Ella’s Restaurant and Bar
One Jefferson Square, 458-2148
Brunch served Sunday, 10am-2pm
Ella’s has been here for almost three years now. During that time, they’ve built a reputation for serving a praiseworthy, tasty, and fairly priced brunch. Regulars fill Ella’s every Sunday in search of their favorites, like Ella’s Waffle ($8.25), topped with a fried egg, sausage, and chile con queso. Or Eggs Ella ($8.25), which carries over the queso, but uses it with poached eggs, bacon, and focaccia. The most popular dish is Migas Camarones ($9.25). The camarones (shrimp) are marinated in tequila, then grilled and placed atop the migas (for those not in the know, a jumble of scrambled eggs, tortilla strips, tomatoes, peppers, and onions). Ella’s is generous with the shrimp and they are cooked to perfection, plump and juicy with a hint of agave flavor.
Ella’s Bloody Mary ($6) is a model version, concocted from scratch — rich, thick, très picante, and as potent as a punch from Lennox Lewis. However, the highlight of one recent visit was the Banana Shortbread ($6). It’s anchored by a round shortbread, almost five inches in diameter. They top that with sliced bananas that are dusted with sugar, and then broiled until they form a crispy sugar glaze. The creation is finally topped with ice cream and caramel sauce. Absolute heaven.
Their service is friendly, attentive, and casually conversational. My only knock on the place came when I asked for an espresso. Clearly, their machine was malfunctioning, because all I got was strong coffee. The waitperson apologized and brought the manager, who tried two further times to force their recalcitrant coffeemaker into making a proper cup and then graciously removed the charge. I was impressed that such a small issue stimulated the immediate interest of the manager. But that attention to detail showed throughout the meal. Nothing flashy, just effortlessly competent.
This article appears in March 16 • 2001.
