The Starting Gate Bar & Grill

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  There were four of us for an early dinner.  We ordered the signature steak sandwich with fries, the chicken parm dinner, a small pizza, chicken wings, onion rings, two drafts, four bottles of beer, one lemonade and one diet coke.  The bill was $73, $90 with tip.  The majority of time we were there, we were in the dining room alone ... and we were curious as to why this Saratoga icon of a restaurant wasn't busy on an early Saturday evening.  The food was fresh and tasted good.  The service was fine.  The bar was busy.  The owner was there, talking to customers. This place deserves to be hopping at all times.

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  Posted on 03.24.13 Cathy G.

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  Remember when you were a kid and you went to your neighborhood restaurant, and the food was always fresh and homemade, and you could tell people cooked with " love " ?
  
  Like the Cheers of Saratoga Springs NY - small, homey- great food from real italians, music every weekend - mostly solo acts or duos - not too crazy- just a quiet place to go for friendly staff, a well poured drink, and excellent food.  Everybody mght not know your name, but you are never a stranger.
  
  The owners are on premesis most days and nights and are very inclusive and friendly folks.

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  Posted on 02.21.13 P B.

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  Pizza is great! Nice place to start off the night.

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  Posted on 08.14.12 Malia K.

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  i had dinner at the bar one night - burger was perfect and the bartender was very attentive to me and all the other patrons

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  Posted on 03.18.12 Tim L.

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  Went on a Tuesday night for a nice dinner with the wife sometime in late February.  First thing I noticed when I entered the place was that the Christmas tree was still up!  The rest of the decor inside was drab, old, and faded. 80's paneling adorned the walls.  On the tables were candles, but only 3 of them in the dining room were lit,  mine was not one of them.
  
  The two soups available were almost the same;  Turkey noodle, and chicken and dumpling.  The other items on the menu were pretty standard for a small scale diner.  Hot sandwiches are what this restaurant's premier food item are.  I ordered a chicken parmesan sandwich, and my wife ordered a "vodka sauce" pasta dish.  The food took about 20 minutes to prepare.  
  
  My chicken parm had tough fatty pieces in every bite.  The flavor in the sauce was bland, and the seasoning on the chicken was nearly non-existent.  My wife's pasta sauce was the same sauce I had on my sandwich, and she disliked it so much that not only did she not eat the pasta, when we brought home leftovers she couldn't bring herself to give it to the kids.  Besides the flavor being bad, it is also misleading to have the "vodka sauce" and the marinara sauce on the chicken parm be the same.
  
  The table service was poor.  The waiter didn't know what the soup of the day was.  He didn't know if they had unsweetened iced tea.  He also never came by to see how we were doing, and my drink never got refilled.
  
  The food ended up being overpriced.  Spent 35 dollars for a spaghetti plate and an 8 inch sub.  We had only ordered an iced tea and a soda, with no appetizers, and no dessert.
  
  There are plenty of amazing places to eat in Saratoga, this is not one of them.

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  Posted on 02.27.12 Brian S.

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  i have been twice, once at a very slow week-day lunch time, and another for an early week night dinner when it was a bit slow.
  
  The first time, i ordered a medium-hot buffalo chicken wrap with the saratoga chips. YUM!! It was AMAZING. The waitress was very polite and helpful, and the owner/manager of the bar was awesome.
  
  Brought the hubby back, and I had a chicken quesedilla. The chef can get creative if you're okay with it, and i ended up getting some buffalo sauce on it and mixed veggies in it. yea, it was greasy and my stomach hated me later on it, but it was soooooo good. Husband got a cajun chicken wrap w/ fries and all was delicious!
  
  Besides the sad, middle-aged men at the end of the bar who said louder than they knew how much they wanted to screw the bartender and how she was a tall glass of water for the entire hour they were there, the atmosphere was pretty good.
  
  I'll be back for sure!!

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  Posted on 04.12.11 Heidi K.

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