523 Tap & Grill

From Main Street it may not look like much, but one step into 523 Tap & Grill proves that notion wrong, the only way I can describe this restaurant is beautiful (okay sleek, sophisticated, and tasteful work, too!). With the dark wood contrasting clean white table cloths, simple art work on the walls along with two simple yet gorgeous chandeliers, and a huge brocade curtain separating the bar and dining room, this is probably one of the prettiest restaurants I have ever been in. As we looked over the appetizer section of the menu, we had the hardest time deciding which one to order; with choices like lettuce wraps, crab cakes, Asian chicken, and firecracker shrimp it is no wonder that we had a hard time choosing, but we agreed on the bay scallop ceviche, as it is something I have never tried before. It was an eye appealing dish of bay scallops marinated in lime juice with onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes served with hand cut tortilla chips; it was a light, refreshing, and delicious start to our meal, and even after the scallops were gone my hubby continued to eat the veggies because they were so delicious on the chips.

Our next course was soup and salad, and at the suggestion of a certain beautiful foodie friend I tried the wedge salad, which is a wedge of iceberg lettuce covered in onions, tomatoes, bacon, blue cheese, and a creamy, delicious house dressing that is seasoned with curry.

My hubby had the clam chowder and touted it as the best bowl of clam chowder he has ever had in his life, which is a big deal coming from a California boy, he was even impressed that it came out piping hot.

As our main course we ordered a 24oz dry aged Ribeye to share called "The Tomohawk" and when this giant steak arrived at our table, the name was no mystery, you could probably kill a man with it! The steak was perfect; the outside was charred, and the inside was a wonderful, pink, warm medium rare. This giant was drizzled with a balsamic reduction that my hubby wasn't crazy about, but he also admitted that it didn't take anything away from the steak either, I thought it was good, but I am a fan of balsamic. And yes, I literally said "oh my gosh!" when I took my first bite, this is one of the best steaks I have ever eaten, and truthfully rivals that of Ruth's Chris, and might just be a little better in my book because it is a local joint! We also shared a side of fries, which were pre-made/frozen, but had a delicious house seasoning on them that makes it easy enough to forgive the fact that the fries aren't hand cut.

Tonight I was wise enough to save room for dessert, and boy am I glad I did! We had the chocolate lava cake with raspberry sauce drizzled over it and it was delicious, in fact when we ordered it our waitress' exact words were "Oh, that's good!" My hubby found it to be a little too rich, but I thought the tart raspberry sauce was the perfect compliment to the richness of the chocolate cake. The cake looks a little small, but I assure you, it was the perfect size for two to share after a three course meal.

Besides the beautiful decor and outstanding food, the thing I love about this restaurant is that they offer enough of a variety (including many GF options) that you could go on a week night and have a burger, take a date for pasta on the weekend, or celebrate a special occasion with a steak or lobster (although I would probably leave the kiddos with a sitter). If you live in or are visiting the Elkhart area, 523 is a MUST, the staff is friendly and attentive (our water glasses were never less than half full), the food is high quality and delicious, and the setting is sophisticated and gorgeous, this downtown Elkhart restaurant is a true diamond in the rough.