http://www.ellendales.com
2739 Old Elm Hill Pike, Donelson TN 884-0171
Sunday Brunch is one of my favorite meals. I am always searching for hotdogs stands and good places to have Sunday Brunch. The 101st Airborne was my longtime favorite until they went out of business a couple years ago. I hope I didn’t eat them out of business! 
Anyway back to Ellendale’s. We happend across Ellendale’s during my search for a replacement Sunday Brunch location. It is a very old historic house that has no tie to the actual “Ellen Dale”. The owners simply are paying honor to a woman in history that they admire.
Location
For me, the location is great! A mere few miles away from where I live. It is near the airport and near some of the airport hotels to people flying into town fo a visit can easily make this place a stop on their dining list.
Atmosphere
It is a very large turn of the century looking house that has been converted into a resturant. One part I really enjoy is that they left the walls up and you get to eat in small bedrooms with 4 or 6 tables in them. You really feel like you are in an old home.
Food
The Sunday brunch is the limit of my current experience at Ellendale’s. They do have menu eating throughout the week and lunch buffets daily. As far as the brunch goes, it is a toss up for me. I love that they have waffles but leaving them in a chaffing dish, softens them to the point they have no crispy outside. Made to order would be my preference. They use a tasty batter and real butter and that mostly makes up for any “buffet” effect on the waffle. They often have wonderful pot roast and pasta dishes, nice ceasar salad, soups, a very full pastry/desert table and a made-to-order omelette station. There is always a line at the omelette station. They have a large assortment of fillings or toppings and they are make right there while you wait. I have had an omelette on 4 different visits so far. 3 times, the omellete was overdone to the point of being brown and crispy. The one time is came out nice, I had to ask the chef “may I have it now?”. He slid it onto a plate and it was perfect. I don’t know if the chef prefers them well done or if trying to cook 5 omelettes at once is the issue.
Service
The wait staff has always been courteous and very attentive.
Overall
Although I can’t rate anything about Ellendale’s as top notch, everything combines to make a nice brunch that I will continue to frequent until I find another 101st Airborne.
