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Hello, everyone.

We have a problem, and we're too stubborn to fix it. Almost every week, someone comes into Chez Sophie, orders coffee, pours a little half and half into it and sends the coffee back because "the milk is spoiled."

It isn't. It's fresh from the farm - slow pasteurized and unhomogenized cow dairy from Meadow Brook Farm in Clarksville, N.Y.
If the guests would smell the milk, they would know it was fresh out of the cow, but so few people have ever had any experience with fresh farm dairy that they don't want to hear this explanation. They just find the natural milkfat "gross" and want it to be taken away.
Usually, we can head this off by shaking the milk containers really hard before filling the cream pitchers, but sometimes, a little milk fat will remain suspended, no matter how hard we agitate. Every now and then, the servers get together and lobby us to switch milks because they hate it when the customers look at them like they are liars or idiots when they try to explain why cream rises to the top.

Milk is an oil-in-water emulsion, with the fat globules dispersed in a continuous skim milk phase. If raw milk is left to stand, the fat rises and forms a cream layer. Heat pasteurization breaks down the cryo-globulin complex, which increases the tendency of fat globules to cluster and rise. Homogenization is a mechanical treatment in which the milk is passed under high pressure through a tiny orifice, which results in a decrease in the average diameter and an increase in the number and surface area of the fat globules. The result is a much reduced tendency for the creaming of fat globules, which makes the milk more stable. Flash pasteurized, ultra-homogenized milk is what most people are used to. They may not know that they are also used to dairy products where the natural milk fat has been skimmed and replaced with cocoa butter, whey solids, vegetable oils, gum slurries, cellulose gel blends and hydrated pectins.

Unfortunately, homogenizing milk involves the breaking down of fat particles to such a small size that the milk looks nice and smooth with no chunks of cream, but these smaller fat particles can permeate the intestines and end up in your blood stream, leading to higher cholesterol (something that is a bit of a problem on Chef Paul's genetic side of the family.) Unhomogenized milk from the farm, assuming the cows have not been exposed to chemicals, with its cream floating to the top, is natural and not a harmful form of fat. The larger fat molecules pass through the digestive system and nutrients are properly absorbed without fat entering the bloodstream.
(Reputable scientific studies have shown that unhomogenized milk is better for you, but the results are still being challenged by scientists, some of whom are funded by Big Dairy.)

Any form of pasteurization denatures some of the natural proteins in milk and makes it taste more bland than milk straight from the cow.
But when French scientist Louis Pasteur discovered the pasteurization process, he helped eliminate pathogens that lead to tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio, salmonellosis, strep throat, scarlet fever, and typhoid fever. Unless you've visited a farm at some point in your life, you've probably never had raw milk, because the Food and Drug Administration does not allow raw milk to be sold in restaurants or stores. Before a raw milk tanker is allowed to cross a state line, the milk must be heated to 160 to 165 degrees while spinning it, to kill bacteria and extend the shelf life. The milk stays at the high temperature for only 15 seconds before being chilled to 35 degrees (almost freezing.) It's why you can go to the supermarket in July and find "organic milk" with sell-by dates in September.

The Van Wies use another, older way to kill some of the potentially dangerous pathogens that can form in raw milk. They heat it to 140 degrees in small vats for about 30 minutes. That's how it was done on family farms for decades. It's not as fast or cost effective as flash- pasteurization, but it leaves the milk tasting more like milk. It makes the richest crème caramels and whipped cream and the foamiest cappuccinos.

The Van Wie's also refuse to use bovine growth hormone to make their cows produce faster. Since the experimental hormones were introduced to the dairy industry in 1981, several studies have linked them to an increased risk of breast and colon cancer in humans who drink BST- and rBGH-treated milk. The drugs also increase the incidence of mastitis in cows, which means they have to be treated with antibiotics, which then leads to the development of strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

There are a bunch of reasons why Cheryl and Paul insist on buying milk from Meadow Brook, in spite of the fact that some of the customers get completely freaked out when they see chunks of cream floating on top of their coffee. For one thing, we strongly believe in supporting a local, family dairy operation such as Meadow Brook.
This is one of the rare surviving family dairy farms in the United States. The most important reason is our two children drink milk, and it reassures us to know that the milk we put in their sippy cups is not full of hormones and antibiotics and is as close to natural as we can get without hooking them up directly to the cow. If it's good enough for our children, it's also the right thing to do for our customers.

