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Hello, everyone.

Head bartender Mitch Rowen has been hard at work on "Cocktail Menu:
Volume Two," the sequel to his first original cocktail menu he launched this summer. Apparently, he has been mixing concoctions for weeks and feeding them to the chef, knowing that the other boss at Chez Sophie isn't a fan of hard alcohols other than single-malt Scotch and tequila. Cheryl happened into the kitchen tonight and was stopped short by the sight of her husband savoring something greenish in a martini glass with a slice of cucumber in it.
"You gotta try this," Paul said, passing her the glass. Cheryl sniffed and took a cautious sip.
"This isn't vodka is it?" she asked stupidly.
"No," Mitch said. "It's Hendrick's Gin, saki and Japanese plum wine, garnished with cucumber."
Much to their surprise, Cheryl said: "This could actually persuade me to drink a white alcohol."
Not so the case with the next concoction.
Mitch arrived at Cheryl's side with it about 10 minutes later,
saying: "This is going to be the weirdest thing we've ever put on the cocktail menu, and perhaps Paul and I are going to be the only ones who like it."
Loathe to taste any more hard alcohol than necessary, Cheryl asked, "Is this the one I tasted before?" Mitch said no, this is going to be called a "smoked potato martini."
Cheryl sniffed it suspiciously and asked: "How'd you get the smell of mildew into it?"
Mitch, not easily daunted by criticism of his creative endeavors,
said: "You're smelling the combination of horseradish, liquid smoke and potato vodka. If we can, we'll put a roasted fingerling potato in as a garnish."
Cheryl declined to ingest.

Sweetbread alert. Paul received a 5-pound shipment of sweetbreads late Thursday, and believes he can have them purged, peeled and ready to serve by Sunday. We use veal thymus gland, which has the mildest flavor and most velvety texture of all the sweetbreads. We soak it for at least 24 hours to make it even whiter and sweeter. It is truly prized offal.

Ever wonder how a Pink Plate Special is born?
First, Cheryl reminds Paul that the newsletter will be written today.
Paul curses under his breath, promises to come up with something and disappears into the kitchen.
Hours later, he emerges and says: "I'm not positive about what the fish will be, because I don't know what will be available by Monday.
I want to do cod, but it might not be cod, it might be another white fish, depending on what is fresh and in good condition. I want to poach the fish in olive with thyme and garlic..." then his eyes go glassy and he disappears into the kitchen again.

Fifteen minutes later he reappears:
"Okay this is what we're going to do: Monkfish poached in olive oil and garlic, served with a fry of mushroom and sweetbreads..."
His wife interjects: "Do you really want to sacrifice sweetbreads to the Pink Plate when you know everyone's going to call and reserve sweetbreads?"
He pauses and thinks. "I'm only getting five pounds. How many advance orders do we have, two?"
"Yeah," Cheryl answers, "but we haven't called anyone on the sweetbread alert list yet, and it hasn't been in the newsletter.
Chris Alexander just called to see if we're going to have them and then made a reservation for the day he could be sure they would be ready. And Dick Leland sent an email a yesterday asking to be told when we we're going to get them. His birthday is coming up."
Mark D. Graham walked out of the kitchen and intoned clairvoyantly; "Monkfish with sulfur beans with either oysters or sweetbreads. That will be beeping good and you can quote me on that. That's beeping, and you spell it with all those asterisks and #$%^& like they do in the comic strips."
There ensued some discussion of celery root and oyster root and other possibilities. "We could do oysters two ways, in the stew and fried on top, and we could do celery and celery root..."
After the boys dispersed, Cheryl realized she still had no idea what we we're doing for a Pink Plate.
"Paul," she called to retrieve him. "Can you tell me what's going into the Pink Plate?"
"I'm sorry," he said with faux archness. "I thought you were there for that discussion."

"What we're going to serve is monkfish poached in olive oil with garlic and thyme, served with a stew of sulfur beans, celery and oysters and mushrooms," he said.
"Exotic mushrooms?"
"Yeah, I think we're getting chanterelles, maitakes, shimagi and there might be some other stuff in there as well," Paul said. "I have no idea how were going to make this cost effective at this price, but the flavors are going to be crazy."

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.

Paul and Mark are expecting some gorgeous Sika venison racks in for this weekend. Sika is the smallest member of the elk family, native to Manchuria, Japan and Formosa. It graced the private parks of Oriental potentates and was thought to have magical powers. It has an almost goose-like taste, but in spite of that richness, it has less than 3 percent intramuscular fat (the streaks of fat sometimes referred to as marbling.) It has one-eighth as much fat as beef and about one-third the calories per ounce. The cholesterol level is even lower than chicken. Even people allergic to beef can eat this type of venison with no problems.

Sika is one of several species of antelope that were introduced to the Texas hill country more than 50 years ago for the enjoyment of game hunters. The animals, from Japan, India and other Asian countries, thrived so well on the land that selective harvesting is now used to keep a balance between the native species and the exotic imports. The exotics require less water and care than domestic cattle and feed on the herbs and brush that grow under the sheltering cliffs and river valleys of the 750-acre preserve known as Broken Arrow Ranch.

"I don't really know what we are going to do with the chops yet, but we promise to cook them perfectly and serve them with something really good," Paul said. Mark is advancing the idea of salsify and baby brussel sprouts.

