Ramona Room — Restaurant in Los Angeles

ELF returns, after a pandemic that cost a lot to a many restaurants and ELF was no exception.. A noticeable absence for what was for a long time what some had proclaimed to be the best vegetarian restaurant in town. Today ELF has grown, changed, evolved towards beautiful things, less vegetarian, or not just only. Delicious cheeses, anchovy candies, cuisine that speaks French, Italian, but above all that speaks to the heart, to comfort and with flawless sourcing. I was able to get a taste of few dishes that day: a perfect cheese plate, a polenta with accents from Marrakech with lamb merguez ragoût, and a brandade of smoked trout, an absolute « Proust madeleine » for me, a south of France native near Nîmes, country of the brandade (and the denim aka jeans) excellence down to the wine list whose staff knows every corner of it. An absolute pleasure to share Elf with others, or to keep secret...

We had the most wonderful experience at Elf. Our waitress (I wish I had gotten her name) went above and beyond. This sounds completely silly, but walking into the restaurant tonight I was stung by bee. Our amazing waitress went above and beyond to make sure I was ok. As someone with a bee allergy, I was scared, but in the end thankful for the Benadryl I carry with me and our waitress who went out of her way to make sure I was comfortable and ok. She continued to check on me and the rest of our table throughout dinner. She is so good at her job and just a generally wonderful human.

And then on top of that, the food was amazing! The bread and butter, feta, maitake mushrooms, and tagine were especially our favorite, but everything was so delicious.

Just wanted the restaurant staff to know how much they are appreciated, especially our waitress, and that their kindness didn’t...

The most striking elements of my dining experience were the poise, grace, and knowledge of our server, Colette, and the stellar quality of their wine selection.

The wine list is curated with intense attention to detail in terms of how these wines enhance the flavors of the food, and vice versa.

We opened with three platitos. The roasted oyster mushroom with spicy chamoula was my favorite, with strikingly savory, bold and umami flavors with an admixture of ingredients that reminded me of a chamber ensemble performing my favorite baroque pieces. The garlic, parsley, and marinated cabbage enchanted the dish, and left me speechless.

My favorite of the mains was a smoked olive & celeriac pasta with maitake, tarragon, lemon zest, and shallots. It was truly more...