I’ve never been so happy to spend more money than I intended to spend.
That was my line of thinking as the GF and I exited Elle & Jack’s in downtown Wheeling the other night. It was our two-day late Valentine’s Day dinner. Two adults with varying work schedules will do that to you.
I wanted to go somewhere nice; somewhere with a little class, something I, personally, have little to speak of. I’d heard good things, and I know I enjoyed Avenue Eats back when it first opened on Washington Avenue in Wheeling.
Surely, this would be at least equal to, if not better, than those offerings. And the food was good. Oh, was it good, though in fairness, calling it “good” is a severe injustice.
In short? This is the best meal I’ve ever eaten. Ever. And it’s not even close. It was THAT good, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
I’d never been to the previous restaurant located at 1201 Main Street. Didn’t have much call at the time, so I went places that made more sense. But this was a special occasion, our first V-day together. So, to downtown Wheeling we went.
A few days prior I called to inquire if a reservation was required or suggested. A polite gentleman informed me that no, they weren’t required, but to be safe, I should make one. I’m glad I did. We walked in about 7 p.m., and there were only two tables left, both all the way in the back.
The restaurant aesthetics have an air of class about them, without screaming it in your face. We are by no means high society, but let’s just say the faces we passed on the way to our table are not the normal ones I see dining where we dine.
We’d scoped out the menu ahead of time, so we pretty much knew what we were going to order. But I have to say, the prices, while obviously not cheap, were less than I was expecting BEFORE I tried the food and far less than I’d expected AFTER tasting it.
Our bill came to over $100 with tip, but not by a lot. Given the amount of food we ordered since it was our first time, it was well worth every hour worked to afford it.
Now, on to the good part.
The Food
We both were brought glasses of water with lemon without request while our server took our regular drink order. I opted for a beer. They’d just run out of my original choice, the Brewkeepers IPA. So, I opted for a Golden Monkey draft. Side note—it was good. She opted for a mocktail with pomegranate as the main ingredient. She took a sip and instantly smiled.
She was trying to decide between ordering the grilled petite lamb chops or the braised meatballs as her main meal. Seeing as both were on the appetizer menu, I told her to pick one, we’ll get the other for an appetizer. So, she opted for the chops, we shared the meatball appetizer, and she got the herb-parmesan French fries with truffle aioli to go with her chops.
I ordered the cedar braised short ribs, which came with truffle whipped potato.
There were a lot of new flavors placed in front of us as first, the appetizers, followed by the entrée came, a few of which I’d never thought I’d enjoy. I discovered I was wrong.
Another thing I noticed is plating was taken into great consideration with the dishes, including the appetizers. The meatballs came out with an order of garlic bread, but this had fresh swabs of garlic to spread on the bread and not just a butter pat to spread or a shaker of garlic salt.
The meatballs, both the meat and sauce were amazing, and we each enjoyed the garlic bread.
When the entrées appeared, we naturally tried each other’s dishes. No sense depriving either of us of great flavors.
For me, the short ribs were tender and seasoned beautifully. But what really set it apart is when you mixed some of the ribs in a fork full of the truffle potatoes. It had the right amount of earthiness to what in other restaurants may be a side of your run-of-the-mill potatoes. These certainly didn’t fall into that category.
She quickly devoured her lamb chops. I got a small taste as I’ve never been a big fan of lamb—until I tried these. The seasoning and taste were such that I may order some next time, or move up to the braised lamb shank.
Her fries were also incredible, though many of them ended up in a box going home. We thought we were happily full. That is, of course, until presented with the dessert menu.
There were some great options, but we decided to share an order of the vanilla-Earl Grey crème Brulee. I’ve never had crème Brulee, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I took one bite and instantly thanked her for talking me into dessert. It was the perfect cap on what was an incredible meal.
Thinking alike, we both said at roughly the same time that Elle & Jack’s was our new go-to for special occasions. With my income level, this isn’t a weekly stop, though there are plenty who can, and likely do, swing it. As I said; it was not cheap. But, for what you receive in quality, the price point is definitely worth it.
I’m not as well-traveled as some, but thus far, I can say without a doubt that I’ve yet to taste food equal to the quality we experienced at Elle & Jack’s. Our server’s performance equaled that of the food, and for that we were also thankful.
This is not somewhere you want to skip out on trying. We’re so glad we didn’t pass it by.
