Checked out Elle Restaurant and Lounge in Solon, Ohio a while back. The night we were there they had only been opened for two weeks but you would have never known. The food was on point and the service was honestly amazing for a new restaurant. So many talented people have a hand in this restaurant. Which we did not know when we went. Chef Patrick Capuozzo, who has accolades such as Lolita, Paralax and Flying Fig, some of Cleveland’s top restaurants at one point or another, created the menu. Mixologist Luke Haldman, formerly of Crumb and Spigot. Lastly the owners Izzy Schachner, and Jay Leitson, who own another Cleveland restaurant or two.
Elle is in a little building, that you honestly would never know was a restaurant unless someone told you to go check them out. I’m that person, I’m telling you to go check them out!!
The inside of the building is gorgeous. The bright colored walls with the warehouse high ceiling and elegant chandeliers gives this restaurant such character. When we were there not all the wall art was in yet, but the art that was up was modern and just added to the character of the restaurant. The restaurant is on the smaller side with the kitchen and bar toward the front of the building and then you walk back to the dining area.
They have a decent size drink menu with specialty house cocktails, beer and wine. We started with the Marsala Manhattan, an Old Fashioned and the Pear Mule. The Manhattan is made with Michter’s, which is a bourbon I do really like, Chai infused sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitters. I have never had Chai infused sweet Vermouth so I’m not sure if you should get a strong Chai flavor or not but I didn’t think it was. I did really enjoy their version of a Manhattan though. The Pear Mule came to the table slightly smoking as it comes with torched cinnamon swizzle, we weren’t expecting that and it was pretty cool. The mule gets the pear flavor from pear brandy instead of a vodka which was also something that was really different.
For starters, I will say it was tough to just pick two. We were also looking at the eggplant fritters and lamb meatballs along with what we ordered. We finally decided on the whipped burrata and the calamari. The whipped burrata came with a roasted pepper and tomato salad and herb oil, which both really gave the dish it’s flavor. The burrata is a very mild cheese and needed this salad and oil to provide some flavor. It’s served on grilled flatbread and crostini. I did enjoy the texture of the burrata and the dish itself. The burrata is just a little bland for my flavor profile.
The calamari on the other hand had tons of flavor and was fried to perfection. It came with a lemon aioli that had so much fresh flavor and then some pickled carrots and arugula. This dish was amazing! I would still suggest both appetizers. I would just warn if you are looking for lots of flavor the burrata is not the dish to pick.
For dinner we went with two of the pasta dishes and one of the main dishes. The best dish out of the three was the linguini, which we kept questioning if we should try it because it does not come with a protein and the sauce was something we were not familiar with. The linguine was thin pasta with a saffron cream sauce, that was so so good. It also had pecorino cheese, roasted red pepper, roasted tomato, parsley and chili crumb on top. The dish just had so much flavor and didn’t need a protein. We also tried the gnocchi bolognese which I will be honest compared to everything else we tried this night fell a little flat for me. The gnocchi was pillowy just like it should be but the meat sauce was missing something and was a little on the bland side compared to the other dishes and other bolognese I have had. The dish is made with slow cooked beef, house pancetta, San marzano, rosemary and ricotta.
Lastly, we tried the roasted cauliflower, which I know what you are thinking why? With all the other amazing sounding dishes. I just really wanted to try something outside my comfort zone and I was shocked how much I liked it. The aguachile sauce is normally sauce mixed with shrimp but in this dish cauliflower is used instead with garbanzo beans, beluga lentils, harissa and coriander. The cauliflower was cooked perfect. It was soft but still had a crunch to it. The beans made the dish more filling and mixed really well with the cauliflower. The sauce was a vibrant green color with so much flavor and a little bit of spice from the coriander and the harissa. But it wasn’t too spicy.
Since it was my friends birthday they brought her a chocolate mousse with a biscotti. I don’t eat a lot of chocolate but this was ok and I think worked really well with the biscotti, which held up to the mousse.
We also tried the cheesecake with whipped cream and cherries. The cheesecake was the perfect texture and the cherries just added to the flavor.
Elle has an amazing atmosphere and great vibe. I enjoyed the unique drink and food choices. I was really impressed with this restaurant. You would have never known it had only been two weeks at the time they had been opened. I can’t wait to go back and try some other items off the menu. Have you been to this adorable restaurant? What were your thoughts?