Tonight’s event’s were indeed memorable, and good, even when the unthinkable happened. Our visit to Ely’s Restaurant was unforgettable, in more ways than one.
I love the blue glasses
Richard Elias Shapley invited us in for dinner a couple of months ago. It’s hard to believe but I’ve had a pretty packed schedule and haven’t made it in until now. We had 7:15 PM reservations and walked in promptly at 7:22. the extra 7 minutes of preparation meant that we were dressed to the nines on our date night. What a night it would be, we had no idea the adventure we were about to be on.
We were greeted by Richard, and seated promptly. The place has a cool vibe, that lets you know a little attention has been placed on the details and the atmosphere and decor was not on the bottom of that list. I loved the blue water glasses, and the waitress who served us, kept mine filled, even when tragedy struck.
Shortly after drink orders, our incredible eggplant Ely came out of the kitchen. The plate was smokin’ hot and the eggplant had a crisp crust on the outside, and a cut with your fork, tender and just dang good inside. I had heard other people talk about this appetizer… there’s a reason for that. It’s stellar. Our steak orders went in to the kitchen when suddenly the music stopped, literally.
Signature appetizer
The power had gone out. Remembering that little incident with the squirrel in Ridgeland previously I joked with Richard about the need for hunting them in the city limits. The servers continued their work with floodlight power, candles, and opening the curtains. A storm (part of Bonnie, I’m sure) was headed in to town. We switched tables to be in front of the window, both to watch the storm and catch a little extra light from the window.
Soon the natural light was gone. Ely’s staff were supplied with flashlights and candles and we added a couple of candles to our table as our food came. I mentioned that Richard Shapley was the owner of Ely’s. That last name might sound familiar… You see Richard’s uncle Mark started Shapley’s Steakhouse many years ago. Although the family sold, there apparently is a family resemblance in the food… Richard recommended the steak to me, and said that he came from a family of carnivores. You could say that again. The man knows how to cook a steak. Even in the dark, it seems the kitchen was able to knock the ball out of the park. Some of my friends who are picky about steak LOVE Ely’s. I can see why now. We split a side of mashed potatoes with what I think was onions on top… They were creamy and delicious.
Irish Cream Chocolate Mousse
So let’s recap.
Food: This is a great STEAK place. Get a steak. It was wonderful. I couldn’t see what I was eating so it really was a blind taste test. I’ll be back again for a another tender filet. I’ve also heard the bone-in filet is pretty off the charts. Loved the food, no complaints about any of it. Great care was given to the presentation of each dish, and everything was fresh and tasty. Stuffed shrimp was great! My least favorite was the mashed potatoes.
Atmosphere: The lighting could have been a little… No, Wait I’m kidding. The power going out actually made the atmosphere work a little harder. When we opened the curtains our table was overlooking the main drag right there in Ridgeland. It was a cool view, and a great spot. The bar has a cool vibe and has had lots of attention to every detail. You could easily take a hot date, client for a drink, or a family dinner over to Ely’s.
Service: Even in the dim light, the servers were hard working and attentive. My glass was never empty, and our meal was on perfect cue, each phase coming out of the kitchen orchestrated perfectly. Richard seemed to know many of the tables and he personally walked a couple to their car with a flashlight after their meal. You don’t find that kind of service in many places.
A great night, and a great place to visit in Old Town Ridgeland! We’ll be back again!
Let us know what you think. Leave a comment below
115 W Jackson St Ste E
Ridgeland, MS 39157
www.elysrestaurant.com
Sounds great, I will have to try it out.
Question…why don’t you start putting spoons for price point?? Like one spoon for $5-$10 two spoons for $11-20, etc…. however but give a price point of menu. Most places I have an idea but some I dont. Also, maybe address the attire recommended?? Just some of my thoughts. May seem silly.
That’s a great idea. I’ll try and do that. Ely’s was actually both casual and fine. There was a guy in a t-shirt in there, and men with sport coats on. Dinner for two with desserts, apps, and drinks were around $130. You can get by much cheaper than that… as well. I had the 12 oz filet, not the 8 oz and a couple other substitutions that were higher.
Glad to hear the steak is so wonderful. I’ve been on the search for a place with a GREAT steak, and I have intentions to try Ely’s out very soon. We are planning on having a celebratory meal there as soon as we can complete the closing of our house. After reading your blog post, I’m that much more excited about trying out this new place!
Is this one of those places where you pay $30 for steak and just get a piece of meat and have to pay extra for sides? Or do you actually get a full plate of thought out food? It sounded like you had to order sides to go with it. I hate that concept, personally. Please clarify. Thanks.
Pamela: You get a salad with as a side. You can also order an additional side for around $6.95 that is big enough to split. http://elysrestaurant.com/menu.html for more details.
Eat, we were diagonally across the street from you dining at ‘Ro Chez. We also had great food, service, and atmosphere (though different). We get that each time we dine at RC!! And we had plenty of windows to let in the natural light.
Jim, We watched the candles through our window… I’ll have to check out ‘Ro Chez soon… I’ve heard it’s good.
Well, I guess a salad is something. Still prefer a plate of thought out food to having to pay extra for something to eat with my meat. Not that I have anyone to take me for steak, lol. So I guess it doesn’t matter.
Watercolor, I agree on the fact that I don’t like having to order my sides separately like that. However, I will say that when I got my steak, the plate did not look empty as the steak is a big TENDER piece of meat, and I added the jumbo lump crab meat as well. My husband and I tried the macaroni and cheese as a side, because that’s one dish we both could eat pretty much any way. However, their dish had a very STRONG flavor that neither of us cared for. Our waitress noticed we had not really touched the macaroni and told us that she wouldn’t charge us for it since we didn’t like it! I’ve NEVER had that kind of service, and would have still been happy to pay for it even though I didn’t care for it, since I DID order it. The steak was one of the better steaks I’ve ever eaten and the seafood dip was absolutely DELICIOUS!
Great blog! So glad I just found you! We eat at Ely’s pretty regularly and love their tuna entree also. However, I cant believe you didnt like the caramelized onion mashed potatoes!!!! That is by far our (and many of our friends!) favorite side dish in the Jackson area!!