Aquamoree

Dont waste your time! The service is the worst I have seen in La Jolla or elsewhere. Be very careful if you have allergies… they will tell you they are going to leave out what you are allergic to… but then they «forget» and leave it in!

i would kill for their shrimp and grits. KILL.
and if i ended up getting convicted and punished with the death penalty, i’d ask for their shrimp and grits as my last meal.
nobody is safe. that is all.

Went here with my roomate during restaurant week and it was overall a great experience. The atmosphere is nice and romantic, yet also more casual than your average fancy restaurant. It is a bit pricey but the food is great, especially if you love tapas or prefer being served smaller dishes.
As a mozzarella fan, I started off with the Caprese Salad and it was very simple, very good, and very comforting. I highly recommend ordering this dish! The main course was their Pan Seared Scottish Salmon, which contained a porridge-​like cream made of watercress, which was very addicting. I ordered a few drinks since we got there and by the time I had desert, which was the Caramelized Banana Crème Brulee, I just finished it all because of my resulting intense sweet tooth. As a result, I probably am not qualified to review this dish.

Just went back for my 5^th visit to one of my new favorite restaurants, and their soup of the day was Tomato Basil… amazing! A balsamic drizzle and dollop of goat cheese, it was just delicious.
Also love the Carnitas sliders… lightly toasted buns that are slightly crispy on the edge and chewy in the middle, these delectable 4 bite sliders are mixed with a Jalapeño cabbage slaw and spicy ketchup that gives you a nice combination of chewy, crunchy, tangy, sweet and spicy that will make your mouth wonder why you’ve been so mean to it up until now. Ignore the other ho-​hum reviews of these sliders… I believe that was a group of people that recently had their taste buds seared off licking melted cheese off their stove top.

I came here with my apartmentmates for a nice, one in a blue moon kind of hangout.
Parking is a little rough in downtown La Jolla, just be ready for that when you get there.
It was pretty empty when we got there. It was a Sunday evening and I kind of expected it to be busier, but oh well. It is also kind of interesting because you could just walk by it. You actually walk downstairs to get to the front. Or maybe I’m just a downtown La Jolla noob.
The waiter was really friendly, always brought us water when we were low and explained to us the menu very clearly :)
Anyways, the food was really good. We pretty much enjoyed every single thing we got. I don’t think anyone had any complaints. We got shrimp and grits, expresso braised beef short ribs, the bourbon pork loin, the crab cake, and the carnitas sliders, all tapas sized.
I think out of everything we ate the carnitas sliders were the least interesting, it wasn’t bad, but I think everything else tasted a lot better. The short ribs were SO tender and the horseradish mash was beautifully balanced and not too overpowering. The pork was a lovely medium and the sweet glaze was nice. I loved the chimichurri sauce on the crab cakes, so good! and the shrimp and grits had tons of flavor.
And to make the experience even better, I asked if we could see the kitchen and they let us! WAhah, the chef was really awesome and told us about what it’s like in the culinary world and it looked very organized and clean, so awesome! :D

Look out Julian Serrano, Chef Brandon Fortune is on his way to taking over as top tapas chef of the West Coast.
Before popping into Prospect Bar and taking a stroll down to the coves, my hubby and I popped into Aquamoree for dinner. We arrived just as the band was setting up and were seated at one of the larger private booths.
The restaurant’s décor was simple and modern. Service was friendly and very «Johnny on the spot.» The patrons were mostly local and an older crowd.
Now, getting down to business… the food. All I can say is WOW, wow, wow, wowwwww!
For our first course, Hubs and I shared the Truffled Lobster Mac n’ Cheese and the tapas serving of Espresso Braised Beef Short Rib (with butter braised green beans, smoked cauliflower bacon gravy, horseradish mash and yukon gold potatoes).
For our second course, we shared the Mexican Rock Shrimp & Crawfish Étouffée (accompanied by a grilled baguette), which was deliciously authentic, and the Grilled Grass-​Fed Angus Burger with Truffle Frites (complete with smoked olive oil mayo, applewood bacon, wasabi mustard, smoked cheddar, carmelized onion relish, pickled cucumber, arugula and what appeared to be «ugly» tomatoes).
Eveything sounds AMAZING right? Well, everything tasted better than they sounded. The tapas were also served in appetizer-​size portions.
Each dish is so full of flavor that its almost sinful. What I love best about the food is that although the ingredients complement each other quite nicely, you can also taste each layer of flavor as you eat. For example, while we were eating the Short Rib we found ourselves surprised at times and saying «wow, what was that? Its so good!» Same experience with the Burger. Looking at the Burger’s ingredients, it would seem like its a lot to take in. However, you can taste them all — none overpowering the other — like a symphony of flavors.
Compliments to the Chef. I can’t wait to return.

