XL Food & Drink: The Main Course

Aquarelle

Five stars. And that's just for starters

By Dale Rice
AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT CRITIC
Thursday, July 20, 2006

It's a small element — not much bigger than a pecan nor much heavier than a dollop of whipped cream — but it contributes substantial weight to the dining experience.

A nugget of zucchini mousse is the culinary introduction to Aquarelle, the small French restaurant that has ranked among the city's top five for several years. This amuse bouche — the first of four complimentary courses — sets the meal's tone, turning what can be a most ordinary vegetable into a gastronomic delight garnished with tomato and basil oil. It offers the sophistication and artistry of classic, uncontrived French cuisine — the very essence of the cooking of co-owners and chefs Robert Brady and Teresa Wilson.

The two do not stop there. Before the main course, they serve a chilled melon soup with spearmint in a demitasse to cleanse the palate and heighten the enjoyment of the entree. "It spikes your taste buds and gets you ready for the next course," Brady says.

After the entrees, Wilson and Brady serve a sorbet — raspberry on one night, although the flavors change frequently based on seasonal freshness — as yet another palate refresher before dessert. "As full as you may be after our main course," Brady says, "your body's set up to receive a little sugar."

Plus, there's no way the tiny scoop of icy delight could dampen enthusiasm for one of Wilson's alluring confections.

Finally, after dessert, the Aquarelle team wraps up with the mignardise, a plate of little sweets. It might include two sand tarts the size of a fingertip, two butter cookies half-dipped in dark chocolate, two bits of candied ginger and two sugar-coated mint leaves.

The additional work to prepare these extra courses is worth it to the restaurant's owners. First, it's another artistic outlet for the chefs. Second, it gives customers a sense of value. Finally, it helps break up what can be a fair amount of time between elaborate courses. In the end, though, it's all about pleasure, for both chefs and diners.

"All good cooks have an inside pleasure in creating happiness for people, and people love to get surprises," Brady says. "It just heightens the whole dining experience."

And that dining experience already is quite elevated.

For starters on a recent weekend, the Delaware River blue point oysters on the half shell ($14) were served over creamed baby leeks and topped with Champagne sabayon, while the cold duck foie gras ($15) was prepared "au torchon" style (formed and compressed) and accompanied by green grape chutney, Sancerre syrup and brioche toasts. Each deftly melded distinctly strong flavors with lighter highlights.

The main course brought Kona kampachi ($33) and leg of lamb ($39).

A firm white fish, the kampachi fillet was joined by a risotto cake, baby carrots, leek fondue and tarragon cream, a cast of supporting players that allowed the relatively understated star of the plate to shine.

The leg of lamb was braised in red wine and then removed from the bone, cut in small pieces and reformed to resemble a shank in a preparation that brings out a strong, gamey flavor — a taste popular among the French but possibly too pronounced for some American diners. It was accompanied by a spring vegetable ragout with morel mushrooms and a minted spring pea coulis that elevated the classic pairing of mint and lamb.

For dessert, the clafouti Aquarelle ($9) was an individual portion of the traditional tart made with black raspberries and almond cream topped with lemon curd ice cream, while the warm berry crumble ($11) was accented with ice cream and red berry coulis — presentations that transformed common confections into something special.

Service at Aquarelle continued a fine run, with attention to detail and professional-level explanations of ingredients and cooking techniques.

The service and food alone are enough to make Aquarelle one of Austin's outstanding restaurants. The extras — amuse bouche, soup, sorbet and mignardise — propel it even further into the front ranks.

drice@statesman.com; 445-3859