Courtesy of Sophia’s of Clifton Park
By Christine Graf
The owners of Sophia’s of Little Italy, a popular Manhattan restaurant, have opened a sister location at 54 Clifton Country Road in Clifton Park. The restaurant serves a vast array of authentic Italian fare.
According to Stephan Wininger, business manager at Sophia’s of Clifton Park, the eatery’s owners, a trio of New York City chefs, fell in love with the Clifton Park location. The building has housed numerous restaurants over the years, the most recent being the Painted Lemon, an establishment that closed its doors after less than one year in business.
“We all love this building, and we are putting our heart and soul into caulking every crack and doing everything within our power to bring it up to our level of expectation. It’s a great building that was never utilized to its potential. We’ve signed a ten-year lease, so we plan on being here for a long time.”
New York City-based Brazilian artist Murah Lemos was hired to paint murals and create reliefs (raised plaster designs) on the restaurant’s walls.
“We had him here for six weeks. He is really amazing, and he has a lot of high-end clients in New York City and Miami. We’re very lucky to have him,” said Wininger.
As part of the renovation, the kitchen was reconfigured to allow for a better work flow. Kitchen equipment was upgraded, new coolers were installed, and a 3,000-pound pizza oven that was located in one of the dining areas was relocated to the kitchen.
“By moving it to the kitchen, we gained some floor space. We’re going to make that room a place for private parties of 20 people or less,” said Wininger, noting that they will work with customers to accommodate larger private parties elsewhere in the restaurant.
Sophia’s of Clifton Park expects to have 20 employees, and the entire kitchen staff has relocated to Clifton Park from Manhattan. Executive chef Aurelio Calel was among those who made the move, and Jose Veloz was brought on as general manager. Veloz has more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry.
The menu at Sophia’s of Clifton Park is very similar to that of Sophia’s of Little Italy, featuring homemade pasta and pizza along with an extensive selection of entrees featuring seafood, chicken, veal, and beef. Wininger said prices will be in line and competitive with other restaurants in the area.
“We will also have a full bar and a wine list that includes wines that are not available in the liquor store. We will also have happy hour specials.”
In addition to its large indoor dining space/bar with room for 115, Sophia’s has a seasonal outdoor patio/bar that can accommodate an additional 109.
Serving lunch and dinner, Sophia’s of Clifton Park is open seven days a week from noon until 10 p.m. An online reservation system is in the works. For reservations, call (518) 280-2116 or use Google Assistant. To view the menu, visit Sophia’s of Clifton Park on Facebook.