I find the discussion of this chapter, and Rivendell, as a place to "catch one's breath" interesting, especially in light of what Tolkien had to say about the place, in Letter 131 (itself a long and intriguing "chapter"
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Elrond symbolizes throughout the ancient wisdom, and his House represents Lore -- the preservation in reverent memory of all tradition concerning the good, wise, and beautiful. It is not a scene of action but of reflection. Thus it is a place visited on the way to all deeds, or "adventures". It may prove to be the direct road (as in The Hobbit); but it may be necessary to go there in a totally unexpected course. So necessarily in The Lord of the Rings, having escaped to Elrond from the imminent pursuit of present evil, the hero departs in a wholly new direction: to go and face it at its source.
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I find this especially interesting, because it applies to all three of what I have long considered a sort of "heroic triumvirate" of LotR's characters: Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf. All three had come to Rivendell fleeing the pursuit of a present evil, and all three would leave it to go and face evil at its source -- but not necessarily the same aspect of evil, nor the same source. That we see Rivendell here through Frodo's eyes is appropriate to the presentation, this being an account of the War through the eyes of Hobbits. Frodo knew from the onset that he was heading for Rivendell, but he had not expected it to be with the Nazgul at his heels, nor, do I think, was he considering the possibility that he might follow a dark road beyond Rivendell. Without this visit along the way, and the opportunity to find rest, reflection, counsel, and healing, Frodo might well have been unable to continue. The respite is necessary not only for the reader, but for the hero -- or heroes, as the case may be.