Wise Sage New Chef, New Menu Offer American Culinary Thrills by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana The first thing you have to know about Red Sage is that going upstairs at the restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C., you get Southwestern dishes, and going downstairs you get contemporary American cuisine. Once you know that, the second thing you should know is that Red Sageís new chef, Michael Greenstein, has remodeled the menus to rival any of the cityís competitors working with contemporary American cuisine and its offshoots. We went to the more expensive, more formal lower level. And although Southwestern food ends at the stairs, the Southwestern dÈcor motif extends down into the multifaceted dining room, which is cozy and warm with adobe walls stained in light terra cotta. An ornate pair of Kit Carsonís riding gloves was framed and hung near our booth, and hanging ceiling lamps were decorated with tin buffalo cutouts. We also noticed that the dining room had some unusual and interesting areas and nooks. There was a glassed-enclosed section filled with Southwestern plants, and in the center of the room was a built-in table with a complicated wooden ceiling that appeared to be modeled after a prayer room. Our waiter was knowledgeable, courteous and amiable, but perhaps a bit too chatty. He quickly gave us recommendations based on our preferences, which turned out to be on the mark. It seemed he enjoyed talking about the food, the establishment and the kitchen, for which he had nothing but praise. Although he did like to talk, he often sensed it was time to end the conversation before the food he had just served became cold. Every detail of the restaurant from the lighting to the butter on the rolls obviously received attention and consideration, and this is often what separates a good restaurant from a great restaurant. The mini-corn muffins with whole kernels of corn in the bread basket were especially tasty, and this starter was a good indication of the quality of things to come. The ceviche trifle ($12) was served in a martini glass and was slightly reminiscent of a Vietnamese seafood salad with similar ingredients. It was wonderfully aromatic and textured with chewy grilled lobster, New Zealand green lip mussels and Virginia middleneck. The black hijiki salad with sesame seaweed, coconut-lemongrass pearls, crisp but finely diced purple onion, and green and red bell peppers in a light vinegar-sesame dressing served as a counterpoint to the seafood. The other appetizers were served on large earthy plates with the food attractively arranged but not fussily meticulous. The jumbo lump crab and three-way potatoes ($12) was a big heap of crabmeat at the center with potato crisps, purÈed potatoes and diced potatoes over, under and around the crabmeat, respectively. The dish was accompanied with chopped chives and mint, a dollop of crËme fraiche and a ring of basil oil. Another superb appetizer was the grilled lamb sausage ($11). Two links of smoked sausage were skewered together with spiced lentil-grits croutons served in a little basket. The kitchenís butcher made the sausage, which was refined with an extra-smooth texture and light casing stuffed with masterfully spiced lamb, and perfectly cooked so that it was brown and slightly crispy on the outside and juicy inside. SautÈed marabout cabbage accompanied the sausage. The ginger-cured salmon ($9) was a strip of fish surrounded by mizuna greens with a ring of soy, wasabi oil and orange salmon caviar. The dish was superb. The fish meat was grilled medium rare with a remarkable taste. One of the clear strengths of the kitchen is that it knows how to put together incredible combinations of ingredients. The various organic lettuces ($6.50) were a fresh combination of greens nicely dressed in a sherry-dijon vinaigrette. The entrÈes were served on oversized plates with Southwestern motifs. The peppered yellow-fin tuna ($28) was our favorite dish of the evening. Served on a bed of horseradish mashed potatoes with wilted spinach, the tuna was a thick steak with the outside seared brown and rolled with black peppercorns and sesame seeds, and the center was lusciously rare. A bed of wilted Swiss chard complimented the tuna. It was convenient that we had half of the tuna steak left over for the next day to satisfy a craving for it. A side of sautÈed truffled mushrooms ($7.50) included strips of portobello, shitake and black mushrooms for a rich, smoky concoction that was a bit like eating steak chunks. And a side of polenta tomato confit ($6.50) worked comfortably with the meal. Besides being a good-size and tender chicken breast, the roasted chicken breast ($25) was expertly cooked and topped with pecan and red-chili pepper pieces in a Southwestern-spiced shallot sauce. The chicken was served with rich plantain and black bean empanadas. The desserts were attractive in a slightly fantastical way. The pastry chef clearly has an affinity for fruit-based desserts. The only chocolate example was the mocha marquise ($7.50), a chocolate mousse potently flavored without being overblown with chocolate that held a sweet center of liquid coffee with the whole thing in a pool of crËme anglaise. The chocolate wedges stuck in the top offset the silky texture of the mousse, and the coffee beans actually accentuated the cocoa. The coconut passion ($7.50) was a particularly attractive freezer dessert. The layered almond daquoise and coconut were in the shape of a hockey puck, while wafer wedges made it look like some kind of race machine. The dessert was topped with passion fruit-guava coulis in a puddle of spiced pineapple ragout. The passion fruit gratinÈe ($7.50) was an especially satisfying dessert that seemed to be a grilled mousse filled with raspberry and mango sauces. On our next visit, weíd like to try the upstairs menu. Red Sage is at 2100 Massachusetts Ave., NW. The telephone number is (202) 448-2226. Dress is business to urban elegant. All major credit cards are accepted. Every day, the kitchen serves breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.