Elmina — Restaurant in Washington

I had the pleasure of dining at chef Eric's restaurant Elmina on Monday, May 26th 2025. I am a huge fan of chef Eric from his many accomplishments acrossthe food network platform. I had the opportunity to now experience his cooking at his new restaurant. I ordered the Tasting Menu which consisted a 4 course meal of excellent tasting foods from his dinning menu. The Ambience here is 100% top vibe. The down home music, the staff who is very welcoming and personable is beyond excellent. As I get into my review, I am careful of my word's here. I mean we are talking about a top Chef, a host of several TV shows Alex vs. America and Wildcard Kitchen. This brother is a esteemed judge across the food network. So it was a blessing to eat here and to give the best professional review that I can. Ya'll know I love to eat though. 😋 😂

For my 1st Course I selected Curried Corn Bisque Cockle clams. Pork lardons. Palm oil. This dish was simply amazing!! Omg, you must try this dish.

For my 2nd Course I selected Fufu Pounded plantain and cassava. Braised goat. Nkati Nkwan. Now with this be prepared for a special experience. It's designed to be eaten the way chef Adjepong grew up eating it (with your hands). The staff brings out a beautiful glass bowl and napkin for you to clean your hands for this experience. Let me get into it..... omg, that dish was amazing. I am not a fan of plantain, but eating it with the braised goat which omg, tasted so amazing, and paired with that creamy sauce was unbelievable. These tastes just all married well together. Now there is a little level of heat with this dish, but it hits you later which why they bring you a sorbet to cleanse the palate. Listen I was eating these meals and I was in heaven. His passion for cooking is simply amazing.

As they bought out the 3rd course, and I began to get the fork in the dish I heard a familiar voice greet someone. I immediately put the fork down and slightly turned my head to the right and it was none other than the man himself in the flesh. I literally looked like this 😳 in my mind I was like wth!!! Mind you all, I have always wanted to meet this celebrity chef, and NEVER in a million years thought that today May 26th 2025, would be the day. After I noticed it was chef Adjepong, I immediately turned my head back to face front still looking like this 😳 but only my mouth dropped 😂😂🤦🏾‍♂️. After he greet the group he was talking to, he walked towards the kitchen and passed my table, he looked over and greeted me. My mouth was still open and I was speechless for a second as he extended his hand to shake my hand. At that point tears of excitement began to swell in my eyes. Maaaaaan that was the best experience of my entire life!! I actually got the chance to meet chef Eric Adjepong!! I actually had the opportunity to just congratulate him on his successes and endeavors. He was very personable and everyday people. I was crying, eating and thanking God for this amazing opportunity. Okay, I did not want him seeing this grown man cry tears 😂😂 but it is what it is. That man is blessed beyond measures for his amazing accomplishments. Okay, let's get into my 3rd course. Jollof Duck Pot Smoked jollof. Tamarind glazed confit duck leg. Duck breast. Duck egg. Shito. Roasted tomato salad. Maaaaaaaaan, all I'm going to say is try it for yourself. You will NOT be sorry.

My 4th Course was Malva Pudding Cake Sweet pickled apricot. Vanilla gelato. And guess what?? Omg I indulged in that last course. Overall my experience was memorable and amazing. I appreciate having the opportunity to watch chef Adjepong prepare plates, mingle with guests, talk to the food line as they prepared plates. I honestly didn't want to leave, but my money not long enough 😂🤦🏾‍♂️. I will be back, he might be there, but that's okay with me. I've been telling anybody who will listen 😂. To the staff at Elmina, thank you for your hospitality and your attentiveness. Chef Adjepong if you read this, bro you know that you have a fan from Philly that's rooting...

Tonight, we tried Elmina, a new restaurant that opened on February 18, 2025. It is owned by Eric Adjepong, a West Indian chef from New York who competed on Top Chef season 16. It was difficult to rate this meal, as it impressed me progressively and ended with a dessert combo that blew my mind!

Ambiance: A very elegant space that isn't too stuffy. We were greeted by a lovely hostess and taken to our table, where we encountered Eric Adjepong himself walking around and shaking hands with the guests. The mood alternated between R&B and what sounded like tribal music, providing a chill backdrop for the cuisine to come.

