Lisa Savage is another chef who can relate to the virtues of downsizing. She built a devoted clientele for her Savaradio in cozy Ventnor storefronts for 13 years before taking the leap last year to a gargantuan, high-end space on the mainland. It was shaped like a circus tent and seated 250. The expensive run-on menu rambled from pizza to sushi with inconsistent results, and the restaurant was closed within a year. (It's soon to become a Bookbinder's.)
But Savage has returned to her Ventnor roots at Sage, a 75-seater done up in earth-toned chic that replaced last year's Joe Pesce. Many of the signature items that anchored her Savaradio menus are here, from the addictive fried artichoke hearts to the spring roll-wrappered giant shrimp, and those succulent seared scallops over bacony corn with basil aioli. It still isn't cheap, with entrees drifting into the high $20s and above. But the menu is now more focused, and the Italo-centric cooking considerably more crisp.