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The Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau released the winner’s of this year’s Chowderfest today. The results:

– People’s choice: The Parting Glass
– Best on-Broadway: Cantina
– Best off-Broadway: Seven Horse Pub
– Best non-downtown: Longfellows Restaurant
– Best newcomer: Seven Horse Pub
– Best canine chowder: Impressions of Saratoga
– Most chowder served: The Parting Glass

I was out of town over the weekend, so I can’t offer my personal opinion on the winners. But for those of you who went, how was it — and what do you think of who came out on top?

– Drew Kerr

Early last month, I wrote about what options Saratoga-area residents had in chosing a gym.

In doing so, I failed to mention one new location where residents can break a sweat: Saratoga Health & Wellness.

Located at 30 Gick Road, the gym has been open since Nov. 5 of last year. This week, though, they’re hosting their big coming out party. On Thursday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., gym owners Mike Lapolla and Nick Galuardi will be offering membership discounts, tours and a chance to meet the staff. Free week-long trials will also be on the table.

Lapolla said the gym, which already has a few hundred members, aims to offer a “cleaner, more professional” spot for people with set goals like weight loss or running a marathon. Staff will tailor-fit a regimend that meets your needs, he said, instead of simply ”renting you the equipment.”

“We feel we have something that is very different and unique for the Saratoga market,” Lapolla said.

So far, the formula has been a success, he said. “It’s pretty scary to take a risk when the economy is so crappy, but so far, so good,” Lapolla said. “We’re rocking and rolling.”

More information on the new gym, and Thursday’s ‘grand opening,’ can be found on their Web site.

– Drew Kerr

Saratoga Springs-born band Phantogram is getting a heck of a lot of love these days.

The duo — Sarah Barthel on vocals and keyboard and Josh Carter on guitar — got a great plug on NPR earlier this week, where their forthcoming EP “Eyelid Movies” can now be streamed in its entirety.

They’re also currently on the road with Minus the Bear – a venture that will bring them to Clifton Park’s Northern Lights at 7 p.m. tonight (tickets, at $18 a pop, were still up for grabs through Ticketmaster when I checked around 9 a.m.).

Learn more about the band, which apparently dates back to junior high, here. You can also follow them on Twitter and the Facebook.

– Drew Kerr

Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center is opening on Friday with a concert inside the new building’s 600-seat concert hall.

A pre-concert discussion begins at 7 p.m. and the Ensemble ACJW goes on at 8 p.m. for a performance that is free and open to the public. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, organizers said.

For those who haven’t been on campus in a while, the new building is pretty hard to miss: the 54,000-square-foot edifice — a mash-up of brick, copper and glass that’s drawn the ire of at least one local thinker — is located on the main drive near the college’s east entrance.

The $32.5 million building, financed by money from college trustee Arthur Zankel’s trust and a a state grant, will be formally dedicated in October, school officials said.

More information on the performance and the new space can be found on Skidmore’s Web site here.

– Drew Kerr

Go ahead and leave the Progresso in the cupboard this weekend: it’s time for Chowderfest.

The annual event has drawn more than 56 restaurants this year, each of which will be doling out samples of their clam, potato and onion-based concoctions between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Titles will be given out for a host of categories, including ’Best on Broadway,’ ‘Best off Broadway,’ ‘Best Newcomer’ and, in what’s become a new tradition, ‘Best Canine Chowder.’ Last year’s winners included The Paring Glass, The Stadium Cafe and Hattie’s.

The competition is just one aspect of the city’s broader Winterfest celebration, which also includes a candlelight ski and snowshoe on Friday night at Saratoga Spa State Park and a handful of other activities.

More information is available from the Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau here. Arts and Life editor Doug Gruse also caught up earlier this week with one of last year’s victors, Stadium Cafe manager Joe Shea, to get his thoughts on what it will take to defend his title — that story here.

– Drew Kerr

The DZ restaurant family will grow by one on Friday.

Owners behind Chianti and Forno Bistro — my two favorite Italian eateries in the Spa City — on Friday will open their third area restaurant, Pasta Pane. Described as a “rustic Italian bistro,” the restaurant is located at 18 Park Ave. in Clifton Park (yes, unfortunately dining here requires a bit of time on the Northway).

A grand opening is scheduled for Friday night between 5 p.m. and 8 pm. Menu samplings will be available, and proceeds will go to the Hannah’s Hope Fund.

– Drew Kerr

The racing community got the news they have long been waiting for late yesterday when Gov. David Paterson finally selected the Aqueduct Entertainment Group to run a casino at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens.

Racing officials have been urging state officials to select an operator for months hoping the revenues generated by another 4,500 video lottery terminals would help prop up the industry.

A final agreement between the state and Paterson’s chosen casino operator is expected to come within 30 days, and the facility could open in the next six months, according to published reports.

Whether or not it will provide the expected revenue, however, remains largely uncertain — as this article in today’s New York Times makes clear.

– Drew Kerr

The owners of five Saratoga County restaurants are joining forces as a way to help orphans in Haiti.

Chefs from Panza’s, Longfellow’s, Salty’s Pub and Bistro, The Wishing Well and Maestro’s are all collaborating to create a four-course fundraiser dinner that will be hosted on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Longfellow’s will provide the appetizer, Salty’s Pub and Bistro will provide the salad, Panza’s and The Wishing Well are teaming up to provide the entrée and Maestro’s is making the desert, organizers said.

Tony Panza said Thursday that organizers can accommodate around 180 diners, and that tickets are still available.

Tickets to the dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at Panza’s 510 Route 9P restaurant, are $50. Anyone interested in coming should call 584-6882 to save a spot.

Money raised through the event will be given to the Love A Child organization, which is helping orphans impacted by the earthquake that hit the Caribbean island on Jan. 12.

“We were all gripped, watching the news and it really struck home,” Panza said of the motivation for the event. “If everyone does a little bit, it’s got to help somewhat.”

Officials at the Congregation Shaara Tfille and the Jewish Community Center of Saratoga Springs also announced a fundraiser for Haiti on Thursday.

They are hosting a concert on Feb. 13 featuring Ken Blatt and Michael Clement, as well as Haiti native Linda Cantave, who organizers say will also give a first-hand account of what happened after the earthquake.

A minimum donation of $10 is requested for the event, which will be held at the congregation’s Synagogue at 84 Weibel Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert begins at 8 p.m.

Proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, which helps provide medical treatment in under-served parts of the world.

– Drew Kerr

The Saratoga Healthy Transportation Network is looking for a few handy volunteers who can help them out this weekend.

The group collected more than 50 used bikes last weekend, and is looking to restore them between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Church of Saint Peters (241 Broadway). Organizers promise the space they use will be warm, and that there will be fresh-brewed coffee from Saratoga Traders available.

Some tools will be around, but volunteers are encouraged to bring what they have — especially if that includes a bike stand.

Once fixed, the bikes will be distributed to those in need through the Saratoga EOC. E-mail Joanna Klepetar at bicycleworkshop@yahoo.com if you’re interested in helping. More information available here.

– Drew Kerr