Elaine’s

My friends and I went to try this location. We were told that this was the best place to have steak in ABQ. We spent about $ 50 each. The food came out a bit cold. The steak was cooked well but not the best part of the dish; what we liked more was the broccoli! They were tasty!

My boyfriend and I are currently doing a very fun paleo diet. After looking at Elaine’s menu we figured we could pick some items out and have a nice dinner. I sure do get tired of cooking every single day after all.
We went on a Thursday night which they did have a dinner party going on as well as a few other tables. It’s a small place so I recommend to call for a reservation just to be on the safe side.
We order smoked salmon and tuna on sesame seeds. Both were stellar. So delicious that my boyfriend and I can’t wait to go back just to have some more.
I order a filet med and it was cooked to perfection. The boyfriend had short ribs which I kept stealing and it was very good as well.
We aren’t currently drinking so our tap was about $ 80. I don’t give it a 5 star yet only because I haven’t had any of their dessert. So you bet I will be back for more!

I celebrated my birthday here this weekend and I couldn’t have had a better celebratory meal! I was a little hesitant, since my first dining experience here was a huge disappointment. Whatever changes you made in the kitchen, Elaine– keep on, keepin on! I started with the complimentary sopapillas with honey butter. Then I moved on to the short ribs with mashed potatoes and beets, my mouth is watering as I write this! And for dessert the chocolate torte, topped off with a good bottle of Syrah. Stick a fork in me, I’m done! I’ll be back for sure and huge compliments to the chef!

I wandered in here with a friend and we were treated like royalty. Friendly, helpful staff and the food is delicious and beautifully presented. I’ll be back!

Went for a business dinner — the food was great, everything was artfully crafted, tasted awesome. I tried one of their specials ‘Caprese salad’ and ended up wondering how tomatoes could look and taste as good as they did!!! Loved their indoor décor including an Alfred Hitchcock portrait at the front. My only complaint if any is that the menu only had one vegetarian entrée but in their credit, they did create one for me as I said I didn’t want the one they listed.
Service was wonderful, people were friendly. They are an upscale place, so the pricing is certainly high — ranging from 20 – 30 dollars per entrée.

I was sorely disappointed when I celebrated my fourth wedding anniversary here. I had heard such good things about Elaine’s and was expecting much better. The evening just started off poorly because our waiter alerted us before we ordered that they had run out of the dish I was planning on ordering, so I ordered something else that I was not too excited about instead.
Guess what? A group of three people get seated in our section with our waiter. When it is their turn to order, TWO of them ordered the same dish that the waiter had just told me that they ran out of! Liar, liar, pants of fire. What bugged me most was that he offered that information to us. It was not like I ordered the dish and then he said they were out of it. Not sure what is going on there, but I would definitely call it bad service.
Of the food we did order, all of the dishes desperately aimed to be creative and innovative but fell flat. Who knew that a foie gras burger could be so flavorless?

Recently had a wonderful dinner at Elaine’s. Started with the foie gras and sweet onion soup, both were beautifully presented and delicious. For main courses I had the maine lobster, which was to die for, the flavors were unlike anything I have ever tasted. My date had the steak, and although it came out overcooked our waiter quickly took notice and had the dish remade to perfection! The highlight of the evening was our waiter, Thomas, who gave outstanding service, did not rush us, was not intrusive, and best of all sent a special dessert for our anniversary. It is a splurge but one I don’t mind paying for with such great service and yummy eats!

Waited for several years for the right occasion to visit Elaine’s. My wife and I like to enjoy quality restaurants when we travel and have had the best of the best from Manhattan to Maui. Our expectations were high, yes. We have heard so much from our friends.
The headline: You can have a much better evening for a fraction of the cost by going to Savoy or Farina’s.
The service: Average. Most of the wait staff hung out by the bar and chatted more than they seemed to pay attention to their tables. When going over the wine list. Our waiter did not have a basic knowledge of what he was talking about nor did he seem very inspired.
The Ambience: Below average. You add a few HD Tv’s and it’s a sports bar at the Marriott. The bathroom at the Marriott I am sure is a step or two up from Elaine’s.
The location: An area better suited for the tattoo hipster, college student or homeless person. We had not one but two vagrants open the door and begin yelling at the customers. Apparently, from talking to our waiter it happens often.
The food: Again, for what we were paying we seriously expected a better meal. Overall, the meal lacked in presentation, preparation and quality. I had the filet. I was expecting something like Bob’s Steak House in Dallas. NOT EVEN CLOSE!
The attire: My wife gave me grief initially for wearing jeans and an nice shirt, she wore a cute cocktail dress. We walked in and sat next to a couple who just left the gym. There was another couple nearby who chose cut off jean shorts and dirty high tops. I suppose that was an upgrade.
The tab: Dinner, wine, tip … more than $ 100.00 each and for all that we walked away and talked about ordering a pizza on the way home.

