Spa City steakhouse slates September start

JEROME BURDI , The Saratogian 07/18/2003

SARATOGA SPRINGS - His grandfather was a doctor who loved beef. Hence the name Doc's Steakhouse for Bobby Mitchell's new enterprise at 63 Putnam St.

Mitchell, who also owns The Wheat Fields restaurant on Broadway, said he was looking to open a steakhouse for about five years. He finally found one in what he calls the "center of Saratoga's entertainment district." It has a planned opening in September.

The menu will feature a variety of steaks and seafood in the warehouse atmosphere, he said, but will be adding a little warmth with mahogany wood tables, horseshoe seating and soft lighting. His daughter, Brittany, 10, will be creating the children's menu, which will include burgers, fries and pasta.

The inside will seat about 125 people, and the outside will seat 40 people on an enclosed porch, Mitchell said. There will be a bar on a lower level, but Mitchell's focus is on family dinners, he said. On some nights, there will be live music, Mitchell said, adding that dinners will range from $15 to $20, bread and salad bar included.

Mitchell started his restaurant career as a dishwasher in Randolph, Vt., in 1984. Four years later, he owned The Wheat Fields.

The sign on the restaurant still reads Graham's Restaurant and Bar. By the time the steakhouse opens, the building will have been vacant for a year, Mitchell said. Eartha's Restaurant of 60 Court St. was supposed to open there in April, but its owners, Adam and John Madkour, decided to sublease the space to Mitchell, said the building's owner, Bruce Levinsky.

Adam Madkour could not be reached for comment, and his brother, John, had no comment.

©The Saratogian 2003