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Friday, December 31, 2010

Elements Restaurant

Elements is one of the top dining establishments in New Jersey; it has received a Don't Miss rating from the New York Times, which is the highest possible rating and has been named one of the top 30 restaurants in America by Opinionated about Dining. Executive Chef Scott Anderson uses the freshest produce available and applies modern cookery to excite his diner's palates. Elements caught my attention when they opened in 2008 and I am kind of surprised it took so long for me to dine there. I went for lunch with my dad and sister and had a great time......

Opening the doors and entrancing into Elements the decor immediately catches your attention. There are glass panels that glow within the stone and steel walls, and maple backdrops that make you feel comfortable and warm.

For my first course I ordered the "Local Potato Soup with 48 hour Short Ribs, Chives, and Parmesan". The servers accidentally put the spoon that was intended for me with my sister's plate setting, but fixed the problem before I got my dish. The soup itself was really tasty - it had a perfect mouthfeel and actually tasted like potato. The dish was garnished with the crispiest onion rings that added a much needed distinct texture to the plate. Overall I loved this dish, but looking back it is not a dish that I am going to be crawling back for more. Maybe some frozen sour cream discs made with an anti-griddle would of made this dish exceptional..........


Next I got a "Thai Duck Sandwich with Duck Confit, Local Egg, and Kimchi". This dish was exquisite, but cluttered for the atmosphere. The egg yolk was perfect and bursted all over the sandwich adding a great moistness. Kimchi was strong-flavored and assertive, offsetting the richness from the duck and egg. Could the meat have been chicken or turkey legs? For sure, the presence of the duck flavor was not up front, but that was not the main focus of the dish, so it was fine.



For dessert we shared "Pumpkin Cheesecake with "gingerbread", cranberry, and toasted pumpkin seeds". This was the most ascetic dish of the night and the most "high end" due to the fact that the dessert menu is the same for dinner as it is for lunch. The cheesecake was luxuriously creamy and had a pure flavor of pumpkin. The gingerbread sorbet tasted like the cookie you adored during the holidays. The pumpkin seeds were mega delicious and added a nice textural contrast. I loved this dessert. It was my favorite dish of the night.


It is fair to say that I really did not get to experience the real deal of the savory side of the kitchen because the dinner dishes are definitely more elaborate than the lunch dishes. I am very interested in returning to Elements for dinner.

4 comments:

  1. Wow! 15 years old? I don't think I've ever met a guy who had this kind of aspiring dream.
    I myself want to become a famous chef, aswell as a Green Peace activist, but hey, that's just me.
    You live in America right? Well, firstly I haven't heard of your authors in your profile, so maybe your next blog could explain to the "foreigners" reading you blog just who they are.
    Hope you find your way.

    Taylor(http://www.daydreamingblogger.blogspot.com)

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  2. Thanks for this amazing review. Just stumbled on it whilst searching infos on Elements (I am from Montreal and New Jersey is not that far, so we enjoy visiting NJ oftently and Elements was recommended by some friends from there).
    PS: I am sure you will be a Chef one day and you will deserve it since you've got the passion. I have been cooking for the past 15 yrs (various cuisines: Classic / Modern French, African, Asian, etc) and have lately also shared my dining experiences over the web.
    Before I go: in New Jersey, you had one of world's most talented Chefs, Craig shelton. I believe he hasn't made a come back since he left his last appointment at the Ryland Inn in New Jersey. Not too sure about his latest whereabouts but he had exceptional skills. have u heard about him?

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  3. Here is a link on his semi-recent whereabouts
    http://njmonthly.com/blogs/from-the-editors/2009/10/20/not-a-misprint-chef-craig-shelton-now-at-skylark-diner.html

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  4. Actually Lloyd, you may be interested to learn that Scott, the chef at elements, was executive chef at Shelton's Ryland Inn before opening up this place.

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