Saje Opens at Last, and with Gorilla Coffee no less!
Comments
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i have to say that although i love Saje and i hope it does very well, i hate to report that the service there is for the most part...poor (unless Paul or Peter are there). We had dinner there a copule of nights ago (for the second time) The food was yummy, but the waiter forgot my order, considering that there were only 3 tables with people, it's quite lame. On top of that he didn't know the [short] menu, got mixed up.
I went again this morning to order a bagel and a shake. The poor girl behind the bar had no clue what she was doing. All in a sudden she had 4 customers to take care of and she blew it. She was very slooooow, it took her a good 5 minutes to put two croissants in bags (!!!) I had to order my shake three times (why didn't she write down it's beyond me).
As i said i love the place and hope it does well, but sometimes i wonder if it doesn't do better because of its inadequate service.
I don't know Paul enough to feel comfortable telling him (i was tempted to do so today, but was too shy about it). I wonder what other people's feelings are on this issue, and maybe somebody who knows Paul can tell him... just a thought.
i plan on keep on going to Saje regardless of the service, but i whish it would improve. -
does anyone have saje's number or hours? or for that matter anywhere that i can get a smoothie? i just got my wisdom teeth pulled and am craving one
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I just returned from a nice leisurely breakfast at my first visit to Saje's. I'm from San Francisco and it really reminded me of a lot of the chill coffee hangouts there. I had the french toast which was absolutely delicious and came with a nice array of fresh fruit on the side.
I even treated myself to the Gorilla coffee. I've cut down severely on my coffee consumption, which isn't hard in this town as most of the coffee here is crap. -
I had heard alot of good things about SAJE and Paul is a good friend so i decided to take my girlfriends and boy did we have a good time... The food was excellent and so was the company!!!
I live in Manhattan but the trip is worth the while and my friends loved it. We will def be visiting SAJE more often! -
Subject: ....
well..i'm eating and sipping a yummy cup of tea at saje right now and i have no complaints. -
i have mixed feelings about Saje. On one hand i love the place (heck it's around the corner from my house!!!) and the "real" food is pretty good (the pastries can be on the stale side sometimes). On the other, their service leaves a lot to be desires. I am there mostly during the day, so i don't know about the evening, but it feels like there is new waitstaff every few months, they are terribly slow and don't know what they are doing. Plus Peter, the only person who seemed to know what he was doing left (was fired/quit...i don't know, he was gone when i came back from vacation and when i asked about him nobody knew whom i was talking about....crazy).
I really want them to do well, but they really need to get it more together. -
I agree. I've experienced that many times. I ordered a simple sandwich to take out the last time I was in there. It wasn't busy at all but it took 40 minutes to get it. When I was leaving, the girl at the counter gave me their card and said that I really should call ahead next time. Is it that complicated? Kind of turned me off. I really want to see it succeed but I could walk to Vanderbilt and back by the time the food is ready.
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Subject: ...
patience..patience...it always takes new spots a minute to find good waitstaff..but once they do..you're good...
look at spots like solomons porch in bed-stuy...the service used to be an ABOMINATION, but now it's cool.
i had dinner at saje last night and i felt like they had snuck my people's hatian grandma in that kitchen! food was great! and the service was good...and you really can't beat a BYOB spot with no cork fee. -
Subject: Re: ...
CLAYFILMS wrote: patience..patience...it always takes new spots a minute to find good waitstaff..but once they do..you're good...
Check the first post in this thread, Saje's been open a year... -
sometimes it takes a year...
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i went to saje for the first time over the weekend. the service was kind of slow, but the food was good. pleasant atmosphere and friendly employees. i do think it tries a little too hard to be that hip little indie coffee shop, though -- all the old furniture is a bit much. it reminds of the back room at soda.
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Went for New Years...
Didn't pay the $50 for the food, which was good because half the stuff on the menu wasn't available anyways.
Staff was poorly managed and stressed out.
Limited food choices were OK, but it would have been nice to have what I wanted. If I wanted to eat something w/o having a choice I could have went home to my mom's, for free, with loving care and attn.
The vibe was OK. A little too, 'Bud Light Subway Ad' for me though.
I want to give them another chance, esp. since I live right down the block... but I think I will continue to truck it to Vandy for my late night shenanigans -
Subject: Staff Stressed?
The last time I went there the staff didn't even seem into it at all. I guess that's what happens when you try to bring Bourgeoise to a Ghetto. Seriously, the food is over priced and the staff seemed over worked and it can't help them with the owner always yelling at them and working against them. They bring good music but Saje is so tired and the owners need to give it a rest. -
Subject: Re: Staff Stressed?
