Hank Vaughn
Audio By Carbonatix
Sauvage, a 12-seat wood-fired omakase, is closing after a final service on March 21. In an Instagram message, owner and chef Casey La Rue linked his decision to health issues that have persisted since his first Dallas restaurant.
“Running this kind of restaurant and the all-consuming nature of it isn’t great for you physically. So, we’ve made the decision to move on and do other things,” La Rue says.
Casey and Amy La Rue opened Carte Blanche along Lower Greenville back in 2021. By day, it was a wonderful bakery, and at night it became a 12-course tasting menu, which earned a five-star designation from Forbes Travel Guide in 2022 and 2023. Of course, we can’t have nice things, so it closed in 2024.
Luckily, the morning-side bakery lives on as La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves in West Dallas.
Sauvage marked the couple’s return to fine dining, offering 16 to 18 courses with a focus on wild game such as elk and antelope, along with seafood and vegetables. Every course is served from a wood-fired grill, a stark contrast from the raw seafood most associate with an omakase.
Casey La Rue says in the Instagram video that after closing the restaurant on March 22, everything in the space will be for sale, including equipment and flatware.
The La Rues built this small restaurant on the ground floor of The Statler hotel from the ground up, laboring to transform it into the space they dreamed of. When it opened, they said in an Instagram post:
“Family Affair.’ Nothing here was handed to us. No corporate backing. No safety net. Just persistence, long days, and nights that stretch into mornings. It’s slower this way. Harder. Messier. … then brought to life with our own hands.”
Savauge will be open and taking reservations for Fridays and Saturdays until March 21.
