Elements is a
New American fine dining restaurant located in
Princeton, New Jersey
The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...
which reopened on August 11, 2015 at its new location on Witherspoon Street in downtown Princeton. The restaurant originally opened in 2008 on Bayard Lane in
Princeton and closed in 2014 while the new location was developed.
Development
Founder and owner Steven Distler, a semiretired private-equity executive of Bank of Princeton, purchased and renovated the property from an auto-repair garage next to a gas station.
Distler hired executive chef Scott Anderson, a
Rutgers
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...
graduate and former associate of restaurant Nova Terra in
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
. He has never been formally trained, but spent six years at the Ryland Inn, where he became the head chef before that restaurant closed. Business partner Laurent Chapuis, owner of the Princeton Corkscrew Wine Shop, introduced Anderson and Distler. Anderson is currently an
equity partner in the restaurant.
Elements closed at its first location in Princeton after dinner service on June 28, 2014. It reopened, in the building that also houses their other restaurant Mistral, on August 11, 2015. Mistral remained open during the renovations. Both locations share Mistral's liquor license since the reopening.
Menu
Elements has a seasonally-changing menu and serves an array of different cuisines ranging from chicken liver pâté to locally sourced grits to Laughing Bird shrimp. Elements offers a variety of wines, with bottle prices ranging from $26 to $2,700.
Ratings
In a 2009 review, ''
New Jersey Monthly
''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United St ...
'' described Elements as one of the best restaurants in New Jersey, praising Anderson's imagination, and work ethic.
''
Wine Spectator'' praised Anderson's spaghetti carbonara in 2010.
In 2012, Elements was voted both best brunch and best lunch in ''New Jersey Monthly''s 29th Annual Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll and was ranked the 35th-best restaurant in the United States by OpinionatedAboutDining.com, as reported by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
''.
In 2013, ''New Jersey Monthly'' named Elements as a Top 25 restaurant, praising Scott Anderson for his revival of artisanal techniques of preserving food.
Scott Anderson was a semi-finalist contender in the 2014
James Beard Chef Award for best
Mid-Atlantic chefs.
See also
*
List of New American restaurants
References
External links
*
Yelp profile
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2008 establishments in New Jersey
Buildings and structures in Princeton, New Jersey
New American restaurants in the United States
Restaurants established in 2008
Restaurants in Princeton, New Jersey
Fine dining restaurants in the United States