EatJxn note: When I read this post I must admit I got a little concerned about my job security. I love this. Thanks for sharing your evening with us Jen & David! -ej
Date Night at ELY’S in Ridgeland
When I first told my husband, David, that we won a free dinner to a restaurant he’d never heard of, he didn’t seem all that excited. Skeptical might be a better word.
“What if we get there and they have no idea what you’re talking about, Jen? Are we going to bag the whole thing and go to Taco Bell?”
Turns out, we had nothing to worry about. When we arrived at Ely’s in Ridgeland, I told the hostess I was the winner of a free date night, and before I had a chance to say anything else, restaurant owner Richard Shapley was there shaking my hand. He was very nice and told us he wanted us to live it up and have a great night.
David & I breathed a sigh of relief as the hostess led us to our table. The restaurant was clean and simple. White tablecloths with funky blue water glasses, giving it a modern feel. The mood was hushed. In fact, I felt compelled to keep my voice down, and if you knew me at all, you’d realize that is no small feat. Light jazz piped in. I think I heard some Tony Bennett and Harry Connick, Jr.
Almost immediately after we sat down, our server Jennifer appeared to clear our extra place settings. She was attentive and capable from the first minute and then throughout the night. We got our drinks and ordered our food. At this point, I was reminded why I don’t buy Diet Pepsi, because the minute I took a sip, I wished I had shoved a Diet Coke in my purse before I had left. I switched to tea as our appetizer arrived.
Artichoke Appetizer at Ely's
We ordered the Fried Artichoke Hearts and they were amazing. They came with a remoulade dipping sauce. I can’t tell you for sure whether it was the artichokes or the sauce that was so good. But without a doubt, when you put them together, it was magic in my mouth. David and I agreed that even if everything else was terrible, our trip to Ely’s was worth it for the appetizer. (I got the last artichoke, by the way, since I was the one who won the dinner.)
A few minutes after we were done, Jennifer picked up our plates. It took about five minutes for our salads. I’ll take this opportunity to compliment the pacing of our entire meal. I never felt rushed. None of the courses were served on top of each other. Nor did we ever feel like we were waiting a long time. We both got the house salad… David with the red wine vinaigrette, while I had the St Louis vinaigrette. He complained that he didn’t have enough salad dressing, although to be fair, he likes his lettuce to take a bath in the stuff. Mine was good, nothing particularly fabulous, but it was a salad. Good enough.
Shrimp
For an entrée, I ordered the stuffed shrimp and David ordered the hand cut ribeye. Mine was very good. His was phenomenal. The shrimp were big and stuffed with some kind of crabmeat stuffing. They were fried and arranged around some more of that marvelous remoulade sauce. We also ordered a side of the creamed corn to split. It was the only thing, other than that horrible Diet Pepsi, that we didn’t like. It was kind of bland. I wish I had ordered the mac and cheese, especially since I heard the couple at the next table saying how good it was.
David’s steak was bigger than his plate. He ordered it medium, and covered with buttered crawfish. He said it was the best steak he’d ever had. And judging by the sizable portion I stole from him, I’d have to agree. It was absolutely fantastic, cooked exactly the way I like –not bleeding, but pink inside… no charring anywhere on the outside. It was juicy, sitting in a big pool of I don’t know what. A pool of steak-juice heaven, perhaps? As good as the appetizer was, I’d have to say the steak was the big winner of the night. Don’t get me wrong, my shrimp were really good and I ate them all. But the steak was just that good.
Even with us both working on it, there was a sizable piece of steak left. David said, “If they don’t have a to-go box, I’m shoving this thing in my pocket.” He wasn’t going to leave one piece of that steak behind.
Mr. Shapley checked in on us several times during the night. And I don’t think it was just because we won our meal. I saw him visit several tables. He obviously cared about whether everyone was enjoying their meals, and not in a pushy way. He insisted we order dessert, and even though I was stuffed to the gills, we agreed. David got the ELY’S Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse. I got the Bread Pudding with Banana Rum Sauce. David polished his off. I was so full, I could only eat half of mine. To be honest, I felt like I was halfway to a food-induced coma, but I do remember that it was hot and cinnamony with with bananas on top. It was good, but I couldn’t eat more than half of it.
Jennifer gave us our ticket, which would have come out to $94, had they not zeroed it out to nothing. That’s a bit more than we would spend on a night out, but not out of bounds for an anniversary or similar special occasion. When all is said and done, I can’t imagine we won’t go back. Thank you so much for a memorable and delicious date night.
–Jennifer Martin
115 W Jackson St Ste E
Ridgeland, MS 39157
www.elysrestaurant.com
