Elephant Bar remains a mystery wrapped in a jungle theme

Do elephants eat macadamia nuts? If so, that might explain their presence in so many dishes on the Elephant Bar Restaurant's menu.

Frankly, the name and concept of the new dining spot at the Edison Mall puzzles me. The exterior of the place has an African jungle look - a tall arched façade painted in animal stripes with torch-shaped lights on either side of the dark glass doors. Inside, an elephant appears to be walking out of a wall headed toward the front door. There are booths upholstered in patterns resembling animal skins, a tiger-striped rug and ceiling fans with palm-frond paddles.

But the menu veers into another direction - or, more precisely, several other directions: a touch of Thai, a dash of Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese, Jamaican here, Southern there, with barbecue, burgers and steaks thrown into the mix.

Then there are those nuts. Macadamia nut chicken breast. Tamarind macadamia nut sauce. Macadamia-crusted fish and chips. Roasted macadamia nut beurre blanc sauce. And chocolate, chocolate molten lava cake sprinkled with - you guessed it - macadamia nuts.

Molten lava cake consists of a chocolate cake with a liquid middle that comes with three scoops of vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce Upon reading the smaller print on the menu I began to grasp what this chain's head honchos had in mind: "We know it's a jungle out there…escape to the Elephant Bar Restaurant… the best dining adventure in town!"

There were other references to "elephantsized portions" (I found them decent but not huge) and "a dining experience that comes charging into your life like a bull elephant!"

It's a gimmick that didn't work for me. A décor more tropical would befit the region (although it's a chain with locations in various parts of the country). One more Asian would better suit the menu. And the blaring pop music that played nonstop adds nothing but an unnecessary layer of noise.

There are elements that work well. Prices are moderate, with nothing higher than $17.95 and most dishes considerably less. Tables are spaced well apart and there are lots of booths. The circular bar is sharp looking and the busy kitchen is visible through a glass wall that separates it from the dining room.

PHOTOS KAREN FELDMAN Jambalaya with rice and garlic bread comes from the Cajun-style side of the menu The hostesses were friendly and efficient. Our server was, too, but was unfortunately compelled (no doubt by management) to go through the lengthy menu and explain to us that the section named "Appetizers" was the appetizers list, "Salads and Soups" was where we'd find salads and soups, etc., etc. Pu-leeze! If a menu is so confusing it requires the staff to diagram it, perhaps the answer is to rework the menu.

We started with Ultra Premium Ivory Coast Margaritas, which we were assured contained no sweet and sour mix, just fresh orange and lime "muddled and hand shaken" with Patron Silver tequila and Patron Citronge liqueur. As promised, there was none of that nasty mix, but there wasn't a lot of liquor or juice either in this disappointingly diluted concoction.

From among the house specialties, we tried the niu, niu coconut fried shrimp skewers and the Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls. The former were lovely large shrimp on skewers accompanied by a hot, sweet and spicy Pan Pacific dipping sauce, and a sweet pineapple-orange sauce. The shrimp were perfectly fried with enough coconut to flavor the breading but not so much as to overpower the shrimp and the sauces added pleasant spicy-sweet notes. A small tortilla shell filled with greens on the side proved a nice touch.

The spring rolls were the non-fried variety, with mainly shrimp and lettuce wrapped in delicate rice paper. A "spicy Thai peanut sauce" was neither spicy nor possessing much peanut flavor, but the tamarind macadamia nut sauce, with mint and cilantro in it, was excellent, adding depth to the otherwise mild rolls. I also liked the accompaniment, a colorful Asian cole slaw in a vinegar-based dressing.

Our entrees came from diverse corners of the world - shrimp and chicken jambalaya

and fire-grilled anchor chili-glazed salmon. The jambalaya covered the oval plate with a mound of rice in the middle and triangles of garlic bread on either end. The spicy sausage was good and there was plenty of chicken, but the shrimp were considerably smaller than the ones in our appetizers and had little flavor on their own. The bread was too soft, although the garlic and cheese toppings were tasty.

The salmon was properly cooked and nicely moist, but there was only a dollop of sweet corn, black bean and roasted pepper salsa on top. The tamarind-ancho chili beurre blanc with which the fish was dressed was also short on volume and zest. Someone we took to be the manager told us he was out of Spanish rice and asked if the white variety was all right. The red beans that came with it were under seasoned, something that the more flavorful Spanish rice might have rectified.

We split one chocolate molten lava cake. We'd requested the macadamia nuts be left off and the first attempt came with them, although our vigilant server spotted them about halfway to the table and went back for a nut-less version. Having had molten cakes elsewhere, I know it generally takes a while to finish them off in the oven. Given the quick turnaround here, it's likely a microwave oven was employed but not for a sufficient time because it was barely warm and the center more resembled thick sludge than flowing lava. The three scoops of vanilla ice cream were fine, the chocolate cake was average and the raspberry puree had an artificial

flavor.

Overall, this is a place with ambitions that overreach its delivery. The primary flaw lies in the kitchen, which routinely skimps on seasoning. As for the front of the house, the servers are well-versed in the food and on proper decorum (I heard not a single "Hi guys!"), but management needs to implement a system that allows servers to know which person at a table ordered which entrée rather than having them auction dishes off at the table ("Who got the jambalaya? Is there a taker for the steak?"). It's simple to do, allows customers to continue talking without interruption and saving staff time.

What needs fixing isn't elephantine in nature. More attention to detail, a clearer delineation of the menu's intentions and more judicious use of macadamia nuts, would go a long way toward making the Elephant Bar Restaurant the soothing retreat it is intended to be.