elfs | Elemental: Snooty, delicious.

Omaha and I, for our anniversary, went to a restaurant called Elemental Next Door. The menu was hand-written on a roll of artpaper that scrolled out a broad, wood-panel-enclothed support beam a few feet from the door. The music was popular and slightly intrusive. The tables were all unique one-of-a-kind heavy wooden constructs, and along one wall a vast array of wines and beers could be had for a price.

The menu was heavy on foods few people eat. There was a lot of rabbit on the menu. Omaha had a rabbit stew that was actually quite delicious, and I ordered the vegetarian risotto. We also got a cheese board and an order of artichoke dip. For that and a bottle of (high-end, alcoholic) apple cider, we paid nearly $72.

Yeah, that's snooty all right. Astoundingly so. It was delicious, but that's pretty pricey. An example: a plate of popcorn was $5.

The staff was unobtrusive, if sometimes a little hard to find. Omaha and I shared a long bench table with another party, separated by a few empty seats, and a voluminous and somewhat intoxicated argument about politics broke out among the other diners. All in all, definitely a place to see and be seen, if you can afford it.

On the other hand, Omaha and I were working off a gift card worth a hundred bucks, and they gave us a corresponding gift card with the remainder of our credit on it. That's surprising, for an auction gift card. Kudos for them.