Paul stayed in the kitchen until 4 a.m. Wednesday breaking down two- pound lobsters so we could put Chez Sophie's famous lobster platter on the menu this weekend. Regular customers have been asking for it all week. Sophie did this dish for years, serving the meat out of the shell with a tangy sauce and spectacular, colorful array of local farm vegetables.

Dan Felder stayed with Paul all night getting the lobsters out of the shell, a process that was a little different this year than last because Paul wanted to serve the meat warm rather than chilled.

"We used a pretty cool method of getting the lobsters out of the shell," Felder said. "You pour boiling water over the lobsters and let it sit for three minutes, pull them out, pull the tails and the claws off, pull the knuckles off the claws and put the claws back in the water for five minutes. This turns the membrane around the shell into liquid without cooking the meat. Then you cut everything out of the shell. That way, when you poach it sousvide in butter and saffron, it doesn't overcook."

This is an extravagant dish, something we only do in the summertime because we want only the best of local vegetables to pair with the lobster meat. Based on the cost of ingredients, it should cost $108, which is a really hard price point for your average diner. Paul will sell it for $85, which is still an extremely expensive entree, more than twice the price of our average meal, but it is so delicious that people come in begging for it. We won't blink if you want to share it. We put them on the menu at 5 p.m. Thursday and we sold five in the first hour.

If you order this dish, you should have something spectacular with it, such as a bottle of Condrieu or Champagne. We have three Condrieu in the house, and frankly they're even more expensive than the lobster. They are the "Saint Cosme" from Louis and Cherry Barruol and the "Les Terasses du Palat from François Villard, both of the 2000 vintage and both $93; and the "Verchery" from Domaine Clusel-Roch (2005, $140).

The Barruol is made from late-picked grapes from hillside vineyards and has a pale golden color, ripe white peach aromas. Its unctuous fruit flavors are very pure and very long.

The Villard is the ultimate anti-chardonnay from one of Paul's antiheroes. It has a stunning apricot and honeysuckle nose, good ripeness, a full body and lovely acidity. The Clusel-Roch is made on a mere half hectare in Condrieu by founder René Clusel's son, Gilbert. (Roch was added to the name in 1989 in recognition of Gilbert's wife, Brigitte.) When harvest time comes, the grapes are manually selected and fermented with indigenous yeasts. According to Stephen Tanzer, who gave the wine a 91, it is a light straw color with a high-pitched, spicy bouquet of stone fruits, citrus zest and white flowers, and a bright mineral aspect. It is racy, tightly wound and refreshing, with impressive precision to the brisk lime, quince and peach flavors.

Another spectacular entree that will appear on the menu this weekend is half rack of wild boar with wild boar sausage, accompanied by fresh peaches and sage. Paul will use ground wild rice to make a filler and binder for the sausage.

Those who were interested in last week's discourse on big meat might also be interested in a thread that one of our readers, Ken Vastola, posted an excerpt of the newsletter to. http://dat.erobertparker.com/ bboard/showthread.php?t=137298&page=2&pp=30

This announcement comes a hair late, but those of you who checked out Amalia Rubin's music site (she's a young customer we've been serving for years as a guest of her parents) may like to know that she won best International Artist for Tibet in the Tibetan Music Awards last month. Her mother Alice describes the statuette as much funkier than
an Oscar. http://www.musictibet.com/awards/ Congratulations, Amalia!

You can now order a Chez Sophie picnic box lunch to pick up in the morning and take with you wherever you plan to spend the day. There are three options: chilled filet mignon with a variety of condiments; roasted Cornish hen and a vegetarian 'grand plateau des sans visages'
which will be an array of salads with a balance of proteins, vegetables and starches. Each of the dishes will be served with two sides, something with fresh, seasonal vegetables and something like fingerling potatoes dressed in olive oil and sea salt. You can order the boxes by telephone the night before by calling 518.583.3538 and pick them up any time after 8 a.m. The prices will range from $17 to
$21 per entree.

