Sage, stylized as SAGE, Cafe Market More is the newest architectural addition to the Iona College campus and it officially opened for business on Jan. 1. Located on the ground floor of the North Avenue Residence Hall, Sage offers a fine dining experience at prices students can afford. Sage is also offered on the off-campus meal plan.

Found at the former home of the Mirage Diner, Sage offers a new take on what a North Avenue dining experience can be. The concept began in December 2016 and by May 2017 construction was underway. Now upon completion, the space has been divided into two sections. One side is a 3,000 square foot restaurant and bar, and connected to it is a 2,000 square foot fresh food market and bakery, according to a March 2017 press release from Iona. Currently the space can seat over 100 people.

Ever since the restaurant has begun business, Sage has been kept open until midnight each day. That said, there are plans in place to expand the hours of operation. The first change in the works is to keep the restaurant and market open until 2 a.m. on weekdays, and eventually, 24/7 service during the weekends. These changes will begin taking place after the management team observes the restaurant running as smoothly as possible within the current hours of operation. After a consistency of quality is confirmed, the schedule will begin to change, according to Spyros Halaris, one of the managers and main design influencers at Sage.

Halaris is also the brother of Dimitris A. Halaris, associate vice provost for Information Technology at Iona.

A large number of employees will be working together to make this all happen. So far, over 60 jobs have been brought into New Rochelle by Sage opening its doors, according to Halaris.

Halaris said that his team “first considered this venture, when we saw the great need for a full market with produce and dairy in this community.” He plans to always have the freshest ingredients available for the students. This will go along with a consideration of the prices in the market, which he wants to keep competitive.

Designing the restaurant was a long process, but the vision he originally had has not changed too much since the conception.

“The crucial factors we considered during the start of construction was how to make this place as comfortable and fun to hang out in as possible,” Halaris said. “We invested for the long term.”

According to the Sage Cafe website, the atmosphere for each Sage Café should show “elegance, authenticity, and refinement.” The current atmosphere of the restaurant certainly lives up to those expectations. The interior has a waterfall and fish tanks. The booths are made from a luxurious material usually found in seats on yachts. There are also plugs found on the floor all around the café, and at the bar you can use one of the power pop-ups to wirelessly charge your phone. They raise to reveal another set of outlets.

“We wanted to make a different kind of place for this city,” Halaris said. “We wanted to bring the restaurant business back to New Rochelle.”

The dinner options at Sage include a wide collection of intercontinental cuisine. Some options include pumpkin ravioli, the cast iron duck or butter poached lobster tail. The dining menu currently has over 40 meal options you can choose from.

In the back of the restaurant, you can find Sage’s state-of-the-art kitchen. Many chefs can be found here buzzing around and preparing meals. One of the chefs is Brian Crawford. With significant experience in similar markets, Crawford came to Sage after working in the restaurant of the Plaza Hotel.

Halaris stressed that one of the most important values of opening a restaurant like this was to provide the students of Iona College as well as the people in the surrounding neighborhoods with an “adult dining experience.” He wants to educate students in the skill of fine dining.

If you want to celebrate the completion of Sage Cafe, you can go to the grand opening party in a few weeks. A date has not yet been set, but it will be decided and announced soon.