Aquarelle Review
D. Cook
and had an excellent meal. We both ordered the Chef's Confiance menu,
which is a 6 course meal for $75, or $100 with wine pairings.
Our meal started with a gift from the kitchen - a tiny cup of cream of
asparagus soup, topped with fresh dill. Our bread plates were always
kept stocked with a roll, which was very nice and chewy, with a bolillo
type texture. My husband didn't actually order the wine pairing, but
the waiter brought out a champagne for him in error, at which point my
husband decided to go whole hog and get the wine, too.
My first course was fois gras and pears with a pear and veal reduction.
Words can't describe - it was heavenly. The fois gras absolutely
melted in my mouth. My husband received a goat cheese torte, which was
quite good, but IMO didn't compare to the fois gras.
Second course for me was salmon "sticks" with a salmon souffle. It was
also quite good, although the souffle could have been a bit lighter in
texture. My husband got shrimp and pasta in tomato butter and seemed
to enjoy it.
Third for me was roasted saddle of rabbit with a ginger sauce. Very
tasty, although it might have needed a little salt (which I was loath
to add because I didn't want to cover up any subtle flavors). My
husband got a beef filet topped with fois gras. It was fantastic.
They didn't ask him how he preferred beef prepared, but they cooked it
just right - just barely medium rare.
Fourth was a selection of cheese - bleu, brie, and goat - and dried
fruit. The waiter said there were nuts on the plate but there weren't,
oddly. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a wine pairing
with this course, since a port would have gone smashingly with the bleu
cheese.
Fifth was sorbet, with each of us getting 2 different flavors (in all
there were pineapple, raspberry, passion fruit, and blueberry).
Last was dessert. I got a chocolate cake (molten inside) with a
chocolate sorbet. It was good but lacked oomph, and the port overrode
the flavor. It needed more chocolate and more salt, and vanilla ice
cream rather than sorbet. My husband got a coffee creme brulee that
was really good. (Am I a salt addict?)
The only glitches were the rude woman on the phone at the table next to
us (see previous rant), who subsequently vigorously complained at the
waiter about the fact that she received the same wine twice in one
meal. When he left the room she then bitched about him behind his
back. Classy.
And one little tip - if you're going to have a restaurant in the US
where most (but not all) people speak English, and you put "M" and "D"
on the bathroom doors, could you please include a graphical
representation of what a "D" is and what an "M" is? I did take French
in high school and college, but we always said Mesdames et Messieurs
rather than Messieurs et Dames. And if you're going to give out cards
with your website address (http://www.aquarellerestaurant.com ), it's
probably best to have your site a little more polished first.
We will definitely visit again, and again, and again. It's in my short
list of Austin's finest.
Ray Shea
Has anybody tried to navigate the Chef's Confiance with any dietary
restrictions? My wife eats seafood but no other meat, and I eat most
anything except for a couple of kinds of shellfish to which I'm severely
allergic. It definitely complicates our lives sometimes.
"D. Cook" wrote:
> rather than Messieurs et Dames. And if you're going to give out cards
> with your website address (http://www.aquarellerestaurant.com ), it's
> probably best to have your site a little more polished first.
I especially like the "Under construction" logo with the note
"give me a picture of a wine bottle or cellar". Sounds like their
web designer is the the teenage nephew of the brother of the
friend of...
ray
D. Cook
wrote:
> OK, so next chance we get for a nice dinner will be Aquarelle.
>
> Has anybody tried to navigate the Chef's Confiance with any dietary
> restrictions? My wife eats seafood but no other meat, and I eat most
> anything except for a couple of kinds of shellfish to which I'm severely
> allergic. It definitely complicates our lives sometimes.
Before we began, the waiter asked us if we had anything that we did not
like. I think you could easily describe your dietary needs to the
waiter and have them build you a menu based on that. They seem very
accomodating.
(Like what they did for the horrible woman at the next table who
complained about the wine - I overheard the waiter go to her table and
pour her a glass free of charge so that she could "see what she missed
with the arugula". The waiter called it a taste, but it was a full
glass.)