Aqua Blue
I keep forgetting to write about Aqua Blue. I remember when John Kessler gave it a mediocre review back in 2001. But Aqua Blue has come a long way and the one-star rating hardly represent it now. My last visit was about a month ago with 6 of my girl friends. I called in the reservation an hour before arriving and although they were booked solid that Saturday night, they gladly accommodated us and got us seated upon arrival. Of course, beggars can’t be choosers so we had to sit in the bar area up front. However, they’ve wonderfully re-arranged the place to make it look like a private seating area. I was impressed that they would even go through the trouble considering that people were lining up outside. (It is important to note that I used an assumed name when I called — I hardly ever make restaurant reservations under my name. In fact, aside from my friends and family — with the exception of Molly Spruill, Adam Murphy, and Chef Peter Golaszewski — nobody really knows how I look like.)
But back to AB. I’ve visited a few times and although I wouldn’t say everything on the menu is good, most everything I’ve eaten is. I find the Fire Cracker Chicken as the most disappointing choice on the menu. The honey-mustard sauce totally overpowered the tasteless chicken pieces which was fried in soggy batter. It reminded me of something from a fastfood Chinese place and the $9 price tag was so uncalled-for. Please, don’t order this ever.
The AB Calamari was a half-a-notch better but still a weak dish. The squid was chewy and the sauce was so ordinary. I mean, it was nothing but sweet and sour sauce with a bit of chili flakes in it.
I always have better luck on the mains, though. On this visit, I had the Hardwood Grilled Center-cut Pork Chop. It was delicious! It was cooked to the perfect medium temperature, was thick, juicy, tender, and very, very flavorful. The Jalapeño Grits that I chose for my side was amazing. The stone-ground grits had great texture, were creamy, cheesy, and had a nice hint of heat that went really well with my chops. This is my favorite dish here and I’ve ordered this on a couple of occasions.
My friends entrees were equally good. The Pecan Crusted Trout was clean tasting and the hash that came with it was superb — sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and thin green beans in a peach-butter sauce. This is my other favorite here. The grilled North Atlantic Salmon was a little dry for my liking but the Pan Seared Jumbo Shrimp served with grilled veggies and blackberry coulis had a lot of character. I liked the saltish flavor of the grilled shrimp with the sweetness of the coulis. It was a creative combination.
You can’t go wrong with the steaks here. They are of great quality, perfectly cooked to your preferred temperature, juicy, tender, and very tasty. The Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass is another great choice. The sea bass is light tasting and comes with baby bok choy (Chinese cabbage), fresh spinach, and shitake mushrooms in a mushroom broth that provides the perfect saltiness to the otherwise bland fish. This is a very good light entree.
The verdict
I love Aqua Blue’s main entrees more than their weak appetizers. Service, ambiance, and decor are all impeccable. This is a true gem in this part of the suburbs.
Insider tip:
Located on the corner of Holcomb Bridge and Old Alabama Rd.
The scoop:
1564 Holcomb Bridge Rd
Roswell, GA 30076
(770) 643-8886
Technorati Tags: Aqua Blue, fish, steaks, seafood, American cuisine, fusion, Roswell, Alpharetta
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Katharine // Nov 4, 2008 at 6:50 pm
It’s been four years or so since I’ve been to Aqua Blue, but the meal we had there for our fifth anniversary was excellent. I was particularly impressed with their wine list. They actually had a Meursault that I’d only ever previously seen at Seeger’s!
2 Aqua Blue Wine Dinner // Jan 30, 2009 at 10:15 am
[...] like Aqua Blue. I continually place it in my Favorite Restaurants list for their consistently good food and great [...]
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