What better way to spend Second Saturday in July than by a $30 prix fixe menu at Ella… combine that with 50% off 50 bottles of wine throughout July and I couldn’t get there fast enough!

Now I know you all probably think I sound like a broken record with my adulation for Selland’s restaurants, but I swear I don’t work for Randall! It’s just consistent, yummy food with excellent service. Feel free to check out earlier posts about The Kitchen and Ella. They’ve also just begun a rewards program, with all kinds of good reasons to join. If you are a frequent flyer of Selland’s restaurants, be sure to get one! For the skinny, go here. Now onto the evening!

Of course, oysters were the first thing on the table, but after that… bring on the prix fixe!

For the first course, these are the two options:

Organic yellow tomato bisque with fresh lime, a sprig of cilantro, slightly stewed cherry tomatoes, with house made cotija cheese stirred in. Oh-em-gee! It was served warm, and was completely yummy.

The other choice was country pork pate and leafy green salad with lettuce and grilled baguette. I did not try this, because of the meat aspect, so I can’t comment, but I’m sure it is fabulous!

For the entree, house made tagliatelle pasta with savoy cabbage, a handful of delicious button mushrooms (no, so NOT the generic kind you get at Safeway). Sitting atop this mound of perfectly prepared pasta is a poached farm egg. All of this is coated with a lemon butter sauce. The tiniest slices of chive swim around in there, too. This is a sibling of their famous pappardelle, but without the prosciutto… good for me, bad for all you pork belly fans out there! Mixing in the egg with the sauce brings completely new flavors and texture to your bite. The button mushrooms could not have been more delicious, too. Indeed, I pined for more ‘shrooms!

The other choice for an entree: fire roasted half chicken with caesar panzanella, grilled lemon and chicken jus. Had I been a meat eater, this is something I would’ve loved, I’m sure! I mean, come on… Yum!

For dessert, almond pavlova with grilled peaches and lemon verbena infused blackberries. (I love how you can tell this was a long, leisurely evening based on how the light changes in the photos!)

 

The other option: black forest cake, gianduja cherry cream and a spiced cherry jus.

Of the two of these, I think I may have preferred the almond pavlova, however the cake was also quite delicious.

And I forgot to mention, this is wonderfully bikeable. There are bike racks near on K and they also will check your helmets for you! (Yes, you should be wearing one!)

Bottom line, this is a FAB deal this month! Get thee to Ella with all haste!