10/19/2021
DATE NIGHT SHENANIGANS
Tally Couples' Date Night take on Tallahassee’s fine dining scene once again at Sage Restaurant located on Maclay Road. We are 3 married couples determined to have meaningful and fun date nights that usually occur about once a month. We are touring Tallahassee’s dinner spots with the hopes of experiencing culinary cuisine of all flavors. Last night’s visit was at Sage. I must say that my fellow couples were not initially thrilled with my restaurant choice. I think one or two folks that have visited the restaurant only had average experiences and didn’t think it was worth another shot. You see, when you have to find and pay a babysitter at $15/hour, you tend to be more intentional about where you spend your time.
Anyhow, the six of us made it! Like the last couple of times, it was soooo good to be amongst good company. We laughed within the first 30 seconds as one couple openly admitted that they almost cancelled. We all understood. The “tired” of the week comes at you fast when you are juggling life. But nonetheless, we made it.
We started off with a couple glasses of wine, an old fashion and a Makers Mark. The wine list was nice. For only $8, a nice glass of chardonnay was presented. We did note that while Sage does have a full bar there were a couple popular items that were not available. (i.e. Jack Daniels)
Someone had the good idea to order the fried oysters. YUMMY!! Great news is that there were enough for all six of us to try them. Bad news is that we didn’t order a second portion. They were fried lightly over a delicious kimchee. OOOOH, I just did a happy dance in my chair as I type this! You must try this.
On to the main course. The table tried a plethora of choices on the menu. We had Duck, Filet Mignon, Salmon and Spare Ribs. I must say, the presentation was divine. If you’re anything like me, your eyes taste the food before your tongue does! You can tell that someone in the kitchen takes joy in sending out beautiful plates. There were no complaints during the meal. In fact, everyone’s plate was completely clean at the end of the meal. The menu offerings were plentiful and there was something for everyone. Some of the side choices seemed to be misplaced but overall, the meals were tasty. Shout out to the mashed potatoes. Delicious!
Dessert....slightly underwhelming. The bread pudding seemed to be a favorite. However, the brownie was literally just a brownie. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was nothing special but still tasty. There was a pomegranate and elderflower sorbet that shocked our taste buds.
A true review would not be complete without a written survey to memorialize the evening. Here are a few comments from the table:
“The drinks were mixed well”
“The oysters were very crispy and the ribs were tender. The brownie and ice cream was delicious. Good presentation.”
“The service was above average; could have been better; more attentiveness” “There was nothing I disliked about the food”
“The ambiance was really nice. I was a fan of the dim lighting”
“Great date night”
After tallying up the survey ratings, the Tally Couples' Date Night crew gave this restaurant a solid 7 out of 10. A pleasant surprise for our repeat diners. We all would recommend this place to our friends.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our friendly review on Sage Restaurant. We surely enjoyed the laughs while making these memories.
Cheers!
