Elements Fine Casual Dining & Cocktails
Smoky Sweet Popcorn
Coconut Shrimp – Honey Cream Sauce
Italian Meatballs – Marinara and French Bread
Nicoise Salad – Ahi, Egg, Potatoes, Cornichons, Spring Vegetables
Lamb Carpaccio – Lemon Lebne, Olive Tapenade, Pita Crumbs, Garlic
New York Strip – Cornbread and Spring Pea Risotto
Cannoli Pizza – Mascarpone Cream, Shaved Chocolate, Orange Zest, Blackberries, Mint
Cannolis – Brulee Banana, Fruit Jam
Praline Brownie – Caramel Banana Peanut Butter, Chocolate Malt Ice Cream, Cinnamon & Sugar, Almond Rocca
Cocoa Espuma – Toasted Angel Food Cake, Strawberries, Kumquats, Pastry Cream
More than once taking the bait of a Chef inviting me in – sight unseen – to experience his or her restaurant, I’d be hard-pressed to name a more unique set of circumstances than those that led to dinner at “Elements Fine Casual Dining & Cocktails” Saturday night and although the name Jon VanHusen may not carry the same weight as Alex Stratta there is no doubt the 30-year old native of Northern New York has some serious kitchen skills of his own that are soon to be launched on the restaurant’s Spring menu.
At one time a popular hangout for the upper-middle class living near the junction of Tropicana and South Rainbow, the wordy-titled restaurant having undoubtedly gone through its fair share of mundane menus and troubles since the heights of its success, new ownership smartly decided to reach out for assistance in the early part of 2016, and led to VanHusen through Chef Johnny Church the hirsuit youngster undoubtedly comes highly touted by several local kitchen vets of whom he speaks fondly, his presence at local Farmer’s Markets also showing the sort of appreciation common amongst his peers for premium ingredients sourced by local purveyors and Intuitive Forager Kerry Clasby.
Not yet given the chance to fully reinvent the menu, several Italian standards still predominating alongside soups, salads, burgers and daily specials, it was actually Chef Jon’s volunteering to show the Los Angeles Kings season finale that lured me into Elements and although the interior is in dire need of some upgrades, as is the music, the vibe wass nonetheless calm and pleasant while service proved surprisingly competent despite a young lady only on her second day in.
Unenthusiastic about the main room’s options, though a few bar-bites and snacks proved quite delicious with Coconut Shrimp bathed in sweet Mayo not decidedly different from Asian Walnut Prawns while the Meatballs and Marinara are a veritable steal for just four bucks, it was with deference to VanHusen that the rest of the meal was served carte-blanche and starting things off with a bit of gametime popcorn it was not long before I was smiling despite my team’s consistent failings, the simple Nicoise Salad not looking to reinvent the wheel but at the same time performing better than most as ruby-red cubes of seared Tuna melted on the tongue next to a hardboiled egg, tender potatoes, olive tapenade, snappy vegetables and cornichons.
From here on offering only one item from the current menu, a row of Cannolis next to Brûléed bananas that compete with Chris Palmeri’s for best in town, tuna was followed by thinly sliced Lamb Carpaccio whose intrinsic grassiness was allowed to shine beneath citrus yogurt, fresh garlic and pita crumbs, the Mediterranean flavors leaping off the plate as if to give notice that Spring has finally come.
With rain again falling outdoors, the crowd small and full of regulars including the owner who sat near the kitchen at the bar, savories concluded with VanHusen’s nightly special of New York Strip grilled just shy of medium alongside a duo of side dishes, the spring pea risotto toothsome yet smooth with bright vegetal notes and an air of mint while the skillet cornbread was really quite spectacular as the base ate like a fallen soufflé beneath a caramelized top of molten butter and brown sugar.
Stating that a portion of the new menu would be served “family style,” desserts particularly prone to such service as many only seem to want a few bites of something sweet to end the night, VanHusen’s first dessert was an updated look at his well-regarded cannolis, and although perhaps not as texturally compelling as the cylindrical version served in comparison the flavor was virtually spot-on as smooth mascarpone was enlivened by orange zest and mint plus shaved dark chocolate alongside seasonal berries.
Most assuredly not the sort of person to skimp on desserts, the grand finale often at least as relevant as the savories served before, it was with good fortune that a request to see more was a challenge Chef Jon was ready to accept, for as good as the rest had been nothing could have prepared me for the plate of Praline Brownies that may just be the city’s best new dessert offering, each fudgy wedge topped in caramelized banana peanut butter and a ball of malted ice cream with crunchy almond rocca adding texture as a perfume of cinnamon helps to lighten the heft.
Taking it upon himself to adlib one last plate, grilled Angel-food cake served next to dollops of smooth espuma and kumquats a lighter, more elegant dish better suited for one, it was after a long conversation about his history and the local dining scene that the Chef returned to the kitchen to scrub down and retire for the evening, perhaps to even catch a few Zzzs before returning the next day for Sunday brunch.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Not yet officially launching the Spring Menu, and thus difficult to gauge the restaurant as a whole, Elements Fine Casual Dining & Cocktails shows a lot of promise under its new Chef and if management proves willing to let VanHusen show his stuff the heydays of its past may be just around the corner – a big if, sure, but one that should give residents of the area a lot of hope.
RECOMMENDED: Praline Brownie, Cannolis, Lamb Carpaccio, Cornbread.
AVOID: Judging the interior too harshly at this time.
TIP: With the menu to go live in “a couple weeks,” those looking for a sneak peak are encouraged to check out Elements Wine Dinner on April 25th or a Sinatra themed night with live music on 4/20/16.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://www.elementscasualdining.com/
