Spa City Trifecta

Sadly, Spa City Trifecta’s last day is this Friday, March 4. Stopped by today for a final pulled pork sandwich and to try and get the story. The counter person didn’t know a lot, just that «the city» told them they could no longer operate their smoker and they decided to close down rather than do without.
Five stars for the integrity. (They could have continued, and made their pork in a crockpot.) Sadly, they’re not planning to do any catering or other offshoot so if you crave their food, get there now.

In my effort to familiarize myself with different places serving Ramen, I had the opportunity to return to Spa City Trifecta today and have something other than a burger or pulled pork sandwich, which I really enjoy there. It was an excellent choice for the cool, cloudy, damp day that it had become by the time I got there. As a side note, I was surprised at the amount of water that had accumulated on many of the city streets from all the rain. Fortunately, this warm Winter spell is keeping it from freezing.
So I’ve had ramen in three separate restaurants in Saratoga now. SCT is in a solid second place, but in first place from my wallet’s viewpoint. Both the Pork Ramen and the Vegetable Ramen are priced at $ 9. I had decided to go for the Pork so I’d be consistent with what I had at the other locations. The broth made from roasted pork bones, garlic and chilies was deliciously full bodied and flavorful. The meat consisted of pork shoulder cut into bite-​sized cubes, and there were plenty of them. While they weren’t fall-​apart tender, they were from a cut of meat that benefited from a slow cooking process that allowed just the right amount of texture and resistance when biting into them. This is something that I think is frequently overlooked when enjoying a meal.
In the same vein, there was a mixture of both flavors and textures with the addition of shiitake mushrooms, fresh bok choy, bean sprouts, pea pods, colorful sliced peppers, and ginger. This is when you talk about mouth-​feel with a smile on your face. I was told I had a choice of regular ramen noodle, udon noodles or rice noodles. I decided to go with the classic ramen noodle. There is a little bit of spice in the ramen as served, but it was too little for me so I added some of the available sriracha sauce. The next time I’d like to try adding the garlic chili sauce that was offered.
SCT says this is their own interpretation of ramen. That’s perfectly fine by me. I’ve now hit the Trifecta with the burgers, pulled pork, and now the ramen. Wish I could give another half star.

The best Reuben in Saratoga. (competes well with Gaffney’s Reuben) The corned beef is cooked in house and the flavor proves it. Tender and flavorful. Not the typical Boar’s Head deli stuff. The bread was nicely grilled without being overly greasy and the house made Thousand Island dressing offered a nice tang. Fresh cut fries on the side have a nice spice. I like my fries crisper than one usually gets with fresh cut fries. Next time, I’ll ask for «crispy».

Delicious food, big portions, really reasonable pricing! The staff is welcoming and kind. Highly recommend this place (especially for breakfast on Sunday!)

Service was not welcoming and very cold. My hot roast beef sandwich with fires and a pickel was good. My order was to-​go (ordered on site). Waited 20+ minutes and when served, it was basically thrown at me without a thank you and with a snarl.
9÷29÷15: Update, I returned today and I please to say the service and friendliness was very my better. Thanks for the effort. We all have a bad day now and then.

Every so often, I’ll do a Unilocal search on specific types of food in the Saratoga area to see if anything new shows up in the search results. This time, I used «pulled pork» as my search argument, and Spa City Trifecta showed up as new and already reviewed by several Unilocal friends. That meant I had to visit… like that afternoon. I had specified pulled pork because that’s one of my mom’s favorite things to order, while I am a fan of both burgers and dry rub ribs. My sister is the ramen person in the family — she’ll have to critique that part when she visits.
It was difficult standing outside to read the menu for too long because the aroma coming from inside was just too tempting. If sirens ever wanted to lure people using aroma, they would use Trifecta’s. The inside is simply decorated and furnished but comfortable. That’s fine for me. I want the food to do the talking. Or rather, in this case, it is more like a cabaret, with subtle smokiness. That’s what I like most about the foods I’ve had here so far — they are not overwhelmed with sauces. Instead the smoky flavor is allowed to dominate. That was true for the pulled pork and the baked beans.
My burger was HUGE AND JUICY. It dwarfed the roll that was trying to contain it. Lettuce is included, and you can ask for a set of sides, with a fee for certain cheese and bacon. I really liked the sauteed onions, and I let them spill out onto my french fries — which, by the way, I like more than Five Guys. So this has pretty much become my go-​to place for a burger and fries in Saratoga. I will say I agree with some other comments that tomato slices would be great if they become available. I understand the owner’s concerns. I personally hate condiments like ketchup and mayonnaise on a burger, so a thick slice of tomato would be fantastic. Perhaps you can find a local farm which grows heirloom tomatoes which would work.
While our meals were enjoyable (and filling), I won’t be satisfied until I come back and try the smoked turkey and the ribs. When I’m visiting family in Saratoga, Spa City Trifecta has become a great option for dinner (and another plus is you don’t have to find parking downtown).

