Celeb Shot: Paul Singh
Caroline Street's burliest, most boisterous bartender gets deep. PLUS: Saying goodbye to two Capital Region institutions, Saratoga foodie news, and the TV show we're bingeing this weekend.
If you’re looking to make small talk with a bartender this weekend, I wouldn’t recommend going to the first floor of Saratoga City Tavern. Sure, bartender Paul Singh will talk to you, but it’s certainly not going to be about the weather; rather, expect happy hour topics to range from your dating history and favorite porn star to his philosophy on weekly haircuts and the fine art of simultaneously giving a sh** while not giving a f***.
“You know how they say it takes two years to get to know somebody completely?” he asked me recently over a bottle of rosé and a Caprese salad at Thirsty Owl (his choice). “No. From day one, this is who I am. I come out guns swinging.”
But that’s not to say there isn’t depth to Paul. Quite the opposite. A big part of his larger-than-life persona is the fact that he’s willing to talk about anything—and I mean anything—with anyone. That “anyone” happened to be me this past Wednesday. While I’ve censored out much of our two-hour conversation (with Paul, things are always bound to border on the risqué), read on to learn what exactly is going on in the mind of one of downtown Saratoga’s most memorable bartenders.
How did the Queens-born son of two Indian immigrants wind up tending bar in Saratoga Springs?
We lived in Queens until about 2002. After 9/11, a family tragedy happened. So to get away, Mom and Dad decided to move up here. I was starting third grade. I grew up in Niskayuna as one of only two Indian people—and the other Indian guy was my older brother. Because of that, I faced a little bit of hazing and definitely built a tough skin. But I still love my home. I never bash it. I went through the school system, worked at Target, went to Hudson Valley, dropped out of college. Had a few heartbreaks, lost everything. Am I nailing it right now?
You’re nailing it.
After a breakup, I started working out. This is, like, what built me. Everything I have started in the gym. I would never give up the gym. I can't joke about that—and I joke about everything. I was always a three-sport athlete, and after you quit sports, you eat like you're still playing sports. I was huge. I started working out and became jacked. I made friends with somebody at the gym. He was like, “Hey, why not start at a bar?” I was lonely, and because of that, I started working at Tavern. And from the Tavern I met my now girlfriend, got even more jacked, and ended up getting the day job that I have, which I love.
You’ve worked your way up from bouncer, to bar back, to one of the Tavern’s longest tenured bartenders. How would you describe the Tavern to someone who’s never been there?
There's something for every single person. There are five stories. If you can't find a seat at the bar, there are four other opportunities where you can do that. If you're somebody that's social, there's a social aspect—obviously, it's a bar. If you're somebody who's an athlete and wants to sit in front of TVs, go ahead. If you want to get down with the crew, there's something there for you. If you want to talk to somebody about beer and actually learn about beer? We do beer. We do beer like nobody’s ever done beer. Anybody that works that first floor knows beer.
You have a very big personality behind the bar. Would you say you’re the same in real life?
I’ve said this a lot: If you take my gym friends and my bar friends and my family—everybody in my life knows me to be this way. I don’t change at DeCrescente, I don’t change at the Tavern, I don’t change at the gym, I don’t change now with you. If somebody doesn’t like it, I’m sorry. But it took a long time to become like this. I spent so long lying and not being who I want to be. Now, I say what other people want to say, but they still think that they have to be a certain way. At a party, you'll see me sit with the older people—50s and up. The reason is because they don't give a f*** anymore. I found that early on.
You say you don’t care what people think of you, but that’s not to say you don’t care about people.
The worst thing for me is when the only time you see a bartender is when you need a drink. She’ll take your money and the next time you’ll see her is when you need another drink. That’s not what a bar is. A bar is a place of escape. A bar is a safe space. A bar is what you need it to be. If you want to cry, f***ing cry. But the thing that bartenders lack is that they don't know how to talk to somebody. I never want to not match somebody's energy. In one hour, I'll maybe see 200 people—sometimes 200 different energy types. At first it was hard. Now it happens in the millisecond. The difference is that I actually give a sh** about that person. A lot of people say they care but they’re not really there.
