'Great, fresh food made from scratch,' says chef Chip Kennedy of Sage & Barrel Craft Eatery, when asked how he would sum up the restaurant. Chip has been chef since the restaurant opened earlier in 2024. He helped design and create the menu and underscores that they make almost everything in house, including many of the sauces on the menu. Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Chip says his love of cooking started young, from watching his mother and grandmother in the kitchen. The potluck foods at church gatherings would often be comfort food from the Midwest and the South. Most of all he says they were always made with fresh and seasonal ingredients.
Later on, he lived and worked in Portland, Oregon where he learned about seafood and Asian Pacific flavors. The farm to table movement was also big here and reinforced the importance of fresh products. This 'melting pot' of influences are seen in the menu of Sage & Barrel. The Horseshoe Stacks, which have origins from the Midwest, are your choice of meat on Texas toast, piled high with house made french fries and topped with a beer cheese sauce that Chip makes himself.
There is Nashville Hot Chicken N' Waffles and 'English Fish and Chips'. You can enjoy a 'Pulled Pork Sandwich' or a 'Louisiana Cajun Pasta', the variety of flavors and regional styles is a tour of Chip's approach to food. He says the menu can be characterized as having a 'Southern flair' with comfort food but also elegant options like the Blackberry Glazed Salmon which was developed specifically for Sage & Barrel. The salmon is grilled with a glaze of blackberry pinot noir and caramelized onions, served alongside creamy mashed potatoes and asparagus.
Chip says getting the blackberry glaze just right with the perfect balance of sweetness was tricky but the results were a marriage of beautiful colors and flavors that look like art on a plate. Ultimately, Chip says he wants the menu to reflect 'favorite foods we enjoy to eat and are enjoyable to cook'. In addition to the Salmon, Chip brought out the Chicken Bruschetta which was a beautifully grilled chicken breast topped with tomato bruschetta and a balsamic reduction served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The Nashville Hot Chicken N' Waffles serves up golden waffles drizzled with maple syrup and fried Nashville style hot chicken, giving some kick as well as sweetness.
He also brought out a popular appetizer from the menu called Firecracker Shrimp. The shrimp is crispy and fried with salt and pepper on a bed of crunchy noodles with scallions and spiced chickpeas, sprinkled with cilantro and a slice of lime. The accompanying sweet chili sauce is a delightful mix of sweet and spicy that is made in house. Addictively delicious with texture and color, it is an opener that hints at the delicious cuisine on the menu.
If you are new to Sage & Barrel, Chip gave his recommendations for what to order for a first time experience of the food. To start, try an Ellsworth Smash Brothers cocktail as a pre-drink, all the syrups are made in house for the cocktail mixes. For an appetizer he suggests the Firecracker Shrimp, followed by a bowl of his creamy Beer Cheese soup. For the main dish he suggests the Blackberry Glazed Salmon accompanied by a glass of some Pinot Noir. Finally, a dessert of their Creme Brulee made with sage brown sugar and berries. Dinner is served!
www.sagebarrel.com
'...the menu can be characterized as having a 'Southern flair' with comfort food but also elegant options...'