As you step through the glass doors of Sage Student Bistro, the aroma of fresh herbs and sizzling garlic draw you in. You are greeted by the smiling host, sat at a clean table, and given a menu with detailed descriptions of the dishes and prices that will make you say, “Wow.” This restaurant is, in my opinion, outstanding. There is not any other place I can think of that offers gourmet food at low prices, all while providing Metro Community College students culinary skill.
My first impression of the establishment was very pleasant. As my family and I sat down, I noticed the cleanliness of the entire restaurant and couldn’t help but smile. Our server came to greet us shortly after we were seated, and she was very cheerful. I loved how everyone who works here genuinely cares about and enjoys their job; it’s very lively and makes the mood bright. The way our server read out the student specials was engaging and definitely boosted our appetite.
The menu was super easy to read. I loved the descriptions below each dish that tell you exactly what’s in it, including little symbols that show you which dishes are vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free and which have local ingredients. I also appreciated how the prices are generalized to fit each category of food, rather than having a different price for every dish like most restaurants. A “plate” or meal at Sage is priced at only $8. Being the most expensive thing on the menu, that’s a great price. The average price of a restaurant meal is a whopping $20, which compared to Sage is crazy.
The best thing about Sage– which is hard to decide because there are a lot of aspects to the restaurant that impress me– is that their menus are seasonal, so they change for summer, fall, winter, and
spring. Sage serves both lunch and dinner, although dinner service requires a reservation. Both the lunch and dinner menus are different, so you are able to enjoy more of the students’ talented craft. I also like how the menu tells you where each dish originated from, giving diners plenty of variety.
We placed our orders and they arrived in a timely manner. First was the cranberry soda. To me, it tasted similar to a shirley temple. I liked how there wasn’t an overpowering cranberry flavor, but rather just a cold, refreshing beverage.
Next was the squash salad, which I would describe as a light and fresh mix of lettuce, squash, sunflower seeds, almonds, and oats. There was also a dressing which I really liked. I’m the type of person to drench my salad in dressing so I thought it could’ve used some more.
I then got to the french fries, or as described on the menu, the pommes frites. I promise you that these are the absolute best fries I have ever tasted in my entire life. I swear by these fries over anything ever. If I was on death row and I was offered a last meal, I would choose the Sage fries. They are perfectly cooked, not too soft, and a little crispy on the outside with the most delicious sage seasoning. They are great paired with ketchup, or mayonnaise if you’re into that.
The next couple of dishes came out fast. Although I wasn’t able to eat them because I’m vegetarian, they smelled great. The presentation was on point. Bo Kho is a beef stew. It came out with some greens sprinkled on top and a side of lime. It also had a fresh cut baguette which was perfectly soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
We ordered the red lentil dip, which was definitely one of my favorites. It was the perfect texture for a dip, and it came with a large cracker you can break apart into bite sized pieces to dip. The only thing I didn’t like was that there were not enough crackers but more than enough dip. There needs to be another cracker on the plate for sure. Besides that, you can always dip some of the bread from another dish if you run out.
Then, the Parsnip Potage arrived at our table. I personally didn’t like this dish. The texture was perfect, but the flavor just wasn’t for me. I’m not a picky eater, but I was worried about this one because I don’t enjoy parsnips. Along with this dish, the hot cocoa atole was delivered as well. I liked the little gingerbread cookie it came with, and to dip it in the hot cocoa was the best way to eat it. To me, it didn’t taste as good as a classic hot chocolate. It was a little bit thicker and creamier. I like mine more thin and less rich.
The next dish was the Bahn Mi sandwich. It had pâté, a type of liver spread, on the bread, with chicken and cucumber. I couldn’t eat this one; however, my mom was there to try it for me. After the first
bite, her eyes lit up and I could tell she liked it. She told me it was her favorite thing she had ordered. She ended up eating the entire thing. I will say, the vegetables looked fresh, and I liked how it was presented top-open so you are able to see the inside of the sandwich.
We ordered another side called the Chicken Liver Mousse. The name was extremely intimidating to my family since they haven’t tasted chicken liver before. My mom assured everyone that chicken liver is good for you. The mousse arrived and it was a little strange because it came with green apple pieces mixed in with it. To be honest, I was grateful to be a vegetarian at this part of the meal. To their surprise, some of my family members enjoyed it. Most of them stuck to eating the cranberry dip it came with, but I guess there’s some things people like more than others and that’s all right.
Next was the chicken crêpe. It looked a little strange, like a crossover between a burrito and a dumpling. Although everyone was excited for this one and agreed that the presentation was exceptional, they were disappointed with the taste. Nobody at my table liked this one.
The last thing that we ordered was a dessert. I got the student pastry special, which was a small chocolate cake. It was very decadent and rich with chocolate. There were many different layers and textures included which I really enjoyed. This is something I would order again and would recommend to anyone who visits the restaurant. However, when you visit the student restaurant, there are going to be different student specials every time, so the chocolate cake might not always be available.
In the end, I would definitely recommend the MCC student restaurant Sage Student Bistro to everyone in the area. It’s cheap, high-quality, and of course it allows students to practice their passion of the culinary arts.
The seasonal and different lunch and dinner menus, equipped with foods from all over the world, make the restaurant diverse and interesting. The service is great, the place is clean, and the food is delicious. I would give this restaurant a 9/10. Almost everything that I tried, I liked, and even if I, or my family didn’t like something, we will still keep returning to this restaurant often.
