Mike and I stopped for lunch at the Elephant Bar last Friday. He was well acquainted with the chain, but I hadn’t been to one before so I was curious. The restaurant is part of a big chain and it’s at a mall, but the interior was very pleasant, with lots of wood/bamboo, dark colors, a brass elephants and posters of old cruises to exotic lands.
The menu is basically Asian-inspired California food, on the pricy side. Mike and I shared the chicken potsticker appetizer (~$7), and we both liked them very much. The chicken filling was bursting with flavor, and the soy-based dipping sauce complimented it nicely. I’d order it again.
We then shared a full rack of the Kona BBQ pork ribs (~20). These came with a few french fries and coleslaw, and some apple sauce. Mike liked the ribs, but I wasn’t thrilled. Yes, the meat was falling off the bone, but it had the textured of steamed rather than slow cooked pork. The sauce was OK, similar to a teriyaki sauce, with sweet and gingerly notes, but not really remarkable. The ribs I had a couple of days later at Willow Ranch in Buttonwillow were much, much better.
Service was great, however, with a very attentive waitress.
All in all, the Elephant Bar seems like a good place to have a generic good meal in very nice surroundings.
Elephant Bar
9301 Tampa Ave
Northridge, CA
(818) 534-3785
http://www.elephantbar.com