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June 13 marked the opening day for Lime Restaurant. Wooden benches and potted plants lead you into the small but freshly vibrant space where you are bound to find owners Matt LaPorta and Will Yund slicing and sautéing in the open kitchen, and Hayden Yund and Meagan LaPorta on the floor with their customers. The idea to open a restaurant initiated as merely a casual remark, a quip after having a not-so-satisfactory dinning experience. Yet when Will and his wife Hayden honeymooned in Barbados, the Caribbean cuisine captivated their palates and inspired them to transform that fateful wise-crack into the eatery that now occupies 7 Caroline Street. Will’s urge to create new tastes stems back to his days working at Fanny’s, his family’s Italian restaurant. After graduating from culinary school in Schenectedy, the dream of opening a restaurant was nebulous but beginning to gather. Will and Hayden teamed up with Hayden’s cousin, Meagan, and her husband Matt and on Feb. 26, 2007, purchased the Caroline Street space left vacant by the Pickle Barrel.
The process of readying the restaurant was a family affair from start to finish; the four owners did all the renovations themselves, with mom and pop pitching in. Although they expected to be open in April, problems with the contractors pushed the opening date to June. “We’ve been open four days,” said Hayden, “and we already have returning customers.” People are apparently loving the lime green walls, sleek black tables, fun, colorful paintings and unique Caribbean menu that offers, as Will says, “food that is different for the region.” Some of the original specialties include chicken seared with masala (an Indian spice blend) drizzled with a light banana coconut and curacao orange sauce, as well as a tilapia filet broiled with lime and rubbed with bajan hot sauce, topped with mango salsa and served with coconut mashed potatoes. Lemongrass salmon and lime shrimp, pineapple beef kabobs and curry chicken salad make the menu tantalizing. The owners describe their restaurant as metropolitan-Caribbean that upholds the family atmosphere. It is a place that exudes personality—the personality of each owner. They value interaction with their customers: diners can chat with Hayden and Meagan circling the tables, and with the open kitchen behind the bar, they can actually see the chefs cooking. “People can get the whole dining experience here,” Hayden said. “They can make a night of it.” Not only have they found Saratoga to be warm in their welcome, but the Lime proprietors make an effort to support local businesses; they buy all their hot sauces from Saratoga Salsa. “We appreciate that Saratoga’s downtown area has few franchised restaurants,” Matt commented. “We want to keep up the city’s historic aspect and locally-owned storefronts.” Although the green paint has hardly dried, Lime is looking toward the future. Will talked about dabbling in catering, and possibly hosting private parties. “We don’t want to just settle,” he said, “we want to make it even better.” To maintain authenticity, Will and his wife hope to travel to Mexico and the Caribbean once a year to research recipes. A trip to the Mayan Riviera is already in the works. Lime is located on 7 Caroline Street, open for lunch and dinner from 12-3 p.m. and 5 p.m. until the last customer leaves. |
