Alphabedible Adventures: Ellendale's Restaurant

Thanks to the recommendation of two of our followers on Twitter, our adventure this week was at historical Ellendale’s Restaurant. Ellendale’s describes itself as a, “family owned and operated restaurant serving Contemporary American Cuisine. Our menu offers creative, hand crafted dishes featuring fresh produce harvested from our own garden, presented with Southern Charm in our own Historic Farmhouse.” We couldn’t have described it better.

The history behind this family restaurant is even more enduring. Ellendale’s was named after Ellen Dale Ives, the great grandmother of the restaurant’s creator and head chef. Ellen Dale Ives was well known and revered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for her kindness and philanthropy. After growing up reading about the heroism of her great grandmother, Julie Buhler decided to start a restaurant bearing the name of this wonderful woman. Boy, are we glad she did!

Truth be told, we were a little weary about trekking over to Donelson to dine at an unknown restaurant near the airport, but anything for Alphabedible Adventures! We were pleasantly surprised by what we discovered. When we drove up Donelson Pike and turned onto Old Elm Hill Pike, we were shocked at what we saw; a gorgeous house on a hill that looked like it was waiting there just for us. We drove up the driveway, parked the car and began what we were sure would be a wonderful evening. Another pleasant surprise for the night: retired Alphabedile adventurer; Ben decided to join us for our “E”xperience at Ellendale’s. We were thrilled to have him.

Walking through the threshold of this historic home, one immediately forgets the signs for airport parking and gas station down the street. It almost felt as if we were coming home for dinner. The dim lighting, antique furniture and warmth welcomed us in from the cold. From what we could see, the entire downstairs of the house was for dining and the upstairs may have been offices or private rooms for large parties. Downstairs there were three unique dining rooms and a more casual lounge. Each parlor was lightly peppered with eclectic antiques and old photographs that may have even come from the time of Ellen Dale Ives herself.

The hostess greeted us, took our coats and sat us immediately. Once we were settled, our waitress came with dinner and wine menus. The ample wine list complimented an extensive menu of beef, poultry, fish and pasta. Choosing a glass of wine to drink was definitely the easiest decision of the night as the overwhelmingly extensive appetizer menu took us three visits from the waitress before we could settle on something. Brian employed a rating system to help us narrow down the choices, luckily, or we would still be deciding! We ended up with two seafood themed appetizers:

Lango crabby cakes ($9) ”Langostino crab cakes served with a cool spicy avocado sauce.”

Asiago crusted calamari – ($10) "Calamari dusted with semolina flour & asiago cheese, lightly fried & served with a trio of Italian dipping sauces."

If we could have, we definitely would have ordered every appetizer on the menu, but the two we picked definitely did not disappoint. The four dollar sized pancakes were beautifully presented around the avocado sauce. We found it interesting that the words chosen to describe the sauce were cool and spicy, two contradicting terms, but surprisingly enough it was just that! The calamari was a much better dish for sharing. They came with three sauces, garlic aioli, marinara, and basil pesto. It was a beautiful medley of color and texture, each better than the next. We could have been happy with just appetizers, but our main courses were just around the corner.

After an eternity of making up our minds, we each settled on a different protein for our main course.

Brian’s mind was made up as soon as he heard the special: Baked catfish filet ($20)- served over renowned Italian sheep’s milk pecorino romano cheese and mushroom risotto with asparagus spears and a balsamic reduction. We all agreed that the catfish would have been better with a little crunch. As Brian said, “catfish is a dish best served fried.” We also agreed that the risotto more than compensated both in flavor and quantity. Our waitress let us know that Brian was the first patron of the night to partake in the special. I think now we know why.

Tracy chose the glazed apple brandy pork chop ($21)- "Hand cut 12 oz pork chop brined in buttermilk & grilled with a rich brandy & honey lacquer. Topped with spiced apple fries & served with a mango-apple chutney, mashed sweet potatoes, and vegetable casserole." The only word to describe this dish was SWEET! It all melted together to form a delicious combination of textures. The mango apple chutney and sweet potatoes were absolutely delicious and a table hit.

Last but not least, Ben ordered what turned out to be the table favorite of the night, the braised short ribs ($20) "Short ribs braised in merlot and veal stock. Served with pommes frites (hand-cut fries) and vegetable casserole." After both Brian and Tracy’s plates had been cleared, Ben was still practically licking his. The short ribs were melt-in-your-mouth good. The pommes frites were a little on the soggy side but the Dijon aioli was a great accoutrement.

After such great meals, it was hard to even imagine eating dessert, but the show must go on! We were definitely all “choiced” out so we went with the always-changing large dessert sampler ($15), the perfect dessert choice for the indecisive! Because, the sampler is chef’s choice, we had no idea what we were going to be served, but we were happy to find out. Our waitress brought out a large dish featuring mini versions of that night’s desserts: Irish stout bread pudding, banana spring rolls, classic crème brule, raspberry sorbet, Oreo ice cream, cheesecake with raspberry drizzle, chocolate chip cookie bar, chocolate fudge square with raspberry filling and dark chocolate fondue with strawberries and pineapple.

Brian and Ben were hoping to try the banana spring rolls and were pleased to find them on our desert tray. They loved them as much as they thought they would. Other big hits were the Oreo ice cream, bread pudding (Tracy’s favorite) and the fondue. If you know exactly what you want for dessert than the sampler isn’t for you, but if you and a couple of friends want to try all the sweets Ellendale’s has to offer then the sampler is a great option.

All in all, we had a lovely experience at Ellendale’s and can’t wait to go back. After all, we have so many more appetizers to try!

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