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 The Menu At Elle Is A Masterpiece, But Its Presentation Comes Across As A Blur. By Rebecca Cook RICHARD KOBY'S LATEST culinary endeavor, Elle, A Wine Country Restaurant, poses some enticing possibilities. The restaurant space itself (formerly AZ Stixx, Olson's on Broadway and a Scordato's) is capacious and comfortable. Located in the historic Broadway Village Shopping Center (built in the 1940s using a Josiah Joesler design), the restaurant is aesthetically appealing on many levels. Ebony polished furniture and large, colorful posters of wine labels accent the dining rooms along with lofty ceilings and muted gold incandescent lighting. All traces of former residents have vanished, yet there remains in the spare elegance of the furnishings a flavor that's distinctly Oriental--a visual haiku. Koby, most recently applauded for his accomplishments as chef at the Ventana Room, has composed an intriguing menu that celebrates simplicity even as it pays homage to the genius of inspiration.
As successful as Elle is on the whole, however, there are definitely times when the restaurant fails to live up to its promise. Such slip-ups are slight but painfully obvious. As this is a fairly new restaurant, we hope the lapses will be remedied in due course, and Elle can become the extraordinary place I'm sure Koby and partner Todd Bernhard envision. Passing a noon time hour at Elle is grand, especially if you allow extra time to nose around some of the neighboring shops. In our few visits, lunch seemed the meal showing Elle at its finest. The menu, served on a hand-held wooden board, covers a wide range of dishes. One can entertain the temptation of soup, salad, sandwiches, pasta, risotto or genuine main-course fare. Nothing on the list is mundane. Eager to enjoy the full range of Elle's kitchen, we began with a fragrant bowl of steaming hot mussels, served in a broth of white wine, garlic, fresh tomato, basil and parsley. The portion was adequate for three people to sample generously. The mussels were large, tender and pink-fleshed, easily scooped from their black shells and placed atop a piece of Elle's classically chewy French bread. The broth alone, gloriously scented with the smell of the sea, garlic and herbs, could become a meal in itself. Scrumptious. With the edge off our appetites, we moved on to the rest of our meal, which included the roast turkey sandwich, a warm spinach and arugula salad, and a chicken pasta. As is par at Elle, everything turned out to be slightly surprising. The aforementioned turkey was enormous, stacked high with loads of meat, fresh tomato, lettuce, and a mix of sliced olives which leant a pleasing, briny twist to this breaded repast.
The salad, one of the daily specials, didn't inspire the same kind of awe, but was nonetheless pleasant. Spinach and arugula were drizzled with a warm, minted vinaigrette and topped with grilled rock shrimp and a mound of slivered, red bell-pepper. The flavors were subtle and interesting, although the salad seemed to lack the requisite bite usually provided by citrus or vinegar. The result was a dressing that seemed a tad too oily. Service was impressively efficient throughout lunch, encouraging us, along with the high quality of the food, to make quick plans to return. Dinner, however, was not as impressive. The meal began well enough, with an order of roasted garlic and a baked round of brie. Along with a glass of wine from Chef Koby's well-chosen wine list, this was a soul-satisfying beginning. However, things frayed a bit when our salads showed up immediately on the heels of the appetizer. Not wishing to be difficult, we graciously made room at the table for the platters, nudging them gently aside while we finished our first course. No sooner had we situated everything and resumed our munching than our entrees came flying out of the kitchen, even though our salads remained untouched and the appetizer was but half attended. Our waitress, who was very pleasant but incredibly young and inexperienced, seemed truly mystified by our displeasure at having everything thrown on the table at once. Nevertheless, she obliged our request that the entrees be returned to the kitchen until we could make a dent in what was before us. This "bum's rush" approach at a nice restaurant is appalling. Both the kitchen and the waitstaff need to be made aware of the principles of flow and timing. The luster was off the evening due to this glaring faux pas, and although the food was fine, the experience left a lingering bad taste. The salads, now sampled hurriedly in an attempt to rescue our entrees from the ravages of a kitchen heat lamp, were satisfactory but not particularly memorable. A classic Caesar, composed of lots of romaine, a few flat anchovies, and a tepid garlic dressing, didn't elicit any raves; but the spinach greenery, served with apple, blue cheese and walnuts tossed in a sherry vinaigrette, was actually quite delicious. Our entrees returned, we hoped only slightly worse for wear. The seafood stew, a mix of shrimp, mussels, clams and white fish served with potato, brandy, garlic and croutons, was fairly good; but the spicy rouille promised on the menu to accompany the dish never materialized. Although the potage was tasty, it definitely could have used some pizzazz, which presumably the rouille would have contributed. The grilled salmon fillet, served with a nest of kalamata olives, artichokes and watercress surrounded by a sea of tomato butter sauce, was fresh and expertly grilled. The vegetable mix complemented the flavors of the fish perfectly, and the tomato sauce was a subtle splendor, leaving only the regret that there was not more of it. Desserts are splendid at Elle, especially the queen nut torte with raspberry sorbet. This dense mass of bittersweet chocolate, infused with ground nuts, is served warm and plays beautifully against the slightly tart sorbet. A small platter of mixed cookies, including gingersnaps, almond crescents and a chocolate treat or two was perfect company for a cup of coffee, while an adequate apple tart served with a buttery caramel sauce suffered only slightly from the fruit's not quite being cooked through. Elle may have a few unfinished edges, but on the whole it's an exciting new restaurant of style and tremendous potential. With a fine-tuning of detail in the kitchen and service, Koby and company should deliver the stellar culinary performances for which the chef has earned his fine reputation.
Elle, A Wine Country Restaurant. 3048 E. Broadway Blvd.
327-0500. Open 11:30 a.m. to
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For lunch, try the roast turkey sandwich, a fairly standard item
that in Koby's hands supersedes the norm with the addition of
a good rye and muffuletta-style olive spread. Oysters on the half
shell are given the royal treatment with a mix of zesty spices
and horseradish salsa. Everything listed sparkles with mouthwatering
promise.
A penne pasta served with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes,
and pancetta bacon tossed in a lightly creamy walnut-basil pesto
was a marvel of balanced flavor. Served in a deep pottery bowl
and topped with a bit of freshly grated parmesan, the dish deftly
juggled the smoky incense of the chicken, the sweet-sour intrigue
of tomato, the salty zing of the pancetta and the vague bitterness
of the nuts with panache. A restrained use of basil imbued ample
flavor without overwhelming every other taste in the bowl.
