Ahhh ahi. Sometimes nothing else will do.
There is no substitute for its silky texture and rich taste.
And Elle Wine Bistro does it just right.
The restaurant, owned by Jeff Fuld, who also serves as executive chef, moved from Broadway Village to a strip mall at North Campbell Avenue and East Glenn Street last December.
While the address isn't as tony, and the digs not so upscale, Fuld has fashioned a smaller restaurant that's intimate and chic. A wine rack serves as a room divider, and tables are spaced far enough apart to allow for conversation, even while the concrete floors don't allow for much sound absorption.
The best thing about the new locale is the old style: The food is still organic and local whenever possible, and the wine list is well-chosen. Fuld has seen to it that a change in address doesn't necessarily mean a change in quality.
People are also reading…
And in some instances, he's surpassed where he was.
The mussels, for instance. We remember a rubbery bunch of the mollusks at the old Elle. But there was no such issue with the mussels appetizer ($15) at the new location. Plus, he offers a couple of ways to prepare them: the traditional white wine and garlic, or with a Thai green curry sauce cut with lemongrass and coconut milk. We opted for the curry sauce. There was a slight heat to the sauce, which was rich with the milk and fragrant with the soury lemongrass. And each one of the dozen or so mussels was tender. And terrific.
But back to that tuna ($24). It was pan-seared so that it was red on the inside, crispy on the out. The ahi sat on top of a bed of done-just-right bok choy, and was served with a salsa mixed with ginger, tomato and just a hint of chile. This was a dish worthy of slow, thoughtful eating.
The roast chicken ($23) was a tad overdone, but the half-bird was swept with an orange glaze with a whisper of heat from chipotle. The menu says it's "Amish chicken," and for the life of us we couldn't figure that one out - was this raised by Amish and whisked to Arizona or what? Raising chickens in the Amish tradition means organic and all that entails. As it turns out, our first thought was correct - this is chicken raised by the Amish, Fuld said.
A disappointment was the gnocchi ($18.25), which had long been a favorite of ours at Elle. The dish's house-made sausage, pork kicked up with fennel, red wine and garlic, was a hit, as was the made-there mozzarella and light tomato sauce. But the potato dumplings were a bit heavier than they used to be, and tasted doughy. There's a danger in comparing a food item with memory; disappointment is sure to follow. It's not that this dish was bad - it was fine. But it didn't measure up to what we remember from the old Elle.
But this did measure up to memory: thoughtful service, reasonable prices (almost every item comes in "petite" size at a lower cost), and a gracious dining experience that makes you happy you opted for dinner out rather than a hot kitchen.
Elle Wine Bistro
2970 N. Campbell Ave., 327-0500
• Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; 4-9 p.m. Sundays.
• Family call: It might be a tad sophisticated for kids, though they are welcomed (they'll whip up a kid-friendly dish by request).
• Wine list: Small, well-chosen, and most available by the glass.
• Noise level: Medium.
• Vegetarian options: Several pasta choices.
• Gluten-free: Available, but ask, as they aren't marked on menu.
• Dress: Casual.
• Reservations: Recommended.
• Price range: Entrees range from $21 to $32 for full size (huge servings) and $14.50 to $21.50 for "petite" size.
