Registry Tampa Bay

Emerging Artist Exhibition 2018

The Best Thing You Can Do Today: Drink pink and dine blissfully at the revamped Élevage

Élevage is part of the Bern’s family of culinary properties in South Tampa, including Bern’s Steak House, Haven and the Epicurean Hotel, where Élevage is based. It’s always been a good restaurant — it would almost have to be, given its lineage and the pedigree of James Beard-winning Executive Chef Chad Johnson. But right now Élevage is better than it has ever been, and this month is an ideal time to dine there, for multiple reasons.

  1. #Drink Pink. During the month of October, in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness, the Epicurean is offering three “rosy libations” in the Lobby Bar and Elevate: Passion of the Heights, a Hibiscus Wheat Ale from Florida Avenue Brewing; the classic Pink Lady cocktail; and Nicholas Feuillatte Sparkling Rosé. Ten percent of the proceeds from purchase of the drinks will be donated to Moffitt Cancer Center. We tried the Rosé — delicious! (You’ll want more than one glass, and why not? It’s for a good cause!)
  2. The new look. The Lobby Bar, renamed and reconfigured with the addition of conversation niches and leather furnishings, is a much more inviting space than it used to be. With the bar’s expansion, Élevage occupies less space than it once did — and that’s a good thing, too, giving the restaurant a more intimate feel.
Brioche-crusted halibut at Elevage.

The food! Let me say that again — the food! During a recent tasting, a veal chop special was generous and meaty, and of course (because Bern’s) there’s the allure of a sorghum-glazed filet. But the dishes that sent our table into foodie heaven were the transcendently rich yet somehow light goat cheese & sweet potato agnolotti (with the added indulgence of black truffles sheared over the top); chilled Key West pink shrimp, brightened by avocado, tomato, melon, jalapeño, and a satsuma vinaigrette; a perfectly cooked halibut in brioche, with grapes and asparagus in a sauce veronique ; and the big finish, a Fried Apple Pie. I know, it sounds and even looks a little like something you’d order at McDonald’s, but it’s sooooo far superior (thanks to the addition of crème fraiche & brown sugar ice cream, orange syrup and candied sage). And thanks to our wise sommelier Daniel, we accompanied it with a glass of white burgundy from Olivier Leflaive.

Fried apple pie at Elevage..
  • Because it’s a Wednesday!  Whether you think of it as Hump Day, Date Night, or just a night to escape the rain and the bad news in a deliciously comforting environment — you deserve it. (Ask for Tammy — as congenial and knowledgeable a server as you could ask for.)
  • With so much going on in Tampa Bay these days, how do you decide what to do? Your trusty guide to the best things in life, duPont Registry Tampa Bay, is here to help. Each day, check out dupontregistrytampabay.com for dR Daily — our daily recommendation for The Best Thing You Can Do Today. And if you’d like to suggest something that you think should be considered for dR Daily, drop me a note at dwarner@dupontregistry.com

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