Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Our very first restaurant Thanksgiving went beautifully, although there was one small oddity. We offered a communal turkey wine dinner in addition to the less extravagant turkey dinner we offered in the main dining room. This communal format is one we've used many times in the past for wine dinners and it's been very interesting because it brings disparate people together around a single table to share a meal and wine. Although they are all strangers when they start, quite often they make friends and continue to arrange to meet each other at successive wine dinners.
But we learned that Thanksgiving is a little different. We had many people who expressed interest in our five-course tasting menu with wine pairings, but most opted for the regular menu because they had children in tow or family members who didn't drink. By this week, we had 10 reservations for the special dinner and 120 for the simpler Thanksgiving menu. Two of the wine dinner reservees cancelled with great regret because of unexpected family obligations.
The first three arrived, had a cocktail at the bar, looked at the special menu and began to debate. They called our hostess, Tamzin, over and said as much as they'd like to experience the special menu, they really just wanted to be together and not share their holiday meal. Cheryl came over and said we'd be happy to serve them the special menu at a private table. They were delighted.
Then Cheryl went to the second three people and told them that the special dinner would be for five people. They were sitting in front of the fireplace in the comfy chairs sharing a bottle of wine. When they found out they'd be sharing dinner with two strangers, they began to consider the number of family issues they could use the evening to hash out. Sensing the flow, Cheryl offered them a separate table.
Then she went to the last couple and told them that the tasting dinner had broken into separate tables. They were actually a little disappointed because they've been to almost all of our wine dinners and knew how much fun it can be. But they, too, were granted a private table and had a great time. Adaptability at it's finest.
This will be a short newsletter, because we've been serving happy families all day long and we're need to go to bed so we can do a wedding reception tomorrow before lunch.
Normally every week we offer a Pink Plate Special, weekly prix fixe special served on MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY. For $30 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, plus coffee, tea or espresso.
This week is different, however. It's Saratoga Restaurant Week, a week in which the restaurants in Saratoga celebrate the town's establishment by a county board of supervisors in 1819. Instead of the Pink Plate, we will be offering a three-course meal for the ridiculously low price of $18.19. It will include your choice of soup or salad, your choice of stuffed pork loin or moules et frites and your choice of two desserts.
Needless to say, this bargain will be popular, so reserve as quickly as possible and mention Restaurant Week when you reserve. (We won't be bending over backwards to advertise this to walk-ins, so just mention it to get the special.)
Please visit us for our Sunday Jazz Brunch, which we'll be serving from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Cole Broderick will play our baby grand piano and we'll be serving a full range of breakfast foods plus some really interesting specials.
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 available at The Saratoga at a steep discount for Chez Sophie ticket holders. ($79 per night.)
New Year's Eve at Chez Sophie, 2006
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Our most elegant party of the year
Early seating prix fixe special
Tables available at 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m.
Prix fixe five-course menu including options for three of the courses, with a glass of Champagne included
Cost: $75 per person, plus tax and gratuity
New Year's Eve late night party
Tables available at 8, 8:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m.
Prix-fixe eight-course menu, including options for three of the courses, midnight Champagne toast included
Jazz Pianist Cole Broderick to play starting at 8 p.m.
Cost: $125 per person, plus tax and gratuity
Special prix fixe wine menu available as well as our full wine list and bar
Double rooms at The Saratoga available for $199 per night.
Reservations required with credit card confirmation
518.583.3538
Jazz pianist Cole Broderick plays the baby grand Tuesday through 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
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 or you can order from our extensive wine list.
Cost: $75 per person, 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: $50 to $200, depending on the number of courses and the wines selected; available for two to 75 guests
Call Cheryl to make arrangements 518.583.3538
The Pink Plate Special
will not be offered this week because of Saratoga Restaurant Week
instead we will be serving a three-course meal for $18.19 in honor of the founding of Saratoga
it includes
your choice of soup or salad,
your choice of stuffed pork loin or moules et frites
and your choice of two desserts
Believe it or not, the big eater in the family on Thanksgiving was the 10-month-old. She joined the family table at 2:30, before the bulk of the 130 people we served yesterday arrived, and shocked everyone with her appetite. Before the family even ordered their turkey dinners, Nico demanded: "Mommy. Can you get some food so I can feed my Léo?" Mommy brought out a bib and puréed pears and an espresso spoon and she and Nico tore through that in record speed. Then she had vichysoisse, purple sweet potato purée, turkey leg confit (with only six teeth!) haricots verts, mashed potatoes and rice milk. Every time we stopped spooning, she made a loud demanding noise. Eventually, Mom put the rest of the vichysoisse into a bottle so Léo could feed herself, because she hasn't quite mastered the art of the spoon and she was wearing a velvet and taffeta dress. Soon, she was tucked away in the traditional Thanksgiving post-prandial coma, as was her big brother, and Grandma and Grandpa took them to their house so the parents could attend to the customers, both those of Thursday night and those that will arrive for a wedding reception late Friday morning.
We hope to see you soon,
The Parker family
at chez sophie
518-583-3538
