AQ Restaurant

this is Kim, one of my foodie friends. her boyfriend calls me her wife because we always wine and dine (minus the wine because i don't love like the taste of alcohol) and he's always left behind. he suggests a restaurant and she vetoes it because she's already gone with me once before. whoops, sorry Kid. i can't help it if she loves me and we spend time making memories over delicious meals. he's just going to have to get used to it. i'm the other woman and that's that. and after the week that i had (will not detail, but damn was it not fun) i felt i deserved a stunning dinner with an amazing friend. we decided on AQ Restaurant because it's been on my list for quite some time now.

we each ordered a dish from each of the categories and then split everything to maximize our taste bud's pleasure. every single dish we had was more than enjoyable, which is just what i needed to get my spirits up.

summer berries, chicken liver, celery

rich, gamy and savory, cut nicely by the ripe fruits. this was very well balanced.

swordfish, chickpeas and cactus(?)

acidic, salty, refreshing. complimentary to the liver dish. best dish of the night, and that's saying a lot because the whole meal was spectacular. 

heirloom tomato, honeycomb tripe, peppers

my oh my!! six hour cooked tripe, sour peppers and acidic tomato. very nice.

okra, seared scallop, corn "hairs"

this was soooo excellently executed. perfectly cooked scallop with just the right sear. okra (which i hate because it's slimy) was charred enough so that it was bearable and the corn "hairs" added a great textural dimension. 

salmon, summer melons, truffle and white soy, turnips

there was a salmon sausage on the plate that was off putting by sight but was SO SO good by taste and texture. the filet itself was cooked perfectly and the skin  had a very hard crisp to it (just right!). i'd never pair salmon and melons but it was quite nice. 

beef sirloin, tomato, pole bean conserva, bone marrow, pimento cheese

i actually enjoyed this dish without the whole tomato aspect. just the sauce would have been nice. the beef was cooked just right and everything was complimentary. love!

two cheeses with honeycomb, walnut crostini and current compote

don't know what the cheeses were except that one was raw goat and one was pasteurized cow. doesn't really matter though. if it's cheese, i'm for it. 

grasshopper pie. coconut, bittersweet chocolate and shiso

this was a very pleasant surprise. fresh mint with a deep rich chocolate, bitter shiso crumble and macaroons. excelllllllent!

go! take someone for a special occasion! or take someone because you're hungry. you know i won't judge!