One of the best scratch-kitchen menus in the States is from the infamous Elephant Bar Menu. With most locations in California, this Texas based restaurant chain has been around since 1980 merging American fare and internationally inspired dishes in their beautiful locations.
Shareables
To start off your meal they offer Sharables, Salads and an assortment of Soups. The most assertive item on the Sharable menu is the Hawaiian Ahi Poke. The beautiful Sashimi grade tuna is perfectly prepared and served with crispy wonton chips, mango, and avocado with fresh baby arugula. Sharing this is a tropical experience for sure. The sharable menu also offers lettuce wraps, chicken tenders, hand breaded coconut shrimp skewers and nachos to round out the international mix. Other favorite items are the Potato Skins that are topped with smoked bacon, cheddar and jack cheese accompanied with celery, carrot sticks and scratch-ranch dressing.
Salads
Along with their house salad the menu offers five signature salads. Pistachio Crusted Salmon Salad, Citrus Chicken, Napa Valley Cobb, Ahi Poke Tuna, and the Thai High Chicken are great selections and tasty mix of cultures that also offer beautifully inspired culinary presentations.
Soups
A hearty Baked French Onion Soup leads the soup menu and is accompanied by a vegetarian based Tomato Basil Bisque, a Chicken Tortilla Soup and the Season Soup that changes with the chef’s inspiration.
Burgers and Sandwiches
The burger menu is not for the faint of heart. One-half pound of ground prime rib beef is expertly grilled and turned into the signature burgers such as the Caramelized Pear-Bleu Cheese Burger and the Pub Burger. Other items on the sandwich part of the menu include the Turkey Melt that is served on Challah Bread with Jack Cheese, Lettuce and Tomato, as well as the Smoke house Chicken, Pistachio Crusted Cod, Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches and French Onion Ribeye Sliders. Every one of these menu items are designed to satisfy with a little twist of special that the chefs top them off with.
American Flare Entrée Menu Selections
Starting with the American Flare section this menu is everything you expect and more. Steaks, ribs, Jambalaya, Lemon Garlic Chicken Breast and of course the menu includes Home Style Pot Roast that comes with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, onions, celery and topped with a scratch-savory brown gravy.
Globally Inspired Entrée Menu Selections
Globally inspired is an understatement when it comes to these menu selections. Teriyaki Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Orange Peel Chicken, and Yakisoba Noodles are Asian inspired dishes along with the Misoyaki Salmon that is prepared with soy-glazed fresh salmon, fresh veggies and a choice of brown or white rice. Street-Style Tacos that you can choose Korean Beef, Chicken or Carnitas are topped with a spiced Asian Slaw. Other food globally inspired items include a tender Braised Lamb Shank, Parmesan Chicken and Shrimp and Old English Fish and Chips.
Signature Side Dishes
What a fun side dish menu that offers a bumped up creamy mac and cheese, loaded garlic mashed or bake potato, as well Rustica Baked Garlic Bread, Sweet Potato Fries, Regular Fries, Asian Slaw, Vegetable Fried Rice, traditional white or brown rice and sautéed spinach.
Dessert Menu
If you still have room who wouldn’t like the Gooey Butter Cake that has layer of yellow cake and cream cheese, vanilla ice cream that is topped with a bourbon toffee sauce and nuts. This is for the grown-up kids! The Elephant Bar Menu has all the dessert bells and whistles offering a perfect Crème Brule’ with the creamy custard and sugar glass shell. They also include a Chocolate Mousse Torte, Ice Cream Mud Pie, New York Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberry sauce in a pistachio-Oreo crust and a fresh baked cookie ala mode that includes a specialty ice cream.
Bar Menu
No matter if you are hanging out in the trendy bar area or sitting in the dining room you can enjoy a great selection of wine and beer with specialty drinks expertly prepared. The Signature Cocktails include an Agave Margarita, Rasberry Lemondrop Martini, as well as the Jack Sparrow that includes Mt Gay Black Barrel Rum, Angostura Bitters and Demarara Syrup. There are more to the list but we must mention the Spirit Free Cocktail Menu. This includes a Green Tea Ginger Spritzer, Mango Rasberry Swirl, Strawberry Banana Breeze, and the Kona Kooler that contains Tropical Pina Colada Mix Grenadine, and Red Bull. Any restaurant that takes special attention to an alcohol free menu is first class.
All the menu items in The Elephant Bar Menu are worth the trip to any of their locations to enjoy one of the oldest scratch-kitchens in the country and the ambiance they have to offer.