I'll believe it when I see it. When I saw this unassuming restaurant on Spring Street with a 26 rating in zagat(which is rly rly good by zagat standards), I just didn't see what all the hype and praise was about. But as I was going to see that there was a reason this place was one of the top brunch restaurants in the city.
Aquagrill surprised me right from the start with a showing of their fresh oysters right in the front of the restaurant. I thought that was impressive, but I never thought that bread could make such a big impression on a meal? When I first put their homemade baguettes and onion foccacia in my mouth, I was thinking how this bread was so different than typical bread that you would get at a normal restaurant. The texture, crispiness, and freshness was astounding, and I have to say it definitely beats the normal cheesecake factory bread that many people I know really like. I think that set the tone for the rest of the meal because that was just the start of what was to come.
As we were sitting down on the table and looking through the menu, I couldn't help but just see how serious this restaurant was about their seafood, especially their oysters. I couldn't pass up the chance to try some of these oysters and shrimp as well. I always wonder is there a difference between fresh oysters or the ones that come in frozen bags or better yet the ones at the Chinese buffets? YES!!!!! I believe it is so evident where there's fresh seafood and the one that you get from a package. The taste as the oysters (perfect with cocktail sauce and a little lemon) and shrimp cocktail went into my mouth screamed freshness, rather a taste that I haven't had for such a long time, a taste that I needed to be reminded of. It's amazing to realize how good food can be when it's not messed with and just served to you straight up.
Finally, the entree, a crispy cod sandwich served with homemade french fries, was simply amazing. For as simple as everything was, it was a medely of flavors that exploded in my mouth. The sandwich was great. The cod was so fresh and perfectly fried, but the other ingredients (simple things like sun dried tomatoes, argula, and a mayonnaise sauce) that were in that sandwich just simply complemented the flavor of the fish, rather than overpower it. It was, in the end, an amazing that got better with each bite, and the fact that it was made on homemade bread doesn't hurt either. The fries that accompanied it were quite good as well. Add to that simple, fresh cut french fries double fried and sprinkled with some sea salt, and it continues to amaze how the simplest of things can be so good.
My only regret is that I didn't get more oysters and take advantage of the eclectic seafood options they had. If I had the chance, I would get what my friends got, the crab benedict and the crab omelettes. The crab benedict was amazing and even though it was only a small taste, I would go back strictly for that.
Oysters, shrimp, cod sandwiches, crab benedicts, and crab omelettes may seem like an odd array of brunch items, but at the end of the day, it left me and my friends in a very happy state. We didn't just get a good meal with good service, but we got food that was fresh, simple, and ultimately, satisfying. It satisfied a craving that hasn't been satisfied in quite a long time. What does that produce? A very happy diner!! :)
