My spouse and I dined at Aqueous at Falling Rock on a Sunday
evening in mid-August 2018. Aqueous is open for breakfast and dinner daily. We
made our dinner reservation via email to the hotel concierge.
We stayed on the Nemacolin Woodlands property at the Chateau
Lafayette, and we used the complimentary shuttle bus service to travel between
the Chateau and Falling Rock. Falling Rock is a 42-room Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired
hotel on the Nemacolin property that holds five-star/five-diamond ratings for both
Forbes (formerly Mobil) and AAA.
The arts and crafts theming of Falling Rock extends into Aqueous restaurant. Huge expansive
windows that cover two sides of the space offer spectacular views of the 18th hole of the Pete Dye-designed Mystic Rock golf course and the pastoral Laurel Highland Mountains. Stone and wood materials
feature prominently, textiles (including the patterned carpet) are memorable,
and geometric-shaped lighting is reflected in other decor. Patrons can sit on
one of two levels in the main dining space, the higher level positioned a few
steps above the lower so that every table has a great view. Guests can sit at
individual tables (with wooden barrel-style cushioned chairs) or at tables that
share a connecting, overall L-shaped, zig-zag-looking banquette. A small
private dining room can also be reserved. The adjacent but separate Amber Bar/Lounge
also serves food and drinks in a slightly more casual environment. (We enjoyed drinks
there before our meal, some sort of delicious [but pricey!] fruity Jalapeno
Mezcal cocktail concoction; we had hoped to have drinks the poolside Sunset
Terrace bar instead, but the weather did not cooperate.)
Prior to May 2018, Aqueous was the steakhouse restaurant at
Nemacolin; however, that concept passed to Rockwell’s when Aqueous began to
serve modern
farm-to-table cuisine instead. The executive chef hails from the Arizona
Biltmore, and another chef has worked at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans and
Gramercy Tavern in New York City.
As we perused the menu, a server delivered a huge loaf of bread and accompanying
spreads (butter, cheese, marmalade). Another server brought an amuse bouche (tuna
on a crispy pita triangle) on a plate that cleverly fitted into a square cutout
in the charger. To start, we shared the crispy mountain duck egg (an asparagus
and sprout salad topped with bacon and a sort of deep-fried “dippy” egg) and
the Maryland blue crab (a chilled salad with yuzu, corn, and avocado). For our
entrees, we ordered the cavatelli pesto (with asparagus, peas, zucchini, and
potato) and the swordfish steak (with quinoa, greens, and sliced strawberries).
We shared the berry crumble dessert, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and
garnished/plated to acknowledge our special occasion. Service was good, and
staff worked well together. (However, we did notice that a managerial
member of the staff [whom we had met a few nights prior at the welcome cocktail
party] and who was dining near us received even more attentive service than we
did.)
We loved our dinner
at Aqueous; it was our favorite meal of our trip!
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