elements

we really wanted to love elements after the great reviews. sadly, despite competent service and a celebrity chef, we found it overpriced and uninspired. the wow factor has left the room here, leaving a sense of mechanical hospitality for the convention crowd. no reason to save us a table for two - we'll be exploring newer places with fresh ideas and presentations. ciao!

mmmmmk. i went with a friend. not my kind of place. too foofy...upscale splurgey look at me type of place. i had a salad. i paid a lot. it was a good salad. just very pricey. good wine. very beautiful. i felt like i was paying just to be there. i prefer to pay for good food. not pay because i might run into some celeb. great for what it is so i gave it a like. but not my cup of tea.

terrible experience. i recommend you avoid this place. i took my mother to elements for mother's day breakfast for a 9:30 am seating. we arrived early at 9:15 am. the restaurant was empty because it was still 45 minutes before the 10 am buffet brunch extravaganza. but the entire restaurant was so preoccupied with getting ready for the 10 am brunch, my family and i were ignored almost completely. the service was slow. it took them 20 minutes to bring my mother a virgin bloody mary. it took them 15 minutes to bring me splenda and a spoon for my coffee. the food time was equally slow. it took the kitchen 40 minutes to prepare 3 omelets and some pancakes. the toast was cold and the coffee and omelets were lukewarm at best. i made our server and management aware of how displeased i was. i even wrote a negative comment card, handed it directly to the manager, and told her my experience had been awful. yet they did nothing to allay my displeasure. they charged me the full amount for breakfast--over $100--and did not even apologize for their failings. incidentally, the food was decent, but certainly not worth the $100 tab. go elsewhere.

great food with a view. this review is for the dining experience not the resort which i would rate much lower. the food at elements is exceptional but you will pay for it which is to be expected for such quality and atmosphere. the menu is changing always fresh and full of impressive flavors with a wine list to match. views are among the best in the valley so make sure you request window seating when making reservations which is also a must. i would highly recommend this experience to impress that special someone in your life or close the big deal, however it is important to note that elements will remain one of the better dining experiences in the valley as long as they continue to focus on the quality of the food and those in the kitchen who prepare the dishes. if either of these slip then this place could easily become as overrated as the resort.

exceptional! the food, the view, the people serving you. bad reviews are silly.
it's one the valleys best. if you want quality are willing to pay for it, (not cheap), it's a winner!!

the valley is littered with great resort based dining options but this is the pinnacle. this is the special occasion place that is down the road but a world away.

excellent service. every staff member was very attentive. the food was delicious. we had the lobster bisque and the mexican shrimp and both dishes were so flavorful. it was my niece birthday and brought us a delicious chocolate dessert and mini chocolate chip cookies. i also ordered a special non-alcoholic drink and they had no problem making it and it was good. every staff said happy birthday to my niece and that was appreciated. it is pricey, but you do get what you pay. i recommend it for special occasions.

thanksgiving elegance. the four of us had an early thanksgiving dinner here. none of us having been here before.
great locale, secluded, and classy without being pretentious.
apps enjoyed were fig & goat cheese tarts, and roasted beets. delicious.
braised cabbage salad, simple and ......delicious.
three of us had the turkey dinner with chestnut stuffing, and usual trimmings. perfectly prepared.
desserts were good, and enjoyed, but not remarkable.
service was competent. never felt rushed, nothing missed. a very happy team served us well.

overall, we had a very pleasant, traditional, and competent meal, in lovely surroundings.
only other comment, at $75 a plate, i expected something to excite me. sadly, nothing blew us away.

food....................b
service ................a
ambience..............a
value.....................b+

we all felt very comfortable here!

truly a memorable meal!!. i am in phoenix on business this week. i have been dying to try elements, after meeting chef beau at a charity golf tournament. the view from the restaurant across the valley at night was spectacular. i love the lighting of the restaurant and the bar. they have the coolest patio heaters, and the bar was hopping.

angela and ken (if i remember their names right) were fantastic. angela was extremely creative, and their selection of great whiskey and bourbon was really surprising.

