It is such a shame that management can't fix the problems here. I would eat here regularly if they could get their act together. I had to literally go into the kitchen to beg someone to come take our order. When the food finally came it was missing 2 major ingredients. There is so much potential due to the location. Whoever is making management decisions here needs to be replaced. Seriously. Great ambiance and menu, but service and food quality is greatly flawed. I will try you again in a few months and hope you do whatever it takes to get the place properly staffed. Must be so stressful for the skeleton staff that is there now. It is not the fault of the staff. They were doing their best. Need more training, more employees, otherwise you are just throwing money down the drain maintaining this beautiful space. Such a shame.
Paul
We went before seeing a play at the DCPA. The restaurant is on the 4th floor of the Embassy Suites Hotel and most of the people were on the casual side of the restaurant taking advantage of the hotel's free happy hour. The formal side was empty when we arrived and they let us pick our table. The waiter and bartender treated us like we were their only guests (which we were for the first 15 minutes). The bartender gave us some good drink recommendations and the waiter steered us toward some good food options. The food was very good especially the mashed potatoes. The menu was fairly limited and more casual than I expected. The prices are much more affordable than other places nearby. It was a good value and would go there again.
Tina
We waited over an hour from getting our drinks to receiving food. Then received appetizers and meals all at once... and it was obvious they had been sitting under the lamps a long time. Steak on nachos was raw instead of medium rare and now dried out from being under the lamp. Some nachos were so soggy they fell apart and you couldn't pick them up, while others were all dried out, presumably again from being under lamp too long. Trout dinner was full of bones and dried out, again, probably sat too long under lamp. When we told the waiter, he apologized and said they only had one cook in the kitchen, so he was backed up, but made no offer to replace anything or credit anything. Not someplace we will be going back to. Could have been a bad night, unsure, but too many other choices downtown to risk a second trip.
LYNNETTE
when we came to the hotel, the restaurant is on the 4th flr. On 4th flr its not marked clear as to where to go for actual Elements restaurant. Had to ask several people. There were 2 separate rooms areas. and no one was at the desk to receive customers when we found it. We sat in the bar area so my Boyfriend could watch the Hocky game while we ate. The food was good but my boyfriend felt his salmon portion was small and complained. I had the Meat loaf which was a good portion. Included sides. not the type of restaurant we would normal go to if downtown. It nice if your staying at the Hotel. i was just looking for a nice place to eat at before our show at the Theatre that was close by.
Jim
Restaurant was understaffed to the point that even though we allocated 90 minutes for dinner, we had to leave before our food arrived to make our show. The table next to us was there for 2 hours! I felt sorry for the waitstaff.
Tami
Food was good, a bit pricey. Not a huge menu selection. Staff was friendly. But didn't check on us often. We were ready to leave and waiter was gone. They ere not busy.
Lisa
Had a wonderful dinner last night. Wasn't sure what to expect when we walked into the hotel, and was very pleasantly surprised. The first question from our server was if we were going to a performance after dinner. Since the answer was yes, we were very pleased that she did everything she could to keep us on time. The food was delicious! We both had a fish - the tuna nicoise and the trout. Beautifully prepared. A perfect crème brûlée and off we went: on time and well fed. Give it a try!!
Lori
Food was not great, repair work was going on in the dining room and only 1 server was there. The manager was helping and he was great but otherwise it's an expensive restaurant and not worth it when there are so many other better options in that area.
Anne
We arrived nearly early and my husband and I shared a meal and dessert because we're light eaters and couldn't take boxed leftovers to the theater or leave it in our car. It would be understandable if the staff felt we overstayed our welcome, and at some restaurants, we would have probably felt we were imposing. Our server at Elements was gracious throughout and acted as if our two-hour visit for a light dinner was perfectly acceptable. (He was serving a couple of larger parties at other tables, but he continued to make eye contact with us, refilling water, etc., without hovering.) Thank you for always making us feel welcome. We don't get downtown often, and now Elements is always part of our plans.
Debbie
Just awful all the way around. Mostly empty restaurant, and ordered the trout with a different mashed potato than offered. 35 minutes later the waiter tells me, we are waiting on the potatoes. After 40 minutes, I asked to speak to mgr. and let her know of the unacceptable situation and she responds it was a communication error and they made me the wrong entree. Meanwhile, about 5 tables came in after me and the only ones that got any food during this time were the one's who ordered takeout. Then free chips and salsa came out for the remaining tables waiting. Did I get free chips? No. At the 50 minute mark, my fish dinner was delivered by the mgr. with an apology. A small portion, but moist and tasty. However, the veg and mashed potatoes were barely warm!! Nobody came by to check on my meal until after I finished the fish. Took the potatoes home. Waiter presented me the check with the take out box, not even asking if I wanted dessert and I let him know of his error and my aggravation. 50 minutes for an entree that should have taken no more than 15 to execute. IMHO the restaurant mgr. should have comped my meal or at least offered a comp dessert. Instead she took off a whopping $5 of my bill for the poor performance of her team. I was able to re-direct 2 tables to eat elsewhere that night. All the other tables were still waiting for their food when I left. Evaluate the room before sitting down if you choose to eat here.
The service was very good. Food was good but nothing special for the price. We shared two appetizers and a sandwich and the bill was $100.
Deborah
Yuan was our server and he was excellent! It was a special event and they gave us a great table and a dessert to celebrate. It was quick and yummy chicken salad!
Kelly Benson
Service was slow. Food was mediocre even for a hotel restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Mary
Elements is the perfect place for supper before a DCPA performance. Great service, varied menu, yummy food, and a calm setting before being immersed in the crowd.
