Grub Crawl - Antiques District: Elliott's (Closed) and Backhaus

I ate at these places in an area also known as Ivanhoe Village on Wednesday. They have both replaced other establishments pretty recently.

Elliott's Public House - I just had the two eggs any style because it was $5 less than the Country Fried Chicken and Eggs (and I was underwhelmed by the options). It came with sausage, so, you basically pay that much more for a cluck. It cost $6.50. It came with a basic circular patty, mushy home fries and toast. It was fine. The real disappointment was the menu. It's rather limited in the entree area and not exactly unique. There are already two or three restaurants of this type just in that tiny area. I don't think another was necessary. Especially one that would probably be rated below those places. They serve mostly breakfast fare and some burgers and a few sandwiches during the day. All are over or near $10. They shoe horn in their dinner "tapas" stuff at the same price levels. They have six entrees that are all derivative and over $14. There is alot of pressure on the chef to deliver on this menu. There will be no points garnered for originality. The place is in what I think was a greasy spoon called Brian's. They tried to gussy it up (and did an ok job), but, the layout is poor and there is no flow. The center room is really a transition area between the door and the bathrooms/kitchen. The real dining room is to the right of it. It feels hidden (no view). It's small. I just don't see this place finding a niche. It's too flawed to cater to the high end customer and too expensive and pretentious for the middle to low end. They alienated themselves from the whole market by trying to thread a very thin needle. They need a draw if they want to stick to this strategy. It's tough to find one nowadays, but, that is challenge. You don't have too rush out and find this place unless you start hearing that the chef is a magician. I forgot to add that they gave me a glass of water that tasted like poison.

Backhaus - They replaced someplace called something like Yalaha Bakery. It serves a similar niche. They serve German baked goods and other eatables. I had a Cherry Streusel for $4. It was good. They have a larger selection than their predecessors. It's a block towards downtown from Elliott's. The staff was pleasant.