We are open early enough (5 p.m.) to serve dinner to people planning to attend the Philadelphia Orchestra performances and late enough to serve people coming from the shows at SPAC. Our normal dinner seating stops at 10 p.m. and our bar menu continues until 11 p.m., but if you need a reservation that is a little later than that, call ahead and we'll do our best to accommodate. Tonight (Friday) is Newcomer's Night at SPAC, during which members can get a 25 percent discount and two free guest passes at the box office window after 5 p.m. Charles Dutoit will be conducting PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 1 (“Classical”);
BRAHMS: Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra and RIMSKY-
KORSAKOV: Scheherazade; on Saturday, Dutoit will be conducting WEBER:
Overture to Der Freischütz
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 9, K. 271 ("Jenamy"); STRAVINSKY: Symphony in Three Movements; RAVEL: Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloé with Emanuel Ax on the piano.

Sunday is a great time to pair Chez Sophie with the Philadelphia, because you can enjoy Sunday brunch at Chez Sophie with Jazz pianist Cole Broderick before heading off to the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival at 2:15 p.m. or spend the afternoon at SPAC listening to such luminary talents as pianist Emanuel Ax, cellist Gautier Capuçon, and violinists Renaud Capuçon and Chantal Juillet before heading to Sophie's for dinner. The Allman Brothers are playing SPAC Sunday night.
For the full week's schedule at SPAC visit http://www.spac.org/spac- ticket-information/

Our Sunday Jazz brunch this week with pianist Cole Broderick will feature pan-seared trout filet with Thai Ginger sauce ($15); grilled hanger steak with caramelized onions and horseradish mayonnaise on a ciabatta roll ($15); double chocolate pancake with choice of bacon or sausage ($13); and roast Cornish game hen with lingonberry sauce and mushroom polenta ($15). Appetizer specials include Rhode Island Littleneck clams steamed with white wine and herbs ($13); a salad of Sunset Hill Farm greens tossed in a red wine vinaigrette ($7); crabcake with caper mayonnaise ($16) 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).
Jazz pianist Cole Broderick plays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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: $75 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 is on summer vacation.

Notes on Nico and Léo:

We had a pinch-hitting babysitter filling in for the Nanny Saturday.
The last thing Cheryl did as she nervously left her with the children is hand the young lady a bottle of citronella lotion and warn her that the children should be liberally lubricated with the stuff before they play outside because Léo, in particular, is devilled by swelling bug bites from mosquitoes and horse flies. The last time she was feasted upon at sunset, it took more than a week for all the itchy welts to disappear.

It could have just been a fluke, but by Sunday morning the only inch of Léo that didn't have nasty little bumps and welts on it was hidden within the safety of her diaper. We slathered her with Caladryl, which didn't do much. Unscented Benadryl gel always worked for Nico, but it seems to have no effect on Léo. Monday, we took the poor, red bumpy, swollen child to see her Grandma and Grandpa in Hadley and raided the supply of essential oils that Grandma Nancy uses in her massage therapy practice. Using a couple of recipes we found in books and substituting missing ingredients rather freely, we concocted a potion of thyme, eucalyptus, lavender and tea tree oil and mixed it in a jojoba oil base. We rubbed it all over Léo, and by the next morning the bite marks were nearly invisible. The only downside was we couldn't keep Léo's hands off the oil, and she managed to rub it into her eyes. Judging by her anguished wails, that part was particularly unpleasant. But the itchy rash went away.

By the way, if anyone with children or grandchildren is tempted to buy the craft item "Floam," Cheryl would strongly recommend against it. To read of Nico and Léo's traumatic Floam experience, visit http://www.epinions.com/Floam/display_~reviews
Cheryl posted the review entitled "Don't Do it" signed restaurantmom.

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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