Nick Elmi Is Going All-In on Tasting Menus at Laurel

Add Laurel to the brief but growing list of Philly restaurants adopting a tasting menu-only format, as chef-owner Nick Elmi has announced that he's taking the plunge and axing his a la carte menu beginning in May — a little earlier than originally planned.

Most recently, the tiny South Philly BYOB has been tasting-only on weekend nights, but offered an a la carte menu during the week with an option to try the chef's tasting upon request. While Elmi had expected to continue that format until Laurel's third year, he say he's noticed that "the demand for the tasting menu during the week has increased to about 70%" of the diners already, and has decided to do away with the a la carte option altogether. In a recent interview with Eater Philly, Elmi expressed a preference for the "creative outlet" allowed by the tasting menu format, noting that nixing the a la carte option on weekends had come as "a huge relief."

The format for the chef's tasting at Laurel will remain the same: $85 per person for seven courses. For those still trying to snag a table, Elmi tells us that the restaurant will open the books for May at noon on Tuesday, March 3.