Perfect service, great views make dinner date a success
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: Four days out, Elements had only two Friday reservations available. We took the 5:30 p.m. slot and, after arriving early and spending a few soothing minutes in the scenic Jade Bar, were escorted to our table.

Service: Perfectly orchestrated and over-the-top without being stuffy or distracting. Our server shared every possible detail of the night’s special, including the price. He let us know how he planned to serve the first half of our order (appetizer first, followed by salad and soup with extra spoon), and he talked us into a less expensive entree. The rest of the staff (the hostess who sat us in a U-shaped booth 5 feet from the restaurant’s panoramic wall of windows, and the various men who slowly poured every last drop of my giant bottle of mineral water) were wonderful as well.

What we liked: I had heard the views from this Camelback resort restaurant were spectacular, but the 180-degree mountain vistas still blew me away. One would think the food would be just as breathtaking but, for the most part, it wasn’t. Everything was good, just not great. The one exception came early on with our creamy, irresistible roasted cauliflower and bacon soup. The soup was poured at the table over a small pile of crunchy bacon bits in the center of a hot bowl. Beyond the soup and the arty, abstract sheet of caramelized sugar that cut a horizontal swath through our gooseberry tart, plate presentation was far from unique. Our bruschetta (a messy pile of roasted fennel, artichoke, feta cheese and lemon aioli) and farmers market salad were both basic in look and taste. While our $34 seared venison was perfectly prepared and our $30 shrimp tempura was light, crunchy and scrumptious, both were lacking in creativity. The shrimp formed a tails-up circle around a bland mound of rice and avocado chunks, while slices of venison fanned around a pile of blah braised spinach. Ho-hum.

Scene: The sleek, sexy, dark design radiates elegant sophistication, yet it’s subtle enough to let those multimillion-dollar views steal the show. We enjoyed the simple Asian touches, especially the small ceramic yin-yang bowl of salt and pepper with its adorable serving spoon and the traditional hot hand towels. Elements is a perfect fit for everyone, from twentysomething successes to old-money types.

Bathroom break: Shadows the look of the dining room. Scored points for having Thievery Corporation’s “Lebanese Blonde” on the playlist.

Tab for two: $148 with tip and tax for artichoke bruschetta ($11), soup ($9), salad ($8), tempura shrimp ($30), venison ($34), creme brulee ($8), gooseberry tart ($8) and a large sparkling water ($6).

If work weren’t buying: I’d go for breakfast or brunch. You get the same serene beauty and stellar service for half the price. Plus, nightfall won’t steal your view.

Pampering is nice, but how about knowing more about the menu?

By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: We arrived a half-hour before our 8 p.m. reservation and were seated immediately at a back corner table.

Service: As you’d expect from a resort/spa restaurant, service is pampering bordering on hovering. The premeal hot towels and constant refilling of water glasses were nice, but we would have preferred our server have better knowledge of the kitchen and bar stock. He got our hopes up over the foie gras, only to return with news that the kitchen was out of it. Strike two was not asking how we wanted our filet cooked.

What we liked: Typical of a spa restaurant, you’ll find Elements plays it safe with the entrees — venison loin, filet, grilled salmon — and reserves the real experimentation for the appetizers. We would have liked to see a tasting menu option, but in its absence we created our own, relishing the appetizers (which quickly launch your bill into the more-than-$100 stratosphere). The apps are exotic comfort food, from a soy-cured salmon elevated by avocado and grapefruit to a tender Kobe beef carpaccio with bits of black truffle. The crispy duck and scallion wontons changed my companion’s aversion to fowl — hallelujah — and the buttered leek and pancetta tart with goat cheese and balsamic syrup was so lip-smacking it called out for seconds, though our rapidly filling stomachs demurred. Our bacon-wrapped filet came medium-rare — we would have preferred rare — but was still delicious, if not exactly exciting. We finished the meal with a dessert of chilled ice wine and the chocolate peanut butter decadence, a delectable peanut butter mousse in a chocolate shell.

Scene: Scene is everything at Elements, which kisses up against Camelback Mountain and bathes in the Phoenix skyline with sweeping expanses of glass. We suggest you not go late in the evening, though, because there isn’t much to see once the sky goes black; light from the restaurant reflects against the windows, making it easier to check for food in your teeth than take in the view. Opt for a sunset reservation instead.

Bathroom break: Clean and well-stocked, though we would have expected a bathroom attendant considering the swanky digs.

Tab for two: $142 with tax and tip for Kobe beef carpaccio ($15), soy-cured salmon ($14), crispy duck and scallion wontons ($12), buttered leek and pancetta tart ($11), bacon-wrapped filet ($32), ice wine ($13) and chocolate peanut butter decadence ($8).

If work weren’t buying: Our choice for genre- and gut-busting culinary creativity is still cozy little Binkley’s in Cave Creek, but foodies for whom atmosphere is as important as what’s plated up will be satisfied by Elements. We might be back for the foie gras, but only if the sun’s up.

Elements
5700 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley

Major cross streets: McDonald Drive and Tatum Boulevard
Hours: Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; brunch on Sundays.
Reservations accepted? Yes
Most recent health report: One major violation on Jan. 22
Kid friendly? No
Web site: www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com/elements