Iris Collins refills tea for customers at the White Elephant Cafe on Broad Street. During lunch, the menu is written on a portable chalkboard. The dinner menu is under glass at the tables. (Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff)
White Elephant Cafe offers eclectic meals
On a recent lunch date with a friend, I found the Brazilian restaurant was empty but the ambiance was intimate and relaxed. Our waitress sat us at a cafe-style table for two and brought our lunch menu - an enormous chalkboard with food selections scribbled in multicolored chalk. She propped the chalkboard against the table next to us and told us to take our time ordering. We needed time because the board was hard to read.
Although the menu is a cool idea, the owners might want to go back to the traditional ways and make lunch menus to be given out. The first thing I pondered was, what if there were other tables waiting to see the menu? Would they crowd around our table and look over our shoulders? Or would we feel the pressure of other people wanting to see and get antsy and order something we don't really want to eat?
Dinner menus are on the tables under glass, so it might be more convenient to hit the establishment up for an evening meal. It might be helpful to have to-go menus, too. I wanted to take one with me, but to my dismay they had none.
Aside from the Cool-Menu-But-It-Might-Be-a-Bad-Idea issue, the food was excellent. I ordered blackened chicken over black beans and rice. The dish was complemented with tomatoes, fried bananas, sauteed onions, yellow peppers and triangular wedges of buttered bread. The chicken was served with a delicious white sauce. I had never had this eclectic combination of food, and though I was somewhat apprehensive, it was probably the best chicken I had ever eaten.
The menu also features sausage, tuna, salmon and pork dishes, hoagies, salads, a spicy potato salad and an extensive wine list.
One of the especially interesting things about the establishment was the choice of background music. It ranged from fast-paced music to mellow, elevator-style tunes.
The head of an elephant hangs above the bar. Various pieces of art hang on the walls, along with a collection of frying pans over the kitchen entrance.
Overall, the restaurant would be perfect for a dinner date. You can sample their homemade sausage dish and have a nice glass of merlot.
ON THE TOWN
The Eatery: White Elephant Cafe, 1135 Broad St. (map)
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; dinner, 5-9 p.m. Thursday and Saturday
Ambiance: Intimate and relaxed
Cost: $1.25-$14.50
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Phone: 722-8614
