Ellinor
There’s a new kid on the block: Ellinor. She’s a little bit of a nerd, has great taste but doesn’t know what personal space is. We’re obviously not talking about a person. We’re talking about the new restaurant tucked into the residential neighborhood just north of Downtown Appleton.
In A Bite
Ambiance: Contemporary Minimal
Music: Pop
Service: Friendly
Price: $$
Food Style: Contemporary (see more below)
What to Order: Wood-fired Pizza
Go Again?: For the pizza
The Whole Plate
Your first impression with Ellinor will likely happen before you even make it to the restaurant because you’ll question if Google Maps is taking you to the right place. It’s situated in the heart of a neighborhood.
Cute. Contemporary. Cozy. When you first walk in, you’ll see why she doesn’t have much regard for personal space…it’s small, and if there is a wait, you’ll likely be standing outside. We were seated at the bar area and literally shoulder-to-shoulder with the people beside us. To be honest, it’s a bit of a turn-off because no one feels comfortable rubbing shoulders with a stranger. We noticed even the staff was running into each other or planning their routes to avoid a collision.
This isn’t a place to go out for a big birthday celebration. It’s much more suited for a date night (or double date).
Since we were curious about a number of things on the menu, we opted to share a few small plates and a pizza rather than ordering entreés. So let’s go through them one by one.
- Wood Wings – If you want a classy chicken wing, this is it. Serving wings without sauce is a bold move because the flavor has to shine on its own. They had good flavor without being overpowering.
- Toast – Remember how we called Ellinor a nerd? This is where her nerdiness started to show in the “tomato powder.” Yes, they somehow turn a tomato into powder, and it works! The power is a gastronomy trick that takes the ingredient (in this case, tomato) and absorbs the flavor without absorbing the fat. You’re just going to have to try it. The toast is quite tasty and our server said it’s a crowd favorite.
- Wood Fired Cauliflower – This cauliflower was really delicious for a veggie starter. We are a big fan of curry spice and the leek mayo was unique but paired perfectly.
- Margarita Pizza – This was, by far, the shining star of the meal! If you like a thicker, doughy yet airy crust, you will love this. The pizza sauce was spot on as well. The only thing we would have changed is just a bit more balsamic but that might be a personal preference.
- Chocolate and Mint (dessert) – This is another showcase of that gastronomy trick with chocolate mint powder. The chocolate tart itself was very rich and not too sweet, but when paired with the mint ice cream, it felt more like a summer dessert.
Some final thoughts…
The elephant in the room is the price. We totally understand that Ellinor markets itself as upscale so that expectation is set, and the food delivers. However, given its location, we question if Ellinor’s neighbors would choose an upscale establishment for a casual meal.
We both agreed that we’d definitely go back for pizza, but probably not $10 cauliflower despite how tasty it was.
Last but not least, we couldn’t find a drink menu online so here you go.
