It's funny I've lived here as long as I have and still have not hit some of the nearby restaurants that have been here for some time. Eleven on The Cap is one such place. I suppose I had avoided it because it looked a bit too swank or hip for my normal taste. And its proximity and affiliation with Hyde Park steak house biased me against it possibly because I assumed it would have few vegetarian options.
While that isn't so far from the truth, I found many tasty options on this comfortable evening. I arrived not long after 7 (Happy Hour until 6:30) and asked for a seat on the patio. The inside is definitely swanky in a loungy way, and I would definitely consider hanging out there in other circumstances. It has a warm wood glow to it.
I pulled up a high round table near the sidewalk, a position that opened me up to two homeless people within 5 minutes begging. They reminded me of the birds that hang out near restaurants because people keep feeding them. No matter, it was a nice venue to people watch on the sidewalk and under the portico.
And who should approach but Ben, the guy who lives upstairs whom I met once and told me he worked here! It was fortuitous, as I snagged a free dessert and he's a nice guy and a good server.
I started with the blueberry mojito, his suggestion and also a $5 Thursday night special. It was very tasty, sweet, blueberry and mint, and fresh. Alcohol was not overpowering, but was enough.
After a wait, my salad came up, fresh spinach and arugula $6 with the creamiest feta cheese, golden raisins, and balsamic vinaigrette. The raisins I could do without, but the dressing was very mellow with a hint of lemon and just right. It would have been better with nuts or almonds in place of the raisins. My only other complaint was that it was almost all spinach with almost no arugula, something I love. But that feta might have been goat cheese it was so smooth, but it had that distinctly salty flavor of feta. Still, 4.5/5
The pizza came next. I ordered the margherita, but the order got mixed up and I got the forest mushroom. As it turned out, this was not a bad thing, since it had all the fixings of the former, with added mushrooms and the spinach arugula salad on top. Well, I got my greens for the day and some, and Ben was apologetic. No harm no foul. (a sports reference?!) (I have no idea what sport it's from though, so don't worry). The mozzarella was house made and really chewy and tasty. The rest of it was plum tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, and a nice dry, chewy crust. Just the right size, though I saved three slices for later so I'd have room for dessert. 4/5
And I'm glad I did! Ben, to make up for the gaffe and just because he's an extra nice guy, brought me not just one piece of chocolate torte on the house, but two! I definitely needed to save the second piece for later. It was delicious! Dense, dark chocolate, smooth, sweet, with peanut butter sauce and raspberry reduction drizzle. Yes! I'm the biggest sweet tooth I know, and the only thing that might have enhanced this would be a scoop of Jeni's honey vanilla ice cream. I'm not complaining. 5/5 and amazing.
Dance music played from the speakers, people lounged on the outdoor couch chairs, and everyone was having a good time. I'll certainly be back.
Overall 4.5/5
(No website; leads you to Hyde Park, but I can't find a menu for Eleven there)
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