Ella Elli - Brunch

With three posts in a row about brunch, it could be implied that I have switched simply to doing brunch.  That is not the case.  It is simply that the places that I have gone to recently for dinner I have to been to before.  With that said, there are a lot of places for brunch and I rarely repeat.  I recently chose Ella Elli, a restaurant just off the Southport Corridor, that has a classic look and specializes in globally inspired cuisine (focusing on France and Italy).  It has an older brick exterior with large windows trimmed in black.  There is also a nice sidewalk patio surrounded by a trellis with the same black accent.  The interior dining area looks both classic and comfortable with comfortable furniture with a classic look by a fireplace used for waiting.  The bar in the back of the room has has a hardwood top and a light base and a tall shelf for their liquor selection behind the bar.  Besides the windows, lighting is provided by large white hanging globes and a few smaller globes on stands by the lounge area.  Photo credits for the restaurant go to Rich Frachey.

In addition to coffee (La Colombe) and juice, there is a pretty good brunch cocktail selection that goes beyond Bloody Marys and Mimosas.  While I did have some coffee , I also had a coffee based cocktail called Cold Buzz.  Served in a Coupe Glass, it started with Old Forester Bourbon, a liquor I will generally pass on, but with the addition of Amaro, La Colombe Cold Brew Coffee, and Demerara (raw sugar) Syrup.  It made for a very good cocktail.  It was bitter, sweet, with flavors of oak from the bourbon, and a good coffee flavor.  The bourbon and coffee paired very well and the amaro and demerara syrup tied it together well.  It was actually kind of a spin on an Old Fashioned with coffee added and I really liked it.

While there is a Bakery Board on the menu which provides a variety of pastries for sharing, I was already going to be getting a lot of bread with my main course so I went with a simple Fruit Salad for the sweet side of my brunch.  Admittedly, when I order fruit salad, I get a little worried because it will frequently have canteloupe, a fruit that I really don't care for.  I was very happy to see that this fruit salad had a wide variety of fruit:  Grapes, Plums, Blueberries, and Golden Raspberries.  It also did not contain any canteloupe which made me very happy.  It was one of the best fruit salds I have had in a while.

My main course was essentially a breakfast pizza.  It was served on a board and they called it a Prosciutto Flatbread, but aside from the shape (rectangular), it was essentially the same as a pizza.  In addition to the Crispy Crust and the Prosciutto, it also had Arugula, Crispy Potatoes, a Farm Egg, and Parmagiano-Reggiano Cheese.  It was pretty big and could have been shared fairly easily, but I enjoyed it by myself.

I really enjoyed brunch here.  The place has a classic look and is very comfortable, the staff is friendly, and the food is very good.  I will have to return for dinner sometime.