Elements Bistro & Grill

My cousin took me here for my birthday and the experience was phenomenal. You wouldn’t think to find an upscale restaurant in a small town, which I feel adds to its charm. We enjoyed the assorted cheese plate for starters. And the cowboy cut ribeye was cooked to perfection! It’s pricey, however worth it for a special occasion. Love the ambience and service!

I come out to this part of GA once per month to visit clients. We ALWAYS go to Elements and have never had a bad meal there. What a gem in this part and the restaurant rivals any place I’ve been to in NYC or much larger cities.
Beautifully decorated and homey is the best way to describe it. The wait staff is always attentive and does a great job keeping up with my group. I generally always order the special which last night was a blackened wild Alaskan salmon, but I ordered off the menu and had the blackened grouper. Well seasoned and cooked to perfection. There was a sweet potato sauce over risotto that complimented the meal nicely.
Oh, and the appetizers. Order the buffalo fried oysters, you won’t be sorry.
Great job Elements!!!

Elements was definitely a pleasant surprise during my brief visit to Vidalia. The restaurant had a good atmosphere and was very clean. Excellent food and service. The price, while on the higher side for the area, is worth it.

First of all let me start by saying to find a 5 star restaurant in small town Georgia is a pleasant surprise! We started with the most delightful oysters Rockefeller, then I had the special of the night Chestnut dusted pan seared sea scallops over lobster ravioli with Alfredo sauce and topped with tender baby green beans! Luscious!
My husband had their own recipe of Shrimp and Grits. Delightful! We ended the meal with scrumptious caramel cheesecake and vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce.
Our server was very knowledgeable and attentive. The ambience was so welcoming and comfortable. If you are ever in the Lyons, Ga area you have to try this hidden jewel!

My wife and I have eaten here a couple times on our way from FL to NC and have enjoyed the unique menu and flavored each time. I am super impressed with the vision of the creators John Mark and Heather.

great food, reasonable prices, hard to beat in the middle of «nowhere». highly recommended.

In a hole-​in-​the-​wall town in South Georgia, lies this amazing restaurant. We shared the cheese platter appetizer, followed the beer cheese soup, then the rack of lamb, and finished with the blackberry cobbler. Every dish was a culinary experience. Apparently my taste buds were deprived of exquisite flavor. This place simply removes you away to a relaxing environment, with superb flavorful combinations that quite simply make you happy to your deepest core. Amazing.

My review of this restaurant is several years overdue. So, here I am. Last night, I made plans to meet up with a girlfriend for dinner before attending the locally produced «Tales of the Altamaha» play in the theatre next door.
First of all, I must address the building itself. The architecture is nothing short of breathtaking in its starkness and minimalism. Exposed brick walls and architectural elements such as metal staircases, plus the quasi-​exposed kitchen, and the 2-​story-​tall piece of fabric art fashioned from mens’ neckties. Yes, please!
So, this evening, as there were two local proms going on, my friend and dining companion opted to sit in the bar area, at the bar. Score. We were treated to amazing service and conversation throughout our time there. Our bartenders were great sources for insight into and tips on the menu, but also recommendations regarding wine choices, and, indeed other culinary-​type discussions. Service tonight: Can I give them SIX, or even SEVEN stars? If I could, I absolutely WOULD!
Drinks. OK. First trip of the evening (yes, we came back for dessert… stay tuned), I opted for an unpronounceable German-​sounding bottled Shandy. Ever the fan of a Shandy, I had one. Yep. Rock-​solid choice. SCORE! My friend opted for the $ 12/​glass pinot grigio (I don’t recall the name) but she loved it so much she had 2 glasses.
As for the food. Well, when I heard that there was a foie gras appetizer on the menu, I was sold. My review: The foie gras was perfectly seared. The portion, for the price, was pretty small. The presentation… with a reduction of some sort and beurre brun, on banana nut bread, which was pretty good, but I felt that the banana bread overwhelmed the flavor of the foie gras. In my opinion, foie gras is so delicious on its own that it should be served with rather bland accompaniments to allow the flavor of the foie gras to shine. Also, there was more than twice the amount of bread to correspond with the amount of foie gras in the serving. Still, everything was delicious and I still would have chosen the foie gras, albeit with a different bread.
My friend had the spring salad appetizer. Pretty standard. Looked fresh and delicious with a nice proportion of toppings and dressing. She said it was delicious.
Main courses. My friend had the filet. Perfectly cooked. She loved it.
I had the fresh catch special, pan seared Sea Scallops. Which featured 3 (yes only 3) perfectly cooked medium-​sized sea scallops (which were a tad too salty for me, but otherwise they tasted great) over a bed of blueberry (???) flavored risotto, topped with 4 rainbow baby carrots from local source Berry Farms. I initially had my doubts about the blueberry/​risotto combo, but it was actually pretty good. However, I felt that, for $ 30, there should have been more than 3 scallops or that the scallops should have been larger.
After the play, we came back and each had a glass of wine, and split the Crème Brulee. Their CB was rock-​solid. I don’t even like sweets too much, but when I come to Elements, I usually end up ordering their crème brûlée because it is so consistently delicious.
There are a few things I would change, but overall, this is a really great restaurant, especially in the gastronomical wasteland of SE Georgia! My 4 stars really should be 4.5 stars. I will be back.

