All the Sage

Highwood hotspot balances grill fare with complex dishes

By Phil Vettel

April 16, 2007

 


2 stars (out of four)

Rating key:
4: Outstanding
3: Excellent
2: Very good
1: Good
Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory

Where Greg Darrah has cooked, good food has followed. His resume is dotted with stints at some of Chicago's most interesting restaurants of the last five years: Cafe Absinthe, Spruce, Bin 36, Park Grill and Green Dolphin Street.

What those restaurants have in common are upscale American food, a strong Midwestern focus and customer-friendly touches that take some of the sting out the cost, and that pretty much describes the year-old Sage Grille as well.

The restaurant straddles the line between fine dining and American bistro. Entree prices scale into the low $30s, but there are at least a half-dozen choices at $20 or less. The menu includes plenty of complex dishes with serious foodie appeal, but a separate list of grilled items accommodates simpler tastes. And there are other thoughtful touches, such as a daily prix-fixe option (four courses, $45), a complimentary children's prix-fixe Sundays through Thursdays, half-price wine bottles (Wednesdays) and $5 valet parking on weekends (street parking is abundant during the week).

There's a lot to consider, but Darrah seems to be at his best when he's indulging his fondness for complexity and richness. Among his main courses is a terrific, pan-roasted escolar, firm and pristine with a confident dash of salt; bits of candied fennel contribute sweetness, and a luscious caviar creme fraiche sauce elevates the dish to true decadence.

Roasted wild striped bass with English peas and new potatoes is another superior effort, highlighted by an excellent piece of fish and abetted by the buttery peas and a tart rhubarb-mint vinaigrette, which contribute contrasting enhancements.

The veal T-bone, a selection off the grill menu, is an impressive cut, grilled just right. Grilled beef tenderloin in black-truffle bordelaise is good, but is upstaged by the other items on the plate -- a crispy potato-leek rostii and a luscious bone-marrow flan. Short ribs, in a balsamic glaze over very rich mashed potatoes with cremini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms in a reduced mushroom sauce, is pure comfort-food indulgence.

Starting courses include excellent balsamic-glazed quail, which arrives tender and moist from the grill, and pillow-soft gnocchi laced with lobster claw meat in a tarragon-shellfish nage. Soups are generally a good bet; Darrah's terrific oyster and brie chowder now is off the menu, but his asparagus potage, with bits of asparagus tips and Serrano ham, is a fine replacement.

Sage Grill's excellent desserts are made by pastry chef Brenda Manfredini, whose husband, Pete, is executive chef at Saloon Steak House. She makes a fine bread pudding, but it's off the menu now. There is, however, a terrific espresso sundae, a moist and deeply rich chocolate experience that's baked in a cappuccino cup and topped with cappuccino ice cream.

There's also an almond financier with toasted almonds and blueberry compote; I loved the cake, but the accompanying lemon curd was so tart it made my face hurt. "I enjoy a nice bite with my lemon," Manfredini says, "but some people thought it was too tart. Now it's toned down a little."

The wine list is the province of general manager Mark Melzer, whose previous work at The Tasting Room and Spring taught him a thing or two about sourcing great-tasting wines from lesser-known wineries. Prices are very fair, there are more than two dozen by-the-glass options and the waitstaff, which is strong generally, seems particularly well-informed about Sage Grill's wines.

I like the main dining room, a cozy spot done in cherry, walnut and amber tones, and there's a second room in back for busy nights and private functions. The only bad seats in the house are those at the center banquette, which is separated from the lounge only by a half-wall divider fitted with floating-glass panels. When people at the bar tables are smoking, as they often are, smoke infiltration is a problem. Darrah's cooking is aromatic enough.

Originally published April 12 by Chicago Tribune.

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