Just the 2 of Us: DINE DOWNTOWN WEEK- ELLA RESTAURANT

There were six of us dining this evening at Ella's with the Meet up group. We went to Ella for the $30.00 3 course Dine Downtown Week special. I've been to different restaurants through the years during this week and normally it's not the restaurant putting their best food out there. Most of the restaurants put out the normal meat,poultry,fish. Ella's menu was very interesting. To start with Sue and I and Catherine and Ryan ordered the Marrow bone (appetizers are extra)or bone marrow which ever you want to call it.. it was delicious..to die for delicious. A large gone cut in half seasoned and and roasted, topped with cilantro, celery leaves and capers and served with toast points. Really, all the herbs were not necessary. You then scoop out the marrow and spread it on the toast and your in heaven. Sue and I also ordered the Hazelnut Gnocchi, with sugar pumpkin, maitake mushrooms and sage browned butter.. YUM. From the dining week special menu( and you have to ask for it) I chose the Nantes carrot soup with creme fraiche, the pan roasted Skate wings with a mustard burre blanc, spinach and potatoes, desert was a trio of sorbets.. pomegranate, blood orange and meyer lemon. Also they had a special wine pairing, $15.00 extra for 3 wines paired with your dishes. I have no idea what the wines were, the waiter went over them but by the time I got them I had forgotten what was what. That was probably my only complaint, I wish they would have said what each wine was as they presented them with each course. Back to the menu..
The soup was delicious very rich and creamy, I had to stop myself from not finishing the bowl or I would have been too full to enjoy the rest of the meal. I'd never had Skate before so I was really interested in this. Our waiter told us it was cooked with the cartilige so if that bothered anyone you shouldn't order this dish. It gives the fish more flavor and it's the same as deboneing a fish but easier. The flesh just slides off the cartilage and is a nice white flaky flesh, very mild in flavor. I loved it..would have really liked to have another serving. If I ever see Skate on a menu I would definitely order it again. All of us except Robert and Casey had the Skate, they had the duck confit which both said was good but the duck was dry. The sorbets were excellent both the blood orange and the meyer lemon really had strong flavors and woke you up and cleansed the pallet. The other desert was the pear tart, which looked good but I'm not a big pear fan.

I have to say I was very very pleased with my dinner as were all of us there. It was so much better than I was expecting. Of course all of Selland's restaurants are excellent and I'd been to Ella's before but I think this meal was one of the best that I've had there. It seems they just keep getting better and better. If your looking for a great place to go for the Dine Out week this is it. I would encourage everyone to go!