That seems to really mean a lot to you.
I want to be that guy—the one that actually f***ing gives a sh**. I might not be there on time. If you need me to get you out of jail, you might have to wait until the next day. But I'll get you out. I'll move heaven and hell. And one thing I hold beyond anything else—and I'm very selective when I say this—if I say I give you my word, that's it. Kill me. F*** it. Let's die together.
I was very surprised you remembered my drink order after the first time I met you. How do you do it?
The people that can't remember drinks or what a person ordered never took the time to actually talk to you. If I have a conversation with you, it's very hard for me to forget you. It was something more than a transaction. My whole belief as a bartender is more than transactions.
Do you have any great stories from bartending at the Tavern? Have you ever witnessed two people fall in love?
I’ve made people fall in love. I have a buddy—he started off as a bar regular. He’s sitting on the first floor about two months ago, and these two ladies come in to sit down. I look at one of them and I look at him. “She’s kinda cute.” And he’s like “Yeah.” So I’m like, “What are you two ladies doing tonight?” And they’re like “Oh, it’s her birthday” or whatever it was. I was like, “Where are the cubs tonight?” Meaning the kids. And she goes, “Oh, they’re with my ex-husband.” And I go “ex-husband...” I look at him like “ex-husband.” He starts cracking up. I’m not subtle at all. At all. Have you met me? So he goes ahead and strikes up a conversation. Two months fast forward, this past Sunday they came in holding hands, walking his dog. I don’t know if it’s a relationship or a situationship, but it’s nice to see my friend happy.
If they’re holding hands, I’d say that’s a relationship.
I don’t yuck anybody’s yum, but I don’t hold hands. Get your grubby hands off me.
I know Tavern is the only place you’ve bartended, but I imagine you’ve been to bars in other towns. What would you say makes Saratoga’s bar scene unique?
What makes it unique is that in the winter, those cold, brutal f***ing nights, you get townies—people that live here, blue collar, white collar people that come out. And Saratoga’s the type of place where it ranges from upper class down all the way to the more impoverished classes…Everybody likes to drink. And alcohol makes things equal. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor. Alcohol treats you the same way. And in the summer, with the track, there’s all that mixed with these local personalities. People think, “Oh, Saratoga’s just a tourist spot.” For some of us, we call this home. It's one of those unique places where tourism meets home. And that’s a pretty thing. Not many places have that. You go to Cape Cod—all tourists. Lake George—that's all tourists. But Saratoga is somebody's backyard.
You’ve told me your philosophy on why men should get their hair cut every week (people can ask you about that on their own time). Do you have any other philosophies you’d like to share?
I have tons. I actually thought about going back to school and becoming a philosophy teacher. I have books on philosophy. Like books. F***ing Hogwarts spell–sized books. But people kind of flow with the river. The oldest quote around is “don’t flow with the stream.” There are people that are like, “A nail that sticks out gets hammered. Well, become the hammer.” People have these signs all over their house on wooden canvases, but they don’t follow any of them.
What do you follow?
Treat the janitor like he’s the CEO. Never tell your bank account, and never tell your next step. Work like a captain, play like a pirate.
Do you foresee yourself ever retiring from bartending?
Can I quit serving people drinks at a establishment with alcohol? Yeah, but that's not the definition of a bartender.
What’s your definition?
Talking to people. Building connections. Listening. Connecting other people. My lawyer, accountant, CPA—all these people came from bartending and just building connections. Now I'm getting interviewed for a magazine. I got my job from being at a bar. You could be a bartender in your own house. How many people have bars at their house? The guy who's pouring is always a jokester. They take on that role. So you don't need a business to be a bartender. It's more than just that. And I think we've forgotten that. Now you’ve got these mixologists—that's a whole different thing, but that's not a bartender. As a bartender, you should be a boulder in the river that sticks out. I'll never be afraid to stick out. That's my whole M.O.
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“You’re not vanilla. You’re vanilla extract.”
