A little less than a month ago, I was invited to Elberta. I’m a sucker for a Brooklyn restaurant and I do believe gems can be found in Park Slope. I had originally heard about this place through my friend Dewayne who raved about their red velvet pancakes so I was looking forward to giving it a try myself. Elberta is in the nook of the growing Brooklyn Food Culture; It’s pig out on weekends there, but eat a little healthier during the week.
They have a 3-course dinner menu here but I had 13. Judge if you must. To start I had a thick carrot ginger soup in a milk base. It came with panko sesame seeds on top that was crunchy which created great contrast. The Bartender here, Woody, was very sweet and more importantly, knows his drinks. Be sure to tip him if you go. He made me a guava Cosmo that was pretty spicy but wound up being soft and it went well with my food.
Doing something different, I tried the Artichoke Tartar served with water chestnuts, izu and ponzu jelly sauce, pickled mustard seeds, and puffed black berries. The tartar was very comforting and went well against the chestnuts which I normally don’t enjoy. The combination was really enticing to my taste buds but overall it reminded me of a fresh salad.
The oyster in lemon sauce had a consistency I wasn’t used to. The oyster was cooked but the texture just wasn’t to my liking. I like my steak medium. But at Elberta’s, they wanted me to like steak tartar. So I tried it. It wasn’t everything I had hoped for but it came with this amazing bread. So amazing that I even took this bread home. And like cheese and wine, I put the steak on top of the bread and viola! AMAZING. This place is great for pairings. I was really happy that I got to enjoy the steak on this amazing bread.
Since I could use a new drink by this time, Woody came over and blessed me with this mojito full of cranberries and kumquats.
I had the chance to meet the chef, Jeremy, who was so kind and made me feel really humbled to be trying his dishes. He’s in a new space now and I really felt how comfortable he was at Elberta’s through his dishes. A happy Chef is equal to a happy customer. I realized that the chef and bartender were very interactive with the guests. After speaking to them, I could tell they really care about the customers’ experience. And as a customer myself, I appreciate that.
The sardine tasted just like the sea but ironically; it wasn’t “too fishy”. The octopus salad served with heirloom beans and kale below was very well made, cooked to perfection actually, and was a good combination/experience for me.
The roasted duck followed after that which happened to be a very rare cut full of fun flavors.
To tie up the entrée’s, I was served the Pork Belly Carbonara and the pasta was very cheesy. The pork itself was juicy and crispy but the Brussels were a bit too salty. I had the opportunity to try the seafood stew which included mussels, shrimp, scallops, and potatoes in a delicious fennel sauce. The Scallop was huge with a good chew to it, while the potatoes were very soft and went great with the sauce. The Mussels had an unexpected sour after taste to them that took me by surprise and the shrimp was juicy.
I ended the evening with the Graham crust cheesecake topped with a light blood orange sauce for dessert. The sauce was really the kick to the creamy finish without overpowering and I want to know what other desserts they have! Elberta’s is smooth and reasonably priced. They offer a lot of specials during the week that everyone is more than welcome to check out. Who knows, maybe you will see Food Before Love there again soon.
Update: This restaurant is now closed.
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