Thank God for restaurants like this in South Georgia! Fresh and tasty with an awesome staff!

Great menu. Filet was excellent. Though a bit over the ordered med rare. Good service. Pleasant décor and music. Best choice in this area and great choice even if were in big city!

One of the best meals I have ever had! Great waitstaff, wonderful food! Would put food up against any restaurant I ever visited in Atlanta!

Speechless! Atmosphere, service and food top notch. Highly recommend for «date night»!

Ambiance, service, and food are all top notch here. Upscale but not pretentious with a cool vibe.
I got the filet which came with some amazingly creamy mashed potatoes and expertly done asparagus. The meat was perfectly seasoned, tender, and fantastically cooked.
This place is a gem in this small town

Nice find in a sweet small town! Very good service and the food was above par! Seated in front of the staging area for the kitchen — kind of a cool ambiance! Six of us went to diner and all ordered something different, we were all pleased with our meals. From appetizer to dessert it was all good! Thanks to our wonderful waiter, I think his name was «Jason»!

If you’re any where near it’s worth the trip. The menu is fresh and compliments each new season of the year. Call for reservations. Very nice bar adjacent to the dinning room if you’re needing to wait for your table.

Just had the most wonderful meal at Elements. What a surprise place in this location! The fresh tomato caprese appetizer was delightful, the filet mignon one of the best I have ever had and the blackberry cobbler «to die for». The staff was terrific. I will be back!!!

Delicious food. My filet was perfect. One of the best I’ve had. The ribeye was also excellent.

This place has potential, and I am hoping to see it improve over time. I definitely will return, although I do have some concerns.
PROS: Quality ingredients. Good execution. More than the same old same old out in the middle Georgia. Friendly staff. Good atmosphere.
CONS: Lackadaisical service. Head chef could have higher standards and vision for the overall experience.
Appetizer: Quail a la «Buffalo» style. Well executed. Crispy skin, tender meat, and Buffalo sauce had a nice punch. In the back of my head though, I found myself wishing I could taste… well…QUAIL! To me this is a case of an interesting idea that just didn’t work. Too much «Buffalo» and not enough quail flavor to appreciate.
House salad: fresh ingredient, crispy texture, but largely forgettable. It came undressed… a disappointment. Server did not offer freshly ground pepper. I availed myself of the plastic salt shaker /​pepper mill combo do-​hicky on the table. Then accidentally flooded my dish in oil and vinegar. This course was not a highpoint for me. Come on chef, give me a nice little fresh vinagrette.
Entrée: Shrimp and grits… again, mixed emotions. Overall the dish looked tired, as if sitting on the server’s table a bit long. One skewer of shrimp was buried under the grits. I was not appetized visually. The shrimp and grits were warm, tasty, and well executed. The corn garnish on top was cold (!). The side of collards was particularly uninspiring, perhaps the least so of the entire meal. Come on chef! Put some OOMMFF into it!
Service: Questionable. He was friendly enough and did his best in discussing the specials, but at a place charging $ 18 – 24 an entrée, I would check on the costumer occassionally. That’s what I did when I was in his shoes! I literally saw my server a) to order b) when my glass of wine was empty c) when I was done with my entrée (first time he inquired as to the meal and d) to bring me the check.
Overall, there are things I liked. The menu has some interesting options. I will definitely return given the lack of similar options in area. I will say that if this place were in a densely populated area (i.e. Atlanta), they wouldn’t last without making some adjustments.
Maybe I’m coming across like a hard ass, but again, charge me $ 20+ for a plate of food and my expectations are going to shift!

I found Elements based upon excellent Unilocal reviews. Thanks Unilocalers! Once again Unilocal doesn’t disappoint. Great food, reasonably diverse menu, upscale restaurant and bar area, friendly staff. Food was very well prepared and very pleasantly presented. I will be a regular as long as I am in the area.

Elements offers shockingly good new American fare with a southern twist. Rural south Georgia is not known for upscale or experimental dining, which makes this rare gem all the more enjoyable. I was quite impressed.
The physical space is striking and includes an art gallery to showcase local talent. The wine selection is unparalleled for the area and the servers will offer suggestions for pairings with your meal. The menu is playful, featuring fresh ingredients and well-​balanced flavours. There’s not really much left to ask for.
I consider Elements to be one of Toombs County’s finest assets and applaud its first year as part of the culinary landscape.