While I was home for the weekend, I had a chance to try elements restaurant in Princeton, NJ. Because there were only late reservations for Saturday night, my mom and I went for Sunday brunch instead. I forgot my camera but wanted to write up a little blurb about my first visit to this restaurant.
The restaurant has a few interesting "focal points": artisanal, house-made products, local ingredients, interpreted American food, and being one of the few restaurants in the US to source "Kindai" bluefin tuna from Japan. It might seem like they're trying to do too many "trends" at once, but believe me, they know what they're doing here.
The restaurant is very spacious and elegant, but not too fussy. I got a skim cappuccino to start, and an assortment of house-baked scones, muffins, and a croissant were brought out, as well as house-made butter and raspberry jam. It was hard to not eat all of them, especially since they seemed so reasonably sized, about 2-bites each. An amuse-bouche of cold cucumber soup with togarashi was served in an espresso mug, and it was refreshing but not watery like some cucumber soups can be. We shared the "French style" scramble, Kampachi sashimi, and the Kindai tuna tartare (available on the Dinner menu; we asked about the tuna and they said they could make it for us for brunch).
The "French style" scramble was creamy, fluffy, and light- I loved it and I HATE eggs for the most part, so that should definitely say something. It came with house-made bacon which was crispy, flavorful, and not greasy at all, as well as 3 slices of toast on the side. The Kampachi sashimi was meaty and fresh, with a pretty presentation of what we thought were tobikko and sansho leaves on top. The Kindai tuna tartare was flavorful and tasty- the only flaw might be the presentation (akin to, well, tuna sashimi poop in shape). Overall the plates were excellent and equal care was taken for taste and the presentation, which is really important.
We passed on dessert, but due to a wait for the credit card machine to work, our server brought out a mini tray of chocolate truffles, a carrot cake financier, and a sugared fruit jelly, so we got a little taste of their sweet plates after all. The petite desserts were the perfect size for finishing off the brunch.
Final verdict? This place was pretty freakin tasty. It's about time something like this was in Princeton- this sort of restaurant might not sound so special for a bigger city, but for the Princeton area this was like a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the service, and most importantly, the FOOD. Sunday brunch menus can be pretty tiresome after a while, but this menu has a great variety, and allows you to try out what elements has to offer for lunch and dinner as well. I'd recommend it for any special occasion or for something new, especially when someone else is paying :-)
elements restaurant
163 Bayard Lane (next to the Shell station...weird, yes, but will make it easier to find, trust me)
Princeton, NJ 08540
609.924.0078
Reservations by phone or OpenTable
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