Food: Tasting Experience Scallop Cuido in a coconut broth – Complements of the chef (10/10) Explanation: A small portion of a very bright scallop with a citrus sauce and some crunchy element that was unfamiliar but delicious nonetheless. 1st Course (mine): Curried Corn Bisque – (8.5/10) Explanation: A perfectly pureed soup with bits of pork throughout. It was reminiscent of a velvety pureed soup with southern neckbone bits throughout. 1st Course (spouse): Zaalouk Dip with Spiced Buttered Flatbread– (9/10) Explanation: The eggplant and tomato pairing had a fresh, herbaceous flavor, reminiscent of a deconstructed pizza. While it could use a touch of salt, the taste evoked savory, comforting flavors that felt both new and familiar. 2nd Course (mine): Fufu – (9.5/10) Explanation: The fufu, a West African staple, reminded me of potato puree paired with Lebanese shawarma and a DELICIOUS pepper sauce. I nearly licked the plate clean. This was my first time trying fufu, and it did not disappoint. 2nd Course (spouse): Wagyu Short Rib – (7/10) Explanation: I didn’t get to try this one, but my spouse thought it was good, but the sauce could have used more peppers. 3rd Course (mine/spouse shared): Jollof Duck Pot (8.5/10) Explanation: The rice was delicious, with a kick of spice. The duck and chicken leg quarters were perfectly good, tender, and not overcooked. By this time, we were already stuffed and wanted to save room for dessert. 4th Course (mine): Bofrot (10/10) Explanation: A spiced donut hole (aka Chantilly) topped with delicious gelato (aka ice cream) and crunchy Heath bar. This was perhaps the most satisfying dessert I've ever had. It was sweet (but not overly sweet), offered varying temperatures (warm donut hole and creamy gelato), and had a crunch that kept me wanting more. 4th Course (spouse): Mango Pudding (10/10) Explanation: This one is hard to describe but one unexpected flavor bomb that you ABSOLUTELY MUST TRY! The pavlova (it’s like a crunchy marshmallow) sat atop this delicious fruit compote that tasted bright and bursting with fresh flavors.

Service: Our food arrived in a reasonable amount of time, at the right temperature, and if you walked by the kitchen, you could see Eric, the owner, hustling alongside his staff, which is pretty cool. We had a reservation for 7 pm, and the restaurant filled up quickly. Our waiter was soft-spoken but did a great job.

Overall, this place is fantastic for any special occasion, a date night (if you love them A LOT), or to bring a colleague who can appreciate the cuisine of such a rich culture. I can't wait to try it...

TLDR: Elmina was a total mixed bag. Food quality was generally great, but service for value ratio was atrocious.

The Good:

The food was excellent from a culinary perspective. Starters were fantastic, particularly the fried okra, tomato salad, plantain with goat cheese. All flavorful, delicious, and well made. The tomahawk steak was also delicious, prepared in an excellent marinade and served family style. Crab fried rice was tasty (though lacked sufficient crab).

The setting is very pleasant, we sat on the semi-air conditioned patio. It’s airy, bright, and a great setting to enjoy a relaxed meal with friends.

The Bad:

Service was poor all around. Drink orders forgotten, food orders forgotten, no one paying attention to the table. Multiple times either only half the table got silverware and plates, while the other half got nothing. When we did get plates, they were covered in water from being washed and never dried. No description of the menu or dishes provided, basically zero input from the server. Host was lukewarm at best upon entrance.

Beverage service was particularly atrocious, which is particularly disappointing for someone very into wine. There is no wine menu online, so I confirmed over the phone ahead of time that I could bring two bottles of wine for corkage (they said absolutely no problem and had a reasonable $35/bottle corkage, which I love). When we arrived, still no drinks menu offered. I brought two chilled bottles of wine, a 2019 Merlot from Mt Veeder, and a 2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie Blanc. After asking for ice and to open the bottles, the server ignored the bottles for about 20 minutes while they got warm. Then he came over (no mention of any somm, still not sure if they have one), said nothing, opened both bottles, did not have anyone taste to make sure not corked/bad, and proceeded to pour the red first into all glasses. No pour of the white at all. Mind you this was all before our meal started. So what we ended up with was everyone with glasses of hot red wine, no white poured and lacking additional glasses. After asking again, he brought two buckets with a tiny amount of ice that did absolutely nothing to cool the wine. I finally procured second glasses, did my own pour of white for everyone (which was also quite warm by now). So we ended up with two glasses of wine, both relatively warm, with minimal ice to keep the bottles cool.

One person in our party asked for a mocktail which never came.

The bill came to about $500 for four people, which is what we expected. The quality of service was just completely unacceptable for the price point. Additionally, while we’re totally fine paying for great food, there were some misses in price terms. The crab fried rice was tasty, but for $50 had almost no actual crab. The tomahawk was delicious but was also fairly pricey and came with nothing.

We left with a disappointed impression of the place, mainly disappointment at the discrepancy between flavorful and tasty food, coupled with atrocious and unacceptable general service and beverage service. While we like the food, at $125 per person (effectively without drinks), I don’t think we would go back until...