Our first foray to Restaurant Eloise was a pleasant one that we'd love to repeat soon. The chefs have spark and the food shows love of good ingredients. The food seems fresh and lively, without being fussy. There is a lovely garden that lines the walkway to the front door which really set the mood. The interior is quiet and sedate in off-white and black but friendly with paper tops on the tables and sprigs of herbs or a single flower obviously cut from the lovely garden.
I can imagine that the menu may perplex less worldly diners so be sure to check their website before you go. The bar menu was offered as an additional and less expensive choice and lunch is served Tuesday through Saturday. Our concern is that wine country diners might miss Restaurant Eloise as it's a 5 minute or so drive outside Sebastopol, South on Hwy 116, but we found it was worth the extra diversion. It's worth the trip and we'll be returning soon!
The amuse was a nice start. A crispy toast topped with Spanish cheese, olive oil and fresh thyme.
Roasted Bone Marrow, Parsley and Shallot Salad with some lightly toasted brown bread
There were three bones – two very large ones with tons of marrow and a shorter one. Still a lot of marrow – this would be a good dish to share. The marrow was wonderful – not overcooked, just starting to melt so as to make it easy to scoop out. An inverted iced tea spoon was provided to scoop the marrow out with the handle. The salad also had sliced cornichons. I didn't like the parsley with the marrow and wanted something else green to go with it. Don't let that stop you ordering it though; the marrow was great! Recommended.
Beet Salad with Grapefruit (Special)
Red beets cubed with some fresh grapefruit. Nice dressing. We would probably order again.
Ricotta and Chard Gnocchi, Brown Butter, Sage
A sleeper. Big soft pillows of green gnocchi swimming happily in a clear brown butter sauce with some crispy sage. Curls of flavorful cheese on top. Comfort in a bowl. I'll be back to revisit this.
Cassoulet, Duck Confit, Pork Belly, Beef & Garlic Sausage, Tarbais Beans
Wow. A huge leg of duck. A good square of pork, obviously house made sausage and tarbais beans in an amazing sauce - the tomato in it made it sing. Really good. Our young connoisseur was impressed with all the elements with a special emphasis on the beans. The duck was moist and the skin slightly crisp. Not the best confit ever but a very nice one made of a lovely leg.
Pan Roasted Veal Chop, Creamed Spinach & Sorrel and Crispy Potato
Really lovely flavor. Jack was very, very happy with the veal chop. I found the creamed spinach and sorrel were a nice foil but Jack didn't like it. The potato was a slice of crispy potato pie with a beautifully, crispy crust.
