There’s a balance I struggle with when I go out to eat, especially to a particularly memorable meal. Documenting the meal with photos and occasionally with tasting and wine notes can be exhausting. There’s no doubt it takes away from the overall enjoyment of the experience. In the back of my mind I know I’ll most likely want to write about it at a later date, but at the same time I want the full, uninterrupted dining affair. This is what I struggled with this past New Year’s Eve while enjoying the best meal of my life (thus far).

Stephanie and I have been compiling a dining bucket list, trying to check one or two off per year. Over the last two years we’ve made it to Restaurant Latour at Crystal Spings in Hamburg, NJ and Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, NJ but the one right in our backyard loomed large. We decided to finally pull the trigger and made a reservation for New Year’s Eve at elements in Princeton, NJ. Having heard nothing but stellar reviews, we did it up big at arguably the best restaurant in the state. Chef’s Grand Tasting Menu and Premium Wine Pairing dressed in our Sunday best.

As this was such a spectacularly special occasion, aside from photos of the menu and individual courses, I decided to prioritize the experience over documentation. Combined with the fact that this dinner was now almost two months ago (sorry y’all, my life is busy now), I will not be providing detailed tasting notes or a full review. Instead I will simply state that each of the 12+ courses at elements was the most delicious, perfectly balanced, marvelously succulent bite of that particular food I’ve ever eaten up until this point in my life. All the way down to the bread and butter. Paired with a number of elegant wine selections (of which I have zero notes on, sorry again), this dinner transcended time and space into a higher plane of existence.

I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Quail Eggs Wood Ear Mushrooms Mushroom & Truffle Buns Scallop w/ horseradish, soy, calamansi Surf Clam w/ celery root, shallot, cured pork Bread & Butter Local Eel w/ maple, salsify, Jimmy Nardello pepper White Sturgeon w/ endive, horseradish, potato Guinea Hen w/ foie gras, sauce albufera, tarragon Venison w/ cedar, huckleberry, cured pork Wagyu Ribeye w/ hickory smoked, mushroom, herbs Crispy Potatoes w/ polenta Citrus w/ sorrel and oat Persimmon w/ farmer’s cheese, hazelnut, caramel

Note: I’m not 100% sure about the crispy potatoes. I believe they may have come as part of the ribeye course.

I understand why the Michelin Guide limits their ratings to major cities in the United States. The country is simply too large for inspectors to visit restaurants in every corner of every state, but maybe it’s time for some small changes to the system. There’s no doubt in my mind that Chef Scott Anderson’s magnum opus would have at least one Michelin Star were it located in New York City, Chicago, or San Francisco rather than Princeton, NJ.

I’ve always described an incredible meal as the highest form of art, enveloping the senses, and evoking long lost memories, smells, and tastes. Dinner at elements was no exception. It was a pleasure and an honor to have experienced Scott Anderson’s art. I may not be back for some time, but I assure you I will be back. If you consider a great meal as an transcendent experience rather than mere sustenance, I urge you to visit elements, yes even if it means traveling to New Jersey.