I went to Elf on a whim, after several unsuccessful attempts. The food was great! I had some kind of feta pastry that was perfect and some limeaid, a little too sweet, but good all the same. The atmosphere was really European. It reminded me of a great hidden vegetarian restaurant in Nice, France called Zucca Magica. Really incredible. It's a little higher priced than the average Echo Park eatery, but worth it for a special occasion \r
The corkage fee is unfortunate. I've worked as a server in fine dinning places that had cork fees. It makes sense to charge for this when a patron wants to bring in a wine, as the server has to supply glasses and inebriated customers usually stay at the table longer, keeping the restaurant and the server from making money. Not to mention that some folks bring their own things to be cheap, not realizing they are using valuable space and time for free. But...if a place doesn't have any wines available, then it's unfair to charge for this. We wanted wine with our meal, but it just feels stupid to have to interrupt your evening, go buy some wine and then pay the restaurant 5 bucks just to drink it there! \r
I'll go back though! This place is one of a kind.
Pros: Food Ambience
Cons: Cork fee
more