elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain

Review summary

1. J

   John

   Phoenix

   15 reviews

   4.0

   15 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   We had a great night with very good service and pleasant/welcoming staff. The only thing that could be improved was my wife ordered Salmon an asked for it to be cooked medium and not the medium rare the restaurant serves. Unfortunately it was medium rare and although tasted good it wasn't prepared as ordered.
   

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2. A

   Ann

   Phoenix

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   I have been to Elements several times over the years and have always enjoyed the food and dining experience...until last night. I made clear in my reservation that the dinner was for a special occasion and requested a window table. We walked in right behind a group of three who announced, upon entering, that they didn't have a reservation. I saw them walked to a lovely table with a view in the main dining area. Our party of three, who did have a reservation, was walked to a back room (that I have only been in for corporate events), that was isolated from the main area and were seated at a table in the middle of the room, even though there was a window table available. We were moved to the window, after I mentioned that I had requested one in the reservation I made, but we were seated next to a large group who were extremely loud and overbearing. So our first impression was definitely negative. We then looked at the menu and none of us could find anything that looked the least bit appealing - the menu had changed considerably, and not for the better, since my last visit. If you don't like cucumbers, persimmons or black olives as an accompaniment with most entrees, you're out of luck. One of us just ordered French Onion soup and I ordered sushi, which I had no intention of doing, but couldn't find anything else of interest. We felt like after-thoughts from the start and the situation wasn't redeemed by the meal. It was very disappointing all the way around and the whole experience put a damper on what was supposed to have been a special evening.
   

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3. J

   Jeffrey

   VIP

   Minneapolis

   13 reviews

   5.0

   13 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   A high quality, high price restaurant. Worth it for a special occassion.
   

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4. G

   Guy

   VIP

   Phoenix

   38 reviews

   5.0

   38 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The menu was extensive, the food was delicious and well-presented and the service was outstanding
   

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5. k

   kathy

   Denver

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We were celebrating 2 birthdays, so wanted it to be extra special. It was above expectations. Service was excellent! Food was delicious! Both birthday girls ordered the beet salad that was beyond amazing!
   

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6. C

   Chris

   VIP

   Seattle

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   We really liked this place...a gorgeous setting and fantastic food. Perhaps we hit it on a bad day, and this review demonstrates how service can ruin an otherwise great experience such that it eclipses all the good stuff. It's expensive (no surprise there) and portions are small. We were one of two tables occupied in our section. With a reservation (and only one other table) it still took 5 minutes to be seated. Once seated, our order was taken, we waited 45 minutes to see our food. My meal, the crab cake (singular), was listed in the entree section. I don't know why it's considered an entree. It consisted of one crab cake (4 inch) with no accompaniments. 45 min wait, 5 minutes to finish. Tasty. But small. $40. Our server didn't come back to check on us more than once. She saw that my water glass was empty and promised to fill it. She did not. Mind you, we were still one of only two tables filled. The other table obviously had issues with their order as well. We've had good experiences and excellent service at Elements before. Perhaps it was an off day. We probably won't return again.
   

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7. D

   Dina

   VIP

   Portland

   12 reviews

   4.0

   12 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The restaurant was almost empty so noise level was very low. The food portions were quite filling. The food tasted great and the presentation was outstanding. Service was outstanding. The only negative was price. Lunch for 3 with no alcohol was $120. Probably reasonable for a lovely restaurant but still a little spendy.
   

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8. J

   Joyee

   VIP

   Minneapolis

   5 reviews

   1.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   We dined here for Christmas dinner and to celebrate a birthday. It was disappointing. We were sat about 30 minutes after our reservation time which is understandable because of the holiday. Food was great and wine menu was vast. Kudos to the hosts up front for dealing with a busy night. The Somm and busser were great, they were the only two redeeming people who served us. Our server never introduced himself so I could not get you his name. He said all but 15 words to us prior to our main course. When he took our order it was a “what will you have?” There was no explanation of the prix fixe, the items of the menu, or even a warm welcome. He had no problem chatting up the table next to us, offering recommendations and checking in on them as they were eating. Our server would pass our table, check in with the table next to us, then walk right by us with out asking if we were enjoying our food, if we needed anything or even to take another drink or wine bottle order. Our sever made a poor attempt to apologize and make small talk as our entrees came out. We got the managers attention between entrees and dessert. This was not the interaction we were hoping for. The manager told us he was newer, had only been there for a couple of months. We explained the service we were having, and his response was “well in his (the server) defense, he’s had a rough night with bad tables and groups” there was no apology from the manager, nothing done to right our dining experience. After spending about $850 for a dinner for two, I am left disappointed. I had a fantastic Christmas dinner here last year and this year left little to be desired. I will likely never return to elements for a casual dinner and especially not a special occasion and will be sure to dissuade others from doing so.
   

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9. J

   Josh

   Los Angeles

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   Went to dinner to Christmas night. It was a set menu and the restaurant was full but they were either woefully understaffed or the manager doesn’t know how to run a kitchen on a night like this. We were seated 20 mins late and no one came to the table to greet us for another 20. After we made our menu choices, we got the bread course (just bread and butter) fairly quickly. After that it was over an hour before our second course arrived, numerous tables were suffering through the same issue and everyone was getting more infuriated. Neither our server or the GM bothered to tell us what was happening until I finally got up and flagged someone down. We did not get our appetizer and soup until we had been seated for almost 2 hours! Completely unacceptable when you’re paying $170/person excluding tax and gratuity. Terrible experience all around. Chaos all over the restaurant. The entrees were actually quite good once we finally got served. While experience took almost 3 hours and not in a good way. Can’t imagine what people with later reservations went through in terms of waiting.
   

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10. P

    Phoenix

    Denver

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3

    Poorly run kitchen with extremely delayed and very low quality food
    

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