Nice little eatery offering a combination of comfort food and healthy choices. Quiet, clean dining room and friendly staff. Prices are fair, if not cheap, and the food is well made and tasty. I tried the burger platter which was a big, juicy 10 oz helping with plenty of fries and fixings! I’ll have to give the ramen a try next time.

My family visited this restaurant on the day it opened, so there may have been changes since then. We were drawn by the ramen, having just moved from southern California with a significant Japanese community. I concur with the previous reviewers: if you know ramen, don’t try it. Trifecta’s version tastes like it was made by someone who has heard of ramen but who has never eaten it or even seen a recipe. It’s a pleasant-​enough noodle soup with fresh vegetables. Stick to the other parts of the menu. We also had a hamburger that was great. Very nicely cooked and very flavorful. Perplexingly, though, when I asked for tomatoes on mine, they said they didn’t have any. No explanation as to whether they were out of tomatoes or had overlooked stocking them on opening day. There were cherry tomatoes in the chiller case near the desserts, so I was a bit stumped by their response.
I really, really want Trifecta to succeed, so I hope they revamp their ramen. If they get it right, my family will be there every week!

This place is tucked away in a residential neighborhood and off the busy main drag, but don’t let that fool you – this is a great find. It’s not a full service restaurant, instead it’s more of a deli-​style experience where you order at the counter and then have a seat until your number is called. But a deli it is NOT.
I had one of the daily specials, a sausage and pepper sub (I think they called it «The Poppie»). The sausage was excellent and, combined with the peppers and onion, was drenched in a tasty tomato sauce. It was served on a nice torpedo roll which was lined with cheese ravioli, topped with provolone and then baked. Excellent. My wife and daughter each had a burger. Both burgers were done perfectly (medium rare) and the rolls were nicely grilled. The hamburger meat had a really fresh flavor and both my daughter and wife absolutely loved theirs. Spa-City’s menu says that their hamburger meat is ground in-​house and, based on our experience, I’m certain it is.
We were so impressed that we couldn’t resist taking home a pound of the smoked turkey, which we devoured the next day. That too was exceptional and had a smoked taste unlike anything I’ve had before. It’s crystal clear to me that this place is all about the quality of the ingredients and the food they serve. For that reason don’t come here if you’re looking for a five-​star dining experience. The people are really nice and seem to appreciate your business, and the food is well worth coming in a couple blocks off Broadway. Next time I’m in Saratoga, I’ll be heading back to Spa City to try some of their other offerings.

Pretty good food in big portions at very reasonable prices, that’s a trifecta that’s practically unheard of in Saratoga. The only real gripe I had was that the ramen is actually udon, which is confusing, and too spicy for how bland the broth is (I got takeout and it was much much improved with a hit of good quality soy sauce at home). Otherwise the ribs are fall off the bone tender and the burger is huge, cooked to medium rare, which no one else seems to know how to do.

