I had a mixed experience at Sage’s Cafe and the Jade Room, located at 234 West 900 South in Salt Lake City. 

I had seen this place several times before, but I kept forgetting to try it. Recently, I had an hour to kill before work, saw Sage’s Cafe and decided to pull in.

After waiting for five minutes (which feels like 15 when you’re hungry) the waitress finally appeared from the back. “Oh, they were supposed to tell me when someone came in,” she said without apology. Then she sat me at a table that had been hastily wiped off as evidence by the food crumbs left on the seat. 

Despite my better judgement, I asked the waitress what she recommended. Finally, some redemption; literally everything I tried was delicious.

The wall by the cash register was adorned with “Best Vegan” awards, but Sage’s also serves burgers and other non-vegan options.

I had the Tempeh Cubano ($10), the Warm Spinach Salad ($14) and Uinta’s Organic Wyld ($4).

After another painfully long wait, the waitress finally got me my beer. I am a pretty big beer fan, but I hadn’t tried the Organic Wyld yet. I was pleasantly surprised because I normally don’t like Pale Ales, but this Extra Pale Ale’s fruity flavors made it enjoyable for me. Most Pale Ale fans would find this beer simply okay, but I’d order it again.

The Tempeh Cubano came out first and it was fantastic. The Tempeh Cubano has blackened tempeh, pickled jalapeño, kalamata olives, capers, tomato, brown mustard and rice mozzarella. I usually despise capers, but the combination of flavors was perfect. I almost have no words to describe it. I’m considering skipping the rest of my classes to get another one of these sandwiches right now.

Then the Warm Spinach Salad came up. This salad is made with warmed spinach, seasonal fruit, caramelized red onion, grilled portabella, vegetable garnishes, candied pumpkin and sunflower seeds, balsamic vinaigrette and almond parmesan. The mushroom, caramelized red onion and balsamic vinaigrette made this dish. I loved the flavor combination of these ingredients, making the boring spinach worth chomping through. Although the spinach didn’t do much to enhance the salad, I’m not sure if any other green would have worked.

By this point, I was too full to order dessert, but if the table next to me was any indication of good taste, I’d say the desserts are delicious–the three dessert dishes left at that table were practically licked clean.

Overall, the service was poor. Maybe I just came in at the wrong time, but at least the waitress made some good recommendations. The food was delicious though, and I would suffer through bad service again to try some more dishes at Sage’s Cafe.