Address: | 2378 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305, USA |
Phone: | +1 954-565-2299 |
Site: | sagecafe.net |
Rating: | 3.8 |
Working: | 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM |
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Nate Sykes
Well I finally made it here. This is yet another place that Ive driven by a thousand times and discounted as "too expensive" or "too fou-fou". Well guess what? Its not. Ok, yeah there are wine glasses on the table and it looks all elegant and snazzy but it really is kind of a laid back bistro. Granted we were there in the middle of the afternoon so it was like having our own private dining room. Well on to the important bits. First and foremost they offer lots of specials, Mondays and Tuesdays and 2-4-1 entrees and Wednesdays are 50% bottles of wine. They also have what appears to be a pretty nice Sunday Brunch menu, with unlimited mimosas (aka - the respectable way to drink with breakfast). Since it was 3pm we decided to take advantage of the special and dive in and have an early dinner. We started with the Pistachio Crusted Brie, which 1) was fistfight worthy and 2) not at all what I expected. Brie gets a tortured on many menus, often its wrapped in something, covered in something or just left to limply ooze all over a plate. This was almost like a fancy cheese stick. Two wedges of brie, coated in pulverized pistachio (and maybe and egg?) and lightly fried until it was just crispy. Take two wedges lay them on a lovely salad garnished with marinated apples and balsamic and you have the makings of a really delicate dish. Perhaps this and a nice bowl of soup would make a nice little lunch. Sadly there were only two...I wanted about 50. For entrees my companion and I couldnt have chosen two more diametrically opposed dishes. He the Crepe Diane and I, the Cassoulet a Larmagnac. First the crepe. This is not the tiny fruit stuffed breakfast pancakes one sees at unmentionable diners around the world. No this is a Crepe. A simple batter elevated to glorious heights of sophistication. At its simplest a crepe is a very thin pancake wrapped around a filling. This filling - the Diane - is a classic steak garnish, some mushrooms, a little brandy, a splash of cream, a touch of mustard and BOOM - sex on a plate. The Crepe Diane was executed perfectly, silk and smooth and just enough richness to be satisfying. The steak filling was very well season and melt in your mouth tender. From the elegance of the crepe, to the staple of Southern France. Looking at their menu on Yelp I saw they had Cassoulet, thats what brought me in the door. It winter here in South Florida and a frigid 65 degrees outside. What could be more soothing and comforting than navy beans, slow cooked with bacon and lamb. Its a country dish, its not fancy. It shouldnt be. Its a hearty, stick to your ribs, go out and farm the land kind of meal. Sages version consists of a leg of duck, a good helping of garlic sausage and a bowl full of melt in your mouth, buttery, creamy beans. There is a soothing smokiness that never overwhelms, the duck is fall apart tender and the sausage is downright addictive. But the beans, oh the beans. Ill be dreaming of this all night. If the food and the atmosphere were not enough the service was impeccable. Our delightful French-Canadian server, Chanda, is hands down one of the best servers we have encountered in Fort Lauderdale. Service at may places seems to be an afterthought, this was a very welcome and nice change of pace. We will most definitely return, for the food, the service and perhaps maybe even a bottle or two of wine. Bon Apetit!
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Laurie Lardi
Ive had one nice lunch experience here, and one bad one today. The nice lunch experience gave us friendly service, a charming waiter, and very delicious French food. The one common negative thread with both visits was the extremely salty food. Their food, while delicious, makes me feel parched for the rest of the day. My favorite part about this restaurant is the 2 for 1 lunch special during the Summer, and the creme brulee. Todays experience made me think that there must have been some problem with the kitchen or the staff. The hostess was not friendly, and seemed distracted, having a conversation with a man who walked in after me while I was waiting to be seated. In fact, he had to tell the hostess, "hey-I can talk to you later--that lady is waiting to be seated." Wow! I thought I was invisible for a second. After being seated, we waited 15 minutes to be approached by a server who said nothing, and simply placed water and bread that was cold and mushy in the middle on the table. We waited another 10 minutes to actually be greeted by a server who was doing the best job she could despite what seemed like the restaurant being understaffed. Our lunch took a very long time to come, and my quiche was oversalted, the crust was mushy, and it was actually cold in the middle. Gross. :o( It seems like the kitchen knew they were behind, and they were letting shoddy food be sent out while not paying attention to getting the temperature right. Our one course lunch took 2 hours and completely obliterated our one hour lunch break. The back near the bathrooms is always dark and dingy with pictures that they never took the time to hang just sitting on the floor. I always question a bathroom thats dark because I feel like it hides things they dont want you to see. This especially scares me because they were closed in 2009 for health violations and a roach infestation. I may try Sage one more time to give them another chance. I am hoping today was a fluke. However, I am consistently put off by the salt content in their food. I wish this is something they would change.
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unsigned int
1st reservation : Hi, time for res and name; when I realized the hostess must be French, I asked for a booth in French; no acknowledgement, so we continue en English... arrive at restaurant, the hostess hardly welcome us and then proceed to seat us at a table; told her I asked for a booth and she says the unoccupied one is reserved! well I did reserve too; and FYI, the customers came 1h 1/2 later! When the hostess, in jeans with keys hanging in the backpockets, give the menu to my husband, she then turns around to answer a waiter for 2mn, I kid you not; good thing our son wasnt holding his hand for the menu! 12 mns waiting to be greated by our waiter! restaurant was not half full! a waiter from another table put the bread down and whatever else was with it, and he could not even great us with a SMILE! Lets talk about food! escargot pass, crabcakes were a bit smelly... cassoulet was recommended by my friend, interesting, chicken leg was dry... cant even talk about chicken Gaillarde, weird presentation! hubby had rack of lamb; looked like lamb chops! and what was my best, was when husband changed from med rare to med, I told him to order med rare and I was right. A little more and it would have been med!! Hopefully, they will see this review and make adjustements!! I have to emphasize that it was the most unwelcome restaurant; Might be friendlier, smily waiters at Dennys! and by the way, I am originally from France! and was in hospitality business!!
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Jesse Anthony
Amazing experience. Perfect dining with great wait staff, delicious food, and a wonderful night. I ordered the French onion soup, the rustic country French beef stew with mashed potatoes, and creme brulee with a glass of lightly sweet white wine and some fresh cooked bread with olive tapenade. My date ordered the red wine braised pears and gorgonzola appetizer with the chef special scallops in cream sauce, and the chef special cheesecake with raspberry sauce. Overall: 5 stars no doubt Notes 1. Feel free to trust in the chef specials as they far exceeded expectations and were amazing. 2. The beef stew is like a thick and delicious pot roast with a few carrots and mushrooms in a rich brown gravy with mashed potatoes. Just make sure to add salt and pepper to bring out the full flavors. 3. Im not even a fan of scallops but I tried a bite and they were perfectly cooked and delicious. 4. The gorgonzola pear was flat out amazing. Sooo rich and delectable. Like eating dessert first. 5. The cheesecake was huge and yet so light and airy, and possibly the best we have ever had. And the raspberry sauce was perfect. The only con was that the creme brulee wasnt perfect. It was cold so pre made and the sugar was a bit bitter and overcooked. I would go with a chef special dessert next time. I wish I had gotten our waiters name but I didnt think to. He mentioned he was the General Manager and he was great. Thanks so much for a great date night.