Amazing dinner. The halibut was tender and delicious, the onion soup and Caesar salad were uniquely delightful. Service was friendly and efficient, music was great. Overall, a great dining experience

Other than the chicken noodle soup-​ish halibut, this place was pretty good. The customer service was really great, the atmosphere sheik but not over the top or uninviting, prices fair, and food mostly great. But that halibut… maybe we got a bad batch?

The special was halibut cheeks with potatoes and ravioli. It without a doubt the best meal I’ve had in a long time. I highly recommend Elaine’s

The halibut is to die for!!!
The desserts are out of this world!!!
We will be back!!!
Sunday fun day!
The service was great!!!
Good food great service!!!

Food prepared with excellence and great staff. The mgmt and the servers were very sweet. Had some scallops paired with some Gruet Rose’ champagne. I like how this place has a great wine list as well as supporting locals. Scallops were good quality seafood for NM. Good place to go for that special dinner in the Nob Hill area! Also be sure to say hi to Elaine, she is a sweetie!

I awoke early this morning with the lingering memories of new flavors and textures after a delightful experience last evening… one of which was the absolutely amazing sauce with the perfectly prepared scallops.
To be thrilled and taken by new experiences after many years of fine dining; I’ll be back for more. If you’re looking for more art than stock styles to file in your memories of how things should be alike from kitchen to kitchen, Elaine’s is worth it. I am still reveling and I am particular about quality.
Open yourself to Elaine’s.

You must order a bottle of the Klinker Brick «Farrah» Syrah. You can’t buy it anywhere in town due to some weird distributer issue (though you can get their Zinfindel???). It is the best wine I’ve had in a very long time. As for the food, I really wanted to be wow’d here. I had the flounder special under the assumption that the special is always the thing the chef is really excited about and was awaiting something brilliant that would send my senses into a sort of metaphysical trance. Instead, I got some food. There was also a artisanal salad with fancy carrots that were WAY to young to be served. There should be a law about abusing carrots at such a young age. How young were they? So young they looked and tasted like sticks. SAVE THE BABY CARROTS! The saving grace was the service. Terrific. I wish the waitress were my best friend in real life! In fact, Elaine herself makes for a pretty eligible best friend. (I had her sign my napkin to prove it was actually her!!) She really embodies this place with an incredible fun and welcoming persona, her persona.
As I was leaving I saw someone with a plate of the flank steak. Oh wow that looked good. I’m so STUPID for ordering the special (*smack).

I chose Elaine’s to celebrate my «Super Wonderful Woman birthday evening and let’s just say «Super Woman» was not disappointed. The selective menu is innovative and creative, «delectable» dishes served. Impeccable staff that treats diners «like royalty“especially Thomas are server who was extremely attentive & accommodating «above and beyond». The ambiance is Sophisticated & Sexy Upscale Chic, if your looking to splurge at a unique eatery than Elaine’s is surely to be the perfect venue for any occasion that «you won’t forget.»

Had dinner here with a group of eight people.
The food was excellent, well-​sourced, inventive without being contrived, and delicious. The service was perfect. The mood and ambience are good.
I had or tried the scallops, fois gras, skate with pancetta, loup de mer, vegetarian hot pot with wild mushrooms and tofu. Everything was wonderful. The loup de mer was sublime. Small portions but appropriately priced to encourage multiple dishes. I tasted a couple of desserts, which were good. The chef is clearly talented.
The wine had already been chosen by our group before I got there and it was good (I didn’t get to see the menu or bottle, my fault).
The décor is puzzling and eclectic, but not distracting.
My review is brief because this is easily one of Albuquerque’s best restaurants, and there is little room for improvement.
OK, two minor quibbles:
The espresso is just okay. Probably undertamped and overdrawn (although I asked for a ristretto), possibly poor coffee or grind. Hard to tell at dinner with food. I’m a coffee snob and I don’t hold this against a restaurant; however, great espresso would be the extra mile.
The music is eclectic (see restaurant) but at times annoying. «Stand by Me?» is more something for the 70-​something crowd (think lots of housecats) than a young or chronologically diverse clientele. I realize this is highly subjective and don’t hold it against the restaurant too highly. Still, the entire sensory experience is part of the meal.
UPDATE 12÷9÷14
Got feedback from Elaine herself, which very much impressed me. I often write reviews with the restaurateur in mind. In this case I’m glad to hear she’s listening. Respect!
I will be back for the miso and tuna.

