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Hello, everyone.

We got some rabbits from Wanabea Farm and Paul thought Souschef Mark Graham, who doesn't primarily work with animal proteins in our kitchen (because Chef Paul is a meat hog) would have some fun deciding what to do with them. He'll be offering rabbit ballotine, which is a method of stuffing and rolling birds or meats with a forcemeat made either from the meat in question or another meat or some combination thereof as well perhaps as other ingredients such as vegetables or eggs, or Cognac, then wrapping the rolled item in question in cheesecloth, caul fat or muslin, tying it tightly, and then poaching it in stock or wine or both and serving it hot or cold with or without the broth or aspic.

Wanabea Farm is a relatively new operation operated by Bruce Marchegiani in the former livestock auction barn at D&D Farm in Shushan. He started it more than a year ago as a hobby and has since turned it into a business. He uses all-natural feeds and techniques and cross-breeds giant chinchilla bucks with California and white and red New Zealand does.

Meatloaf is one of our perennially favorite comfort foods, and has been an extraordinarily successful Pink Plate Special. Next week, we've decided to make a "bird loaf" - that is a meat loaf where the essential proteinzs are not beef and pork, but pheasant and duck.
"The weird thing about it, is it's essentially a pâté, but hot, which is really not non-traditional, when you think about it," Chef Paul said.

The Pink Plate is a weekly prix fixe special we offer on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. For $32 per person, you get your choice of soup or salad, the featured entree, two selections from our cheese board or one of a couple of featured desserts and coffee, tea or espresso.

We've been having a lot of fun inventing new salads with seasonal ingredients. One of this week's creations is an apple and crushed walnut salad with Coach Farm goat cheese, honey, Sunset Hill Farm greens and an apple cider vinaigrette.

We will be serving a special brunch buffet on Sunday starting at 10:30 p.m. in the High Rock meeting room, next door to Chez Sophie, because the main dining is booked by a rather large after-wedding brunch party.

This will be an incredible bargain, a mere $15 per person for a spread that includes spiral sliced ham; porcini filled tortellini pasta; scrambled eggs; cider braised sausage; slab bacon; homefries; waffles; bagels; pastries; fresh fruit; yogurt parfait; juice and coffee. Seating will be limited, so please reserve ahead.

Sometimes being in the restaurant business can be thankless, but frequently our customers remind us of the many reasons we love them so much, some of them for nearly 40 years. Today, two of them happened upon us in a moment of crisis, and solved our problem without a moment of hesitation.

The well at our house has been behaving badly for two weeks, which we understand is a fairly widespread problem in upstate New York right now because it has been a dry summer. We've been scrupulously conserving water and took the opportunity two weeks ago to take the kids to New York City, figuring the less time we were home, the more time the well would have to recharge.

When we came back, black mud was running from our taps. There were widespread water emergencies, so the well-drilling company we called couldn't make it to our house, but theorized by telephone that the sides of the well had collapsed because of dryness, stirring up silt that was coming through our pipes. They suggested that we run a small amount of water through the pipes for several days to clear the water, so we turned the hose on a little bit and checked into The Saratoga for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. By Monday morning, the water seemed grey, rather than black, so we returned home. On Tuesday, it suddenly turned black again and the pressure dropped substantially. The well-driller came Thursday morning and discovered that the well is dry and the impeller on the pump was starting to melt from the stress of sucking mud from the bottom. Given the backlog of drought-related problems, it will take at least a week and a half to dig a new well and get it functional.

Cheryl called our insurance company, assuming that in this sort of emergency, they would pay for a motel room near the house, to make it easier to take care of our dogs. Apparently, if we had accidentally set our house on fire, that would be the case, but it turns out that inhabitability due to total water failure is not a covered event.
Grandma and Grandpa offered their home, but they live nearly an hour away and have a small, art-filled home that our two youngsters, ages 20 months and 4.5 years, would turn upside down very quickly.

Cheryl and Paul were in the restaurant trying to figure out how to logically cope with the problem, and Cheryl was starting to get a little frustrated and teary, when two of our customers popped in, just to say hi. Without questions, they reached into their pocket and handed us the key to their second home, which is near our house. We have always known that our customers are very special people for many reasons, but we continue to be amazed with the kindness, generosity and faith they show to us. We will continue to try to be worthy of them

We would be delighted if those of our customers who are so inclined would consider joining our family for Thanksgiving at Chez Sophie. We will be serving Thanksgiving dinner from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 22. This was a huge and wonderful day for us last year, and we were surprised at how many people wanted to eat out at Chez Sophie on Thanksgiving, rather than cook at home. We'll be offering free-range turkey and all the trimmings, with fresh-baked pies for dessert for $40 per person, plus tax and gratuity. An à la carte dinner menu will also be available. Turkey dinner for children under 12 is $15.

