New Restaurant Opening At Bay View’s White House
SAGE, a fine dining restaurant, will open next month in the historic 1890s building.
Menu items from SAGE. Photo courtesy of Allison Meinhardt.
A new, art-inspired restaurant will soon bring a burst of color to Bay View‘s The White House. SAGE, a fine dining establishment, plans to open next month, offering modern American cuisine and a vibrant cocktail program inside the historic venue, 2900 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
The upcoming restaurant, led by Allison Meinhardt, will serve brunch, lunch and dinner with an emphasis on shareable dishes and dramatic plating, according to a news release. Chef Alexander Stewart will oversee kitchen operations, crafting a seasonal menu that incorporates herbs and produce grown on-site.
Featured dishes will include Forbidden Salmon, or baked salmon served with black forbidden rice, ginger oil, chive oil and spinach. Pancake, a playful small plate, features fennel and potato pancakes served atop a raspberry and goat cheese sauce.
Along with its food menu, the restaurant plans to offer a selection of traditional and non-alcoholic cocktails, as well as wine and local beer.
Throughout the warmer months, SAGE will make use of the property’s lush gardens, offering patio and bar seating from May through October.
A visit to the restaurant will also be a feast for the eyes, as well as the stomach. A selection of works from local artists will be on display in SAGE’s private dining room, known as the gallery, which is available to book for special events.
Later this year, a retail business is slated to open adjacent to the dining area. The Green Room will sell plants, vintage items and products from local artisans. The shop is expected to open in May.
News of the new restaurant came shortly after The White House announced its plans to transition into an events-only space. SAGE will replace the venue’s previous, eponymous restaurant, which opened under the same ownership in 2019.
The restaurant space will be fully remodeled in the coming weeks, with both dining rooms and the kitchen receiving upgrades, Meinhardt said. The building’s original 1893 oak bar will remain intact.
Originally opened as a Schlitz tavern in the 1890s, the White House continued for over a century before closing in 2017. Meinhardt took ownership of the property in 2019 and opened a fine dining restaurant, The White House, in partnership with Zachary Byrne.
The building also operates as an event space for weddings and other gatherings. As The White House transitions into a new phase of business, all previous restaurant reservations and gift certificates will be honored at SAGE.
A soft opening date is set for Tuesday, Feb. 5, with a grand opening to follow on Friday, Feb. 9.
Once open, the restaurant’s proposed hours of operation are Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Updates and additional information will be available via SAGE’s website.
For more on the building’s history see a 2015 profile by Michael Horne.
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