Help Wanted:
Receptionist: Friendly, smart, well-groomed applicants with good common sense and team-oriented work ethic sought for day and night positions in a high-quality French restaurant in downtown Saratoga.
Part time and fulltime positions available. Paid tryout and training period is mandatory. Pay is commensurate with ability to accurately take messages and reservations, learn and use simple computer programs and participate in marketing projects. Please apply in person at Chez Sophie, 534 Broadway, Saratoga Springs

We offer a fun and elegant à la carte brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Our artist-in-residence, jazz pianist Cole Broderick, plays the baby grand piano from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday

The brunch menu this Saturday and Sunday will feature breaded pork cutlet alla pizzaioli ($15); carbonnade à la Flammande ($14); and sesame-crusted tuna with stir-fried rice ($15) and pumpkin pancakes with your choice of bacon or sausage ($13). Appetizer specials include a crabcake with lemon caper mayonnaise ($16); a salad of Sunset Hill Farm greens tossed in a red wine vinaigrette ($7); Rhode Island Littleneck clams steamed in white wine with herbs and garlic
($13) and soup of the day ($8).

The brunch specials run from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The complete menu,
offered from 7 to 2 p.m., includes a Continental assortment of
muffins, pastries, fruit, yogurt, frittata etcetera for $9;
omelettes ($10 to $12); pancakes du jour ($10); the All in One, which includes 2 eggs any style, homefries, toast and sausage or bacon ($10); waffles with sweet cream butter and local maple syrup ($10); and Irish steel- cut oatmeal ($8).

Artist-in-residence Cole Broderick has been busily promoting his seventh CD release this month, "Chez Sophie Jazz." This CD is a departure for Cole, who won a Billboard Critic's Choice Award for his 4-CD set of jazz compositions: "Seasons in Saratoga," because it's the first time he's recorded with a vocalist. Weirdly enough, that vocalist is Cheryl Clark, co-owner of Chez Sophie, wife of Chef Paul and mother of the adorable Nico and Léo. Their artistic collaboration started back in the diner, a couple of days after Nico was born, when Cole heard her singing to her infant son while vaccuuming the carpet in the rear dining room. Since then, he has persistently urged her to sing with him in the dining room, and conceived and produced a CD of 12 of the standards the two of them perform in Chez Sophie's dining room and 4 original piano compositions. Our illustrious web designer, Sharon Maenza of Kilakwa Associates, has loaded parts of the CD onto our website at http://www.chezsophie.com/ Copies are for sale for $16 at Chez Sophie.

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. 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.

A very smart lady just booked 20 seats for her family at Chez Sophie on Christmas Eve. We will be open and serving what we hope will be the most elegant fare in town on both Christmas Eve and Christmas.
This was a huge success last year. We offer a five-course prix-fixe menu featuring fabulous, festive choices, with seatings from 2 p.m.
to 8 p.m. (No à la carte menu will be offered, but there are great choices within each of the courses.) The price will be $75 per person for food, plus beverages, tax and gratuity. Children under 12 eat for $25.

Hotel rooms at The Saratoga will be available to Chez Sophie customer 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, November 12, Tuesday, November 13, Wednesday, November 14, and Thursday, November 15 .
$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:
olive oil with garlic and thyme, served with a stew of oysters, sulfur beans, celery and mushrooms

Notes on Nico and Léo: Nico woke up from a dead sleep this morning as his father was getting dressed, came into the bathroom with unfocussed eyes, and with the voice of an oracle, announced:
"I had two dreams. A friend came to visit me at the house. Then there was a vampire in a honk honk car." Without another word, he crawled into bed with his mother and sank into blissful sleep. Cheryl got up a few minutes later and discovered that at some point prior to his W.C. dream-speaking, Nico had removed his overnight diaper, laid down on the couch and proceeded to pee all over it. Cheryl cleaned and disinfected and dried everything, and then went in to wake the children.

Léo was first, because she wakes more easily and helps her mother wake Nico. Cheryl took her to the bathroom to change her diaper, and the one-and-a-half-year-old lay on the floor doing a creditable Stevie Wonder impersonation - eyes closed, head rolling back and forth against the bathroom mat, singing original compositions at the top of her lungs. Cheryl was giggling quietly, when she realized Léo was actually singing ABOUT SOMETHING. The babe was clutching a rubbery dragon, pointing to its head and singing "pink horns." Sure enough, the dragon had pink horns.

Cheryl was delighted because it was the first time Léo had successfully identified a color without being told first what it was.
Then Léo pointed at the dragon's body and said: "purple." That was also correct, and Mommy was so thrilled she wanted to call Paul at work immediately and tell him how smart his daughter was, but she didn't want to spoil the moment by running to find the phone. Then Léo pointed at the dress she'd worn to bed and said, accurately:
"purple."

Ecstatic, Cheryl grabbed a pink towel off the towel bar and held it up. "What color is this?" she asked. Léo looked at her blankly. Then Mommy pointed to a yellow tile on the floor mats and said: "What color is this?" Léo smiled with recognition and declared with
assurance: "Purple!" Cheryl found out later that Léo had played a game the night before with her Nanny, Hope, specifically involving the dragon and her dress. So the baby isn't a color-recognition prodigy, but she is pretty darned cute.

Now invigorated, Léo ran into the bedroom and jumped on her recumbent brother. Nico bolted upright, looked at his mother with knit brows, and said quietly: "You don't want to go into the living room." Then he collapsed back into slumber.

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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