Monday, December 14, 2009

Aqualis Grill

Aqualis Grill
773 Fulton St.

Brooklyn, NY 718-797-3494
Food 6
Ambiance 6
Service 5
Overall 17
Good for basic Greek inspired seafood in the heart of Fort Green

Now since I live in Queens, not far from the bastion of the best Greek cooking in the city, Astoria, I pondered more than thrice the wiseness of trying Greek anywhere else. But curiosity ,proximity to BAM and a string of good reviews, made me venture forth. Aqualis Grill sits in one of the hippest  strips of Fort Green, in a space that has had poor luck maintaining any restaurant for longer than 2 years. The interior has not changed much from its former incarnation as an Italian restaurant, and is fairly nondescript. Tame yellow walls, wood accents, a large undivided dining room. The decor is standard, uninspiring, but adequate. We arrived at 6 pm on a Tuesday and were lucky to find that there is a $25 prix fixe from 5- 7 :30 pm. The place was fairly empty,although by 7:30 pm it had slowly begun to fill up. My husband opted for the prix fixe option, which includes a glass of wine. I opted for the whole dorado and my sister ordered the appetizer mussels with a side of fries. One problem with this place is it is fairly slow in service. Although the place was empty, our waiter took his time getting our orders and our food took its time getting to the table.
The prix fixe appetizer we chose was an eggplant mash, which was served almost ice cold with tasty toasted pita points. Flavorful, it was marred by the ice cold temperature. My main dorado was a generous portion of fresh flaky fish. Under charred and under seasoned, it was no match for some of the best Astoria seafood places. Served with a side of wild greens , I also ordered a $4 side of the beet salad. The greens were delicately sauteed in garlic and olive oil. The red beet salad was one of my favorites of the meal, a combination of yellow and red beets tossed in a light vinaigrette with red onions. Perfect for summer with grilled meats. My husband's main was a grilled salmon filet, which was perfectly cooked and in contrast to my dorado well spiced. My sister's $10 appetizer mussels portion was fairly small  with an interesting unexpected flavoring of feta, saffron and the anised sweetness of the ouzo. The $4 side of fries was disappointing not only in size but lacking in proper crispness. My husband's prix fixe ended with a small serving of creamy greek yougurt sprinkled with nuts and honey. Although tasty, fairly uninventive as far as a dessert offering.
Overall, this is not by any means on par with most of the excellent greek restaurants in Astoria.
However, the prix fixe is an excellent deal and if you are craving Greek in Brooklyn , Aqualis is a good substitute.

The Quest continues......

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