Sage American Bistro

I always get excited to hear a new restaurant is opening, but when it's right in my neck of the woods, I get really excited.  There just isn't much in the North Campus/South Clintonville area (I am sure to get attacked for that, but go ahead - bring it on.  Tell me your faves in the area).  Most people I talk to who live within the area agree: we just need a good place to go.  Nothing fancy, just good and comfortable.  Sage seems as though it's going to fit the bill pretty well. 

The space is simple, with exposed brick broken up by fabric-covered canvasses on one wall, and original artwork on the other side.  There is a small bar in the corner - small, but not so small you wouldn't want to sit there; we actually considered it, but there were four of us and we opted for a table instead.

Now, I'm not usually one of those people who reviews restaurants the second they open; having worked in the restaurant biz for awhile, I know it can take awhile to iron out the kinks.  But I think there's a lot of interest in Sage, so I thought I should check it out for everyone.  And I'm going to highlight the positive - really there wasn't anything really negative; certainly nothing experience won't fix.

They were full when we arrived at noon, so we sat at the bar to await a table.  There is a nice list of mimosas and bellinis offered for Sunday brunch (brunch!); I chose the Bombay bellini (Cava - Spanish sparkling wine - is mixed with Mango nectar), and it was very nice.  Husband had a champagne cocktail - Cava mixed with bitters (typically a sugar cube is added, but wasn't in this case. Not being a champagne cocktail aficionado, I can't vouch for which version is better).  Both drinks were tasty pick-me-ups for a Sunday morning.  There are also beer bloody marys available (no liquor on Sundays).  The drink menu for non-Sundays looked pretty good; of particular interest to me was the house "Sage Martini," vodka with basil, tomato water along with a tomato and an onion.  That sounds pretty tasty to me.

I'll say on thing about Sage: they managed to get a sort of who's who out on a Sunday morning.  I must have seen about 15 people I knew (believe me, me and my ilk, we're the "who's who"), including Mr. Brilliant, who supplied me with some "Buy Local Columbus" stickers!  So I'll be passing those out soon.

Fortunately, everyone ordered something different so we were able to sample the menu.  I chose the black bean, chorizo and sweet potato hash topped with two fried eggs, and I think I made the best choice of all.  This is what Northstar's hash could be like if it weren't dry.  The next time I order it (and I'm sure there will be a next time), I'll get an order of toast on the side for dipping in the yolks.  The dish employed a nicely spicy fresh chorizo, which I suppose was more of a Mexican vs. a Spanish chorizo, since it was spicy but lacked the paprika-y flavor and ruddiness I usually associate with chorizo.  One the side was a nice (seemingly homemade) salsa verde, which had a pleasant and mild heat with a refreshing quality as well.  Because I promised not to complain about anything, I will simply post the picture and, having read the list of ingredients, you can guess what's missing:

Husband, possibly in an attempt to compensate for a Hounddog's-related indiscretion at midnight last night, went light with a house salad, a sweet and busy mix of good lettuces, white grapes, apples, citrus segments and crumbled goat cheese, all tossed in a pleasant creamy dressing:

and the yogurt and granola parfait, which was nice and full of dried fruits.  It was very nice, and certainly one could feel very proper going for this option:

Guest #1 had the enormous stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with bananas, walnuts and maple syrup.  Perfectly competent pancakes - hopefully they will eventually be available by the single pancake:

Guest #2 chose the frittata, which included pancetta and mushrooms, and was also very tasty:

And, because we are complete gluttons, I ordered the creme brulee French toast for the table.  Wow.  The Texas toast is soaked in custard and then lightly fried and topped with a nice compote of berries and bananas.  It was really good; not nearly as rich or as sweet as it sounded.  I found myself going back for bite after bite:

All in all, I thought this was a great opening for a Columbus restaurant.  I only saw a tiny bit of chaos one might expect for their first brunch ever.  The food was all tasty and well-prepared, and I was pleased to see they had a basic breakfast - eggs, toast, bacon, home fries, because sometimes that's exactly what you want.  I didn't have any coffee, so I can't vouch for that.

