The Vine — Restaurant in Elkhart

In June we were moving my mother in law from New York to Minnesota by car! After a long day of driving we stopped in Elkhart for a much needed reprieve to rest for the night. Looking thru many dismal dinner choices in town I came across The Vine on a Google search. After reading the menu and knowing my mother in law's preferences I knew this is where we needed to go. The issue being they were scheduled to close for the evening 10 minutes after we arrived in town! I thought to myself I'll just run in and ask if they would make 1 more order; even if it had to be takeout it would work. I walked up to the bar area and was greeted by a very friendly young man that immediately said he would ask his manager to see if they could accommodate my request. Seconds later Jeanne the owner came out and in a very friendly and professional way told me they would help me out. This was truly a miracle. Her kitchen staff had been working hard all day due to a jazz festival down the street but she said YES! Without hesitation she quickly went back to mobilize her staff and get my large order started. The young man at the bar continued to chat with me and provided me a large ice water while I waited. A Godsend after the day in the car. Within 20 minutes all of our food was prepared, superbly packaged, and labeled. They even offered to help me carry the multiple bags and pizza boxes to my car! Here's the most important part of this long story...THE FOOD WAS OUTSTANDING! My wife ordered a filet mignon and it was cooked to the perfect temp and exceptional quality. My very particular mother in law RAVED about her Mahi Mahi. Saying it was better than many plates she's had even in New York... and we all know true New Yorkers can sometimes be hard to please. Everything from the salad starters to the side dishes were all perfectly seasoned and prepared with a true appreciation for cooking. I can't believe I'm saying this but we may go back to Elkhart for a weekend away just to dine here again! Jeanne's 20+ years in the restaurant business is evident in this restaurant. The atmosphere, the food, the service, everything, absolutely everything is top notch. Get in the car and go there tonight... you will not be...

We arrived in Elkhart, IN on Thursday, July 27th. We went to dinner at The Vine on Main. The building is historic & stands out beautifully from the other buildings on Main St. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were seated right away. They gave my daughter a set of crayons in a small box. The table had a paper table cloth on top of a cloth table cloth. My 23 month old daughter started writing on the paper table cloth as well as one of the paper menus. Our servers (one of them was a trainee) came over and after they took our order, the server that was more tenured commented that she didn’t need the menu back that my daughter, “already drew on it”. It was her tone that turned me off, not what she said. The food was hot, tasty & seasoned well. It was a good experience with the exception of the one (tenured)server’s tone. If I lived nearby, however, I would not go back. It’s the type of restaurant that if you have experienced it once, you don’t need to go back.

The Food:

I ordered the special, blackened salmon with Pico de gallo, wild rice & green beans. 4 stars out of 5, the pico de gallo was overly spicy which made my stomach uncomfortably grumble & I can handle most (spicy)heat pretty well.

My sons ordered the Quattro cheese Pizza (4 out of 5 stars) & the Chicken Caprese wrap. (3 out of 5 stars)

My mother ordered the Deconstructed Chicken Tacos. The Asian mustard was very spicy & Jamaican jerk chicken. She didn’t think that everything that was on her plate fit well together. 2.5...

I consider myself a bit of a fish snob. I don't order fish at most restaurants because quite frankly, they rarely know how to prepare it. Fortunately I found a place that does it right, and it is right here in downtown Elkhart! Do you ever get your plate and you have to cut out the gray meat on a very nice filet of fish? You don't want to eat that part, not only because it doesn't taste good, but also because that is where much of the toxins in the ocean or lake it came from accumulates in the body of the animal. It's like when you buy a loaf of bread, you don't eat the plastic bag it came in, right? Well the chef at The Vine, meticulously cuts out the gray part of the filet out BEFORE, he or she cooks it! This ensures those toxins don't cook into your food. And that affects the taste of your fish when yoiu eat it and limits the amount of mercury, pcp's and others toxins you put in your body. I noticed this soon after the new owner of The Vine took over. In addition, the fish is cooked perfectly every time. It's not over cooked and comes to me light and juicy! I highly recommend you try the Mahi at this local restaurant. We are very lucky to have them downtown. I am a local downtown merchant, and I don't have to go to Mishawaka or South Bend to eat the food I love most! Thank you folks at the Vine! You...