I love to eat. If you were to look at photos taken of me and my ever-widening waistline over the last year you would not doubt that I love to eat. Food and I are on a first name basis while at the same time caught in a love-hate relationship: I love, it hates me. So, when I find a restaurant that has good food and a promising future, I will dive right in.
I was invited to the pre-opening party, if that would be the proper way to phrase it, of Savage Goods. A smallish restaurant right next to the El Paso Community College in Central El Paso
“This has been a long time coming,” says Michelle Savage of Savage Goods, Bakery, and Café. “We’re so excited to see it coming to life.”
What is Savage Goods, Bakery, and Café? It’s going to be one of the restaurants added to my list of places to eat next year. I’ll be eating there quite often actually.
When the Savage family held their party to introduce us to their menu, I was simply blown away. This is a case where my preconceived notions were blown out of the water.
El Paso is a hard city. Restaurants come and go. When we find a place that has great food, no matter what part of town it is on, we will through rush hour traffic just to have lunch or dinner at one of our favorite places. That’s how I am anyway.
I have a favorite restaurant for enchiladas montadas, another one for chili rellenos, Middle Eastern food, Greek dishes, steaks, and even soup. For everything I like to eat, I have a favorite restaurant for it.
My favorite dishes, from the ones I sampled, were the sandwiches. These are the most amazing sandwiches I have ever eaten! Chocolate chip cookies with sea salt blew me away. And the dips, the Dip Flight which is hummus, pesto and lemon avocado, as well as the spinach dip, were the crown jewels of the night.
“We got started about four years ago,” says Michelle of Savage Goods. “At the downtown farmers market, we just started with a stand.”
In the beginning, they started with baked goods and pastries. As word of their food, and how good it was beginning to spread, they began to grow.
“On December 26th,” she says, “we are going to be opening our first brick and mortar café.”
It’s a big step, opening a restaurant. As I said, El Paso is picky. We have places that we tend to favor. Things that we like. For me, Savage Goods will be offering something different, a healthier alternative to the standard fair most restaurants offer.
“We’re excited about the menu,” Michelle said, “it’s got really something for everyone.”
The menu features breakfast burritos, sweet and savory toast, soups and more.
“We also have full lunch,” says Michelle. “Sandwiches, soups, salads.”
Michelle, her husband Tyler and Mariah Savage have the drive and passion for making this work. With Its location, I think it just might.
That preconceived notion I mentioned a bit earlier was about their location and menu.
The restaurant is located at 1201 North Oregon, just above the El Paso Community College Rio Grande Campus. They are also within walking distance of UTEP, and a growing and thriving community.
In front of the restaurant is a new set of streetcar rails. Another source of traffic for them.
The location, the neighborhood, the menu for everyone. Like their webpage says, “omnivore, herbivore, gluten-free, or gluten-full.”
From its origins in the farmers market, to their restaurant, they have grown. Now, if I could just convince them to open a location in the Lower Valley…
It’s okay; I’ll drive, take a bus, even walk for those dips I had and the sandwiches. (Oh, and I don’t care what my doctor says, I’m going to try to live off their chocolate chip and sea salt cookies!)
Visit them Monday – Friday from 7 am to 8 pm. Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm. And before I forget, visit them on line and place your order for pick-up!
