Restaurants in El Dorado

Under Jacob’s Well’s high ceilings, the clattering of coffee cups and the fresh-baked aroma of pizza crust crisping in a brick oven sails through the space. Natural light spills over a checkered floor, and old maps and framed prints dot the walls as staff members artfully decorate lattes, topping cups off with flowers, perky-eared bunnies, or fire-breathing dragons. Sometimes their “latte art” veers into the abstract, leaving guests to interpret whether their java resembles a rocky mountain crag or the Greek symbol for caffeinate. Frequently, local musicians provide a soundtrack for patrons decoding their cups, mingling music with the coffeehouse’s usual upbeat banter.

A chef stands over a flaming tableside teppanyaki grill, twirling his cooking instruments in the air and catching them in each hand. As his audience whistles and cheers, he sears juicy morsels of filet mignon, chicken, and seafood alongside colorful slices of mixed vegetables. Chefs are equally busy behind the sushi counter, artfully arranging more than 100 different types of rolls with fresh tuna, spicy salmon, and crispy shrimp tempura. At the bar, expert mixologists shake premium liquors and juices into cocktails, garnishing them with duos of plump olives and curls of lemon rind. At nightfall as the moon filters in through the skylight windows, the contemporary dining room comes alive with glimmering televisions, lively music, and friends debating the existence of wood nymphs over drinks.

Il Ponte Cafe’s chefs bake a bridge between Italian classics and the flavors of the greater Mediterranean. Herb-crusted salmon basks in rich lobster sauce, seared atop a grill until patterned with perfect lines or a cross-hatched portrait of the chef. The spears of kebabs thrust through both land and sea meats, accompanied to the table by freshly made hummus, and a lively fattoush salad casts off parsley, tomatoes, onions, pickles, olives, pita crisps, and feta cheese into a leafy lagoon of romaine and iceberg lettuce.

The kitchen staff at Bann Thai Restaurant has nary a can opener. This is because they craft each dish from scratch using the owner’s family recipes—brought straight from Thailand—rather than using bottled ingredients procured on internet auction sites. Thai-style curry dishes smother chicken, beef, and pork with brightly colored sauces, while the flavors of thai basil, ginger, and chili peppers energize plates of duck and seafood.

A wave of flavor washes over visitors to Tsunami Teriyaki, who can dig into charbroiled teriyaki, chicken wings, and Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Spring rolls stuffed with chicken and vegetables and garnished with a ginger-lime sauce can start off meals, or diners can sample salad rolls made with carrots, bean sprouts, and peanut sauce. The hearty selection of noodles ranges from pad thai, “Thailand’s official rice noodle,” to vermicelli, Vietnam’s “light and healthy rice noodle.” The luscious noodles arrive mixed with cilantro, toasted peanuts, lemongrass, bean sprouts, and proteins such as tofu, chicken, or steak. The house Tsunami Specials platters include chicken or tofu mixed with string beans, Thai herbs, or a crushed peppercorn sauce. Thai iced tea and Vietnamese iced coffee wash down spices, and boba drinks of avocado, mango, and sour-green-apple flavors provide refreshing sips that may come with pearls of tapioca freshly stolen from the elusive tapioca oyster.

The cozy café’s sweet aromas of freshly baked breads and pastries satisfy sniffers without even making them scratch the menu of morning and midday delights. Quiche Lorraine and quiche Florentine ($4), which are new additions to The Palette's bill of breakfast fare, whisper savory complements to sweet stacks of waffles ($4). For lunch, nosh a handheld pineapple-, grape-, and cashew-clad chicken-salad sandwich or a grilled meatloaf sandwich, both served on homemade bread ($6). Cleanse your esophagus with barista beverages such as chocolate café au lait ($3), tropical paradise iced tea ($1.50), citrus smoothies ($4), or raspberry or apple Hot Lips sodas ($3), and complete the sweet with a warm slice of apple pie with ice cream ($4) or carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting ($4).