Sage (per Merriam-Webster):
1) a wise, thorough reflection and experience;
2) proceeding from, or characterized by, wisdom, prudence, and good judgment;
3) one distinguished for wisdom;
4) a mature or venerable man of sound judgment;
5) a European perennial mint with grayish-green aromatic leaves used especially in the flavoring of meats;
6) a color - light grayish-green.
Sage (per Jay & Bendy):
1) fargin' unbelievable;
2) a bowl-licking, plate-tonguing culinary experience that must be repeated as soon as humanly possible;
3) fire, good!
None of us knew anything about Sage other than that the restaurant and lounge offered absinthe service, something we all agreed that we wanted to try in light of Uncle Sam's recent decision to re-legalize the green fairy. Some of us, and I'm not naming names, actually ordered absinthe from a Spanish retailer many years ago when it was still considered an illegal, liquid hallucinogen capable of causing people to slice off their ears in an artistic fit of unrequited love, and it cleared US Customs quicker than shat through a goose. Kind of makes you wonder what else passes through on a daily basis, doesn't it?
For those of you curious about the ins-and-outs of absinthe, you are in the wrong place. All I can tell you is that it is a strong, green liqueur flavored with wormwood and anise that was outlawed by many countries shortly after the turn of the 20th century because of its high alcohol content and supposed toxicity. There are many other theories behind its banning and it makes for fascinating reading, so if you're really interested go forth and search the interwebs at your leisure. As for the booze itself, it smells and tastes of black licorice ... or Nyquil ... take your pick. The traditional service dilutes the alcohol by dripping water over a sugar cube held by a slotted spoon secured above the glass - it changes the color of the absinthe from a shade of violent green to a cloudy, chartreuse color. I have not tried this method; I prefer my absinthe diluted by a well-made sazerac ... thank you New Orleans!!
Anyway, back to Sage. We were charmed the moment we wandered into the lounge which was large and comfortable. The ceilings were high, the lighting was intimate, the seating was plush (I'm a sucker for pillows), and there was an amazing floor-to-ceiling reproduction that seemed to change colors as the evening wore on. Elegant yet welcoming, that's the best way to describe both the atmosphere and the service.
The most interesting man in the world ponders his drink selection.
Now that's a bar!
The picture sets the tone...
Now keep in mind that we were not in the restaurant dining room, we were in the lounge. We hadn't even placed more than a drink order when our server, Kevin, who was simply fabulous, came back with a gift from the kitchen ... a happy mouth; amuse bouche; a moose bush! It was a shooter of beef consomme and it was rich and delicate and delicious!
You can make my mouth happy every day with this!
Our drinks were delivered shortly after our happy mouth, and I think it's safe to say that all three of us were quite pleased with the bartender's efforts. I selected a sazerac, which was made with rye whiskey, peychaud's bitters, and absinthe (specifically Marilyn Manson Absinthe, or Mansinthe .. haahaha!). I haven't had a sazerac this good since I was in New Orleans - it was perfect!
Sazerac!
Jason is nothing if not full of surprises, and he ended up ordering a drink called the Desert Shrub. It was made with reposado tequila, prosecco, pink grapefruit, and purple sage - this baby was gorgeous to look at and almost as good to drink, but it was really hard to photograph well due to the lighting. Regardless, it was a fabulous choice and I think I may have to try one on our next visit. Catherine ordered a Tea Rose - tea-infused vodka, st. germain liqueur, lemon, rose water, and pine nuts. I don't recall how this tasted and I didn't attempt a photograph, but she seemed to enjoy her drink as much as Jay and I enjoyed ours.
Desert Shrub.
For snacking Catherine ordered Oysters, which I do not like but which she and Jason said were truly fabulous. Jason ordered the Wagyu Beef Tartare with crushed caper aioli, slow poached egg, pickled mustard seeds, and crispy chocolate with garlic toast on the side. This was very good and all three of us liked it just fine, but there was no way it could compare with my appetizer selection for the evening. What, you may ask, could possibly outshine Wagyu beef? Read on, my hungry friends; read on!
