Elaia

Another “E” restaurant that I had badly been wanting to visit, Elaia, was actually selected by my parents after a Saturday afternoon nosh at Olio. Since the next holiday was my Dad’s birthday, I was hopeful that there would be enough traditional dishes so that my Dad could find something that he’d like. Again, Elaia definitely lived up to the talk and is certainly a destination for foodies.

The restaurant was kind enough to mention my Dad's birthday at the top of the menu. Extra points to them for researching the purpose of our visit during the reservation verification phone call. And with our fairly early reservation of 6:30pm, Ben Poremba was able to take the time to quickly visit despite another large party at the same time. We really enjoy the first hour of quiet, but even for a Wednesday night, I was surprised how busy and noisy the restaurant got after 8pm. Reservations are definitely necessary!

The menu consisted of four courses as well as a Prix Fixe option. Unfortunately, I did not ask about the Prix Fixe menu as I immediately wanted several items from each course. Luckily, I was surrounded by family members that share!

I chose the Scallop Ceviche to start with but could have easily enjoyed the Goat Cheese Mousse, which was not overwhelming. But it’s hard for me to turn down any scallops these days.

My stepmom, Linda, was curious about the Fried Sweetbreads so I volunteered to try that for the second course, while the brisket reached that “melt in your mouth” level. I was sad to miss out on the Sea Scallop and Lamb Meatballs.

I wasn’t daring enough for Rabbit so the main course was an easy selection of the Scottish Salmon in a sweet pea broth. It came with a dollop of buttermilk potato puree on top. Quite delicious!

And there was no challenge to the dessert course as the Chocolate Tarte was incredibly rich, just how I love it.

Due to a lack of privacy, I unfortunately, did not get the chance to take any pictures. I can assure you each dish was plated beautifully from start to finish and we had incredible service as well. Elaia is definitely a “special occasion” restaurant, but I think Olio downstairs is the place to frequent more often.

Resources:

Elaia = http://elaiastl.com/

Olio = http://oliostl.com/