Fabulous spot for a date night.
The wine: Pio Cesare Barbera — great value, wonderful food wine. I was excited to find it on the menu, and reasonably priced as well!
Amuse: gotta love mini sopapillas and honey butter. Could have eaten 10.
Appetizer: Foie — served chilled, a very, very generous portion. I might have liked a bit more bread to eat with it, but it was delicious.
Vegetable Course: Crudite and the Taste of Fall. The Crudite was a lovely collection of raw veggies with mascarpone and again very generous portion of smoked salmon, which served as the yummy, salty counter point to the veggies. The Taste of Fall was a very elegant dish of cooked winter squash, salted pepitas, and thinly sliced apples. It was perfectly evocative of the season and a great combination of textures and flavors.
Mains: Skate and Roasted Chicken. The skate was deboned, which I strongly prefer in the preparation, and cooked perfectly. The accompanying chowder and lardons added a nice richness to the otherwise lean protein. The chicken was a supreme of the breast, moist and well seasoned, and I could eat the creamed leeks with it by the spoonful.
Dessert: Apple Galette. The filling on this was wonderful. Sadly the crust was heavy, cold, underseasoned, and far too thick. A bit of a disappointing end, but not enough to lose a star over.
The service was fantastic. Our waiter was pleasant, friendly, and never intrusive. The pacing of the dishes was perfect. Overall, a really enjoyable experience and I can’t wait to go back.

I love Elaine’s. My husband and I had a long-​coming date night and I thought this would be great. My husband isn’t as impressed by «fancy» (i.e., expensive) places as I can be, so I was a little reluctant to take him, because this is, indeed, an expensive restaurant. But, he loved it, which is great, because I love it.
We went on a Friday night. I had a 7 pm reservation, but we went early to sit at the bar only to find that the restaurant wasn’t full, so Elaine was happy to seat us early. She’s really a pleasant lady. While she didn’t visit with us (she clearly knows her regulars), she greeted us warmly and saw us out. The waiter was great-​smooth, non-​intrusive, timely, and sometimes stealth.
My last visit was just after Christmas last year, so the menu was completely different this time. We started with the Diver Scallops. I love scallops, but my husband isn’t a big seafood fan, especially if it’s gritty. The dish came with two large scallops, perfectly seared, an on a bed of lemon curd and a few roasted brussell sprout leaves (we think). Mine was awesome. My husband ate half of his and said I could have the rest (his was a little gritty, but I don’t mind).
For something different, we ordered a bottle of the Vietti Nebbiolo 2010 (first red on the menu). I love red wine and am not too concerned, generally, with pairing the right color with the «appropriate» food. The wine had a nice bite (we generally like smoother wines, like Malbecs, Tempranillos, etc.).
For Seconds, we shared the Young Greens (really good), the Taste of Fall (cold squash & pumpkin, soft goat cheese, sauce – also good, though it being cold threw me off a little. I think room temp or lukewarm would be better). Our Thirds, which we did not share, consisted of the Roasted Chicken for my husband, and the amazing Maine Lobster for me. I don’t know who orders chicken at a nice restaurant other than my husband, but I’m glad he liked it. The Maine Lobster was incredible – not a whole lobster like you might be thinking. They took the meat from the lobster claws and the tail, diced them into large chuncks (not shredded), lightly sprinkled piquillo powder on them, and tossed them with this heavenly coconut milk curried rice – like a risotto cooked with coconut milk and curry spices. Oh man, what an amazing dish.
We wined. We dined. We had a great, relaxing meal. I love this place. We opted to forgo dessert (we like to have a night cap at Yanni’s and they have great desserts), as nothing jumped at us. Looking forward to going back. We spent ~$ 190 with tip – plan accordingly.

I loved everything about the place
The service was outstanding, from start to end to recommend.
And the ribeye was cooked well and very juice
Happy customer here