SEPTEMBER 5, 2001
At the very mention of Sanders 1907, my mind conjures an evening of fine dining with food and service a cut above anything else around. But the image of Sanders has broadened since it reopened in its larger quarters downtown a year ago.
Sanders, which started as a small cafe that could serve 40, has become a more versatile dining place with an enlarged lounge and pool room. It’s a place where you can get late-night fare and listen to music. It can accommodate 100 people without even seeming crowded, since the place flows from the bar area to the dining room with side openings to two semiprivate dining rooms and a pool room. Yes, and a cigar room—carefully cordoned off from the dining areas and equipped with special fans.
The late-night menu has several of the appetizers from Sanders’s dinner menu, as well as burgers and fries and such. I tried it out with three Herald friends—Jaime DeLage (JD), Tu Uyen Tran (TT) and Rachel Jeffers (RJ).
TT contemplated escargot but decided he would not get enough food for his $8 and opted for a barbecued prime rib sandwich served with fries for $7.50. JD followed suit, and both seemed well satisfied. RJ ordered the duck burrito ($9.50), covered with red sauce, sour cream, corn relish and avocado. It’s great if you like a lot of zip.
My choice was smoked salmon Napoleon ($9.50), a delightfully rich combination of smoked salmon, Boursin cheese, and chopped onion, with a nice taste of capers. All of this might have been sort of soggy, had it not been for a built-in crunch of potato chips. It was actually enough for two to share, especially since the late-night fare is preceded by the sourdough French bread and unsalted butter that customers count on.
Buffalo burgers at $6 with fries are a popular late-night choice. So is the lavosh with ground buffalo, tomato, onion, peppers, black olives, mushrooms and Havarti cheese—a 16-inch pie for sharing at $13.
Kim Holmes has a flair both as a chef and as an entrepreneur. He and his wife, Beth, work well as a team. She does much of the bread baking and creates sauces and desserts. We tried a superb creation of white chocolate–orange cheesecake to round out our foray.
One of the strengths of Sanders is the professional staff. Many have been there for several years and have a way of recognizing and giving a friendly welcome to customers.
But, no place is perfect. The second booth in the dining room is squeaky. And avocado is spelled wrong on the late-night menu.