A few days ago, I caught rumor that Restaurant Eloise ( 2295 Gravenstein Hwy South, Sebastopol, 707.823.6300) would be closing.
I immediately called to ask co-owner Eric Korsh for details which he declined to elaborate on publicly. Out of respect for the couple and their staff, I decided to sit on the news for a couple of days until cooler heads prevailed and the staff had been informed. Seems that wasn’t necessary.
Virginie Boone’s Blog today reported that the restaurant has informed its supporters and announced the closure. From her blog…
“It is with much sadness that we are writing to tell everyone who
has supported Eloise in the past sixteen months that we have decided to
close the restaurant as of Monday, November 30th.We will continue with normal service through Sunday, November 29th
and would love a chance to say goodbye to any of you who would like to
come in before then.We thank each of you for your patronage, enthusiasm and
encouragement. We have loved serving you and look forward to a time
when we may meet again.Fondly,
Eric, Ginevra and the entire Eloise Staff
It’s a remarkably tough time for a lot of restaurants, and I can say with certainty that we’ll likely see a handful of other restaurants closing within the next few months. I’m never happy to be the bearer of bad news (trust me), nor is it easy to have to ask the hard questions when the end of the road is imminent.
BiteClub wishes them luck in their future endeavors. Whatever those may be.
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Maybe i was in the wrong Sebastopol.
It’s me:
When your only worry is of a misspelled word, you’ve run out of ideas.
Have you been to SEBASTOPOL lately?
By the way, if you have, you might have spelled the city’s name correctly…
Are we talking about Sebastapol?
Trust me, Sonoma County is in no peril of becoming Marin anytime soon. Have you been to Marin lately?
Sebastopol may be less rural than it once was, but I don’t really see it as SoCo’s yuppie haven. Um. Yeah.
FOR: It’s Me
Our state is overpopulated in general. All those people have to go somewhere. I would rather have the BMW’s taking up my parking spaces and educated people with money visiting my community. Have you visited a bedroom community lately? Full of strip malls and undereducated people who graffiti and cause crime. PLEASE……I will take a town like Sebastopol anytime. Look at the property values? The places that have stayed like you described are not places people want to go to. That’s why they come here. Sebastopol has great restaurants, and a great community. You must be one of the people, like me who are kicking themselves for not buying into this area years ago.
There was once a long-lived, wonderful restaurant at that same location, where a welcoming staff greeted a constant and loyal clientele for many years (so long, I forget how many; maybe decades?). Prices were reasonable, the food made you want to come back, and the place was charming and comforting. Pierre, the owner, finally decided to do something else. Since then, there’s been a succession of failures.
WHY?
Part of the reason, I believe, is that Sebastopol is not the place it used to be. Not friendly, not welcoming, not the kind of place where you go to relax and have a good dinner on a special occasion. Instead, Sebastopol has become trendy, edgy, like Marin County North and New York West in the WORST kind of way. No more apples and Train Down Main. Now it’s uppity overpriced shops and BMWs competing for parking spaces downtown. No wonder hard work and good cooking isn’t enough any more.
I agree with your philosophy. How about naming your winery you represent and are so proud of? Could it possibly be one I/we haven’t paid a visit to?
While it’s a shame to see any place shut down, I’m beginning to think that that particular property is the Bermuda Triangle of West County! I’d eaten there before it was Eloise and it was doomed, as far as I was concerned – the food, the customer service (or lack thereof), the ambiance, etc, left a lot to be desired. None the less, good luck to the staff of Eloise.
“Blogging is road rage with a keyboard.” Too many people without knowledge of the subject, thinking that their opinion really does matter.
Thats why “The Pine Cone” is doing so well!
With their solid anti-vegetarian outlook, I have to say that I am not surprised that this restaurant didn’t survive in Sebastopol.
Hey Buddy Smith ole boy! Don’t bully the bloger’s. We are all entitled to our opinions weather they help your friend’s(your) reputation or not! Personally I don’t like the name “Bud” sounds like something you’d smoke.
I’m doing the same as Missy now, as eating all the meals at home for money. I’m kind of enjoying it on one level as to keep it interesting I never use a recipe. I just see what’s good at market and go from there. But the one time I did dine Eloise, I thought it was pretty good and I’m sad to see them shut it down.
