Throughout my culinary journey with my wife Jun, visiting a restaurant helmed by a celebrity chef has always been a tricky affair, the biggest variable being how much the chef spends their time at the kitchen instead of promoting their brand in TV and other media. Chef Eric Adjepong, who was a finalist in the Top Chef show and a cookbook author, joined the DC dining scene earlier this year with a new project showcasing modern Ghana cuisines from his roots from the Western African country. Another celebrity chef, Kwame Onwuachi, already staked his territory in the city with the much-hyped Dōgon restaurant, and I was intrigued to see what chef Adjepong can bring to the table. Overall, it was a solid dinner, especially with some really delicious dishes on the front end of the four-course tasting menu (currently priced at $135 per person).

The tasting menu at Elmina allows each diner to choose one dish each from the first two savory courses and the dessert course (while the main dish menu allows a choice of one dish per two diners). There were some pretty special dishes at the beginning of our meal, starting with the amuse bouche of scallop crudo in coconut gazpacho that Jun enjoyed very much. My favorite dish from our dinner was the curried corn bisque; the flavor of the bisque was quite aromatic and delicious, made even better by the textural combination of cockle clams and pork lardons. Another starter not to miss at Elmina is the zaalouk dip of roasted eggplant spread; dip a piece of spiced buttered flatbread to the spread with surprisingly spicy kick and you have West Africa’s confident answer to hummus from Middle East. Fufu, a staple food from the region made with pounded cassava and plantains, also shines brightly at the restaurant, and I was quite fond of Elmina’s version with braised goat, as well as the wagyu short rib with sauce made from prekese (a type of fruit from Africa).

Unfortunately, compared to all the standout dishes from the early part of our meal, the main dish and dessert we ordered were a slight let-down. While Jun acknowledged she has perhaps an overly unrealistic expectation when it comes to duck dishes, I had to agree with her that the jollof duck pot didn’t quite land the impact from the earlier dishes. The rustic flavor from the smoked jollof was there; it was more the texture of the duck that could be perfected (Jun preferred the confit leg to the breast). Same goes for the dessert; while traveling in Namibia for our anniversary earlier this year, Jun and I had a life-changing malva pudding cake, which we missed even more after the version from Elmina didn’t quite live up to our expectations (it didn’t quite have the same moistness to texture from what we had encountered in Namibia).

Getting a reservation isn’t too challenging but I would still plan ahead for prime time booking during the weekend. If you are interested in exploring how African ingredients are incorporated into cocktails, Elmina has a solid line-up to complement your meal; there is also a concise wine list with a decent number of South African wines. The sleek dining room in the former Seven Reasons space over two stories makes the restaurant a good spot for date night as well as casual dinners with friends and family. Toward the end of our meal, chef Adjepong did come over to our table to check on us. From our brief chat, I saw a chef who seems genuinely nice and eager to show the beauty and richness of the Western African cuisine. While not everything was perfect, there was plenty to like about the dining experience at Elmina. I would certainly be curious to see how the menu evolves over time and check out a few new dishes.

KenScale: 8.0/10 (Jun’s Score: 7.75/10)

Address: 2208 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Website: https://www.elminarestaurant.com/

Reservation via SevenRooms