In October, esteemed St. Louis restaurant Elaia welcomed a new Executive Chef, Aaron Martinez. Now, as Owner of Bengelina Hospitality Group Ben Poremba looks to the new year, he is pleased to unveil a new direction for the award-winning establishment. Since 2012, Elaia has been known for providing diners an exceptional, classic fine dining experience, and while Elaia still prides itself on being this destination, more approachable options are now announced for guests to choose from as well.

In an effort to welcome a wider range of diners seeking a more accessible experience, Elaia presents a menu, led by Chef Martinez, with options perfect for every type of diner.  Dining at Elaia is special, and always will be special, and this new direction brings more ways than its traditional long-format service model to explore the restaurant.  Elaia is not turning away from the beloved tradition of the classic tasting menu, it’s simply opening a new door to customers looking to enjoy elevated cuisine in a more attainable way.

The new menu format now offers the following options: three courses priced at $55, four courses priced at $70, five courses priced at $85, and à la carte pricing for small plates ($15), large plates ($30) and desserts ($15).

“I am the first to admit that this experience came with high cost and demanded time,” says Poremba. “Now, as we enter our seventh year, I don’t want to take this important aspect away, but I also want to simplify the experience for some of our diners, open up the restaurant to new customers, and allow for people to experience it on their own terms.”

As Chef Martinez is fond of saying, “We take the food and the service seriously, but we don’t want to take ourselves too seriously.”  Elaia’s menu showcases chef’s ability to exude maximum flavor out of ingredients. Against the current trend of adding too much flair to dishes, he takes it away and serves intensely flavorful and remarkably clean food.