Wow. I have a restaurant with a small list. I have a 90% Sonoma County wines on the list and although some of the winemakers come to our restaurant, not all do, but I still buy their wine because it is good. Eloise has always had a small but well thought out list that pairs well with their food. That is what counts, not adding a “highly established winery” on the list just because they patronized the restaurant.
1 to 2 case per wine maker per winery or from every wine sales man that eats in your restaurants would equal a list that worth more then the building it self.
eloise had a small list because they invested in there employes and not the wine inventory.
all a place like eloise can do with there list is cover the customers basic needs. changiing it up when they can.
do you know how many wine sales people call on you in a day when you are a wine buyer?
I had worked in the restaurant biz before moving up here and working for a winery in sales. My bosses took their board of directors to eat at Eloise couple of times, as well as other clients, and they loved the food and service. But when we approached them about putting our highly rated wines on their list, they said they were focusing on young winemakers. Maybe they just didn’t like our wine, which is fine, but my bosses stopped sending clients there and stopped recommending their restaurant and focused on supporting restaurants that supported us, like Underwood and Mosaic. I think maybe the chefs at Eloise were so focused on the food that they lost sight of marketing, which happens a lot in the restaurant biz. I understand wanting to have a focused wine list, but you really don’t want to alienate the well established local winemakers, especially winemakers who draw crowds from all over the world (and more importantly bring over tourists from Napa) just to taste their wines. A couple of times the restaurant sent someone over to give us menus and info about Eloise, which we all thought was great, but in the end, we will be supporting businesses who support us. And when we have up to 200 people a day come through our tasting room, and at least half of them ask where they should dine while in this area, we are going to tell them to dine at places that support us. It is simply economics and marketing. This is just my opinion, but in this economy it takes more than great food to keep a restaurant alive and profitable.
we had our last great eloise dinner last night.
octopus salad – phenomenal.
bone marrow – yum.
salt cod salad – very refreshing.
sweetbreads – finished the sauce with my fingers after i cleaned the plate.
beef shortribs – still thinking about it this morning!!!
delicious donuts and ice cream for dessert.
portion sizes were perfect, atmosphere was great, company was lovely. the chef came out to talk to lots of the tables and was very nice. service was attentive and kind.
thank you, restaurant eloise, for a lovely evening.
I love to eat out, er, or did. But prices are way too high in this economy. We now eat at home, every meal. And I’ve eaten in Europe – the best foods are the simplest. Keep it simple. I never ate at Eloise, but so many “nice” restaurants serve different kinds of “locally grown” squash (yuck), and there’s the annoying “FUSION FOOD”, which is absolutely awful as well. GL to the owners of this restaurant in their next venture.
So sad to see such fantastic talent leave. Wishing them the best.
Eloise was the best bang for the buck in Sonoma county.That kind of talent at our finger tips…..wow! One of the most memorable meals I have ever had was at Eloise. They will always be my “measuring stick” for other restaurants.
I loved Restaurant Eloise and I am sorry to see them close. I wish them great success in the future and will hold all other restaurants to their high standard of food sourcing, service, and genuine kindness. They will be missed!
Ok – “all you can eat” I guess I need to explain…It is not a matter of cheap, it is a matter of value for your dollar. People are eating out less frequently these days and there is more competition for those dollars. In my opinion – and it is just that, an opinion – I think Eloise food and wine pricing & wine portion sizes were not competitive with other excellent local Sebastopol restaurants such as K&L. And I felt the statement on the internet was off putting….especially in these times.
reader, that’s not funny.
Closing a family-run business that you’ve poured your heart and soul into is extremely painful. I wish them the best in the future.
If you want cheep stay at home and cook. If you can’t cook and need to go out then don’t eat at places that serve local and organic ingredients. Try a taco truck there’s no corkage there.
From a chef’s perspective… very sorry to see this place go. Eric and Ginevra are EXTREMELY talented and knowledgeable, Eloise was my favorite restaurant in the county, and will be greatly missed. Best of luck in the future!
We ate there a few times and felt it was overpriced for what we recieved. The wine was $14.00 a glass and we both got a stingy pour. Also I was offended by the following on their website:
“Come on in Wednesday nights and take advantage of this deal: Three-course menu for the paltry sum of $35 dollars. And of course, no corkage.”
