SAGE, a new casual restaurant replacing The White House, is now open in Bay View

To many, the news of the abrupt January closing of The White House, the French-inspired fine dining restaurant at 2900 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., came as a shock.

But owner Allison Meinhardt said she’d been planning to change things up with a new concept for the space for about a year, with an aim to open a restaurant that’s more inclusive of all types of diners and to honor the energy of the building, which first opened in 1893 as a Schlitz tavern.

“This building wants life and people moving and grooving in a way the French fine dining concept couldn’t allow,” Meinhardt said. “It was a little bit stifling and culinarily limiting. So the beauty of this new concept is that it’s going to live and breathe with the seasons.”

Meinhardt’s new restaurant is named SAGE, and it softly opened to the public Feb. 6.

“I hemmed and hawed over the name for a long time, but I chose SAGE because it felt so right,” she said. “I think the name reflects the energy of the building and the concept of plants, herbs and plant-based food.”

It’s also the dominant color in the dining room, which has undergone an earthy, welcoming makeover since its time as a fine-dining restaurant.

The walls have been painted, living plants have been hung from the ceilings, and Meinhardt has brought in antique furniture to give the space a lived-in, eclectically vintage aesthetic.

She reupholstered the dining chairs and refinished the dining rooms tables by hand. She also refinished the bar top, with the help of others.

“It broke my heart a little because I loved the natural patina and weathering on the bar top, but it needed some fresh life,” she said.

The dining room still carries plenty of old-world charm, with gold accents throughout, weathering on the wooden tavern floor and intricate woodwork on the long, tavern-style bar that stretches across the south side of the space.

In the back of the dining room is a small parlor room meant to be a lounge area, where guests can sit down with a drink or snack and chat. It will be available for reservation but there’s no fee to reserve the space.

“We just want the space to be an inclusive spot where people can just come in and be themselves, so they can feel comfortable without feeling stuffy,” Meinhardt said. “I keep using the word ‘inclusive’ because I want everyone to feel like there’s something for them here.”

Meinhardt, who earned a BFA in art from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said much of the inspiration behind SAGE is the concept of art and life intermingling with food.

“Food is the most intimate form of art because it’s literally the consumption of the energy from the person who's preparing it. You’re consuming their energy, their love, their passion,” she said.

A seasonal menu focused on local ingredients

SAGE’s menu features a modern take on new American cuisine, and will frequently change with the seasons. It leans heavily on local produce, including ingredients found at local farmers markets and even those grown in the restaurant’s outdoor garden and indoor growing space.

Meinhardt has tapped childhood friend Elena Laurant as the restaurant’s executive chef.

“Elena’s been making me blueberry pancakes since we were 5 years old,” Meinhardt said. “She has amazing things planned for the menu.”

Laurant, who has cooked at Whole Foods and baked for The Daily Bird in Riverwest, among others, said the menu focuses on plant-based dishes, but there are plenty of options for omnivores, too.

“I’ve broken down the current menu so it’s about a third vegetarian, a third vegan and a third with proteins,” Laurant said. “We don’t want to scare anyone away who might not be into all plant-based food, but we also want to show off how beautiful those foods can be, too.”

The curated menu has 17 dishes to start with, split between snack-y bites, small plates for sharing, large plates and sandwiches.

Guests can create their own dining experience, stopping in for a drink and a snack of deviled eggs with trout roe and chives ($12) or root vegetable chips and white bean miso dip ($6). They can come in with friends and share plates like tempura oyster mushrooms with chili vinaigrette ($18) or cheesy corn with Kewpie mayo and gochugaru chili spice ($12). Or they can sit down to entrees like salmon with forbidden black rice ($29), porchetta stuffed with fennel and basil ($28) or “brothy beans,” a white bean dish with a miso broth and braised leeks ($18). Sandwiches include a black angus burger with herbed mushrooms and Swiss cheese ($18), an egg salad sandwich with tarragon sauce ($15) and a panko-breaded tofu-based schnitzel with braised red cabbage ($15).

“I based a lot of the menu on travel, noting what restaurants were doing elsewhere that I haven’t seen around Milwaukee,” Laurant said.

"The brothy beans, those are something I make at home, and my kids love it. So it’s on the menu here, too,” Laurant said, adding that her 11-year-old son, Williow, took particular interest in wanting to help develop SAGE’s menu.

“He takes notes at restaurants we go to and writes down everything he loves and says, ‘Oh, we need to do something like this!’ And, truly, I pulled some ideas from what he came up with,” she said.

Laurant’s 6-year-old daughter, Rosemary, likes to illustrate the food from the menu.

SAGE’s full menu is available for lunch and brunch most weekdays, with a brunch menu available on weekends.

At the bar, house cocktails are simple, yet elegant, with stripped-down names like “Blonde #7,” “Rose #9” and, yes, “Sage #13.” Specialty mocktails are available, too, as are a selection of craft beers, and sparkling, red and white wines.

An artful gathering place with events to come

Both Meinhardt and Laurant hope SAGE can be a natural gathering place for Bay View residents and visitors, noting it’s the perfect atmosphere for people to pop in to for a bite before a show at nearby Cactus Club or a movie at the Avalon Theater.

In summer, they hope to welcome visitors of the South Shore farmers market, which is within walking distance of the restaurant.

The plan is to hold a maker’s market in the restaurant’s adjacent parking lot on Saturdays, featuring vendors selling art, crafts, jewelry, ceramics, wood and more.

“People could grab drinks or snacks here and shop the market outside,” Meinhardt said. “A full drink, dine, shop concept.”

That won’t be the only opportunity for guests to shop at SAGE. On the building's second level, Meinhardt plans to open a shop called The Green Room, planned for a late April or early May opening. The Green Room will feature local artisans selling ceramics, jewelry, organic beauty products and more.

Also located on the second floor will be an art gallery highlighting the work of a rotating artist in residence, with pieces on display for showcases and for purchase.

The second level will be open during restaurant hours so guests can eat and drink, then browse the gallery or the shop before or after.

Michelle Schultz will oversee the events at SAGE, adding that guests can expect regular live music or DJs in the outdoor garden.

Yoga classes will be a regular event at SAGE, too. Schultz is a certified yoga instructor and plans to hold weekly classes. She also hopes to bring more wellness and holistic events to the space.

SAGE is open for lunch, dinner and brunch

SAGE held its soft opening Feb. 6. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant is closed Mondays.

Reservations are not required but can be made online at sagemke.com or by calling (414) 897-0495.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New restaurant SAGE is now open in Bay View