Artisan — Restaurant in Elkhart

My bf and I chose this place to celebrate this year's Valentine's day. And I'm glad to say that I haven't had a better food experience in Elkhart till now. This is a fancy place, and by fancy, I mean the food is good, the portion sizes are small-decent, the presentation of food is excellent and the prices are exorbitant. We started our evening with drinks, OEC and Maple cocktails, not too strong, just appropriate with our appetizers and main course meals. Then my bf ordered crab cakes and I had the beet salad, our waiter's recommendation for appetizer. It was a decent to big sized crab cake, and he loved it. My beet salad was delicately balanced between sweet and savory flavors. If I was following my diet plan, this would be enough for my evening. However, we cheated.

Next we ordered duck for him, and I got the chicken pasta dish without the chicken. It was still with marsala sauce, broccoli and mushrooms. I believe it would have been better with the chicken. It was decent, not extraordinary for me. He loved his duck, but was little confused about the side dish that the duck was placed on, a bit of a mush. I think I tried a thin apple slice and it was not suiting my taste at all.

The dishes were timed nicely, so in between appetizer and main course, we had about 10min to talk and make more food space in our tummies. I hogged on their fresh bread and butter which they had served on the house. Overall , I would average out food to be a 4 on 5, the service was excellent. Our waiter was very engaging and easy to understand when he explained the extra dishes and recommendations. A 5 star service, and ambience would be a 4.5 star... very light music in the background and we were seated in a corner at the end of the room.

On the side, two experiences made it weird for me/us ... When the last couple joined on one side of our table (bf side), I caught the guy weirdly staring at my breasts at least three times. He instantly gazed away when I looked at him... So that was a bit weird to experience in such a civilized atmosphere. Second, my bf's coat was checked in when we entered and the greeter failed to mention she was giving us a tag for it. So when we went back to get it, she requested for it and my bf was clueless about it... Hmm... just delayed getting out longer. If you are choosing to come here around peak dining hour or celebrate an occasion, I'd recommend reserving your table in advance. I do not believe there is WiFi, and the restrooms are very clean. If you have any issues, the servers are approachable. Overall, a must place to visit if you're a foodie... Good luck and happy...

What a lovely gem in Elkhart! First time going, my mother in law loves this place! The staff is genuinely friendly. The owner is lovely. He's charismatic and welcoming. The ambience is perfect! Not to dim and not overtly bright. The colors, hues, decor was all complimentary to the lighting. Nothing over the top or boring. Now the food. French Cuisine. Their bread is to die for! I love that the butter is salt free, but you can add 3 different types of salt from the table to it as you butter your bread. You could make a meal of that got sure! I had the onion soup, it not French but was very good. I loved the parmesan crisp. It was served at the proper temperature for eating, but I like my soup piping hot. Which they will do for you if you ask. The boyfriend has a crabcake appetizer. It was filled with scrumptious crab and it was thick and big. He ordered the ribeye with lobster tail. The ribeye was cooked splendidly and so was the lobster. The vegetables are the best I've had at a restaurant in a while. Not under/over cooked. I had the steak gnudi. It wasn't my cup of tea, although the cheese dumplings were wonderful. The tenderloin pieces were marvelous and I generally don't go out for steak anymore because I can cook them better. But this place does steak justice! I sampled the dessert from my mother in law. The afagato is yummy, but it's their chocolate almond biscotti that they make on house that sells this dessert. So it is an upscale restaurant, but they don't act snooty, but the price is there. But I feel it's justified. Entrees are going to run you from $25-40 a plate depending on what you get. Plus drinks, appetizers, desserts. I would like...

Our new favorite date night spot! Ever since Lucchese's closed, we've been on the hunt for a date night destination with phenomenal seasonal/local food offerings, and Artisan did not disappoint. Bread and butter at the table is a given, but the caesar salad amuse-bouche was a nice touch. We tried the steak gnudi appetizer, which we practically inhaled it was so delicious. Gnudi is basically gnocchi's cousin, made with cheese instead of potato. Both the gnudi and the steak just melt in your mouth; highly recommend! My husband ordered a drink and said it tasted exactly as if he himself had made it (read: strong af yet still delicious). For main, I had the duck breast. It was cooked to a perfect medium, with the skin on top still being super crunchy. If you're a fan of duck, you'll absolutely love this dish. My husband had the crabs cakes, which were also divine. Such a perfect combo with the grilled sweetcorn salad. For dessert, we had the Artisan specialty, Caramel Creme Brûlée.. talk about indulgent! It was the perfect end to a perfect meal. We were also presented with two little truffles to-go, which we gave to the babysitter (aka grandma) who raved about them. My only complaint is that Artisan has been around for years, and I'm just now finding out about it!! Service was fantastic, and the food was unforgettable. I can't...