1 of 2
2 of 2
Taryn Farhat had a vision for her restaurant. Something different. Something with character. In a pre-Civil War building on Carlisle’s fun and funky Pomfret Street, she found the ideal setting for Sage Café.
“We came to Carlisle and found this and just fell in love with it right away,” she says. In Carlisle’s bustling restaurant scene, Sage Café is a new entrant. Here in this vibrant BYOB, dishes prepared by an experienced, well-traveled chef offer classic comfort reimagined for contemporary tastes.
Sage Café is the dream of Farhat, an entrepreneurial foodservice veteran who formerly owned the Pizza Delight restaurants in Harrisburg and Elizabethtown.
As her daughters (now 15, 17, and 18) reached their teens, she sought out an experience that would incorporate them.
“I wanted to venture out and do something for myself but also with them involved, because that was a huge part of my life,” she says. “That was my priority.”
She found her spot in the building that once housed Trattoria Piatto. Nineteenth-century touches abound—arched entrance, fireplace, grand staircase, and the distinctive enclosed side porch.
Two and a half years of major renovations augmented the vintage character with modern touches and conveniences. An addition expanded the kitchen, added bathrooms, and created a balcony wrapped in windows.
The view from the brick-walled balcony incorporates the street, the courtyard, and a true novelty—the building’s ornate, original, three-seater outhouse, now serving as a storage shed. When others advised getting rid of it, Farhat resisted.
1 of 2
2 of 2
“I said I’d like to keep it and paint it,” she says. “It matches the colors of our exterior. It’s part of the history of this place.”
A newly built courtyard offers al fresco dining beside the colorful Pat Craig Studios next door.
“The lights at night are amazing,” Farhat says. “It’s nice to have this outdoor seating in the city. You can bring a bottle of wine and just sit out here.”
Carlisle’s love of unique places was a big reason for locating in town. The café has participated in Pomfret Street events, and Farhat has found she can turn to her neighbors whenever she has a question.
“I like the community feel,” she says. “I like the shops and the art. On Pomfret Street, I saw that I could make it what I wanted. I didn’t want a box. I wanted something unique, individual, something different.”
With its intimate spaces, including one room equipped with a television screen, Sage Café takes reservations for meetings and gatherings. Guests often request the semi-private “Chandelier Room,” nestled behind original pocket doors but bright with natural light and the glow from the eye-catching light fixture of mid-century-modern orbital bands encircling blingy Victorian crystals.
Farhat’s middle daughter, Olivia, is a natural at restaurant management. She and a friend of Farhat’s collaborated on the décor done in soft grays and whites, with natural touches throughout. Don’t miss the Instagram-worthy installation on the side porch featuring the letters SAGE decked out in flowers and greenery.
1 of 2
2 of 2
Recently, Sage Café switched to lunch and, on some nights, dinner service, a change from the original breakfast and lunch. The lunch menu, available all day, features handmade pizzas, and such salads as the ginger chicken salad served with honey-peanut dressing. Handhelds include the grilled portobello, a black angus burger, and Farhat’s favorite, the nutty chicken sandwich of chicken breast encrusted with nuts and oats and served with sweet-chili mayonnaise.
Dinner choices include bow tie carbonara or the sunset chicken coated in oats and pecans and lightly sauced with accents of honey, peanuts, and ginger. The tenderloin stuffed with gorgonzola, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach, all glazed with a marsala wine-mushroom sauce, is another favorite of Farhat’s.
The menu comes from chef Russ Freeman, formerly of the award-winning Café on Market and New Market Bistro in Camp Hill. His travels in 48 states and six countries have inspired the eclectic selection. With a commitment to local, Sage Café plates many dishes with fresh produce from Whistleberry Farm and prime quality beef from Carwood Farm, both of Boiling Springs. A full coffee bar offers coffee, espresso, lattes, mochas, and cappuccinos, plus teas.
Farhat’s love of animals is visible in the display of paintings of adoptable dogs from Cheddar Paws Dog Art. On a recent morning, the café got a visit from a dog that found its fur-ever home during a Speranza adoption event held there last spring.
“I’ve always wanted to be able to do something with the community through this restaurant, something special that made a difference,” Farhat says.
The neighborhood and a growing retinue of regular customers have been quick to welcome Sage Café since it opened in November 2021. Farhat feels she is achieving her vision of a comfortable place for friends and family to gather. It’s all in the name.
“The name Sage, to me, feels calm and relaxing,” she says. “It gives an overall feeling of peace, and I wanted it to resonate in my life and all around. That’s what I’m aiming for, just a place for people to get together and have fun, food, drinks, and relaxation.”
Sage Café
22 W Pomfret St, Carlisle, PA 17013
717-701-8624
