Former Head of AN in Cary Opens New Restaurant in Chapel Hill

[burgeoningfoodie]

Elements is the name and the menu looks definitively smaller and focused. Maybe not as creative but still just as tasty.

http://www.elementsofchapelhill.com/i...

[dbird]

hugely disappointing. Some one in this thread already issued a warning re tuna tartare. I hadn't seen it on a menu anywhere in years and ordered out of nostalgia. They clearly threw it in a food processor. It was stringy and disgusting. Service was appalling, even by local standards. Arriving as a single woman in advance of my party I was ignored by host who seated later-arriving parties before me and worse. Waiter had no knowledge of the menu and no sense to offer to find out. I could go on but prefer to... go on.

[burgeoningfoodie]

Apparently Bin54 has it on their menu and is quite good according to.. LulusMom and if you go during a certain time frame, it is half off so would be 8-9 instead of the overpriced $17.

[meatn3]

So?

Has anyone tried them yet? What did you have, what do you think? Can't wait for details from the chow-hive-collective!

[LulusMom]

Lulu is sick and calling for me so i can't answer right this moment, but I ate with two other CHs. Maybe they can chime in with their thoughts on our meal.

[burgeoningfoodie]

Sushi was apparently a hit with Lulu. Stay away from the Tuna Tartare. We were there at the very beginning of their shift and so service was very slow, but entertained Lulu which was a plus. I am trying to recall what I had. Pork belly was good and the Green Papaya salad looked great though I think that was Lulu's order. What I had is no longer ont he menu if I recall. I think the diners' overall impressions is that it needs to find its footing but has potential. The time we were there it was hit and miss but it was also still going through the growing pains. Interior was soothingly stark compared to say the interior of Saffron which isn't in your face but has much more detail.

[LulusMom]

Lulu (who is better today and off at school) was thrilled with the place. She had a double helping of two sushi appetizers, and then got the green papaya salad with steak. I wish I'd had a bite because it looked very good. I ordered really badly - only raw seafood items. Some of those were very good, but as BF points out, the tuna tartare was not good. Not even a little. Not being a pork eater I didn't try the pork belly but there seemed to be disagreement among the two who got it as to whether there was enough spicing on it. I thought service was weird - either very much in our face or impossible to find someone when we needed them. I do think the issues can be ironed out given some time. I'd go back (especially since Lulu is clamoring for more of their raw fish) but I wouldnt' rush to do so. I talked to a friend who is a lurker here on the boards and she felt pretty much the way we did about it.

[bbqme]

Just a heads up if y'all haven't heard but Saffron in Chapel Hill has changed it's name to Ragha-- I think I spelled that correctly.

[meatn3]

Thanks to both you for the relaying your experiences. I loved An and will try Elements in the future. Between distance and funds I think I'll give them a little more time to find their footing.

So, When will Lulu's food blog be up and running? Just thought makes me smile. It would be interesting to hear her take on her dining experiences!

[LulusMom]

If you sit down with Lulu for more than 5-6 minutes, you will hear a LOT about her opinions.

I think I forgot to mention that she got a chocolate cake that she (and I) really enjoyed. I think BF wasn't so thrilled with it, if memory serves me correctly.

[burgeoningfoodie]

I don't recall.

[LulusMom]

Read about this in the Chapel Hill paper. The menu should change fairly regularly, as he's going to be shopping at farmers markets and buying whatever looks good there and then deciding what to do with it. I'm excited - seems a lot more interesting than what was there.

In the same place the Streets deli has closed and another restaurant will be going in - a pizza place if memory serves me correctly.

[Tom from Raleigh]

A sports bar is going into that old deli space

[LulusMom]

(hitting head) - That's right! Some place that already has a restaurant in Durham near the ball park, I think.

[romansperson]

Tobacco Road?

[cervisiam]

looks like it: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/0...

Tobacco Road Sports Cafe will be the anchor tenant at the East 54 Marketplace in Chapel Hill.

Tobacco Road will occupy 6,067 square feet and have a 3,000-square-foot outdoor patio fronting N.C. 54 and next to the Aloft Hotel. Tobacco Road has two other existing locations in the Triangle, in Raleigh’s Glenwood South entertainment district and in the Diamond View office building adjacent to the Durham Bulls ballpark.

[bbqme]

Good! Chapel Hill is lacking a top notch sports bar. Bailey's is pretty lame.

[brokegradstudent]

Pretty lame is pretty generous for Bailey's. My better half unwaveringly describes it as soul crushing.

[burgeoningfoodie]

I am by no means a sports bar fan, BUT (and not to stray from the topic of the post) this makes sense to me given the craziness of basketball and football in the area and that they already had a branch in Durham and Raleigh.

[meatn3]

I just opened my e-mail from them! I'd been hoping Michael Chuong would stay in the area. My meals at An were always very, very nice.

The menu at Elements looks quite good to me. I seldom see a dessert that interests me but I would have a hard time deciding between the ones currently described.

This is very exciting. I also like that his vegetarian options are not the same old same old - they show the same level of thought in flavor, texture and visual aspects as the rest of the menu.

[Tom from Raleigh]

Looks great to me! Like that they have salmon belly crudo on the menu