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| - The thing about reviews on a 1-to-5-star scale is that you can't be as precise as you want to be or call out specific aspects of the restaurant experience (service, food, ambience, clientele, etc.) that are truly deserving of a higher or lower rating. All you can really do is go on an overall impression that is made higher or lower depending on which of these factors matter more or less to you personally. Me - I'm all about the food and drink. Things like excellent service or a great setting can push me up that extra notch, but they won't be determinative unless they're truly specactular. Elements was a dining experience that had some of these truly spectacular qualities and therefore made my rating much higher than it would have been if I were just considering the food and drink.
My husband and I went on Memorial Day for our two-year wedding anniversary; we had reserved in advance using OpenTable.com and I put that it was our anniversary and requested a "table with a view" in the special requests section. This worked out quite well, since we were immediately seated at a "lower booth" down by the huge picture windows even though we arrived 15 minutes early. The booth was super-private and had the most unobstructed view in the restaurant. Our server was very professional and attentive - he made sure to space our courses out, to not open our bottle of prosecco until we had finished our cocktails, and to refill water and check in often but not too often. The drinks were quite expensive - we both got a signature cocktail at $15 - but fairly unique. Mine featured a snap-pea vodka (interesting!), and my husband got something with some special gin. They were definitely enjoyable, although not blow-your-mind in a $15-a-pop kind of way. The prosecco was also decent and the only really reasonably-priced item we had at $28 for a bottle.
We started the meal with the Tuna Tartare and the spanish-inspired quail with chorizo. The Tuna Tartare was good but nothing spectular - the fish was certainly fresh, but none of the flavors of the avocado or cucumber mound it topped stood out or really complemented the fish and at $20 for the plate, I could have gotten two plates of the same dish for the same price at a different restaurant. For my entree, I had the special, which was black cod on top of potato cake with a single clam on top. It was priced around $35. My husband had the niraigi (sp?), which is actually striped marlin, which came with a cucumber salad and jasmine rice. It was also around $35. Both fishes were fresh, and the sides were flavorful enough, but neither dish stood out or was particularly outstanding.
That being said, however, being there in a private booth with the most beautiful desert view in the city, we truly felt that we would have been hard-pressed to celebrate our special occasion in a more special way - even if the food were better. The view and service were just that good. If you want romance and a great dining experience on a special occasion, go to Elements. If you want to simply check out the resort (Sanctuary) and see the view but not spend a ton of money, go to Jade Bar (attached to the restaurant but in a separate room).
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