I know Misty from back in the day.
This place has been on my list for awhile but the bus doesn't come here so I'd have to taxi or wait til someone I know wants to go.
I finally had the chance last weekend and it was a nice experience. Â
We started with the Brie appetizer, which was encrusted with phyllo dough.  It was prepared very nicely and baked just right, but came with a load of crackers and bread  that I think I'll just ask them to hold next time.
I went with the Salmon mango salad and it was a large portion of meat with a sweet dressing on a fresh bed of lettuce. Â My friend had a meatball sandwich.
I'm glad to have another nice spot in Salinas besides Gino's or Monterey Brew to go to.
The outdoor patio was very nice and has a firepit. Â Looks like it can seat about 10 to 12 people.
I like that it's open straight through lunch to dinner. Â There aren't many spots open in the late afternoon. Â The prices are pretty reasonable as well.
I'll be keeping this place in mind when out-of-town guests come through. Â I'll be going back to try more menu items soon.
This is a very cute place nestled in between the abundant agricultural fields. The place is very cozy and gives off a very warm feeling. The central theme of the restaurant is definitely wine. Wine was found in every corner of the restaurant. At times the verbiage on the walls was overwhelming but other than that the atmosphere was very pleasing. The salads were very fresh and the selection of salad dressings was extensive. I ordered the prime rib dip sandwich which was juicy and delicious and  the portion was very generous. Overall it was a great place to stop for lunch and I will definitely  return in the future.
Review Source:I was really disappointed with the food. We got our meal as take out. The salad came with the wrong dressing - it was supposed to be poppy seed and it was sesame seeds floating in oil. Thankfully we could raid our own fridge for something good to compliment the fantastic salad. The salad is the only thing I would have again from there. Between the two of us we had a French dip sandwich and tacos. The French dip was not a French dip. It was a greasy garlic bread with cheese and thick slices of meat. The fries that came with it were just okay. The tacos were not good. They were on flour tortillas that were falling apart. We had one chicken and one chipotle halibut. The halibut? It was awful. We both took one bite and quit eating it. There was literally one piece of fried fish on the taco and no chipotle to be found. So disappointing. And extremely overpriced. Save your money and go some where else like Angelina's in Toro Park or Gino's on the edge of Salinas.
Review Source:This was such a fun, amazing place in the middle of nowhere. Â We wouldn't have stopped there if not for the recommendation we were given. Â We were staying in the area, so we went there for lunch. Â We liked it so much we went back for dinner that same night. Â The food was great, the service was very friendly and the atmosphere was so enjoyable. Â I highly recommend it for either lunch or dinner, and save room for their desserts.
Review Source:When we arrived we walked to what looked like the front door with the big sign and all that, but it was actually the back door. And it was locked. We had to ask the boutique next door if they were open. They directed us to the "front". We were attended to quickly enough and the one waitress that was there was there when we needed her. Kind of.
The wine was served in yellow tinted champagne glasses which was a little strange. My white wine looked yellow. The wine itself was fine though.
The food was the worst part. My husbands 10oz flat iron steak was supposed to be medium rare but seemed to be slightly over this. The broccoli slaw was terrible. The broccoli was RAW. This should never happen! And there was less than a forkful of slaw over the broccoli. Tasted like I fell in the grass and got a mouthful. The "sauce" wasn't good at all.
I ordered the Caprese salad. It came, topped with Prosciutto which wasn't listed on the menu. I'm a vegetarian so this really upset me. My husband wanted to complain but I was fine just picking it off. Also, the mozzarella atop the tomatoes was the tiniest cube size I've ever seen/had on this salad. Worst Caprese I've had hands down.
We're not sure if we just chose the worst things on the menu but as a restaurant you should never serve food this bad. Other small things like chipped plates and dirty lemons in our water were amongst things that just put us off this place completely.
Had lunch here with friends today.
This is the second time we have eaten here for lunch.
It wasn't busy so the six of us were seated promptly. Â They have both indoor and outdoor seating.
Service was friendly as always.
I had a side salad with a flavorful wine dressing. It was huge as all their plates are.
My wife and I split the special fish tacos with basil and tilapia.
They were excellent.
The fish was cooked perfectly and the taco was stuffed with veggies. Â The server was nice enough to separate our plates and each of us got our own order of black beans in a metal pot and rice. Â Very nice touch.
Time between courses was slightly longer than usual but not excessive.
Although I did not try everyone's else's items. They all said it was good and of course all their portions were huge too.
They have a large selection of local wines along with a wine bar for tastings.
This is a small place with great food. Come one locals start frequenting this place so it stay in business.
