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| - Elements / Jade Bar
5700 East McDonald Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
We arrived at Elements @ 5:30 and were seated immediately. The venue is impressive with views overlooking the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Our waiter and the Maître D promptly presented themselves at our table. We were asked about drink orders, and given some wonderful Crusty Bread and a small dish of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to spread on it. Nice and fruity with wonderful taste. This was a great way to start off our meal. Companion ordered a Cosmo which was pronounced very good, and I ordered a Brandy Alexander, an old time cocktail that most bartenders have no idea how to make. This was close to perfect, only missing a touch of nutmeg on the top.
Our first appetizer was a Baked Oyster a la Rockefeller. It might have been the best item of the entire meal. Succulent oysters on a bed of spinach with a touch of Chinese Lap Chong sausage baked into it. The only word we could think of to describe it was yum! It was truly memorable.
For our next appetizer, we had Duck Confit Mushu. Little pillows filled with duck confit, gently cooked and topped with a little salad and a piece of mandarin orange, sitting in a peanut sauce. These were very tender and very light.
Our main appetizer was Steak Tartar. Unlike what many places serve where the steak is ground up, this was obviously hand chopped, lightly seasoned with an egg yolk floating on top and served with some wonderful Crostini. On the side was some Fried Kale that was nothing short of amazing in flavor. An altogether very satisfying dish.
Next came salads. Companion ordered the Kale Salad with Mandarin Oranges. The salad also contained the largest blueberries I have ever seen along with beet chips and orange beets. Companion could have made a meal out of just the salad.
I ordered the Buckwheat Noodle salad, which came with julienned green onions, julienned carrots, fresh edamame and, I believe cranberry beans. These last two items really made the salad sing.
Our main courses arrived, and I could not believe the size of my portion. Huge doesn't begin to describe it. A giant double cut Kurobuta Pork Chop with a Korean glaze served over a medley of mushrooms, sweet potato cubes and shiso leaves. The chop came with a giant knife which is the only ding I have for the meal. Since the knife is serrated it tended to tear the beautifully tender pork which did it an injustice. This piece of meat deserves a nice knife with a sharp edge instead of a serrated blade.
Companion ordered the special of the day, which was Seared Halibut on a bed of perfectly cooked Risotto with lemon and coconut flavors. The sear was perfection, and it was topped with a small amount of a chicken and veal stock mixture. Again, the portion size was huge but companion made a valiant effort to eat it all. In the end, a doggie bag won out!
Last was dessert. I ordered the Butterscotch Pudding Torte. I hadn't had Butterscotch since I was a child, and this brought back wonderful memories. A pool of butterscotch with a piece of dense but moist cake sitting on it. This was then covered with a tuile cookie which was topped with a wonderful coconut sorbet. Probably 2,000,000 calories, but you don't come here to count calories.
Companion ordered the Banana Bacon Bourbon Parfait, a whimsical dessert served in a mason jar. It was served with a layer of chocolate milk cream, a layer of caramel popcorn, and topped with candied pecans.
The restaurant was spotless, and examination of the restroom showed it to also be spotless and nicely stocked with amenities.
This restaurant serves a truly amazing meal complete with amazing service. If I defined the food of this restaurant in one word it would be fresh.
I give them the easiest 5 stars I have ever given out.
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