Bites Nearby: Savories European Bistro

At first glance immediately reminds you of the kind of place you’d discover while strolling the side streets of Paris, intimate and romantic with innovative food.

That’s exactly what owners, husband and wife team, Jeff and Kristin Klemetsrud were aiming for when they opened Savories on the north end of Main Street 20 years ago.

Jeff, a Culinary Institute of America trained chef, and Kristin, who discovered her passion for food early on while traveling throughout France, are celebrating the restaurant’s 20-year anniversary during the month of August. The festivities will culminate with an appreciation party on Sunday, Aug. 28 from noon to 3 p.m.

Savories is offering specials on Facebook all month long and starting the week of Aug. 22 -28 customers who bring in a candle for the celebration cake receives a free dessert.

“It’s going to be a full-blown party with cake and champagne and live music featuring French gypsy jazz," says Kristin. "There’ll be a grand prize drawing for a dinner for four at our new chef’s table. Our Chef de Cuisine will explain and serve each course.”

The Klemetsrud’s food philosophy is based on handcrafted, chef-driven cuisine using fresh local and organic ingredients. They strive to incorporate and support local organic producers, winemakers and brewers into their Euro-centric theme with an emphasis on French cooking with a few twists.

“We’re not simply just French. We do veer off with Vietnamese, Tunisia and the Mediterranean cuisine," Kristin says. "Anything with a relationship to France is an inspiration for us.“

There’s also a full bar and a complete wine list. The menu changes every four to six weeks so there’s always something different to try.

“We’ve a large base of great customers and we want them to know we really appreciate them," Kristin says. "They’ve always shown us where we’re headed and we’d like to introduce our selves to new customers.”

Savories European cafe is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday and serve breakfast until 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

To read more of Rebecca's food-related musings, visit her blog