Elaine's on Franklin

05/15/2008 Posted by d0lly

We celebrated our wedding anniversary at Elaine's and left disappointed. First off, the service we received was great. And our appetizer, soft shell crab, was quite delicious. However, the entrees were a disappointment. They definitely were not worth the price you pay. . .very expensive. I had the chicken and it was very tough. The potatoes and marsala sauce surrounding the chicken was very good though. But I got very little of it. My husband enjoyed his tuna but said his vegetables were cold. I don't know if we will dine here again.

Pros: Valet parking

Cons: Price

05/02/2008 Posted by erimarie

My husband took me to eat here for my birthday last night. The food was prepared beautifully, with really fresh and seasonal ingredients. The dining space was warm and comfortable. Our server, Carol, was a doll and took such good care of us. We are culinary grads, and usually picky, but everything was wonderful. I would definitely go back, because you could tell that they truely cared that you were their guest. Bravo!!

Pros: Great space, great food, Carol was awesome!

Cons: none really

04/21/2008 Posted by temchi

We went here based on the great reviews but we weren't very impressed. My salad was very plain and not very flavorful. The feta cheese in the description was almost non-existent. on my salad. My husbands appertizer was much better than my salad. For the entrees - both were ok but not worth the price charged. I had 3 scallops on my plate. They were good but I felt 3 scallops was a bit chintzy for what we paid. They need more wines by the glass. The desserts were the highlight of the meal. Coffee was ok. Sevice was good. The place is very small and you will not have any privacy. For me this made the place a lot less romantic than I was expecting. This was our anniversary dinner and we had never been here before. Based on the price we paid, there are many other area restaurants we think are much better and a better value so it's doubtful we would return.

Pros: Valet parking and good service

Cons: Cramped, limited by the glass wine, over priced entrees /small portions

03/19/2008 Posted by newyorker36

I'm writing to tell the world how great my first meal at Elaine's was. My girlfriend and I were greeted warmly and taken to a lovely table which was elevated slightly, and in an alcove next to window looking out onto Franklin St. I was thrilled to see that my favorite ingredient, bacon, had found a place on the drink menu, so i just had to order a bacon bloody mary. It was superb. The wine list was amazingly ecclectic and fairly priced to boot, so we settled on a lovely bottle of burgundy and began our meal. My girlfriend is very inquisitive, and had lots of questions for the waitress, who answered each one with confidence, and helped us select some terrific dishes. I started with a foie gras BLT, which blew me away. A tiny little southern treat with a hunk of seared foie gras in the middle. She ordered the truffled cauliflower soup, which was nearly the equal of my BLT. For entrees, we selected duck and striped bass, and shared them both. My duck was cooked perfectly, with the fat rendered out until the skin was crispy, and her bass was fresh and flaky with a wonderful grapefruit beurre blanc. We almost didn't order dessert, but then I noticed that they had candied bacon on the dessert menu, so of course we had to order the pecan waffles with maple ice cream, just so we could try the bacon. It was outstanding. The atmosphere was busy and bustling, like many of the restaurants I so love in New York City, but the attention to detail was impressive, and the personalized service made me glad I moved to the south. We made our reservations online from their website and they even sent a reminder email on the day of our dinner. We also really appreciated the free valet parking. Overall, they did a great job!

Pros: valet parking, online reservations, great service, fantastic food

Cons: ?

12/06/2007 Posted by sunflower1977

I was finally able to eat at Elaine's on Franklin last night and it surpassed all expectations. My husband and I found the service staff extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and the food was just exquisite. Before any other food arrived, we were greeted with a small cup of chestnut bisque which was to die for. I'd have loved an entire bowl, but our appetizers followed and both were excellent. I had a lovely tuna springroll which was crispy and spicy...absolutely delicious. For entrees, we both had the pork chop, which was seated on top of some the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had. The presentations were elegant without being overly fussy and all the food seemed super fresh. Now I know where I'm going for my birthday!!

