The Taste of Community: Saranac Lake

"This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb, has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint. It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this ain't normal.” - Joel Salatin, author of Folks, This Ain't Normal

Every day, we sit down at our tables to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with food that was planted and harvested by farmers. It's easy to forget this fact when our only relationship with food is a quick trip to the grocery store. That's why I'm getting excited about farmer's market season, set to begin on the first Saturday in June from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Riverside Park in Saranac Lake. I can't wait to see farmers up close and personal with the fruits of their labor, from rainbow-colored carrots to their funky-shaped tomatoes; locally-grown food just looks more interesting than in your typical grocery store. Though, I'm sure the sunshine at outdoor markets helps.

During the pandemic, I'll admit, I forgot about the amazing food network that is so close to home. For the last two years, my shopping trips to Aldi were quick and uninspired; I just wanted to get in and get out as fast as I could to limit my exposure to other people. Now, as the pandemic continues to recede, I'm finally ready to quit being a pandemic hermit. I'm ready to reconnect with people and with my food. I encourage you to do the same. The farmer's market is a great place to start! If you can't make it to a farmer's market or if you are looking for another option, head to Nori's Village Market. 

Nori's is a perfect place to stop and stock up on local produce, cheese, and meats from many of the same farms you would find at the farmer's market. I love shopping for picnic essentials here and heading over to Lake Colby Beach, Riverside Park, or if I'm feeling more ambitious, one of the Saranac Lake 6er mountains. On rainy or bad weather days, I love re-caffeinating or slurping down a smoothie at Nori's Riverside Café, a place I happily visit often. What starts as an intention to grab a quick drink and do some writing, usually turns into a full afternoon and lunch. I can't resist their grab-and-go deli items from sandwiches, wraps, hot meals, and vegetarian soups, all from local, organic, and natural ingredients. I'm salivating just writing about it. Nori's is a great spot to indulge in farm-fresh food solo or to catch up with that friend you haven't talked to in a while. Either way, you won't be disappointed. 

The taste of community can be experienced in many ways from farmer's markets to your local food co-op, but there is one experience that stands alone at the top: farm-to-table dining. This kind of food experience is different from buying food locally and making it at home. While I'm a huge advocate of that process and generally prefer to cook in my own home, I learned something I wasn't expecting when I dined at The Fiddlehead Bistro, Saranac Lake's premier farm-to-table restaurant. Sure, I expected the food to be flavorful and a few steps above what I would normally experience at any other restaurant in the area. What I wasn't expecting was the feeling of community that poured into the space itself. 

The facade of the building is a striking sunflower yellow color with black trim around the windows, evoking childhood memories of the flower. An elaborate metal fiddlehead stands tall on the roof above the Saranac River and continues the natural theme. More fiddleheads sprawl above the windows, this time they were gold against a backdrop of green as if to pay homage to the plant's brilliance in the fall. All this detail and I hadn't even stepped through the door yet. Once I did, the local artistry continued to be showcased. The entryway was hand-painted to look like bookshelves, which primed me for what was to come next. My husband, Chris, and I were greeted by a smiley waitress and taken to our table. It was here I found my favorite detail in the whole restaurant. Simple fiddleheads were carved into the table and I was so captivated by them, that I traced their outline with my finger throughout the entire dinner.

I asked our waitress about all the imaginative art in the restaurant and she said, "The whole building was a community effort. The tables were built by local craftsmen, the floors are made from homegrown cherry wood, and a local artist spent two-weeks hand-painting a glass mural that separates the bar from the dining area. Every piece has a story." I was so entranced by the art, I had just about forgotten why I was there in the first place - to eat! 

My husband opted for the salmon, risotto, and ramp beurre blanc. I ordered the fried chicken with braised collard greens, and mac and cheese. And holy moly was it good! It took all of our willpower to not lick our plates. I was dancing in my chair with every bite. My eyes rolled back and I sighed a deep breath of satisfaction. I thought to myself, “this is the taste of community, the story of our local food.”

To learn more about the creation of The Fiddlehead Bistro, read this blog. Be inspired and get ready to take your beau or your friend out on a date to The Fiddlehead Bistro.