—Paul Singh
End of an Era
Just two months after Longfellows closed its doors, another longtime Saratoga institution is following suit. Open since 1932, Sperry’s Restaurant is closed until further notice following the report that the sale of the restaurant that was announced in February had fallen through. Fans of the establishment reminisced about memories of Sperry’s in the comments of the above Instagram post, with one Saratogian calling on celebrity chef Bobby Flay, who recently purchased a house in the Spa City, to step up and revive the restaurant. There is still hope: “I’m very confident we’ll find a buyer for Sperry’s who will keep it as Sperry’s,” Managing Partner Scott Johnson told the Saratoga Report. “There is a long tradition of Sperry’s in Saratoga and we have no intention of permanently closing it.”
Over and Doane With
The City of Albany also lost a gem in recent weeks. On March 23, the former Kenwood Convent and Doane Stuart School, an architectural marvel dating back to the 1840s, was engulfed in flames. It took 50 firefighters four hours to put out the blaze, but the 100,000-square-foot building was left in ruins. “The history of the property itself is incredible,” says Christina Summers, who attended Doane Stuart there before the school moved campuses in 2009, “but the magnitude of its loss and repeated failures to protect it has really gutted a huge part of the Capital Region community.”
Book Nook
In happier news, Saratogian Juliana Russell has released The Best Gifts: Language Adventures With Salt & Pepper, a new children’s book that offers a gentle introduction to the Italian language. Juliana owns The Language Mindset, an online school for kids that teaches French, Spanish and Italian, and her new book marks her latest effort to empower people through language. You can purchase your copy on Amazon.
Foodie Frenzy
Big things happened in the world of Saratoga bars restaurants this week. For starters, PDT Market (at last!) opened its doors on Railroad Place on Monday. (Read all about the new café/bar/market here.) Plus, the oft-fully-committed Seneca announced that it has added a day of service and is now open on Tuesdays, Wheatfields installed its patio in time for its annual Patio Party last night, Hamlet & Ghost unveiled its hotly anticipated spring cocktail menu, and Phinney Design Group announced that it’s hiring for The Coat Room, a preferred customer–based, speakeasy-style restaurant and bar coming to 385 Broadway. And finally, it came to light this week that the beloved aforementioned Longfellows property was sold to Hay Creek Hotels and Restaurants, which announced that they are turning it into the Brookmere Hotel and Clover Restaurant & Bar by summer 2024. Cheers.
He Canna Be First
Capital Regionites looking to buy cannabis no longer have to cross state lines—at 11am today, the popular Donald Andrews opens the first dispensary in our area, in Schenectady. Andrews, proud owner of Upstate Canna Co., was one of the first in the state to get his conditional adult-use retail dispensary license after the cannabis law was passed in the state of New York two years ago. Yesterday’s soft opening (pictured above) was packed with politicians and supporters. If other dispensary openings are anything to judge by, expect long lines if you’re hoping to score this opening weekend.
What We’re Watching
Yesterday, three more episodes of Season 4 of Love Is Blind, a.k.a. the greatest show on television, were released. (If you think you’re too good for a dating show created by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, you’re not.) There’s no Saratoga connection here other than the fact that all my Saratoga friends are hooked on the love pentagon (that’s right, forget love triangles—this is the big leagues) that is Zack, Bliss, Irina, Paul and Micah. Will Kwame join the club to make it a hexagon? Nobody knows! Anyway, you know what we’ll be doing on this rainy April Fools’ Day.
Hoop, Hoop, Hooray!
Planning to watch tonight’s NCAA Men’s Basketball semifinal games? Come out to Putnam Place to see the action on the largest LED screen in the region. Beginning at 5:30pm, there’ll be food by West Ave Pizza, beer specials, games for both kids and adults, and, of course, prizes! Get your tickets now—it’d be a personal foul to miss out.
This Week in Saratoga Living After Hours
On Monday, Saratoga was ready for its close-up with three photos from around town that readers had to identify.
Then, on Tuesday, SLAH made the trek up to exit 27 to check out The Lodge at Schroon Lake, a new resort opening this June.