fresh meals for busy people in the area. That is what we are all about. Period.”

We walk out of the café, full but not with the heavy feeling you sometimes have after eating a meal. We hugged goodbye, wondering when we’d return and who we’d bring along for the experience.

I have a feeling it will be sooner rather than later.