Wonderful new place on Prospect Ave! Gorgeous interior, lovely patios, only thing they don’t have is an ocean view, but the food is delicious! Tried about 5 dishes, the sliders are super good, the humus is fantastic and I loved the grilled flatbread it is served with, shrimp & grits — oh yum!, the lobster macaroni very tasty and the grilled asparagus salad is also fantastic! They serve little cornbread muffins that are absolutely devine! These dishes were all beautifully presented, and I am sure the entire menu is just as good. I would highly recommend. The menu is unique — southern with a California twist, so it is refreshing to find something that is a little different.
I was so sorry to hear that this business closed. Great food, but the location was not the greatest — hard to see, and the economy took a toll. Too bad.

Second visit here… just as fantastic as the first. I can now vouch for the Mexican Rock shrimp and crawfish étouffée, the curried chicken ‘n dumplings, the flatbread and hummus, and the bread pudding. My fiancé and I were happy to still see the fried green tomatoes on the menu, so we eagerly ordered that as well. Highlights include the dumplings — melt-​in-​your-​mouth good (also the curry sauce is rather mild, good for the Americanized Indian food fans), the original hummus — somehow puts your standard original hummus to shame, and the butterscotch-​Cognac sauce on the bread pudding — whoa mammaaa.
One note… it may not be possible to eat light here. We were actively trying to include a couple of lighter dishes, but that flopped. The pita bread that comes with the hummus is fried. We weren’t expecting that, but it was unbelievable… crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The étouffée sauce is very rich and creamy, as is the curry sauce (which you’d expect). Next time we’ll probably get three tapas + dessert rather than four + dessert. We were both pretty stuffed afterward, just like last time!
We were there for an early Saturday dinner, so it was pretty quiet at first. The place got busier toward the end of our meal, but our service was still great and each item came out quickly. I was a little bummed to be out of there before the band started, but there’s always next time.
I’m definitely looking forward to the next visit! This place is quickly becoming a favorite of mine: D

Had dinner on 15 April, 2011, party of four.
Cornbread muffins: very nice.
Pomme frites: very good, well seasoned, right amount of garlic.
4 stars out of 5
Scallop n’ Shrimp Ceviche: fresh but bland.
3 stars out of 5
Shrimp n’ Grits: best dish of the evening. perfectly prepared and seasoned. Delicious.
5 out of 5
Truffled Lobster Mac n’ Cheese: A loser dish, arguably the most disappointing of the evening. Watery bechamel, no semblance of lobster taste, and no crunchy top at all. Crushed tortillas did not belong. Poor execution.
1 out of 5
Pan Seared Lump Crab Cake: Another loser dish. There was no lump in this lump crab cake; it tasted like an inexpensive canned crab that was not even drained well. Tempura bacon fries had way too much heavy (not-​tempura) batter on them, and there was no flavor of bacon at all. Cilantro oil was good
1 out of 5
Carnitas Sliders: these were no sliders. Instead, pulled BBQ pulled pork on slider-​size egg buns. A little on dry side, but not bad.
3 out of 5
As an aside, no tapas were on the menu. For most dishes, they have two size choices: tapa and «full size». Tapas are probably 2−3x size of what one expects at a tapeo.
Interestingly enough, in the process of describing my impressions, I referred back to the restaurant’s menu on the internet. The menu describes both Mac n’Cheese and Pomme Frites as «truffled», yet there was no truffle taste in either of these dishes.
All things considered, pretty average. With a number of good restaurants nearby, the owners need to turn the game up a notch in order to prosper at this location. I, for one, am not planning to come back.

I’ll keep this simple. The food… amazing. The service is just as good. The only negative of the entire experience was the band that was less than mediocre but that happens. We’ll definitely be back to this place. Mmmmmmm.
Lobster mac n cheese — mmmm
meat loaf — a tad odd, tastes like pure sausage
asparagus salad — mmmm
hummus — double mmmm
bread pudding — MUST HAVE! Sooooooo good.