Pros: Excellent Service, great wine list, fresh seasonal food

11/03/2007 Posted by jamaicamon

This is my third time at Elaine's since it opened, and by far my most disappointing. First off, the hostess looked simply untidy in baggy pants, faded shirt and large phone hanging out of her back pocket and even worse, she was decidedly dour and looked as if it pained her to speak or smile. Funny, I work among corporate lawyers all day, and the staff at Elaine's seemed far more aloof and condescending--interesting. The couple next to me, obviously regulars, however, were warmly greeted and showered with complimentary samples, the manager came out and chatted with them for ages, unfortunately he couldn't take the time to even turn my way and ask how my meal was, and apparently there is a one piece of bread ration. The food was good enough, flounder on a few shards of lobster, it was okay, nothing to make me want to leave the fine dining of my Charlotte home though. With desert however, things got decidedly worse, pumpkin cheese cake that tasted nothing of pumpkin but a lot like faintly souring cream. Perhaps too large of a purchase into its own hype, Elaine's definitely needs to tighten up.

07/21/2007 Posted by magnum2001

Just had to write about a meal I had last night at Elaine's. I've eaten there a number of times, and always enjoyed it, but this meal blew me away. I started with a foie gras 'blt', which sounds a bit strange but was absolutely delicious. They make a tiny little blt sandwich with a piece of seared foie in the middle and also candied bacon. Wow. This is a dish that you want to keep all to yourself. Luckily, my wife was happily occupied with her heirloom tomato sampler (a beautiful and tasty appetizer to say the least), and she didn't even ask for a bite of my blt. As thrilled as we were with the first course, the second course raised the bar to the next level. I had one of the most inventive and delicious surf and turf dishes that I've ever tasted: half of a Maine lobster with braised pork belly, hoppin' john, fried okra and green tomato beurre blanc. It was rich, luscious and buttery in all the right ways. My wife had venison with corn pudding and blackberry sauce which was equally compelling, but I was glad that I chose surf and turf. I've always thought that Elaine's did a great job selecting fresh, local ingredients for their menus, which appear to be different every time I eat there, and my server confirmed this for me, offering stories about the Chef's two weekly trips to the Carrboro Farmer's Market. Knowing the food is local seems to make it taste even better. I give Elaine's my highest recommendation.

Pros: valet parking!, excellent service and winelist

01/15/2007 Posted by angeline14

Elaine's is one of the few restaurants in Chapel Hill that seems to care about fresh ingredients. The food is consistently good, with interesting specials offered and a nice wine selection.

12/28/2006 Posted by yt

I really like eating at Elaine's - that being said, I don't recall any really memorable dishes, but I DO know that everything I've eaten there has been really fresh and tasty. I'm happy coming here when I want a "basic" fine dining experience with good food, but nothing really exciting or different. The wine list is extensive and reasonable. The service is really good! I think it's the best service on Franklin Street - our glasses are never empty, the staff has been attentive, and they've given us good recommendations on wine pairings with entrees.

Pros: Service, Fod

12/07/2006 Posted by winelover411

I'm shocked to see any negative reviews of the service at Elaine's. I personally have always found the service to be outstanding in my many visits. The style of service is friendly, but professional. Just last night I had a meal there that was so good, I had to write a review. Upon being seated, I was greeted promptly and treated to a wonderful cocktail called a French Connection while I pondered the extensive wine list. There, I found a bottle of 1986 Vouvray for $40!! I couldn't believe it! In general, I'd say that their wine list is not only mouth wateringly good, but very fairly priced, unlike some restaurants in the same neighborhood. For an appetizer I ordered anchovies, which were served on a bed of eggplant carpaccio with roasted red peppers, fried capers and aioli. The anchovies themselves were wonderful...spanish oil cured anchovies, I think the server said. My wife had their apple-rutabega soup with braised pork belly, and it, too, was out of this world. For dinner, I had the grilled diver scallops with bacon, baby artichokes and crispy penne, while my wife had the braised pork shank. The scallops were huge...3 of them maybe 2 oz each, and the dish was very well executed. As good as the scallop dish was, the pork was even better. Tender and falling off the bone, it was served over butternut buckwheat polenta with sauteed rapini and gremolata. Wow!! Throughout our dinner the service was attentive but not annoyingly over attentive, which can really ruin a good meal. The servers moved purposefully and efficiently, delivering for all of our needs in a timely fashion. Dessert looked lovely, but unfortunately, we didn't have the appetite to enjoy it. Oh well, there's always and next time, and with Elaine's, I hope the next time is soon!

Pros: Great Food, Service, and Wine List

Cons: I can't afford to eat there every night!