Element — Restaurant in Front Royal

We went for anniversary and we're incredibly disappointed. We tried the cheese plate, wings, steak special, and the bone in chicken.

Let's start with the appetizers: Cheese plate had three very small portions of cheese and quite literally three crackers of each cracker variety (there were a total of 12 crackers) and a small branch of grapes. The crackers were a dead ringer for the Aldi entertainment crackers I buy for my home which would be understandable if the plate was $10 and not $14. The actual plate that the food arrived on only served to highlight how small the portions were.

The wings weren't anything to write home about but they were decent, the ranch on the side was bland and very gloopy. The bowl they came in was very chipped-which again at a lower price point that would be understandable but not at this price. Entrees: The sodium level in our beverages was higher than anything on our plates. The steak special was blue rare instead of medium that was ordered and the broccoli was steamed, unseasoned, and the stem left too long to -I think- imply that it brocclini. The wine sauce was not reduced properly and was sweet. The scalloped potatoes looked dry and were left untasted. The chicken had seemed like a smart choice but it was not. Three very thin pieces of chicken had been arranged on the plate to look like a stuffed Cornish hen with the spinach sticking out from the bottom, all of it piled on top of the mashed potato. A smart way to hide smaller portions for sure. The spinach was the most remarkably unseasoned spinach I have had in all my life. The mashed potato was nice enough it would have been good to know it was a garlic mashed potato since this was a date. The "au jus" was more or less just thicker yellow water that brought nothing to the party. The chicken was bland and rubbery.

The service we received was fine, the waiter was knowledgeable, it was the hostess that was odd. She would continuously leave her podium and swing her arms, pace in front of the wine rack, and do little dances to the music.

We left after trying the entrees and over a hundred dollars poorer. I cannot impress enough how disappointed we were. I would warn others to not visit...

after reading the reviews maybe I went on the wrong night. We stopped in after a local meeting for some drinks and food. About 7 people all on separate checks. My girlfriend and I had wings and nachos. Wasn't really there for the food just a local place to meet for drinks and have a small meal. The menu was small but looked deceit enough . Had a little something for everyone. The service was terrible!!! We waited over 30 mins for Nachos and Wings, thats right over 30 mins! Dont get me wrong I would understand if the place was jammed packed . At most ten other people in the place. I ordered another beer while waiting and that took 15 mins. Unacceptable in my book. After the food finally arrived the wings were ok. I mean they are wings I wasnt expecting anything off the charts. Asked for the check, I waitress showed up, added 20% gratuity to our check (two people) She did the same for the other couples. Now I understand if you have a large table of people But I feel that was uncalled for. I normally over tip(I have worked as a bartender so I know how important a tip is) The service was terrible and I believe you should be tipped accordingly . I never leave reviews but I felt I should warn other un expecting folks. Like I said just could have been the night we were there but I dont plan on going back. if Im going to spend 57 dollars on Nachos, wings, two beers It better not take 30 mins when the place...

I cannot say enough about our evening dining at Element. Our experience from start to finish, service, food, ambience were all excellent. We started with a 10” pizza with evoo, garlic rosemary artichokes mushrooms and spinach. Both my husband and I agreed this was hands down the best pizza crust we’ve ever had. Plus it came out hot from the oven (this is super important to me) with Incredible flavor. For a main course I had a generous portion of the filet mignonettes (cooked perfectly at medium rare) with kale and squash and hubby had pork loin with sides. We were tempted by dessert and chose the chocokate cake (with whipped cream yay!) and finished almost every bite. Additionally the server helped us choose a good Dry white and was friendly yet professional throughout. Only change I’d recommend would be to space out time between courses. They came way too quickly, but Element still gets 5 stars because all else was superb! I understand the chef was at the Inn of Washington and I hope he continues to find customers who enjoy his restaurant as much as we did. And thank you for maintaining your high standards even during these uncertain times and providing a great...