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Elegante


chartiec

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A party of 10 of us ate at a this new restaurant last night and had a wonderful evening. The baked brie appetizer and lobster entre were rated most highly by five of us that ordered them but everything was good. The service was exceptional and all of us felt the value was good. My only criticism is that the decor is a little sparce, but we trust that will be remedied in time and I am happy to recommend this new addition to the lakeside dining scene

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When we sat down, the hostess immediately told us that there was no filet mignon. The iceberg lettuce salad with bitter red onions and thickly sliced tomato with an unremarkable dressing was a disappointing start. The brie was good, not outstanding, but the rack of lamb was undersalted and again slightly bitter with the ubiquitous chopped red onions,  and served with lukewarm mashed potatoes and very undercooked asparagus. The chcolate mousse cake was served cold and was tasty but slightly dry.

Not impressed.

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We were at Elegante last night too...there were  6 of us in our group...the hostess was most pleasant and seated us  where we wished as we had a reservation...the wedge salad, tomato basil soup , and baked brie were starters and all were excellent...very tasty and  filling...the bread basket was the best we have tasted at lakeside and was  refilled without us asking... the filet mignon that some of our table chose was rated as the best  filet they have had here...the pork loin dish was outstanding as was the spaetzle which came with it...the asparagus,  which  all had  as a side vegetable with their  dinners ,was cooked to perfection...tender crisp as it should be...crème brulee and the chocolate mousse cake  were the selected desserts and did not disappoint...

The service was outstanding also...we can all hardly wait to return... this restaurant  is a gourmand's delight...

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4 hours ago, gringal said:

Who to believe here?  For some, awful and overpriced, for another, "a gourmand's delight".  We need more reviews, it would seem.  Hopefully, from people unassociated with the business.

OK I generally do not participate in the discussions on this forum as they so easily go off topic but I am going to provide my opinion of Elegante.

Four of us ate there the other night and each of us had a different entree. I had the flounder and it was dry and over cooked. My wife had the lamb and loved it. The other two had the pork and the filet and seemed satisfied but not overly impressed.

The tomato basil soup was excellent and the Cesar salad had no hint of garlic nor anchovy. Very bland. The chocolate mousse was good but no better or worse than other restaurants. The wine was about a fifth bottle pour which was a little skimpy and the labels were identical to those poured in other restaurants lakeside but the price was 60 pesos and these wines go for 40 pesos every where in town.

The decor is very dull and the chairs were uncomfortable for long periods of sitting. The service was friendly and effecient.

The tab for my wife and I was 1,200 pesos including tip.

Overall opinion is average or slightly above average and overpriced and I will go to St. Remy next time I want a special meal.

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1 hour ago, Mainecoons said:

I'm please Elegante is following this thread and taking note of the feedback.  No restaurant will please every customer but the ones that listen closely to their customers will please a lot more of them.

As always, a restaurant will not be successful unless it is consistent.  So  far, the reviews are all over the spectrum from cold potatoes to a joyous claim that they were served enough lobster tail to take some home.  (Aw, c'mon, on that one.  I've never left a single bit of a good real lobster tail on the plate, have you?)  Elegante charges just about the highest prices we see locally, so they need to work extra hard on consistency so that their customers feel it's well worth the cost.

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I think reviewing a restaurant's food, is a lot like reviewing a movie, everyone has their own take on it, some will love it, some won't.  I think the best thing to do is try it for yourself. Having said that, we have been to Elegante 3 times and each time the meals and service has improved.   My last meal there was my favorite, grilled shrimp with pesto,  plenty of shrimp and cooked just right. I ended up bringing some home because I wanted to save room for dessert. My husband loves the tuna, he gets it for an entree,  just has it seared, that night it was served with snow peas which I kept stealing off his plate.They  also make a great margarita! 

 

 

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1 hour ago, EX-PAT2011 said:

I think reviewing a restaurant's food, is a lot like reviewing a movie, everyone has their own take on it, some will love it, some won't.  I think the best thing to do is try it for yourself. Having said that, we have been to Elegante 3 times and each time the meals and service has improved.   My last meal there was my favorite, grilled shrimp with pesto,  plenty of shrimp and cooked just right. I ended up bringing some home because I wanted to save room for dessert. My husband loves the tuna, he gets it for an entree,  just has it seared, that night it was served with snow peas which I kept stealing off his plate.They  also make a great margarita! 