We will also be offering a special five-course turkey tasting menu with four spectacular wine pairings for $100 a person, plus tax and gratuity, for those looking for an even more elegant and extraordinary repast. The cost for this special menu is $100 per person, plus tax and gratuity. A credit card is required to confirm reservations for Thanksgiving.

We've also started booking reservations for New Year's Eve 2007, on Monday, December 31, 2007.
This is our most elegant party of the year, with festive decorations and special menus to make the evening memorable. Our early seating, with tables available at 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m., will feature a prix fixe five-course menu including options for three of the courses, with a glass of Champagne included for $80 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
The New Year's Eve all-night party starts at 8 p.m., with seatings available at 8, 8:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m. The 9-course menu will feature options for three of the courses, with a midnight Champagne toast included. Jazz Pianist Cole Broderick plans to start playing at 8 p.m. The cost is $130 per person, plus tax and gratuity Special prix fixe wine menu available as well as our full wine list and bar.
The Saratoga has agreed to make double and king rooms available to Chez Sophie customers for $219 per night. Book early, because the hotel is always sold out on New Year's Eve.
Reservations required with credit card confirmation, call 518.583.3538.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Night Dinner December 24 and 25 Details to be announced We will be serving options suitable for families and for gourmands wishing for a special holiday meal. Rooms will be available to Chez Sophie customers at The Saratoga at a steep discount. ($79 per night.)

Live Piano Jazz
Jazz pianist Cole Broderick plays the baby grand Tuesday and Friday night, and during Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
(barring special events that preclude live music.)
Cost: No cover charge

Tasting menus
Chef's Choice seven-course tasting menu available each night. The
menus are designed based on the best and most creative dishes Chef Paul K. Parker is serving each evening. We will pair wines for you at an additional charge or you can order from our extensive wine list.
Cost: $80 to $200 per person for seven courses, plus tax and tip.
Everyone at the table must partake in the tasting menu.
If you're feeling less impromptu, you can call ahead to arrange a
special tasting menu with the number of courses and wine pairings
designed to suit your capacity, dietary restrictions and budget.
Tasting menus arranged in advance will be printed on commemorative vellum scrolls personalized with the name of the host or the reason for the event.
Cost: Depends on the number of courses and the wines selected; available for two to 75 guests. Call Cheryl to make arrangements at
518.583.3538

The Pink Plate Special
offered Monday, October 8, Tuesday, October 9, Wednesday, October 10, and Thursday, October 11.

$32 per person
includes your choice of soup or salad, a special entree, selected desserts or a cheese course and coffee, tea or espresso.

This week's special entree:
"bird loaf"
(meat loaf made with pheasant and duck)

Notes on Nico and Léo:

It's amazing what children learn from their parents. Cheryl has recently sustained a few cuts and blisters in the course of doing business, and the children are fascinated by them. Every time Léo sees a scab or bruise, she trumpets: "Boo-boo! Boo-boo!" and quickly runs to put her arms around her mother's neck and kiss her to make it feel better. Nico rapidly follows suit. Unfortunately, the two children have also discovered if they poke a fresh boo-boo, Mommy jumps, and this has become a tremendous source of entertainment.

Thursday night, Paul was driving the children and our live-in babysitter to the house two of our customers had offered us while our water issues at home are repaired.
"Are you sure you are going the right way, daddy?" Nico asked, as he is wont to do.
His father replied in the affirmative, and told him: "I've never been there before, but I've seen a map."
Nico said: "I've been there before, trust me."
'Well, in that case, are we going in the right direction?" Paul asked.
And Nico retorted: "Well, you're the one who saw the map."
For a moment, it was as if Paul's mother, Sophie, had come back to life.

The Parker family
at Chez Sophie
518.583.3538

Chez Sophie was founded in 1969 by sculptor Joseph Parker and his French-born wife, the late Sophie. The business moved to a vintage stainless steel diner in Malta Ridge, New York, in 1995. It is owned today by Sophie and Joseph's son, Paul Parker, and his wife, Cheryl Clark. In June of 2006, they moved the restaurant into their current location in The Saratoga Hotel on Broadway..

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P.S. Each month we draw a name at random from our database of customers and send them a $50 gift certificate to Chez Sophie. If you would like to be added to this promotions database, which is owned by Chez Sophie, please send us an email with your name, address, telephone number, birthday and anniversary. People on the list will also receive a gift certificate by mail or email for a free glass of champagne or dessert on their birthdays or anniversaries. (You only need to enter once to be eligible every month.)

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