Restaurateur has seconds for St. Charles
Less than two years ago, restaurateur Anders Jensen decided to sell his popular St. Charles eatery, Erik & Me, figuring he'd move to Florida, do a little consulting work and maybe relax a while.
It was nice while it lasted.
On Tuesday, Jensen expects to be back in the hustle and bustle of serving diners at his old stomping ground, now known as Sage Bistro, after the sale went sour.
"I had no choice but to come back, and so I've decided to do something I want and to have fun with it," he said Friday. "It feels great."
For his new venture, Jensen wanted everything to be different. So he swapped Erik & Me's old menu, which included award-winning Danish and American fare, with one consisting of "seafood, unusual dishes and some standard stuff in between."
He completely reconfigured the riverfront restaurant at 1 W. Illinois St., too, decorating with muted tones and stained mahogany that reflects the Fox River in the light. He tore down walls and replaced the salad bar with a large wine selection.
"You won't recognize it," Jensen said. "Hopefully that's for the better."
Leon Trivino, former sous chef for Atwater's in Geneva, is running the kitchen, making creations such as home-cured smoked salmon appetizers and marinated, braised short ribs, Jensen said.
The restaurant in the Fox Island Square shopping center still will seat about 130 in the dining room, 40 in its lounge and 80 on its patio overlooking the river. But patrons interested only in having a drink on the patio no longer need to be seated through the main entrance. Dinner reservations still are recommended.
David Richards, a city alderman and executive director of the nonprofit Downtown St. Charles Partnership, said he is particularly pleased to see seafood, which "we don't have a lot of in the Tri-Cities," now on the menu. "It's a very exciting time for Fox Island Square and all of downtown St. Charles," Richards said.
Jensen, who immigrated from Denmark in 1973 and lives in Elgin, opened Erik & Me about 25 years ago. He sold it in 2006 to a man who also ran a restaurant in Downers Grove but who apparently abandoned both last September, defaulting on his deal with Jensen, he said.
For now, Sage Bistro will be open only for dinner, from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 4 to 11 p.m. Saturdays, and 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Jensen plans to expand the hours to include daily lunches in late May and brunches at a later date.
He was positive about the business's viability, despite ongoing construction for the nearby First Street Redevelopment Project, which has been cited as one reason several businesses in that area struggled over the last year.
"I think we're going to be even stronger this time around," Jensen said. "We'll have some issues (with construction) in April and May, but we hope curiosity will be strong enough and people will still come here."
Sage Bistro can be reached at (630) 444-3555.