Bed Stuy-Bolivian wrote: The last time I went there the staff didn't even seem into it at all. I guess that's what happens when you try to bring Bourgeoise to a Ghetto. Seriously, the food is over priced and the staff seemed over worked and it can't help them with the owner always yelling at them and working against them. They bring good music but Saje is so tired and the owners need to give it a rest.
By The Way, When is Bristen's Opening? -
Subject: Re: Staff Stressed?
Bed Stuy-Bolivian wrote: The last time I went there the staff didn't even seem into it at all. I guess that's what happens when you try to bring Bourgeoise to a Ghetto. Seriously, the food is over priced and the staff seemed over worked and it can't help them with the owner always yelling at them and working against them. They bring good music but Saje is so tired and the owners need to give it a rest.
I think I read that the chef opened a place of his own across the street. If that's true, it's got to be a downer for the Saje people. I've met the owner several times and she seems like a very sincere woman but I don't often see her at the restaurant. Sounds like she needs to get more hands on. -
Subject: Homage
Yeah, the old chef's spot is called Homage, it is right across the street. Honestly, he's completely biting Saje's decor but since he also has wifi & the burgers there are 80-times better than anything Saje's newest chef is turning out it might become my new hangout.
I've seen the owner in Saje a couple of times. She was disrespecting a staff member both times. Maybe that accounts for why she can't find better workers. Who's going to come there to be screamed at? -
In a completely surface way, I thought Saje was great. I spent some time in there with a friend and we were in no rush, so the slowness didn't really even occur to me. The server was very friendly and helpful. The food was quite good and, of course, the funky decor was pleasant. It's too bad to hear about the owner not treating the staff kindly and about other people with less than completely positive experiences, but I thought I'd add some balancing views to the discussion!
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I heard Bristen's is opening in like 1 - 2 weeks. I'm hearing great things about the chef/owner...apparently, she's professionally trained. Would be good to see some more legit businesses opening on Franklin and end the run of the hair braiders...lol.
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Went in there for a "quick" cup of coffee with the girlfriend this weekend. That was a mistake. S-L-O-W. But it does seem like a place I could hang out. If I was still in school, the place would be great for studying: quiet, laid back atmosphere. But I'm out of school, and a generally impatient person, so I'll stick to drinking the $.50 motor oil at the bodega.
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What time does it open? I went by around 8:20 this morning hoping to get a cup of coffee on my way to the train, and it was closed. WTF? A coffee shop not open in the morning? Or is it not really a coffee place and more of a dinner/lunch place? Very disappointing.
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I told my friend, who is opening a 'health food" store on Bergen and Fifth (Park Slope) that he should open a place instead on Franklin or Washington Ave. There's almost nothing in the way of cafe or healthfood store, and I would assume the rents are half. Meanwhile the neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying (judge away) and the demand is obviously growing by the day for "trendy" places to pull up a chair.
I'm just sayin' - Park Slope is glutted with trendy lil bistros, cafes, eateries, bagelries, tapas places, etc. etc. Almost a day doesn't go by when a new one pops up. In Crown Heights there is basically Jamaican food, and other Carribean food, and almost nothing else. Maybe a Mexican restaurant, IDK. I think I saw one cafe on Washington Avenue but there was not another w/i blocks and blocks and blocks.
So my point? Nothing . . . just funny how there seems to be such excitement over a lil eatery opening on Franklin. Makes me feel validated I guess. -
Asil wrote: What time does it open? I went by around 8:20 this morning hoping to get a cup of coffee on my way to the train, and it was closed. WTF? A coffee shop not open in the morning? Or is it not really a coffee place and more of a dinner/lunch place? Very disappointing.
hi, my name is ashley. i work at saje. our current hours are tues-fri 11am-11pm, sat & sun 10am-11pm. we're closed on mondays. for the record, saje is not a coffee shop, it is a carribbean-asian fusion restaurant/ lounge with a coffee bar. the owner has said, however, she will consider extending the hours as we move into summer. -
gags2008 wrote: In Crown Heights there is basically Jamaican food, and other Carribean food, and almost nothing else. Maybe a Mexican restaurant, IDK. I think I saw one cafe on Washington Avenue but there was not another w/i blocks and blocks and blocks.
