Elements On Hollis

Stopped in for a business lunch/​strategy session with my PinPoint partners. All I was really in the mood for was brunch and mimosas. Unfortunately, the bar had just been waxed so they couldn’t deliver on the mimosas. Insert sad face. However, our fabulous waiter Jose, sensing my dismay (maybe it was the flood of tears rolling down my face) offered to attempt a white wine ‘mimosa’ with freshly squeezed orange juice offering it as a free drink if I didn’t like it seeing as he was experimenting. Well, I did like it (thanks Jose!). Jose was on a freebie streak as he also gave us complimentary coffees declaring them the best coffees around. He wasn’t wrong, it was pretty damn delicious coffee. I opted for the portobello mushroom burger instead of breakfast, with a side of parsley and Parmesan crusted fries. The fries were divine, like seriously unique. Bravo (Elements) Westin! And the mushroom burger was brilliant, beautifully cooked and meaty with fresh sliced avocado, onion, red pepper and goats cheese. I’m glad I had the good sense to take off the top bun as the burger was so hearty I think I would have died trying to finish it. A thinner bun would have sufficed, but overall, this is one of the loveliest, freshest veggie burgers around. And Jose made the meal with his great attention to detail and face reading (must.have.mimosa). A bit pricey for a regular lunch joint but I won’t soon forget that meal.

Had a terrific 50^th anniversary family dinner for my parents at Elements last night. The food and service were excellent. Leave room for their delicious desserts!
p. s. Elements has a private room that is great for intimate dinner parties as well as business functions.

Had the best meal here last night! It was very quiet for a Wednesday in March (slow season!), but that just meant we were treated to the best service ever. Everyone from the Valet Parking Attendant to the Man who seated us to our Server was amazing.
We had two children with us, and the Kids menu was extraordinarily affordable for a great portion size. We also had a Great Grandmother who had her mind set on some salmon and she was not disappointed. I had the most delicious scallop dish I’ve ever had.
We will definitely be back! This is a great fine dining restaurant that also caters to children. Good Job Elements on Hollis!

We walked out!
We were visiting Halifax for the first time and read their menu and thought it sounded great. Walked over and waited for several minutes before our hostess greeted us. No problem. She took us to our table where we waited for ten minutes before our server emerged from the kitchen; there was only one more party and they were having coffee. She smiled at us and proceeded to clean and reset 2 tables and then return to the kitchen. 14 minutes, no water, no drinks but at least the tables were reset for the next night. Oh and did I mention the manager walked by, too.
We put on our coats and walked out and had a great meal at the Indian restaurant across the street.
Ridiculous.

My last visit to Elements was a few years ago, and it wasn’t very good. To support Unilocal Eats, and because they’ve rehauled their menu since then, I decided to give them another try. Biiiig mistake.
The décor is simple and upscale. Their menu looks great, what with their emphasis on locally sourced products and limited but varied selection. Unfortunately the execution is sorely lacking.
Our server looked like she just woke up and didn’t bother to change clothes or run a comb through her hair. She brought us water but didn’t ask for our drink order; in fact, I didn’t hear her ask the adjoining tables either. We stuck with our water. She also brought us what tasted like a cross between biscuits and dinner rolls, which were warm and tasty.
I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with onion rings, and Mike had the salmon with «shredded root vegetables.» I’ll start with Mike’s, which consisted of the smallest piece of salmon I have ever seen perched atop a large plate overflowing with … cabbage. I think I saw a few bits of red onion and carrot in there, but it was 90% cabbage, no lie. The «cider vinaigrette» made it taste like coleslaw. A giant coleslaw salad.
My sandwich had no sauce/​dressing/​moisture. It was shredded pork with maybe a hint of something sour. The menu says the meat is «slow roasted with apple and rhubarb relish». They might want to try something a little sweeter to go with pulled pork. Also a bit more evident.
The onion rings? Were like doughnuts with onion threaded through them. I got a mouthful of crunchy dough with each bite; they were gross. Mike liked them however so he ate them.
I was very disappointed with the whole experience and obviously will not be giving Elements a third chance.

It has been a couple months since we’ve dined at elements, last night was our fourth visit. We went to participate in the Unilocal Eats fundraiser for Feed Nova Scotia. We had the pleasure of dining with the ever charming Unilocal Community Manager, Ben.
For this visit, I had the special of Brioche Crusted Haddock and B his usual of Beef Tenderloin. No complaints on the mains, arrived at the table hot and tasty. The haddock had to be the largest piece I’ve ever been served, could have fed a family of four!
A few things I noted on this visit. The starter of rosemary brioche was served from a coffee mug and not a can as in the past. It also seemed a bit smaller than in the past, not sure if this is a permanent change. Nova Scotia wines are still your best value at only $ 5 above cost but buying it by the glass is no deal. We did the math and for most of the wines, it is about the same or better to get a bottle then to buy two glasses. During previous meals we always had a visit from the chef, no sign of one this night. And finally, I typically don’t have room for dessert but decided to give the PB&J panini on challah bread with chocolate milk try. I’m not sure what I was expecting but have to admit I was disappointed with what I received for my $ 8.00. Very small, plain, toasted PB&J with a dusting of icing sugar.
I guess desserts are not where elements shines, the small plates and mains have never disappointed and we’ll continue to enjoy some excellent meals here.

Elements specialises in using local produce, which has to be a good thing. It is situated in the ground floor of the Westin Hotel, which is one of the nicer Halifax establishments. Parking is available in the hotel car park, with tickets validated by your waiter. A big plus. Décor is unfussy and contemporary. On the night we visited in mid-​September, there were only about a dozen covers, so what could have been quite a vibrant place was somewhat subdued. Background music was provided by a chap called Paul, with a straw hat and a guitar. And a good voice. Level and genre (standards and classics) were pitched just right.
On to dinner. Service was friendly, informed and unobtrusive. I kicked off with the gazpacho with local mussels. Very tasty. The seafood stew was a bit too reliant on two largish chunks of fish, but flavourful and filling, nonetheless. My wife’s lobster and scallops came with a replacement curry sauce, on which she wasn’t too keen, but otherwise no complaints. The wine list is mostly Nova Scotian and would benefit from having the grapes listed, as not everyone is familiar with the local hooch. Very reasonably priced, by Halifax standards, which is a major plus.
Nice to see the chef getting out and about in the restaurant.

Great service and fabulous seafood. Highly recommend Elements. We had the Halibut fresh and perfectly prepared, the PEI muscles were outstanding and the seafood chowder had lots of seafood and was excellent. There is new management and they are focused on great service to go along with their great seafood dishes. We waited less than 90 seconds for water, about 30 more seconds for bread. All in all, very impressed with service, management and our meals.