Essence Restaurant + Bar — Restaurant in Elkhart

Update: Joe surprised me with dinner here on my birthday 🎂 (Wednesday, March 20th), and once again, every detail was perfect. Joe ordered the wild boar 🐗; I went with the Kansas City ribeye 🥩. We loved them both. Miss Claire gave us 5-star service with a smile (Is there such a thing as 6-star service?) ⭐. Brad is such a creative genius, and he always makes us feel like the most important people in the world 🤴🏻🤴🏿.

---Here is our original review---

Wow! Definitely our new favorite restaurant. Every detail was absolutely magical.

Our drinks were so creative: we had a chicha morada 🍷 which tasted like a chilled Swedish Glög 🇸🇪 or German Gluhwein 🇩🇪 and also a vanilla which reminded us of the Grand Marnier-based glaze 🍊 on the drunken caramel French toast 🇫🇷 we make at home on special occasions.

For our soup, we went with the céleriac, which was awesome. The hazelnuts 🌰 gave it the perfect texture and crunch to complement the creaminess of the sour cream and the heartiness of the celery. 🥣

For our hors-d'oeuvre, we chose the Japanese sweet potatoes 🍠 lightly fried with a touch of Parmigiano and basil in a creamy Italian reduction. It's definitely on our list of the best things we've ever eaten. 🇯🇵🇮🇹

For our main course, Joe chose the Hanger steak 🥩 with a warm kale 🥬 potato salad. When he ordered it medium, he explained to our server Will that he likes his steak tender but without any visible red juices. The chef must have heard what he said because his steak was every bit as tender as a rare steak, but no red juice at all. Talk about preparing it to order.

I chose the Chilean sea bass 🐠, which also had the perfect texture 🇨🇱. I loved the Calabrian chili relish 🌶️ -- it gave the sea bass the perfect kick, and for once I didn't need to add any crushed red pepper. The lentils were a nice touch.

And for dessert, every option sounded amazing, so we asked Will to surprise us, and he brought us the best dessert on the menu: the baked apple almond ganache 🍎. It was heavenly. It even came inside a glazed candy apple shell. Wow.

To finish our date night, Joe ordered a port wine 🍷 and I had a coffee with heavy cream and no sugar ☕ so I could savor the taste of the apple dessert 🇪🇸. Everything was flawless, down to the last drop.

The only things that rivaled the spectacular quality of our food and drinks were the friendly, helpful, professional, and welcoming staff (Will, Miss Claire, Miss Sheyanne, and definitely the owner Brad) and the alluring ambiance of the venue. It looked like we were surrounded by trees and grass 🌴 under a moon 🌙 and star ⭐ lit sky. Check out the photos we took: our outfits even matched the colors of the dining room.

We are so grateful to Miss Maitlyn and Miss Rebecca for giving us a gift card to this wonderful place. We can't wait to return the favor and invite them to come...

Stunning overall experience!!! Just adding to review based on my most recent visit July 23rd for our anniversary. From the second we arrived we felt like close friends were inviting us in to their home. Nothing false or cheesy here! Real people who ALL care about your experience. Brad greeted us personally by name again, welcomed us, wished us a happy anniversary and asked how our last vacation was. How he and his staff remember all the meaningful details I don't know, but its very personal and treats you like family who are very happy to see you. Champagne and a Happy Anniversary card greeted us at the table. Even the wait staff from our last visit came over to chat and wish up a happy anniversary. As usual, the food and cocktail selections were excellent, interesting and varied. Love how there is always something new on the menu! We indulged in 4 courses, a few cocktails and my favorite Irish Whiskey to round off the evening. Never rushed, our meal was as usual, exquisite! Essence is in our minds the best fine food restaurant in Michiana. Brad is hands on and takes a personal interest in every guest to make sure we get the best of the best! Essence is the WHOLE dining experience at the top of its game. Well done Brad and your excellent team!

Each visit is a welcoming visit. The warm classy interior design, the staff friendliness and professionalism, and the warm personable welcome! An excellent selection at the bar, and growing to suit their clients wishes, from some usual choices to the exceptional and rare, you will find a liquid treat for every palate, with excellent cocktails made with consistent flair. On to the FOOD! What a treat for the senses! The menu selection holds many treasures, some unexpected simple choices that turn out to be marvels of taste and texture, to some fine dining, mouth-watering and delicious entrées that include one of my all time favorites, Beef Wellington. Beef Wellington is a rear find on any menu, even in big cities. Baked to perfection, it is a feast for the eyes, nose and taste buds, exceptional! Each member of our party, on each occasion, was wowed with the choices and the quality of the dishes they chose. The service team is skilled, professional and makes you feel special, like you are the only people that matter to them on the day. If this is how Essence starts off out of the gate, I only expect better and better. We will all be back, again and again. Well done...

5 ⭐️ dining in Elkhart!

My fiancé reserved the coveted “Chef’s Table” for our engagement/anniversary celebration and I can say without any hesitation that it was a dining experience unlike anything I have had before.

The greeting we received upon entering this beautiful establishment set the tone for the evening: warm, friendly, cheerful and full of excitement. We were then shown to the coveted table located in the kitchen, directly behind the bar, where we found a wonderful hand-written note from Brad (one of the owners). We were immediately served champagne on the house in honor of our celebration, which was crisp and refreshing.

From then on, the night was a dream. The uniquely prepared and ever-changing courses of the “Chef’s Tasting Menu” were beyond compare with any dishes I have experienced. The Chef, and co-owner, Juan would explain the art-like dishes in superb detail and have our mouths watering before we took the first bite.

Speaking of first bites, the flavor combinations of each course were so beautifully complex yet perfectly paired that we were often literally left speechless. From the sauces and seasonings, to the main components, each course was immaculately prepared and presented. You could truly taste the passion Chef Juan has for preparing amazingly unique dishes.

The staff, front and back of the house alike, were all beyond friendly and helpful the entire evening. Being located in the kitchen, we also got to experience how fluidly and cohesively the entire staff worked together. We consistently heard staff speaking words of appreciation to one another throughout the night, without any sense of frustration, regardless of how busy they were.

Essence is an amazingly unique, yet definitely much needed in this area, restaurant that should not be passed up. Whether you dine at the bar, a traditional table or at the impeccable Chef’s Table, your experience at Essence will be one you’ll likely never forget. I know it was for us.

Thank you to Brad, the talented beyond compare Chef Juan and the entire staff of Essence for providing us with a night to remember. We will...