I came for dinner on a Friday night. I made reservations, which was a good idea, because this place is small. (seating for maybe 20-25 people inside)
I had the prime rib, which was good but....served at about room temp on a cold plate. Should have been served warm on a dangerously hot plate. The mashed potatos that came with it were very good. And the salad was also very good.
It was 7:30pm and the place was filled with loud, drunk, women. Which normally is a good thing; unless you are at a nice restaurant trying to enjoy a meal. I had to yell across the table to talk. And since our party was not drunk, we didn't feel like screaming at each other. The noise was worse than a grade school cafeteria.
I didn't like seeing a table with 3 women and 2 children going through bottle after bottle of wine. I felt bad for the children; and wondered if they would make it home alive.
It's out of the way of everything in the area. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there again. But if you are in the area anyway, give it a shot. Maybe if you show up early they won't all be obnoxiously loud from being drunk. If I go again, I will be sitting outside at the neat fireplace tables.
Element is my favorite local restaurant, hands down!
I have never once had a meal that wasn't excellent. Â Service is almost always great. Â Owner Misty is a wonderful hostess.
Positives:
-- Locals love the friendly, hang-out atmosphere. Â Great wine and conversation.
-- Meatball sub...oh...my...gosh! Â Along with the pulled pork sandwich and the italian sausage sandwich...the meatball sub is amazing. Â Served on toaste garlic cheese bread, and it's HUGE!
-- The wedge salad with syrah dressing--amazing!
-- Fish tacos are awesome!
-- Great pricing!
Possible negatives:
-- Gets crowded, but it's EXPANDING!!! Doubling its number of tables SOON!
-- Not enough variety of sides for sandwiches
Overall, I love this place!
I got my prime rib fix. Â I'm telling you, it's always perfectly prepared. I order nothing else, cuz it's my favorite. Â I'm still meh on the sides, though. Their Syrah is no longer available. Boo! Â I guess the sister sold the vineyard. Â Hubs got the lasagna, but it wasn't his favorite. It's not the marinara sauce kind, but the Bechamel type of sauce. Â Busy place, and I'm always happy to see local yokels make it.
Review Source:Good service, yummy food. Â I had the shredded pork calzone with a couple of Coors originals. (Thats right. Â Yellow bellies. Banquet Beer. A true American Pilsner...)
I was wondering how the pork would be in a calzone, but it was delicous. Â My salad beforehand was crisp and cold, with just the right amount of Bleu Cheese crumbles and dressing.
The cheesy bread with jalapenos and bacon was a winner as an appetizer. Â Of course, it's hard to go wrong when bacon, Jalapeno, and Cheese are at the party.
The prices were reasonable, and the service was excellent.
We enjoyed dinner here! Note: We consider 2 stars to be our average to have more leeway for the better food places out there so our 3 stars is above average and a place we'd return to.
First, the decor of the place is great- the lighting is soft, warm, and the whole place feels comfortable and welcoming. We especially loved the plush booths with soft pillows and blankets.
For food, we ordered the artichoke bisque, the pulled pork sandwich and the western bbq salad. The bisque was creamy but not so heavy (balanced with lemony acidity), however, we wished there was more artichoke flavor to it.
The pulled pork plate was our favorite of the night. The sandwich was sizeable and yummy. The cheesy bread was fresh baked and the pork was juicy. Our one complaint was that the pulled pork sauce was just a bit too sweet. The cole slaw with this dish was probably the best I've ever had. it was crisp, fresh, slightly sweet (and with cranberries) and no heavy hand of mayonnaise (thank god). Â The mashed potatoes were also well seasoned.
The western bbq salad came with corn, beans, avocado, chicken, lettuce, and fritos? It was large but could do with less ranch and bbq sauce and some crispier lettuce and perhaps more of the corn and beans.
We also had two glasses of wine- the Manzoni pinot noir and the Lockwood sauvignon blanc. Both were good at $6-8/glass.
Overall, an enjoyable dinner and the best we've had in Salinas.
We ate here today for the first time, and we'll definitely be back! It was mid day on a  Sunday afternoon and we were the only customers. If it hadn't been for reading reviews of how packed this place normally is, I'd be thinking this place wasn't very popular.
The place is tastefully decorated, the server was very nice and professional. The food choices were great and the ones we chose were very tasty. The steak salad was split to two plates and even both of those were very large helpings. The Baby back ribs were fall-off-the-bone yummy although my guest thought it seemed too spicy but to me, it was perfect.
The wines glasses are big, too!
They have indoor and outdoor seating.