Wagyu Beef Tartare.
Due to the lack of substantial food at our Payard Uncorked event (still not posted ... just hold your horses) I did not order foie gras while we were at Red Square. Once I spotted it on the menu at Sage, the decision making process was over before it even began. But you have to understand, this was no ordinary seared foie gras. Oh, no ... this was Foie Gras Custard Brulee with blood orange and toasted cocoa nibs served with salted brioche; the single most expensive item on the appetizer menu at $25 per serving and worth every decadent penny, plus interest.
As I recall, the foie gras goes on a voyage of discovery in a food processor until it turns into a light, creamy meat custard. It is then dished into a serving bowl and given the butane torch treatment until it literally looks like creme brulee. It's garnished with some cocoa nibs and more foie gras, along with two warm, salty brioche and I swear to you it's the most amazing, toe curling taste treat I have ever had in my entire life. It was rich; it was creamy beyond belief; the caramelized crust provided wonderful texture; and the brioche, with its slight saltiness, was the perfect foil to the sweet undertones lent the foie gras by the cocoa and the blood orange. If you enjoy foie gras, it does not get any better than this. In a word: scrumdiddily-umscious!!
Foie Gras Custard Brulee ... next time just shoot it into my veins!
Sometimes, you really do need to lick the bowl clean!
As if all this weren't enough, we decided to go ahead with the official absinthe service offered by Sage. Like most restaurants on the Strip serving absinthe, Sage provides the traditional French service I mentioned earlier in this post, but they also offer a Russian absinthe service called Sochi. Sochi service sets the absinthe on fiyah, baybee! It's blended with either orange juice or root beer, and when the flames are extinguished the fumes are trapped in the glass by the server and guests are invited to suck the fumes through a straw and hold them in their lungs for a few moments so as to "enhance" the experience. Hence our decision to call it the absinthe bong.
There were numerous absinthes to choose from, all with different alcohol contents and flavor profiles; Catherine chose St. George Absinthe and elected to have hers mixed with orange juice. Jason and I selected Marilyn Mansinthe and had it combined with root beer. I thought the root beer did a better job of mixing with the herbiness of the liqueur while still adding some sweetness; the orange juice method still tasted very bitter to me. Either way, it was one of the coolest things we've ever experienced - the entire process takes place table side and does it ever catch the attention of everyone else in the room! According to our server we were the only people who had requested the service that evening; but once we were done the poor guy got repeated requests to stop at other tables and explain the process. We did see at least one other group go ahead and order the Sochi service and they seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. Who doesn't like booze on fiyah?
The following pictures were the best we could do under the circumstances - they aren't the greatest, but will at least provide you with an idea of what it was like. As for the after-effects, let me just tell you that we all had one hell of a buzz on by the time we left Sage. And that weird garden display at the Bellagio with all those giant bugs and flora and fauna ... well, it was surreal and much funnier than I suspect the artist intended.
Absinthe cart ...
I would chose this one!
What's that? You want us to drink you?
Catherine's drink, getting ready to flame!
Wait for it ...
Fiyah!
Our absinthe-root beer delight ...
Time to set the night on fiyah!
Who's got the marshmallows?
Sniffing the last bit of the fumes ...
Friends, all I can tell you is this was one of the happiest surprises of our entire trip. Flaming booze aside, the food and the service at Sage were among some of the best we had all week. The professional reviewers who supposedly know better than the rest of us all agree that Sage is one of the Strip's brightest gems. Jay and I plan to dine there in earnest come this April and I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll splurge on the absinthe service again - we do like culinary pyrotechnics, after all!
3 comments:
You have piqued my curiosity. I may need to check this out next week.
Heather, you should check out the Aria website - under fine dining you will see Sage and their menus are listed there so you can see everything they're offering. They've got a tasting menu that looks pretty good to us, and it can be paired with wine or beer! We love the beer idea and one of us may try it when we go back in April. We thought the place was amazing.
At first I thought Jason was licking his glass too! LOL.
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