We (the husband and I) went here last Friday night with another couple and had a great time. We arrived about 6:30 pm and it was mostly empty, a little quiet. However, armed with our
gift certificates we were optimistic… and hungry!
We started with drinks and while my «Just Chillin» (similar to a cucumber martini) was delicious and refreshing, my friend’s «Miss Fortune» was just that… misfortunate. It was too sweet and she quickly moved on to a dirty martini instead. About that time the live music started — a jazz/​Motown band that was just right for the night. Although they were in the same room with the diners they weren’t too loud to interrupt the conversation which I was thankful for. The restaurant started to fill up and come to life as the night went on!
Before ordering, the waiter brought some muffins to the table and we were a bit confused. Muffins? To start? Hmmmm. Thinking maybe we were in for some yummy cheesy surprise we each grabbed one but soon learned they were sweet muffins, similar to what you might have with your coffee in the morning. That didn’t make any sense…
True to the menu style, we ordered several tapas to share amongst the table. The winners: Truffle Lobster Mac N Cheese (Oh. My. God.), Mexican Rock Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée, and the Grilled Asparagus Salad. The loser: the Espresso Braised Beef Short Rib. Being a pescatarian myself I can’t comment but it looked more like a pot roast and my husband described it as tasting like «old meat». Not good signs!
We finished the meal with Crème Brulee which was perfectly sweet. We left happy and full! Mission accomplished!
The only pointer I have is to watch the bill. When you are ordering so many small plates it adds up quickly!

My boyfriend and I decided to try it because I had a gift certificate from
. The restaurant was pretty empty for Prospect Street on a Thursday night. The food was great, the macaroni and cheese dish was rich and flavorful. The cornbread was fresh, warm, and served with citrus butter. We also had one of the pizzas with barbecue sauce. It was a bit unusual but not bad. Service was great and the décor was tasteful. The bread pudding was awesome.

This place was extremely disappointing. We came here to celebrate a friends birthday and will not be back again. The lesser part of why we won’t go again is the food, it was nothing special. We had the onion rings (it’s pretty impossible to mess up onion rings, and the goat cheese ranch sauce is a nice touch); the crab cake (terrible and overly fishy, my husband felt ill the rest of the night); and the shrimp corn dogs (cute, but left me wanting a regular corn dog which would at least have had some flavor).
The biggest reason we won’t be back is that the service was terrible. I realize that we were a larger group (about 16 of us) and I understand that can make service a little slow. But to ignore part of the table entirely is unacceptable, especially considering that it was not busy that night at all, maybe 4 – 5 other tables were taken besides us on a Saturday night.
After ordering my first adult beverage I was never asked if I wanted another one. My husband drank the water from 2 empty seats near him before someone came and offered us more water. The big clincher came after everyones plates were cleared and I looked around and realized that everyone else in our party was halfway through dessert and coffee. Not a single server had been by to see if we would have liked anything. By that point it was kind of silly to flag down a waiter to order something so we just sat there while everyone else finished. That was just fine by us, we didn’t want to give them any more money by that point, and didn’t feel like eating more underwhelming food. (As a side note our table was right in the middle of the restaurant and my husband and I were smack dab in the middle of the long table, so it’s not like we were hidden in a corner and easy to miss).
This was the first time I had ever been somewhere and wanted to ask them to take the automatic gratuity off the bill. If it hadn’t already been there they would have gotten nothing in the way of tip.

I wish there was more «south» in this self-​acclaimed Southern Tapasaria. I like the Southern California paintings of La Jolla seashores hung on the walls. I love the Southwestern colors of the booths, tiles, and the dishware. But these are not traditional tapas; they’re just appetizers. And the food is neither south of the border nor Bible Belt south. Word is that the menu is an ode to Atlanta, Georgia. Huh?
The ceviche was completely unconventional but fresh. The wasabi cream sauce almost ruined it. The short rib was cooked perfectly but needed a bit more sweetness or tang. My favorite was the Ahi salad. I know everyone makes it, but the ginger citrus dressing made this one stand out. The «bread-​budding» was really not that but was a fantastic doughnut with candied pecans. That was about as southern as it got.
Still, it’s a cheery place great for a sunny day or a cold rainy day when you need a bright pick-​me-​up.

This place is great for a date or to come with a small group. We went on a Friday and they had live music and some fun drinks. People are giving this place bad reviews because it is not Spanish food. Get over it. It’s Tapas. Tapas are small plates.
We got the Chicken Fingers, Sweet Potato Fries, Lobster Mac n’ Cheese, and the Short Rib. No room for dessert.
With drinks, food, and tip we were out of there for under $ 90. Highly recommend this place if you are looking for something casual and different from the usual date restaurants in La Jolla. There is something for everyone!