I walked by and saw the Ramen sign and my heart raced with excitement! This review is solely on the pork Ramen… I usually hate to do this to new business but this is Unilocal.
I have been to many many ramen places of various styles in NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Costa Mesa, Melbourne, and China. I would say I humbly know a thing or two about Ramen. The Ramen I had at the Trifecta was a trio of flavorless broth, cacophonous and unrelated vegetables, and confusing noodle. I saw another reviewer said they should call this pork broth noodle instead of ramen and that person was dead on! I did feel a little cheated leaving the place.
The Spa City Trifecta did earn two stars for their pork, which I thought was delicious! I would love to have that on a sandwich or a bed of rice! I may return and update my review… of the other dishes not the ramen.

I highly recommend this hidden gem. The bacon-​wrapped meatloaf sandwich was absolutely delicious. It was definitely large enough to satisfy my hungry teenage son. We ate outside on a beautiful Saratoga evening. It was a perfect spot to savor our meal and enjoy the company of good friends. Anticipating a busy week, my son and I decided to order pulled pork sandwiches for the next day’s lunch. A very generous portion of the most delicious smoked pork came with crunchy slaw and a fresh torpedo roll. The only problem was that I didn’t order one for my husband. He tasted ours and immediately wanted to drive up to Saratoga for more! (He’s a bit of a barbecue connoisseur.) I look forward to going back to this restaurant very soon.

I was so thrilled that a new place in town was offering ramen, but then… I didn’t care for the ramen from Mingle on the Avenue, but at least the noodles were recognizably ramenish. What are these big, round, chewy … things in my ramen? The pork broth wasn’t bad, and chunks of pork were satisfying in that Cambell’s-Soup-Chunky-Beef sorta way. But sliced jalapeños? Lima beans? I can’t even can’t even. I hate to dump on a new place, and I perhaps the other offerings are just fine, but this place advertises ramen, I came for the ramen, and, frankly, this is a crummy trick to play on a ramen fan. Call it spicy pork broth with noodles, but don’t call it ramen.
EDIT: OK, the lima beans were really edamame. Oops. Doesn’t change much else about the review, although there goes my street cred. I could see going back here for other stuff, but not for the ramen.

Normally I wouldn’t review a restaurant on it’s opening day. Normally I wouldn’t eat at a restaurant on it’s opening day. I like to give a place time to work out their kinks. I’m in the industry so I try to be fair and considerate. But really, I didn’t find a lot of kinks. The service was smooth, super friendly and knowledgable. And the food was good.
We got our food for take out. Everything was well packed. Leaky, messy take out is a huge pet peeve of mine so it was nice that such care was taken to package the food.
We ordered a pound of pulled pork, a large macaroni and cheese, a large potato salad, a pork ramen and an order of spicy pork belly over their Asian slaw. The food was plentiful and fed three adults (all big eaters) with leftovers.
The pulled pork was really good. Moist, a little fatty (as it should be), some nice bark pieces and a great smoky taste. Not overly sauced and the sauce was not overly sweet. They said they smoke the pork over wood, no gas or electric. I’m kind of wood smoked barbeque obsessed so that was pretty cool.
The macaroni and cheese was tasty though a bit of sharper cheddar would be a good addition but that could just be my personal preference.
We really liked the potato salad. I’m not usually into mayo based salads but this potato salad wasn’t gloppy with mayo and it had bacon and scallions. Delicious.
I wasn’t feeling the pork belly and I looove pork belly. It was supposed to be deep fried but it could have used a longer time in the fryer. It was more soggy than crispy but that likely had a little to do with getting it to go and with it being plated on top of the Asian slaw, which was also kind of a miss. It had potential but it needed acid and salt. It was just kind of flat for a non mayo based slaw. A little rice wine vinegar would be a smart addition.
Now on to the ramen. I wouldn’t say I’m a ramen expert. I don’t eat a ton of Asian food but I’ve had ramen at Momofuku and I liked it there a lot. The ramen here had a nice porky broth (clearly we love all things porcine in this family) and the bits of pork belly and shitake mushrooms were plentiful. Unfortunately, I wasn’t into the noodles. They were a bit doughy and gummy. Overall though, the soup was good. I just didn’t like the noodles.
We welcome Spa City Trifecta to our neighborhood, we’re excited to be a few blocks away and to have a new option for take out! Lots of luck to them :)