“paltry sum” Sounds so snobby especially these days when people are struggling to pay their bills – $35 per person with tax and tip comes out to about $100 and you have to “BYOB”, not “paltry” in my opinion.
Ya know what reader? Just move your little life right along. Scoot now. Many of us who know these folks don’t take pleasure in your little games. So you just toot-a-loo on down the road.
I don’t understand why they’re closing. Obama says the economy’s improving. The PD just had an article saying wine sales are supposed to improve next year as the economy rebounds. Something doesn’t add up….
for a couple who did everything right, it’s very sad to see them go.
I have know idea what eloise miggs ate at, everything i ever head about or saw for myself at eloise was spot on.
We’ve dined at Eloise several times and also have partaken of their delicious brunch — they’re just down the road from us — and we are very dismayed to hear this news. Every meal we’ve had there has been delicious, and the brunch especially so (ricotta pear pancakes! sorrel omelettes! strawberry scones to die for!). Almost more strikingly, the service has always been kind, personable, and extraordinarily sensitive. I’ve never felt more instant affection and appreciation for the skills of good servers than at Eloise. The ambiance was similarly great — with a few key changes, they turned the somewhat dark dining room they inherited (which we had also visited in its previous incarnation) into a light, airy, elegant-feeling space. On a sunny weekend day, you couldn’t beat sitting by the window, enjoying the beautiful herb and flower garden, and feeling lucky to have an establishment this welcoming and food this delicious so close to home. I always wondered (and worried) that there weren’t more full tables and a line out the door — I am very sorry that my worst fears have come to pass, and very sorry to say goodbye to Eloise.
We’ve dined at Eloise several times and also have partaken of their delicious brunch — they’re just down the road from us — and we are very dismayed to hear this news. Every meal we’ve had there has been delicious, and the brunch especially so (ricotta pear pancakes! sorrel omelettes! strawberry scones to die for!). Almost more strikingly, the service has always been kind, personable, and extraordinarily sensitive. I’ve never felt more instant affection and appreciation for the skills of good servers than at Eloise. The ambiance was similarly great — with a few key changes, they turned the somewhat dark dining room they inherited (which we had also visited in its previous incarnation) into a light, airy, elegant-feeling space. On a sunny weekend day, you couldn’t beat sitting by the window, enjoying the beautiful herb and flower garden, and feeling lucky to have an establishment this welcoming and food this delicious so close to home. I always wondered (and worried) that there weren’t more full tables and a line out the door — I am very sorry that my worst fears have come to pass, and very sorry to say goodbye to Eloise.
We’ve dined at Eloise several times and also have partaken of their delicious brunch — they’re just down the road from us — and we are very dismayed to hear this news. Every meal we’ve had there has been delicious, and the brunch especially so (ricotta pear pancakes! sorrel omelettes! strawberry scones to die for!). Almost more strikingly, the service has always been kind, personable, and extraordinarily sensitive. I’ve never felt more instant affection and appreciation for the skills of good servers than at Eloise. The ambiance was similarly great — with a few key changes, they turned the somewhat dark dining room they inherited (which we had also visited in its previous incarnation) into a light, airy, elegant-feeling space. On a sunny weekend day, you couldn’t beat sitting by the window, enjoying the beautiful herb and flower garden, and feeling lucky to have an establishment this welcoming and food this delicious so close to home. I always wondered (and worried) that there weren’t more full tables and a line out the door — I am very sorry that my worst fears have come to pass, and very sorry to say goodbye to Eloise.
I really liked Eloise and thought some of their dishes were courageously out of the box for sononma county. But everytime we thought of going somewhere on the spur of the moment for dinner (which is usually what happens with us) we thought it was too out of the way or it never came to mind at all because of the location.
Sorry to see them close.
So sad to see this happen. While some recent restaurant closings have been expected (bad management, uneven service, so-so food), Restaurant Eloise was a step above the rest. We had a great dinner there a year ago — outstanding service and food. I ironically, I made a December rez on Open Table today for Eloise and Open table emailed me back to say they will be closing at the end of the month.
Too bad, but I can’t say I was a fan. This place never lived up to the hype it got. The plates at Eloise were about as uninspired as the hunk of couverture they gave you with your check at the end of the meal.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked to put up a “Death Watch” for restaurants. Interestingly enough, mostly by other chefs.
here’s an idea for a fun holiday game. let’s guess which local restaurants will close next.