Abbe
They seated my 2-person reservation immediately next to a table of 8 and there were many other unoccupied tables to chose from.
It is such a shame that management can't fix the problems here. I would eat here regularly if they could get their act together. I had to literally go into the kitchen to beg someone to come take our order. When the food finally came it was missing 2 major ingredients. There is so much potential due to the location. Whoever is making management decisions here needs to be replaced. Seriously. Great ambiance and menu, but service and food quality is greatly flawed. I will try you again in a few months and hope you do whatever it takes to get the place properly staffed. Must be so stressful for the skeleton staff that is there now. It is not the fault of the staff. They were doing their best. Need more training, more employees, otherwise you are just throwing money down the drain maintaining this beautiful space. Such a shame.
We went before seeing a play at the DCPA. The restaurant is on the 4th floor of the Embassy Suites Hotel and most of the people were on the casual side of the restaurant taking advantage of the hotel's free happy hour. The formal side was empty when we arrived and they let us pick our table. The waiter and bartender treated us like we were their only guests (which we were for the first 15 minutes). The bartender gave us some good drink recommendations and the waiter steered us toward some good food options. The food was very good especially the mashed potatoes. The menu was fairly limited and more casual than I expected. The prices are much more affordable than other places nearby. It was a good value and would go there again.
We waited over an hour from getting our drinks to receiving food. Then received appetizers and meals all at once... and it was obvious they had been sitting under the lamps a long time. Steak on nachos was raw instead of medium rare and now dried out from being under the lamp. Some nachos were so soggy they fell apart and you couldn't pick them up, while others were all dried out, presumably again from being under lamp too long. Trout dinner was full of bones and dried out, again, probably sat too long under lamp. When we told the waiter, he apologized and said they only had one cook in the kitchen, so he was backed up, but made no offer to replace anything or credit anything. Not someplace we will be going back to. Could have been a bad night, unsure, but too many other choices downtown to risk a second trip.
when we came to the hotel, the restaurant is on the 4th flr. On 4th flr its not marked clear as to where to go for actual Elements restaurant. Had to ask several people. There were 2 separate rooms areas. and no one was at the desk to receive customers when we found it. We sat in the bar area so my Boyfriend could watch the Hocky game while we ate. The food was good but my boyfriend felt his salmon portion was small and complained. I had the Meat loaf which was a good portion. Included sides. not the type of restaurant we would normal go to if downtown. It nice if your staying at the Hotel. i was just looking for a nice place to eat at before our show at the Theatre that was close by.
Restaurant was understaffed to the point that even though we allocated 90 minutes for dinner, we had to leave before our food arrived to make our show. The table next to us was there for 2 hours! I felt sorry for the waitstaff.
Food was good, a bit pricey. Not a huge menu selection. Staff was friendly. But didn't check on us often. We were ready to leave and waiter was gone. They ere not busy.
Had a wonderful dinner last night. Wasn't sure what to expect when we walked into the hotel, and was very pleasantly surprised. The first question from our server was if we were going to a performance after dinner. Since the answer was yes, we were very pleased that she did everything she could to keep us on time. The food was delicious! We both had a fish - the tuna nicoise and the trout. Beautifully prepared. A perfect crème brûlée and off we went: on time and well fed. Give it a try!!
Food was not great, repair work was going on in the dining room and only 1 server was there. The manager was helping and he was great but otherwise it's an expensive restaurant and not worth it when there are so many other better options in that area.
We arrived nearly early and my husband and I shared a meal and dessert because we're light eaters and couldn't take boxed leftovers to the theater or leave it in our car. It would be understandable if the staff felt we overstayed our welcome, and at some restaurants, we would have probably felt we were imposing. Our server at Elements was gracious throughout and acted as if our two-hour visit for a light dinner was perfectly acceptable. (He was serving a couple of larger parties at other tables, but he continued to make eye contact with us, refilling water, etc., without hovering.) Thank you for always making us feel welcome. We don't get downtown often, and now Elements is always part of our plans.
Just awful all the way around. Mostly empty restaurant, and ordered the trout with a different mashed potato than offered. 35 minutes later the waiter tells me, we are waiting on the potatoes. After 40 minutes, I asked to speak to mgr. and let her know of the unacceptable situation and she responds it was a communication error and they made me the wrong entree. Meanwhile, about 5 tables came in after me and the only ones that got any food during this time were the one's who ordered takeout. Then free chips and salsa came out for the remaining tables waiting. Did I get free chips? No. At the 50 minute mark, my fish dinner was delivered by the mgr. with an apology. A small portion, but moist and tasty. However, the veg and mashed potatoes were barely warm!! Nobody came by to check on my meal until after I finished the fish. Took the potatoes home. Waiter presented me the check with the take out box, not even asking if I wanted dessert and I let him know of his error and my aggravation. 50 minutes for an entree that should have taken no more than 15 to execute. IMHO the restaurant mgr. should have comped my meal or at least offered a comp dessert. Instead she took off a whopping $5 of my bill for the poor performance of her team. I was able to re-direct 2 tables to eat elsewhere that night. All the other tables were still waiting for their food when I left. Evaluate the room before sitting down if you choose to eat here.
Restaurantji Recommends
The service was very good. Food was good but nothing special for the price. We shared two appetizers and a sandwich and the bill was $100.
Yuan was our server and he was excellent! It was a special event and they gave us a great table and a dessert to celebrate. It was quick and yummy chicken salad!
Service was slow. Food was mediocre even for a hotel restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Elements is the perfect place for supper before a DCPA performance. Great service, varied menu, yummy food, and a calm setting before being immersed in the crowd.
They seated my 2-person reservation immediately next to a table of 8 and there were many other unoccupied tables to chose from.
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