And although the name of the place is Element Wine Tasting Bar, there is no "wine tasting", which I don't understand. You buy only by the glass or bottle. They really should change the name of their place, or better yet, add wine tastings to their menu. And Yelp needs to change the info at the top that says they do not serve alcohol when they obviously do serve alcohol.
The only one thing that was an instant turn off upon arrival was seeing people have a little dog that was up on one of the tables in the outdoor dining area. My guest was appalled that they would allow an animal like that up on an eating space and he almost turned and walked right out.
Other than that, it was all a great dining experience.
Went for a girls night out and I'm ready to go back! The servers were very nice and friendly from the moment we walked in..they would have changed our table if we wanted something off to the side. Our  food was ordered and when the salads came they were on a large plate and so fresh and crisp. We each ordered different meals and all were delish! The servers were attentive and our meal was 80$ with tip. Now, none of us were drinking that night except for the sodas and we were amazed! Everything was so great, I took 1/2 of my lasagna home and really enjoyed it the next day..they even gave me extra bread and butter to take home. Â
Coming here on a week night is perfect since there are not many tables. It's cozy with some booths along the windows and tables respectfully close. From fish tacos to chicken piccata to my lasagna it all was great and can't wait to go again and enjoy something else on the menu. With enough to chose from we won't grow tired of this place! Gonna try the pizza..looked good!
Romantic for 2 esp on a week night..no hurry.
half of our group ate outside as there were not enough chairs or umbrellas up to keep the sun out. Â The service was good. Â The waitress said we would have free wine tasting although we were outside, but that did not happen. Â I would suggest that you go in and get the wine tasting over before you order.
My salad and my friends orders looked good. Â My disappointment was in the dessert which was advertized as a sliver of peanut butter pie with a scoop of ice cream and cost was $5.50. Â It came with a small round cookie peanut frozen filling and they used the poorest quality ice cream which melted immediatly. Â I expected a pie with a peanuter butter filling and at least Hagen Daas ice cream that will stay firm from an up scale place like that. Â It was also smothered in whipped cream to hide the smallness of the cookie pie. I liked the food, but would not order any of their desserts again. Â Restaurants seemed to be doing this sort of thing these days by cutting corners.
i like the location, love the blues in the background, the room acoustics, ribs, steak salad, service, staff.
my excellent wife loves the calzones and salads, likes the wines, and enjoys the calm environment at lunch time on the weekends.
we both love that the bread is fresh.
misty crafts great meals and gives us the rock star treatment. we wish that we could go more often.
I like this place! I have read the reviews on this bistro and a couple of them were harsh. The owner Misty who I met when I had dinner at her fine establishment was very kind, warm and her little bistro was very inviting. I read the comment about the metal furniture in her restraunt. This is very unfair to post something like this did the furniture hurt your ass or did it some how make your meal less palatable. Please learn to keep things like that to your self you should only comment what really matters. This is not a big restraunt chain, this is someones daughter, mother, sister and friend. So please be responsible with your postings on yelp because they can ruin peoples business and most important their dreams. Everyone can have a bad day even a server at a place of business maybe judge the person not the place and let the owner know before you go yelping. Signed the yelp police.
Review Source:Went for a drink and a bite to eat after reading great reviews.
I was completely disappointed!
No one was there to help us when we walked in for a good 5 mins- then we asked if they had a tasting menu or flights of wine? I assumed from the name that they did tastings- i guess not. They only do wine by the glass. Ok no big deal- after suggestion from the server we had glasses of the Element Syrah- which was pretty good.
The server seemed to keep disappearing and very inattentive, which was a major turn off. After finally having the server check up on us and ask if we would like anything else. We ordered their spinach dip and when it came out it was this greasy mess.
I so badly wanted to like this place. The food was horrible. The wine was good but not something worth raving about, the service is what will make me NEVER go back again.
You should care more about your customers and having such an intimate sweet location I would recommend the service should be the same!
Virgin review! Â
Coming from Disneyland we decided to take the scenic route home to Norcal. I found this place on yelp around dinner time. The way there from the 101 seriously makes you feel like you are in a horror movie. But it's well lit and inside is bustling so it makes you feel welcome from the emptiness of the highway.
Steamed artichoke $8
Delicious! Unique way to do a boring and cheap dish
Prime rib sandwich dip $12
The bread was toasted but not hard and the beef was amazing
Salmon Chardonnay salad $12
Pretty good. Big bed of salad and a decent size of salmon. Their flavors make you feel like you're eating Christmas.
Ambiance was good. Romantic and comfortable. Servers are nice. The signs on the walls are funny and they are all about wine.
