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.
