TAPAS MENU SETS THE PACE FOR THE WILD HORSE UNDER NOAH’S TEAM
Deployed to The Wild Horse by Noah’s Executive Chef Noah Frese, new Executive Chef Dylan Burkhart collaborates with his longtime friend on a pace-setting tapas concept.
Story: Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: Nick Lee/for The Dishing
May 7, 2026
The Wild Horse is back and Saratoga’s live music venue will keep the crowds entertained this summer. After a $1.5 million renovation, The Wild Horse opened in the summer 2024 in the former Dango’s with the same emphasis on the bar and outdoor music, but an elevated approach to the restaurant under the direction of young new Executive Chef Julia Evans until December 2025 when she joined newly opened Noah’s Italian. She is now Chef de Cuisine.
After closing for a re-set in the fall of 2025, The Wild Horse restaurant has had a quick refresh with a soon-to-open cocktail lounge in the back (currently dubbed the ‘Kashmir Lounge’ in another Led Zeppelin reference) and a brand new tapas-focused menu. With Noah’s executive sous chef now running the The Wild Horse kitchen, the longtime friends chatted with The Dishing about their casual, small plates menu and why it fits the fast-casual mood of The Wild Horse.
Chefs, The Wild Horse has shifted gears to a tapas menu that has 17 small plates, as well as six “bigger plates.” What inspired the change and how did you R+D the menu?
NF: “I really wanted to go back to my roots where I started. Tapas was my first executive chef job in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I really fell in love with the Spanish influence and small plate concept. It allows guest to share 4 or 5 starters rather than just one or two, and I’ve run a lot of these menu items in the past so I felt they were staples for a tapas concept.”
DB: “When Noah came up with the idea for tapas I really loved the concept immediately. I think it fits the vibe of The Wild Horse perfectly and it felt almost like a challenge in a way to try my hand at another concept.”
Ok, Dylan, as the new executive chef, what are some of your must-try plates you’re most proud of?
DB: This is my second Executive Chef position after Black and Blue, but it didn’t feel as creative in that corporate environment, so I’m really excited to put food out that I am proud of. I truly love all the plates—there are dishes that are outside the box like the kholrabi Caesar salad, and traditional Spanish bites like croquettes and gambas. As far as bigger plates, I think we have some show stoppers like the paella and the kan kan pork chop
Noah, you’re currently Executive Chef at both Noah’s and Siro’s, and now overseeing The Wild Horse as a third concept. How do you balance the three? DO you cross-train staff among the businesses?
NF: I get this question a lot and I think people don’t understand that when you have great staff you set them up for moments like this that allow them to be ready. Dylan was with me at Noah’s and has learned the way I like things. If we stick to the recipes we have in place, consistency is really what’s key. I’m very excited for this summer because I think people won’t look at me only as a chef, but also as a restaurateur—someone who designs concepts and is able to have staff produce those by trusting them to follow the tools I’ve set in place for us to be successful.
Chef Dylan, you’re Executive Chef and also GM at Wild Horse. What’s the plan for the newly opened lounge and bar in the back? Can people order the full menu in there too?
DB: The lounge is going to be a cocktail lounge where guests can go before or after dining with us, but, if it’s highly requested to dine in there as well, I’m all for making that available!
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