Square1 Project’s Logan Ely will open Savage in Fox Park

After a successful run of semi-permanent pop-ups, Logan Ely of Square1 Project is finally opening his first brick-and-mortar restaurant. Ely said he will debut Savage at 2655 Ann St., in Fox Park, hopefully sometime in June.

Ely said Savage will be an extension of what he started with Square1 Project — a restaurant focused on creativity and unusual, inexpensive ingredients transformed into a high-end dining experience. Savage will have three menus: a small list of snacks, a six-to-eight-course tasting menu and the full monty chef’s tasting of 15 courses. Beer and wine will be available; there are no plans for a cocktail list.

“I wanted to offer that big menu, but I didn’t want to close out anyone,” Ely said. “I wanted to keep it approachable for people who don’t want to spend two hours staring at us cooking food.” He said the menu will change daily, and even switch up guest to guest.

“You’ll come in, we’ll have a brief conversation about any allergies or foods you hate or love, and then do our best to customize your menu for you,” he said. “It’ll be somewhat similar to Square1 Project, where a lot of it changed often, service by service, and some stuff stayed for a while.”

The space used to be a corner store and has been idle for a while. Ely and a group of friends are taking on the task of renovating the interior. “We’re going to do everything ourselves,” he said. “We don’t really have a general contractor, so we’re building the space out with a handful of friends, essentially.”

The kitchen will be limited with minimal amenities. “We’re not going to have gas, and we’re going to be very limited in the equipment we have,” Ely said. He said a small outdoor patio will also have a grill or smoker, in addition to some seating.

Savage will have approximately 20 seats, all with a birds-eye view of the kitchen. “The idea is that all of the seating will be bar seating that surrounds the kitchen,” he said. The cooks will also serve the food, explaining the dishes and answering questions.

“Luxury isn’t really what we’re after,” Ely said. “You’re not going to get caviar or wagyu beef. All that stuff is delicious, but it’s pretty easy.”

Matt Sorrell is staff writer at Sauce Magazine.