Sophie's: A New Name But Same Good Style

Sophie's, Italian-American cuisine. Breakfast, lunch and dinner served daily, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., at 20221 Aurora Ave. N., Shoreline. Major credit cards accepted. Smoking sections available. Call 546-2441 for reservations. --------------------------------------------------------------- -- SHORELINE

Mama mia! Where did Sophia Maria Brown's restaurant go?

It's gone. But it's still there.

Confused? Don't be. The former eatery in Shoreline is still Italian and still managed by the same man, but is now owned by an Edmonds man and sports a new name: Sophie's.

It's new moniker comes from its predecessor's lounge, a popular nightspot on the North Aurora Avenue strip.

"The lounge has always been a hot spot," said new co-owner Glen Lapke, who managed the previous establishment for eight years before buying it from the VIPs chain two years ago. "People had heard about a lot about our lounge but couldn't find it."

So Lapke changed the name a year ago to give the place his signature. He's also added a new take-out menu this month, which he hopes will become competitive with the myriad of fast-food restaurants along the northern section of Aurora North.

"There's always been a lot of take-out business in all the fast-food places here," Lapke said. "We believe we offer something different."

If not different, it's diverse.

Sophie's prepares six menu selections in one-, two- and four-person servings. Choices include lasagna, pot roast, spaghetti, salmon filet, and barbecued ribs and chicken. Prices range from $7.95 for a single spaghetti meal to $29.95 for the barbecued meat or salmon.

All take-out meals include green salad and garlic toast or dinner roll. The pot roast, salmon, and barbecue selections include potatoes and other vegetable, too.

Little else has changed in the atmosphere and decor. Guests are escorted past a tempting 15-foot salad bar to Sophie's mirrored-wall dining room. Hearty greens and fresh vegetable condiments lured me back for a soup-and-salad lunch for $4.95.

The salads - and sliced sandwich meats and cheeses - attracted my husband to the bar. He opted to order the salad as a $1.50 side order for his lunch.

After the lunch hour is over, greater varieties of citrus fruits, melons and pasta salads are added to the bar for dinner guests. I would have preferred a greater selection of fruit with lunch, too.

Frequent visitors to the restaurant may find that Sophie's menu still includes Italian dishes, but now tries to appease a greater range of appetites with Mexican and American dishes.

Even with these changes, there's no denying the place can still whip up a tasty salmon with fettucine alfredo, blending just the right amount of moist fish to Parmesan cheese. At lunch, this specialty runs less than $7.

With prices like this, we could hardly afford to leave our 2-year-old daughter at home. Sophie's accommodating service made our lunch a breeze.

When seated, our tot was treated to a full supply of crackers and a children's menu pasted to the inside cover of a Disney book.

After ordering the $2.95 hamburger and fries (all half-dozen kids' menu items are under $3), she snacked and read while our meal was prepared. Our clever waitress even tucked a moistened face wipe under our daughter's napkin.

Returning another day for breakfast, we zeroed in on the three-egg seafood omelet prepared with scallops, shrimp, cod and cheddar cheese for $6.50. There's no way I could make anything like this at home for the same price. All omelets are served with hash browns and toast, muffin or biscuit.

If dinners are anything like breakfast and lunch, we'll be back soon.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Thursday feature of the Seattle Times Snohomish County section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.