i started with the roasted pork belly. there were more fresh flavors to it than i can describe. i am a huge fan of hoisin, and this was perfect. i believe the adjective that was used was “sic”!

i ordered the duck to follow that up. there was both duck breast and a leg. terrific textures. the forbidden rice was really interesting and the whole dish was amazing.

someone else at the bar ordered the warm butterscotch pudding torte, and passed it around. it was so creamy and decadent i could only have one bite. the coconut gelato on top was awesome!

considering the crazy cool environment, the valet parking, and the phenomenal food, this was an absolute bargain. i will absolutely be coming back to elements. next time, i’ll have to bring a crowd ☺. i did post photo’s of the meal on food spotting. this was a truly memorable meal.

could have been better .... elements was recommended to us as one of the better fine dining restaurants in scottsdale. when we arrived we found it to be very noisy and bright, and as a result lacking in atmosphere. part of problem was a table of 5 who seemed oblivous to the rest of the diners in the room. they carried on for some time until someone finally spoke to them and caused them to quiet down; unfortunately, as it turned out, it was another diner and not someone on staff ... regardless, even after they left the din in the room was still more than one would expect in a dining room that aspires to being high end.

our meals were ok and even midly interesting, but not outstanding. my wife had the foie gras and i the pears and goat's cheese to start and we both had the duck as our entrees.

the server had trouble remembering my wine requests which undermined her initial promise to keep a close eye on us. (also, i'm not accustomed to being served chardonnay at room temp.; it improved after it had been put on ice.) there was a hint of upselling with the appetizers and most certainly on dessert (which we skipped).

by the time we had finished our meals, we weren't in the mood to linger and simply made our way home largely unimpressed.

we'd recommend talavera at the four seasons for anyone seeking unique fine dining and an interesting room with inviting atmosphere.

elements is a must! the food is out of this world. we were so pleased with our friday evening meal. we had breakfast and dinner ther the flowing day. pricey, but the food+view makes this place a cant miss!

elements exceeded my expectations.. we recently went to elements with a group for my husband's birthday. from start to finish, the service and experience were excellent. i have seen mixed reviews and was hesitant to book as it was a (40th) birthday. but, it exceeded my expectations. valet was easy, ambience was very cool but not pretentious ,service at the bar, friendly. they accommodated our request for a table for the occasion, waitstaff were efficient, and the food was excellent. half of our table had the sea bass special and it was delicious. it is pricey, but keeping that in mind i would highly recommend the restaurant. i'd also go back for drinks at the bar

this place rocks. the service was great as was the food had the ahia tune tartar georgia bay scallop and flat iron steak. all was great will definitely be back!

unbeatable view & genius breakfast. we are actually resort guests and have been out to the pool and spa many times, but yet to eat at the restaurant. well, this morning - we had some time to kill in between treatments and thought, we would try a little breakfast.

my daughter ordered elemental eggs benedict (with truffle hollandaise) and i ordered the breakfast fried rice. (two eggs served on top of fried rice). both of us were blown away - the poached eggs on the benedict were made perfectly and the hollandaise was super smooth and buttery. the bfr was so genius - i have never had anything like it (i'm sure it exists, but i have personally never seen it on a menu). it totally worked and the flavors were great with each other. it came with a side of chili sauce that had to have been made in house - it was a bit spicy for me, but complimented the dish.
as far as the price goes, we are in a spa setting so i expected the price to be a little elevated and it was okay with me. the waitress was incredibly attentive and not overly watchful - it was just right. i could not have been happier with our breakfast and service - and did i mention the view? if you get the opportunity to sit outside, take it. the seats right on the edge are great, as you can people watch and see the pool and the beautiful mountain view. it really is special.
as resort guests at the sanctuary, we have come accustomed to great service and i am pleased that it filters through to the restaurant as well. they always mention about exceeding your expectation, and today at breakfast, our expectations were exceeded with an unbeatable view and genius breakfast!

great view, mediocre food. you are definitely not paying high prices for the quality of the food. it's all about the view. the menu items were mediocre at best. very disappointed in the quality and lack of imagination of the food. go for the view not the food. changes need to be made...