Actually there has been a lot of diversity in the sit-down restaurant selection in the last couple of years. Franklin now has Indian (Bombay Palace), a burger place (Homage), japanese (Sushi Tatsu II) and carribean/asia (Saje) while Classon has Mexican (Chevellas). Nostrand has always been a destination for take out Vegetarian and Halal spots but it also has sit down american (Tavern on Nostrand) and asian fusion (Asian Jazz). I think its getting better slowly but surely and it has less to do with the new folks moving in and more that restaurant owners are recognizing that the neighborhood will patronize other kinds of places if they have good food and service.
So my point? Nothing . . . just funny how there seems to be such excitement over a lil eatery opening on Franklin. Makes me feel validated I guess. -
Um, no Asian fusion here. Asian Jazz closed a while back. I only got to go 3 times but hardly anyone else was there.
So take that as a lesson to eat at your local spots often!
BTW, my sister knows David and he is already talking about the next thing he is going to do with the space. We'll see.... -
No Asian Fusion? That'll change soon no doubt! Can't swing a dead cat on fifth ave w/o hitting an Asian Fusion restaurant.
But what about coffee bars? Are there any up there? I mean a place that isn't open by 8:30 wont fill the requirement for Coffee Place, Gorilla or no Gorilla . . .
PS - Asian/Carribean sounds like an odd combo, unless it sort of resembles the ol' La Caridad on the Upper West side . . . so has anyone eaten at this Saje place? -
Actually asian/carribean is a pretty standard fare in many carribean countries. Places like Jamaica had large numbers of Chinese workers come in the early part of the 20th century, similar to those folks who came to the US to work on building the railroads. They stayed and assimilated into the native culture. Today you'll find a lot of west indians with asian surnames that trace their heritage back to those workers. You'll find a number of asian/trini and jamaican/asian take out spots on Nostrand.
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i've eaten at saje, and while it is true that the service is...laid back, the food has always been very good. though i noticed last time i was there that the jerk eel was gone from the menu. i was sorry to see that, as it was a delicious dish with a dirty name. (like fish balls!)
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justplainzach wrote: In a completely surface way, I thought Saje was great. I spent some time in there with a friend and we were in no rush, so the slowness didn't really even occur to me. The server was very friendly and helpful. The food was quite good and, of course, the funky decor was pleasant. It's too bad to hear about the owner not treating the staff kindly and about other people with less than completely positive experiences, but I thought I'd add some balancing views to the discussion!
I think that's the key to getting maximum enjoyment out of Saje. You have to not be in any kind of hurry what so ever. It's a great place to hang out on a lazy Sunday when you've got nowhere you need to be and nothing you need to do. Days like that, particularly in NY, are rare.
I also really like Saje as it reminds me of some places I used to hang out in San Francisco when I lived there. -
Subject: I want my Coffee in the Early Morning.
LittleRedMenace wrote: [quote=justplainzach]In a completely surface way, I thought Saje was great. I spent some time in there with a friend and we were in no rush, so the slowness didn't really even occur to me. The server was very friendly and helpful. The food was quite good and, of course, the funky decor was pleasant. It's too bad to hear about the owner not treating the staff kindly and about other people with less than completely positive experiences, but I thought I'd add some balancing views to the discussion!
I think that's the key to getting maximum enjoyment out of Saje. You have to not be in any kind of hurry what so ever. It's a great place to hang out on a lazy Sunday when you've got nowhere you need to be and nothing you need to do. Days like that, particularly in NY, are rare.
Maybe i'm alone with this, but the slowness thing still bothers me. Sometimes i am really hungry. I can see the lounge idea going in motion for weekends only. how many new yorkers do you know that seriously want to go to a cafe' and wait a whole hour for a bagel with cream cheese to be prepared on their way to work? unless your not originally from here i don't see the strategy in the plan. speaking of which, I agree the coffee was the best in crown heights, but i can't go to work without my Saje coffee in the morning. Now it opens at 11'O Clock? TWO WHOLE HOURS after i'm supposed to be at work? what gives? -
Subject: Re: I want my Coffee in the Early Morning.
LittleRedMenace wrote: Days like that, particularly in NY, are rare.
Maybe they shouldn't be! After work, why not try and relax a little, meet a friend at a laid-back cafe, and sink into a cozy couch while eating a panini?Bob Katz wrote: how many new yorkers do you know that seriously want to go to a cafe' and wait a whole hour for a bagel with cream cheese to be prepared on their way to work?
Not many, so that's probably not the target audience they're looking for. Sage is probably not the place for a morning bagel, but that (theoretical) cheap bodega down the street has great bagels but probably isn't a cool place to sit around and check your email and wind down.
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