by Richard K. on Let's start with tips for this place: 1) Make a reservation 2) Get there early 3) Parking is a plenty on the street. This place is a blast for a date or a group of people. I have taken a date, my mom, and my cousins all on separate occasions and they all had a blast. It is a unique experience even conservative people enjoyed at least from my experiences. The setup could be a little better especially if your group is off to the side, you may get a pole obstructing your view a little. If you are straight on or behind, you have a good seat. The food is solid. They have a fixed price and you have a few choices from each category of appetizers, entree, and desert. For $35, you cannot go wrong. Their cocktails are done well, have a good kick, and well presented. The main staple of this place is the show. The girls who perform are entertaining and funny. They also double as your server. *Tip* If you sit at the end of the bar they put the person's face to their chest. *Tip* Fantastic dinner and show. Kudos to the owner great guy who cares about his patrons.
by Carmen Mcshan on There is so much to like about this place, I'm not sure where to start. How about their "wine from the barrel" concept? They have a decent selection of bottled wine, but they have something I've never heard of before - wine on tap! Why didn't someone think of this idea before?? They have their wine supplied directly from the wineries from the barrel and kept in fancy oxygen-free containers to keep it fresh. It bypasses bottles and corks, so they pass it off as "green" but because of my background in business I pass it off as an interesting/creative way to save customers money on good wine. It didn't help - we easily spent way more on wine than food... (5 stars!) How about their food? Two words: f-ing amazing! Their sautéed mixed mushrooms were made, I think, just down the block from heaven. Even a basic mixed green salad is anything but "basic" as they use a minted balsamic dressing mmmmmm... We also tried the Israeli cous cous, some kind of cheese stuffed ravioli smothered in all sorts of deliciousness, and the potato bud seared scallops in a cauliflower puree (yes, it's as good as it sounds.) (5 stars!) How about the live music? The Latin jazz band playing that night was really good. If I didn't have the dance skills of a 6'5" white guy I would've been salsa-ing it up. However, I AM a 6'5" white guy with questionable dancing abilities so I kept my participation to "spectator." They add the $10/person cover to your tab, which they didn't tell us ahead of time so our server took pity on us and only charged us for one. (5 stars!) How about the service? It was packed - on a Sunday night! - and it seemed there was only one waiter working (seriously?) so I'll cut him a little slack for not being as attentive as I hoped. He made up for it by recommending some great food and wine. (4 stars) One word of caution though, if you're coming here expecting to have great conversation with whoever you're eating with, do it before the band starts! We were originally seated right up front and once the band began playing it was way too loud to hear anything. We considered texting our convo back and forth, but our waiter was very cool and let us move to the prime seating along the back wall. Score. Since I have the hearing of an octogenarian, this was much appreciated. I'll definitely be back!
by Ahmad Bernat on Am completely puzzled by the low reviews. We stumbled upon this place after coming from Porchetta one night. Lured by the happy hour specials (6-9pm daily), we were delighted with the specialty drinks but shocked by how empty the place was. After going to so many bars, I've never seen an impressive array of specialty and season drinks as I have in Ella. Who can resist drinks like Clark Gable, Ritz Carlton, and Ella? At that time, Ella was made with freshly squeezed grapetfruit witnessed right in front of your face. Dark, retro, and sexy, this place is reminscent of the speakeasys back in the 20s and 30s and fittingly speaks to the great Ella. There's also a downstairs space for live shows and private events.
