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| - My parents and I used to patron here quite frequently, but we had not been here in awhile. We came in on a lark after learning about the music festival in Tempe and deciding not to pay $10 for parking to eat at Rula Bula, our first choice.
We came in and were handed a thin, laminated menu, a far-cry from the book they used to have. Immediately, we knew things had changed. Elephant Bar has always suffered from an identity crisis, and I always found their menu long-winded and muddled. Limiting the menu could be good, if they cut the right things.
Looking through it, I could tell that the identity crisis continues, but we decided to stay and give it a try. We ordered the parmesan green beans for an appetizer, which was excellent. We had asparagus prepared in a similar way at Longhorn, but these were better. The sweet chili sauce that comes with it is very good. Five stars.
My mom and I ordered the lettuce wraps, and my dad ordered a burger with caramelized onion, pear and blue cheese. My dad's burger was excellent. It was well-cooked and flavorful. My mom and I were both disappointed with the lettuce wraps. They had an "off" flavor and lacked texture. We doctored them the best we could, dumping the tamarind sauce all top, mixing in the mango salsa and even asking for limes to boost the acid level. We lathered on peanut sauce and sprinkled salt, but it still managed to taste bland and uninspiring.
We each ate half, but our server could see we were dissatisfied. She offered to get us something else, but we declined. The manager came over and offered us a complimentary dessert, which was excellent. She helped us for the rest of our visit and was very pleasant.
Even though the visit was not what we had remembered and there were some lows, overall most of our food was tasty and the service was excellent. I would recommend with fine print: avoid the lettuce wraps.
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