Sage & Salt — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

This place takes the win for me! What an incredible experience, really, the whole thing. Sage and Salt Bistro is tucked away in a cute little row of places in Winston, right on the other side of 421, the opposite of downtown. My friends had suggested that we go to this place and it had definitely caught my eye on several social media platforms and ads.

Turns out, one of our friends parent's owned the place and we were lucky to snag a table for 8 on a Friday night. Our server was so friendly and the management who were on staff checked in on us to make sure things were going smoothly and the cuisine was up to par. One of my favorite things about this place was the open kitchen concept. To be able to see the chefs at work and perfecting their craft with the finest lines of service, I was delighted with each and every item served.

The cocktails were beyond satisfying. The seasonal selection of cocktails served was perfectly aligned with the time of year and we enjoyed the Blondie, Legal Drinking Sage, as well as some select bourbons and tequila. As we sat down, the table was already set with fresh drinking water, which was very helpful. The variety on the drink menu was especially exciting because of the curation of ingredients in each drink, each one complimenting the next perfectly. The next time we go we are going to explore the extensive wine list that they provide as well.

Aaaand the main attraction, the FOOD. I have to say, every single one of us left completely satisfied and blown away. From the minute that I finished my food, I have been thinking about when I can come back and try some other things and get another taste of that Beef Tartare. Beef Tartare is one of my favorite things when prepared correctly, and this without a doubt was. High grade meat was mixed with capers, herbs, cornichons, dijon and a beautiful amber yolk laid abed the top. The addition of shallot to the meat mixture gave a perfect balance and snap to the taste when placed on a crispy baguette piece. I could have eaten the whole thing myself. The other appetizers that we started with were the Pork Spare Ribs, which were served in a plentiful quantity, perfectly glazed and paired with a cauliflower chow chow. This was especially pleasing to the palate to balance out the salt and sweetness of the dish. I don't think any of us left an ounce of meat on those bones! The serving of spare ribs was adequate for us all. Bread service of course was delicious with fresh warm bread, along with a variety of spreads like sweet butter, chili oil and an olive tapenade. Next up was the Yellowfin Tuna Tower and my goodness, taking a bite of that and experiencing the layers of flavor within each ounce with impeccable. The tower consisted on avocado, compressed cucumber (which was an impressive way to balance this), daikon radish, puffed rice and sesame. The tuna was extremely fresh! One other thing to point out was that the meatballs served with the Pasta al Pomodoro were some of the best I've had down here being a NY native, due to the fact that the meatballs were made of a mixture of meat types, and not just beef (big kudos to the chef there). Having the other dishes like the Ricotta Nudi, Yellowfin Tuna, Caesar salad and the Crab and Prawn Chowder, truly, nothing disappointed.

One big shoutout to their chef Patrick Rafferty, that man is ridiculously talented. I went to a tequila pairing at STEM beverage and he served things like caviar and other exquisite items with blends of tequila. He has worked with famous chef Thomas Keller, so being able to try his cuisine is truly an honor! I 10000000% recommend this place to anyone looking to try some quality food and have an intimate dining experience. Looking forward to dining in...

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge wait staff and management/ ownership, you have created a rather fine establishment, a new gem in DTWSNC for those of us looking for something new, the new “IT” spot if you will and none the less perfect for a pleasant night out with absolute pallet pleasing scrumptious cuisine! This location is living up to the art of chef inspired dining, the quality of ingredients is what you’d want and expect, the combinations that they have created for their dishes; spectacular. I have worked and dined with many fine establishments and I have seen the good, the bad, the ugly, the cheap, the fake, the list goes on…. But Sage and Salt has really done the damn thing, excuse my French! When you have been taught or told a proper fillet should be so tender it melts in your mouth like butter….. I have finally experienced this. We also had a Ribeye and hands down best quality and tenderness I’ve ever seen in a ribeye and the marbling within perfectly melted into the steak, along with the lovely char, I believe my filet was pan seared and it was served with bordelaise, absolute perfection. Also highly recommend the Mac and cheese, double backed potatoes, wedge salad to share and Tuna tower, so much flavor on every plate they serve here. You see, this restaurant is a whole experience, it is much smaller than your average fine restaurant yet that is not an issue in my opinion rather a huge pro, why you may ask? Because you are given exceptional attention and service, from EVERYONE on the floor who works here, you are given, quiet frankly what you are paying for my friends. The coursing of the meal, prefect, the check backs, perfect, attention to refills, never empty, management/ownership seeing how your meal is, check that off too. For those complaining about price; the portions are great for what you get, do not underestimate these dishes you will be full and probably have takeaways for later. Our first time here was a wonderful experience we will never forget and most likely at the #1 spot for restaurants in WS, we plan to come once a month if not more. I mean this blew 600 and, Ryan’s -just to name a couple-out the water. Thank you so much, Rosemary, Kat, Aaron and the gentleman in the blue shirt this evening(possibly ownership?) we will be back soon! Cheers and very good job Sage and...

Overall, the food here is very good. But I’m still very confused. I made a reservation online for Sage and Salt Bistro through Open Table. However, when I showed up, the hostess then proceeds to take me outside to walk down a long walkway, to another adjoining restaurant, saying this is where my reservation was actually for. Apparently it’s a second restaurant they are working with. Both restaurants apparently offer both menus and share the same kitchen space? Or something like that? I’m not really sure. But when I sat down my wife and I were given menus for both restaurants. She ordered from one menu and I ordered from another. And unfortunately, for however this place is setup, there are two kitchens that are serving both menu restaurants, and not coordinating with each other. My food came out at least 15 minutes before hers did as a result. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. The very confusing experience has left me baffled about what restaurant I actually ate at, why they have two different menus, and why serving the food at the same time was so difficult for them. Especially considering we dropped over $100 for this restaurant. And while the food was definitely excellent, there is something weird and confusing happening. I still don’t know what to make of it, other than I am unlikely to ever come back. Hopefully management will work out whatever is happening. If they are going to run two different restaurants, please actually do so. I still don’t know what...