Aquaknox

Frank's birthday is tomorrow, so last night we headed to Aquaknox at the Westin on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Aquaknox only has three locations; Tampa, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. We had appetizers and drinks when we were in Vegas, so we wanted to try the full spread here. The restaurant opened early this year.

Well, what a treat it was. This is first class dining, albeit pricey, but it was a special occasion. It is decorated with modern furnishings in tones of blues, greens, and chocolate browns, with blue and green accent lighting. Best to check the link in the first paragraph to get a proper feel for the setting.

With a tag line of Global Water Cuisine, the menu leans heavily to seafood. For the appetizer we shared the HAWAIIAN BIGEYE TUNA “TORO”, raw tuna with ruby red grapefruit slices and micro greens in a very nice dressing.

Frank selected the Grilled Jumbo Prawns service with warm diced yellow tomatoes and large-grain couscous. I selected SEARED DAY BOAT SCALLOPS, served with sweet potato puree and a mushroom pancetta fricassee. While the prawns were very good, I think I won with the scallops. The flavors of the accompaniments were a perfect match for the seared scallops.

Frank, as usual, picked a nice wine to pair with our meals; a Charles Krug Savignon Blanc. Our excellent server rightly suggested that we let it sit for a little while as it was overly chilled coming directly from the cellar.

For dessert Frank ordered a Napoleon with vanilla panna cotta and raspberry sorbet. I had the Aquaknox version of a S'Mor made with chocolate mousse, a layer of banana cake, on top of a graham cracker base and covered with a wonderful chocolate ganache. It was served with vanilla ice cream. Both desserts were excellent.

This was another wonderful dining experience and Aquaknox is a great addition to the local restaurant scene.

That's my story, and I am sticking to it.