A few years ago, my brother surprised me with a birthday dinner that wound up being one of the best meals that I had ever eaten. To make matters even more shocking, the dinner was at a restaurant in Princeton, NJ. At that point, I had not yet heard about Elements, which has since received a large amount of praise. The restaurant was housed in what looked like it may have been a bank or something similar at one time, but was now transformed into a modern and spacious den of class.
During this first surreal dinner at Elements, my birthday gift included a 9-course meal seated at the chef's table right beside the kitchen. I was able to see how all of the ingredients came together to form the gorgeous plates. The food and service were impeccable. Unfortunately, it has been a while since that meal, and I had not had a chance to review the experience at that time.
However, I revisited the restaurant on this past Christmas Eve. On this occasion, I experienced the same fabulous service as before, only this time in the main dining room. The 5-course menu was a reasonable $89 and worth every penny. Our meal started with an amuse bouche of a creamy, smoky chickpea soup, topped with crunchy fried chickpeas. It was just a tease for the rest of the savory meal to come. For the first course, my brother and I melted in our seats over a seasonal and unusual plate of dehydrated Beets and roasted Sunchokes tossed with crisp apple, candied pecans, and funky blue cheese. The combination of smoky, stinky, sweet, and tart flavors was a delight. We had never had a warm salad quite like it.
The options for the second course hailed from various regions. My Japanese-influenced bowl of Ramen was a hearty compliment to the snowy weather outside. The large portion was packed with braised pork, egg, scallions, and nori. The flavor of the soup was extremely authentic, but it would have benefited from a heavier hand of salt. I compared this dish with my brother's creamy Langoustine Bisque, which included razor clams, tarragon, and brioche. Again, this could have been more seasoned, but worked well otherwise. We were also gifted a pine nut risotto, and by this I do not mean a risotto topped with the crunchy morsels, but, rather, a creamy bowl of pine nuts with the creamy consistency of a risotto. So, essentially the nuts replaced the rice. It was unusual, decadent, and delicious!
My Black Bass entree was tender and moist. It was lying atop scallions, mushrooms, and black radishes, and finished with a white soy glaze that added just the perfect hint of sweetness. My brother's Scallop dish was less impressive though. We loved the shellfish and light stew of white beans and pork, but there was also yucca included, which was fried to such a hard consistency that it was tough to eat. Before launching into our sweet course, we feasted on an intermezzo of Pecorino Toscano served over a salad of apple, celery, hazelnut, and arugula. A large, doughy role was served along the side of it. I was so full by this point, and I found the salad to be an unimpressive adornment. I think that the apple would have popped more had it been tart versus sweet, and this would have given the plate more umph. However, I will say that I tend to prefer sweeter ends to my meal.
Regardless, the concluding course was a reason to rejoice. Chunks of roasted Pumpkin were scattered over a smear of dark chocolate, similar to a mousse in consistency . Marcona almonds were drizzled about and a scoop of seasonal hazelnut ice cream was also included. These added variations in texture and temperature. It was such an unusual and beautifully plated creation. As if we were not stuffed enough at this point, we even received some cookies with our check and a mini spiced cake loaf to take home.
Between the high quality food and amiable service, Elements is worth the extra money. And by extra, I mean that you are paying for high-end food from an amazing chef, but it is still a major deal for what it is. read more