What to Expect From Savor, Opening Late September at Klyde Warren Park

Grid View

• Savor's lounge area will have an LED-adorned kidney-shaped bar. [Photos: EDFW]
• Another view of the bar and the keg wall beyond.
• This will be the much talked-about keg wall with wine and beer on tap.
• The kitchen has been designed with multiple pick-up stations to handle volume.

The massive undertaking that is Klyde Warren Park will soon be complete with the opening of two new restaurants, Savor and Relish. Executive chef John Coleman offered media a tour of the Savor space today, which is still under heavy construction — so much so that everyone in attendance had to don a hard hat, neon safety vest and safety goggles. With so much work yet to be done on the space, it was a little difficult to envision the finished product (especially with the smell of paint hanging thick in the air), but here's what we know so far:

Walls made entirely of glass are intended to unite the indoors and outdoors, with 360 degree panoramas of the surrounding green space (and the high-rises beyond it). As Coleman explained, "The environment speaks for itself" — the interior decor will be very simple, with the park acting as the real decor. A whopping 60 skylights in the main dining room alone will let in plenty of natural light during the day, while the ceiling, which will mirror the look of the nearby pavilion, is intended to look like patrons are sitting beneath a tree canopy.

An outdoor patio will offer what Coleman called "the best seats in the house" overlooking the park, and there will also be fire pits for the colder months.

The lounge will offer a sort of "living room" feel with seating for around 75 people in the form of plenty of couches and chairs, plus seating at the room's main feature: a kidney-shaped bar that will be topped off with a two-inch plate of frosted glass wrapped in LEDs to resemble "a glowing iceberg."

There will also be two large communal tables in the lounge area which will be first come, first serve (reservations will be accepted for the main dining room). The other focal point in the lounge area will be the much talked about keg wall, which will offer 16 wines on tap (8 white and 8 red) plus a dozen beers (local, Texan and national selections) that all flow underground. The keg system helps keep the price point for wines by the glass very reasonable, in the $8 to $11 range. The wine list will offer another 40 options by the bottle, all intended to be at a friendly everyday price point, but there will also be a reserve list of sorts with pricier selections (Coleman referred to them as "wines with a story") for the big spenders. The cocktail menu was designed with the help of The Standard Pour's Brian McCullough, so expect good things there.

As for the food: Coleman classifies the menu as "polished casual" with a little flare, with a focus on "social food that you can enjoy as a group." (Sorry, small plates haters.) No real details on the menu were offered, as it's still in development, but expect a pizza oven churning out flatbreads and a focus on food that's simple and "as local as possible." Apps will start in the $9 range, with entrees hovering around $19 to $28.

Expect Savor to open near the end of September, with grab-and-go burger stand Relish debuting right around the same time.