Dinner will come at some point, although like all good restaurants, they are closed for dinner on my only two days off.  *sigh*

Okay, I'm not going to whine, just offer three suggestions, which, like everything I write, are very reasonable and smart:

1. It would be great if you would have a sweet crepe option as well as a savory crepe option.  We were all thinking about crepes but were disappointed that today's option was a sweet crepe.  Otherwise, crepes are a great idea, and in retrospect, I suppose we should have tried them.
2. Please, please, please put salt and pepper on the table.  I really like to sprinkle salt on my egg yolks when I break them and if I've recently changed handbags, I don't always have my purse salt with me.  That being said, I thought my dish was very well seasoned and I didn't miss the salt and pepper as much as thought I would have when I first noticed it wasn't there.
3. You need another POS system.  Trust me.  Your servers and bartender will thank you every day.  You could probably put the POS system so that it faced the restaurant and make the bartender walk around; that would save the cluster which goes on behind the bar with everyone trying to ring their food, pick up drinks, etc. 

All in all, I think Sage is off to a great start, at least brunch-wise.  I get constant requests for good brunch spots in Columbus, and I am always at a loss as to what to tell people.  It's a bonus that Sage is within walking distance.  Everything was priced very fairly - in the $7 -8 range for each brunch dish.  Dinner options seemed to be almost (if not all) under $20.  I think Sage is just what this part of town needs: nothing earth-shattering, no foam or sous vide or whatever, just a nice casual spot with unpretentious, good food from a good chef.  (Alana, we can't eat with you every night - come on, now.)

Good job, guys - especially for your first week open, and your first brunch.  I'll see you soon for dinner!

info: Sage American Bistro 2653 N. High St (North Campus/South Clintonville) 614.267.SAGE

Comments

[Chris L]

Thank you for the review. I am fairly new to Columbus and was also in the restaurant business. I have been thinking about trying Sage Bistro, and thanks to your review, I will definitely make a point of it!

[alison]

oops, maybe I should read the whole thing... sorry!

[alison]

Thanks for the review -- any info on the prices?

[Joey]

Excellent food, Excellent service! This has become one of our favs due to the great food, decent prices, and friendly staff. We are actually headed there again tonight for dinner. Yum!

[Christina]

I live just a couple blocks away from Sage and can't wait to try it! I was wondering if anyone knows of the new restaurant that is opening in the Short North? It's on the right side of High St. (It used to be a coffee shop) if your going south. I was walking by on my way to happy hour at Marcella's the other day and I didn't see a sign but the inside of the restaurant looked really nice! If anyone knows anything, let me know please!

[Mary]

Thanks for your review! I just noticed yesterday that the progressively-more-depressing Kitchen Lounge with progressively-more-drunk waitstaff had closed and a new place opened up in our neighborhood. Now we can try it with confidence. Anybody have ideas on whether it's kid-friendly?

[alice]

This looks good I'm hoping to try it out next weekend. To many things going on down town this weekend to make it there. When I first saw the food it reminded me of a little cafe I go to in German Village. So I am excited to try the food.

[Barbara]

I think your review was right on point. The food at Sage (I've had brunch and dinner) is amazing. I laughed when I saw the picture of the hash without the black beans...a possible slip since I had that the 1st Sunday they were open, black beans and all.
I hope everyone gets a chance to make it to Sage. You will be amazed with how delicious everything on the menu is.

[Barbara]

I think your review was right on point. The food at Sage (I've had brunch and dinner) is amazing. I laughed when I saw the picture of the hash without the black beans...a possible slip since I had that the 1st Sunday they were open, black beans and all.
I hope everyone gets a chance to make it to Sage. You will be amazed with how delicious everything on the menu is.

[Erica]

Hee, I think I sat next to y'all.

[ryan]

so funny. now i can't remember if mine had black beans or not...

but it was a hopeful brunch, i thought. as a rapacious clintonvillain. plus now giorgio down the street? things are looking up.

[Jimmy]

I was thinking the same thing about the salt--because Lord knows I like my salt-- I asked for some and out came two little salt and pepper shakers. I asked the server why they weren't out on the tables and she said that the Chef believes that every dish should be sent out of the kitchen perfectly seasoned.

I tried my meal, and lo and behold, I never touched my salt shaker for the duration.

Perhaps I rely on my salt to make sub-standard food taste better. I think in this case, the food was incredible. We'll be back! Can't wait for dinner~

[Meg]

Thanks for this! I was searching for information on them last night as I had seen the opening announced in the Booster. I was very sad to find no mention of them yet online, and this is a welcome review! How wonderful to have another nice calm place to go in the neighborhood.

[Susannah]

Purse salt? Was that a funny or are you serious? (If serious, it's a bit brilliant and a bit obsessive.)

Suddenly, I'm concerned--is this a *thing* that restaurants are starting to do and I should be bringing my own purse salt if I want to be ensured of salty goodness?

Either way, thanks for the review--I'm excited to try it.