 

 

I don't agree that it is like a movie. That is a subjective judgment, based on many things.  With a restaurant, reports  can be quite objective.  If the potatoes are cold or the portion is small (as pictured), it's not simply an opinion.  So far, the reports are not consistent.  I'll wait to invest in a meal there until I hear more consistent reports.

I'm glad you enjoyed your own meals.

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1 hour ago, gringal said:

I don't agree that it is like a movie. That is a subjective judgment, based on many things.  With a restaurant, reports  can be quite objective.  If the potatoes are cold or the portion is small (as pictured), it's not simply an opinion.  So far, the reports are not consistent.  I'll wait to invest in a meal there until I hear more consistent reports.

I'm glad you enjoyed your own meals.

I agree, Gringal. Usually when a new restaurant receives wide ranging mixed reviews I am inclined to get there as soon as possible and see what I think. I am willing to risk up to 200 pesos on a meal that may or may not disappoint. But when I am looking at spending 500 pesos or so, I want better odds that I will consider it worth it. A restaurant that markets (and prices) itself as Ajijic's highest end dining needs to be consistently worthy of its reputation.

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I have only eaten at Elegante once, so I can't speak to consistency, but...

A couple of weeks ago a friend and I went there. She and I are both difficult to please.

We each had the small caesar to start, and she ordered the beef filet and I had the lightly breaded pork tenderloin with spaetzle. Shared a creme brulee for dessert. It was all absolutely perfect, thoroughly delcious. We kept looking at each other with wide eyes, as in, "Is yours as good as mine?" Of course we each tried the others food and agreed it was all delicious.

Service was attentive, maybe a bit overly so that night. And yes, the room is definitely minimally decorated to the point of being stark, but I don't care about any of that if the food remains this good. I hope they keep it up!

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  • 1 month later...

It would appear that all of the few posts thus far are somewhat contradictory.  We've been once and it was unremarkable.  As for the wines it would be our recommendation that the menu prices for wines should have been researched to see what other restaurants of note, at Lakeside, are charging for exactly the same wines. It is difficult for some, particularly if they're on a somewhat fixed budget to accept paying considerably more for a glass or bottle of wine that's considerably less money just a few blocks away.  Tough to justify, unless everything else experienced is somewhat exceptional.  We had friends tell us that a single response from the hostess as they examined the menu for the first time....was somewhat of a put-off and as the food they consumed was only "so/so", they have not returned either.  They asked if there was mint sauce or jelly available with the lamb.  The response:  "No!... and the chef will never serve it!"  There's not much quality  lamb available in restaurants locally.  If patrons ask for what they've come to expect with a particular meat, then why "haughtily" refuse such an innocent request and loose their future patronage. 

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We dined at Elegante last Friday, Oct. 4th.  We found the service and food to be superb and far superior to other local restaurants.  The tableware was good quality too which is something lacking in most other establishments.  I thought the wine pricing was fair and the mixed drink prices were reasonable. For a Prix Fixe menu @ $225 I'll gladly pay a few pennies more for a glass of wine!  I had the rack of lamb, it was the best I've had in my 12 years here.  The preparation was not one that would be complemented with mint jetty.  From our arrival to departure we found the service to be attentive and congenial.  We will return soon.  There has not been an affordable restaurant of this quality in the area for some time and we're happy to have Elegante.

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On 10/10/2017 at 4:47 PM, El Saltos said:

We dined at Elegante last Friday, Oct. 4th.  We found the service and food to be superb and far superior to other local restaurants.  The tableware was good quality too which is something lacking in most other establishments.  I thought the wine pricing was fair and the mixed drink prices were reasonable. For a Prix Fixe menu @ $225 I'll gladly pay a few pennies more for a glass of wine!  I had the rack of lamb, it was the best I've had in my 12 years here.  The preparation was not one that would be complemented with mint jetty.  From our arrival to departure we found the service to be attentive and congenial.  We will return soon.  There has not been an affordable restaurant of this quality in the area for some time and we're happy to have Elegante.

Was lamb a full rack (7 to 8 ribs) or 1/2 rack (3 or 4 ribs)?  Price of it, apprx??

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10 hours ago, bournemouth said:

Their menu has prices:  http://www.eleganteajijic.com/menu.html

OK, got the price, 340p.  But is it a whole rack or 1/2?  Reason I ask is that the previous poster said his wife had the rack of lamb.  Traditionally, a full rack feeds two people and is served that way.  So, half or full for 340p?

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