I live 1.5 hours away and I still wanna go back!
Great place to entertain.....Took a client out for a drink to review a contract and got him to sign and close the deal on a jack and coke. I didnt take him to be a jack and coke guy but more of a wine guy....
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We just returned form staying at the Vision Quest Ranch (see review elsewhere in Yelp)
While the ranch is a bit out of the way, staff told us about this cozy and fantastic eatery. less than a half mile form the ranch. Â Located on River Road at the Shell Gas station center.
We went for dinner, and for four of us, cost was just a hair over $60.
This included a prime rib dinner, HUGE, inch thick nicely done prime rib, with two sides and a salad.- the most expensive thing on the tab. ~$23 when we went
My mom and another guest ordered the Prime Rib  with aus jus dip sandwich to split as it was rather large, and came with two sides also. ~$12 when we went
Tory had one of their Calzones, with salad, and they were good enough to leave out the ingredient she did not care for. ~$12 when we went
Portions were large and filling, flavors were very nice. Dressings for the salads were tasty with some nice differences. the dinner salad was a nice sized salad with a pleasant mix of greens rather than the tiny bowl of quick chopped lettuce seen in most places.
The mashed potatoes had nice chunks of potato and some great tasting flavor from herbs blended in.
The Prime rib was nicely crusted, thick, and tender. Cooked just right to my request for medium rare. Â
The broccoli slaw was lightly sweet and tasty, a nice change from most slaws.
The menu includes Pizza, some pasta, several styles of salads, with a nice set of choices in styles and meats, salmon, chicken, beef. Â The appetizer selections looked good as well, though our dinner would have been wasted on us had we ordered any. Â I would guess from what i saw being served, that a couple appetizers would make plenty for dinner for two.
There is a wine tasting bar at this location, we did not do any alcohol or wine tasting, so cannot comment on that aspect.
Service was friendly, polite, and reasonably fast. Â
This location looks to be family owned and run, wtih the family being friendly and helpful on special requests and menu questions.
A smallish space, with I think a dozen tables, and a couple of patio spots for seating  with outdoor heating/flames for cool evenings.
Dinner was finished and we were treated to a nice coconut bread pudding...yummmm.  One  serving with the vanilla ice cream and whipped cream was plenty for all four of us.
Just a note, I rarely give 5 stars, 4 is a very good rating from me.
Great place to go for wine! Â We ordered a bottle and it was only around $20. Â I had the spaghetti and it was pretty wet and soggy and had way too much meat sauce on it. Â It came with a "side" salad which was the size of an entree. Â So, the portions kinda made up for the not very good quality of food. Â My husband had the pizza which was alright as well. Â Food wasn't too much to rave about, but loved the cabernet. Â Will probably go back for the wine.
Review Source:When I asked the young lady at the Pessagno Tasting Room where the closest place to grab a snack was, she suggested Element. Â My friend Megan and I used to live in the city so Element sounded like a club, you know one that would play house or any music w/ a untz untz untz beat. Â Not so much, this new restaurant just opened a few months ago and is located by the Shell Station in front of the Las Palmas neighborhood. Â Element is in fact a name of a wine that is dear to the owner.
After tasting almost a dozen wines at Hahn and Pessagno (Wrath/San Saba was closed for wine tasting on Tuesday) we thought it would be good to put something solid in our stomach. Â My friend Megan was driving back to Sonoma so we thought this was a smart idea.
The cheesy Artichoke Dip was pretty solid, good enough to eat all on its own... with a spoon that is. Â The crackers are your typical Premium Brand Saltines and a few Multi-grain crackers and the bread was a soft French. Â Calzone's are their specialty and I saw a Bacon & Pineapple so I asked if they would make a Pizza for us using those ingrediants. Â They were more than accomodating and although I like a thin/crispy crust the crust on this was huge but soft and chewy in a good way and delicious with their ranch dressing. Â B.Y.O.T (Tabasco) as they only carry Tapatio here. Â I was surprised to see the Pizza come out topped with shredded Parmesan Cheese... not the powdered kind thankgoodness but the shredded kind you can find at Costco. Â Great if the pizza was hot enough to melt it but the cheese just lay there.... aesthetically pleasing to the eye but way too much going on for my taste.
Our server was a sweet lady and the atmosphere is decked out with wine parphanalia. Â Signs like, "I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food" adorn the walls ( a bit cheesy for my taste) but the ones in the bathroom are truly funny. Â Outdoor patio furniture is strewn about the dining floor but we sat in the booths... comfy. Â We found the patio sun umbrella kind of unnecessary indoors but definately added to the quirkiness of the restaurant.
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