Farmington: Aqueous (August 2018)



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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