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Élevé raises bar for Walnut Creek, Vietnamese
By Nicholas Boer, Special to The Chronicle
When first exploring the Bay Area a decade ago, I wondered why restaurateurs were so narrowly focused on Berkeley and San Francisco. Now towns such as Walnut Creek have attracted so much talent, I sometimes wonder why diners aren't making it a destination.
Élevé set a new suburban standard when it quietly opened in January. A five-minute walk from the Walnut Creek BART Station, Élevé anchors the northwest corner of Main Street and Civic - a street that, until now, marked the end of the town's downtown.
Walnut Creek's New Élevé Mixes Classic Asian Flavors With Hip Food Trends
By Michaela Jarvis
There's an alchemy in the Brooklyn cocktail served at Élevé in Walnut Creek—a surprising result conjured from ingredients that are both old-school 1910 and local and organic 2010. Made from artisan liquor and essences, with a slab of hand-cut ice and what smells like an entire grove of refreshing orange peel, its layers of flavor would captivate even the most committed teetotaler.
Bites Nearby: Eleve
By Martha Ross and John Sterns
This stylish North Main Street restaurant serves some of the most delicately flavored Vietnamese food around.
Eleve, one of a wave of new Asian restaurants to open in late 2009 and 2010, serves Walnut Creek's most authentic, high-end Vietnamese meals.
We say that, having lived in Southeast Asia for three years, which included traveling to Vietnam. The well-balanced spices, fresh ingredients, and beautiful presentation remind us of dishes we ate in Saigon. The food, service and Eleve's contemporary minimalist setting combine to create an alluring and satisfying experience.
Élevé Restaurant in Walnut Creek brings Handcrafted, Pre-Prohibition Style Cocktails to the East Bay
Piedmont Avenue Consulting Press Release
The bar at Élevé Restaurant features inspired interpretations on pre-prohibition era cocktails made with fresh and organic ingredients, house-made syrups and mixers, and liquors from artisanal, small-batch producers, with a menu designed by the inimitable Thad Vogler.
Walnut Creek, CA – April 17, 2011 – Élevé Restaurant in Walnut Creek introduces the art of pre-prohibition style cocktail crafting east of the Caldecott Tunnel. With an extensive cocktail menu designed by Thad Vogler the bar at Élevé offers handcrafted, ingredients-based updates on classic concoctions.
Thad Vogler has become something of a cocktail celeb in the Bay Area food world – he's tended bar at Jardinière and Bourbon and Branch, and designed the bar menus at Camino, Flora, Slanted Door, his own Bar Agricole and now Élevé Restaurant. With the addition of Élevé, Contra-Costa-based cocktail enthusiasts need no longer venture to San Francisco or even Oakland for amazing mixed drinks.
The menu at Élevé Restaurant is based around updated interpretations of classic Vietnamese cuisine and the use of ingredients that are seasonal, organic, and local wherever possible – the menu at the bar follows suit. Vogler's style is to take an old-school cocktail and update it using fresh, artisanal, organic ingredients. This sensibility blends beautifully with Élevé's own – updated classics, old-school elevated.
One bar favorite is the incredibly smooth Brooklyn Cocktail (a twist on a classic Manhattan) made with artisan rye, vermouth, amaro and bitters, a refreshing twist of fresh, organic orange peel, and slab of hand-cut ice. The Elder Sour, made with elderflower, vodka, fresh lemon and lime offers an exquisite balance of sweet and tangy, and the Airmail, made with barbancourt rum, lime, house-made honey syrup and a champagne float is the perfect example of a classic 1920's cocktail brought back to life.
The bar itself channels an urban, elegant, pre-prohibition era ambiance. The striking light fixtures, quartzite bar and soft chocolate colored walls are wonderfully inviting; Executive Chef and owner Michele Nguyen designed the space herself after sitting at countless bars, including Flora in Oakland. It is staffed with friendly, knowledgeable bartenders who are always excited to offer a suggestion, and able to expertly execute the menus handcrafted creations.
The menu is ingredients-based and changes based on the season and available ingredients. All of the mixers and syrups are house-made, and the ice is specifically cut to fit each glass in one slab to reduce melting. The bar also offers a full, international wine list.
Pre-prohibition style handcrafted cocktails have made a resurgence in recent years, and restaurants like Élevé lead the way. Vogler's menu of updated classics fits in perfect harmony with Élevés atmosphere and aesthetic. Élevé Restaurant truly sets the bar for the best bar menu in Walnut Creek, if not the entire East Bay.
In addition to wide recognition for its cocktail list, Élevé Restaurant was recently honored with a People's Choice Award for Best Chocolate Dessert in the East Bay. These accolades follow a Diablo Magazine Food Award and an Open Table Diner's Choice Award in 2010, as well as a prestigious Michelin Guide recommendation in 2011. Élevé Restaurant offers a twist on classic Vietnamese-style cuisine. The menu is inspired by fresh, seasonal ingredients, and bold, unforgettable flavor. Diners will encounter familiar flavors in Classic Imperial Rolls and Cubed Filet Mignon as well as unique, signature dishes like the Beef Carpaccio and Chicken "Xao Lan" Coconut Yellow Curry. The full bar offers a gamut of 100+ handcrafted cocktails.
Élevé Restaurant opened in 2010 and is a unique and elegant addition to the downtown Walnut Creek restaurant scene. Élevé, derived from the French "élever" (to raise, or to elevate), offers restaurant goers an experience that is just that – an ambiance that is at once comfortable and sophisticated, casual yet elevated.
Élevé is open for Lunch, Dinner, Cocktails, Carry Out and Catering, and can hold Private Events for 150+ guests. The restaurant is housed in a striking 6000 square foot two-story space, conveniently located across from Walnut Creek City Hall and one block from Lesher Center for the Arts. Visit Élevé Restaurant at 1677 North Main St., Walnut Creek, CA 94596, or make your reservation today at www.eleverestaurant.com or by calling 925-979-1677.
Menus, directions, reservations and more please visit www.eleverestaurant.com.
Additional restaurant or event information contact Élevé Restaurant at 925-979-1677 or e-mail info@eleverestaurant.com
Élevé Restaurant press inquiries: please contact Piedmont Avenue Consulting.
For media inquiries please email PR@Eleve
Restaurant.com.