Just what I needed after spending a week at my parents’ home during Christmastime doing little but eating: upscale comfort food! *sarcasm* Think that stopped me from buying a
gift certificate and heading to Aquamoreé last night? No way.
We spotted the Aquamoreé awning, located right near the George’s at the Cove entrance, and descended down the stairs and entered through the patio door below ground level.
Inside the ambiance and décor were smooth and elegant. A variety of seating options, attractive place settings, perfect lighting, a small bar, and Dave Matthews Band playing from the speakers. Walls heavily covered with local artist photos on canvas – for sale, I think. Really liked it.
Aquamoreé serves their versions of comfort food in small tapas portions and in entrée portions. When we were given menus our server Erika let us know that most of the tapas plates could be doubled (size and price) to create entrees. My boyfriend decided to go with that option and chose the Espresso Braised Beef Short Rib in the entrée size ($ 34). I went with the Citrus Glazed Salmon dish ($ 26), which, by the way, was considerably pricier than the $ 20 indicated in the online menu that day. Not cool…
We’ve been on a major sweet potato fries kick the last few months – I feel less guilty about eating them when I half heartedly assure myself that they contain vitamins – and the sweet potato fries at Aquamoreé ($ 7) were pretty good. Eat-​with-​a-​fork style fries sitting in a yummy cheesy sauce reminiscent of gravy.
How moist and perfectly cooked our entrée proteins turned out! The short ribs contained just about a square inch fatty spot – I actually like the fat – and were fall-​apart tender. The split pea and bacon risotto that came with my perfect medium-​rare salmon was outstanding, and the thinly shaved Yukon Gold potatoes (chips) on both our dishes created amazing texture variation.
My guy wanted to order dessert, the fudge brownie with peanut butter mousse, candied peanuts, vanilla ice cream, and hot fudge ($ 8). It was a tasty smallish portion but was too fussy with too many components for me to appreciate it. I wouldn’t order it again.
Average portion sizes for the most part. La Jolla prices for the most part. Really nice attentive service, though I should note that there probably weren’t even a dozen other customers in the place during our early dinner.
A very satisfying meal. I’d come here again but probably only with another
gift certificate in hand.

I’ll start with the good, the mini corn muffins they brought us at the start were delicious!
Now my issues…
I would not classify this place as tapas. Just because a dish is not a large serving, does not a tapas make. Seriously?!? French fries, onion rings, mac n chesse & pizza? dont get me wrong, I love comfort food, but call it what it is.
Secondly, it is a bellini, not a peachtree.
Lastly, our gratin was burned and we hardly ate it and the server did not seem to care.
The ambiance was a little stale.

Aquamoree was such a great find in this area!!! There are so many overpriced, snooty, bland fooded (new word) restaurants in this area that really dominate the scene. Dont get me wrong, this is anything but a hole in the wall. The scene is a very hip and comforting setting but the prices and food quality is what makes it.
They serve their food «tapas» style but with a southern, comfort food inspiration. We went with a group of 6 and just shared a little of everything on the menu. It truely is hard for me to pick favorites but i cant help but mention the Lobster mac-​n-​cheese, Mexican rock shrimp, the crabcakes, and oh yea… the espresso crusted braised short ribs. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it.
They also have a full bar with a great drink and wine selection which makes this place a great social gathering. This place just screams after work happy hour so I’ll be sure to make it back for that.
All in all, GO HERE!!!

Came here on the 3^rd day of being opened & I was impressed!
1. Food — they serve ‘tapas’ with a twist — tapas smaller dishes that range from $ 6 — $ 15, and smaller entrée selection $ 15 — $ 25.
Great selection of light and more filling options for their tapas, from sliders and curry chicken to a killer crab cake, ahi dish and mushrooms (to nme a few). Good balance of veggie, meat, seafood options. Some of the best and creative hummus & pita I have had. Desserts — the brownie, peanut butter dish is fabulous, and the coffee was rich. Everything was perfectly cooked and flavored.
2. Service — Extremely attentive and great knowledge of the menu. Very welcoming. Glasses were always full and servers always anticiated needs.
3. Ambiance/​vibe — Two outdoor patios and indoor dining area. The décor is fresh and comfortable. Great place for a first date (or any date) or with a group friends.

My review is based solely on the soft opening I attended last Friday. This place is located right between Geroges at the Cove and Azul off of Prospect. The layout and décor is fresh and inviting. The theme of this place is southern food with a socal twist. They served several things, Shrimp Corndog (good, but no big deal), Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad With Mango Chutney (my fave out of all the dishes they brought out), Chicken and Dumplings with Basmati Rice (I don’t eat chix but the rice was good). I hope to come back and try some of their main dishes. They are open to the public on Nov 8^th.