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Categories: Seafood, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownMon-Tue. 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Mon-Tue. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Wed-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Wed-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 4:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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The thing about fine dining is that it's the ultimate form of democracy -- establishments rise and fall according to their ability to please the masses, and The Water Grill pleases indeed.
The room is understated but grand at the same time. Despite the place being full, it felt like we were the only ones there, and the wait staff was lovely - present, attentive, but not intrusive or pushy.
The food was flawless - a foie gras torchon with fig still brings tears of ecstasy to my eyes. The diver scallops with celery root puree and dates were full of brine and snap, like an ocean wave blowing through the restaurant. Even the bread tray -- yes, it's a tray of 4-5 varieties of warm rolls, delicately served with silver tongs - was fantastic. The dessert amuse bouche of cookies and pate de fruit and truffles was the perfect way to end this dinner experience.
Sometimes one just needs an escape from reality. I suggest The Water Grill as your destination.
I know my rating's below the 4 stars that this place has actually been averaging. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad...but is it one Michelin star good?...I'm going to have to say no. There are a number of restaurants in and around LA that have been honored with stars which I personally find much better (that doesn't include Spago's though...). Is it worth trying?...well..who's paying?
If you do decide that you absolutely must come here, I suggest trying their clam chowder. Their chowder is actually award winning so it's definitely something to consider. There desserts overall are generally quite good as well. Be forewarned though, their main dishes (ie. the seabass...halibut...pretty much most of the cooked fish items)...they're just...alright.
Just as a side note, they're currently having their Sunday Lobster Clam bake. It'll run till late November so I believe there's at least one more weekend available for those who wish to try it. It's $55/person and it comes w/ a salad, 1.25 lb. lobster (just steamed w/ butter on the side), a large bowl filled with clams, mussels, potatoes, and sausages, a ramekin of corn as a side dish, and a dessert (you have your choice of a root beer float w/ two gingersnap cookies on the side or an apple crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top). I was here this past Sunday for the clambake and my favorite was the salad, the corn on the side, and....yeah..the salad and the corn.
Parking: you can actually valet your car at the building. With restaurant validation, it's at a flat rate of $8.00. If, however, you're there on a Sunday, you can actually park at any metered spot on the street for free. As always though, be sure to check the street signs if you decide to opt for street parking.
I came here for the DineLA week. While the Water Grill seems conservative and stuffy in its decor (dim lighting, marbled counter tops and waiters in white tuxes), its food is anything but. We ordered:
White Chowder with Manila Clams - Weiser Farm Potatoes, Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon
Alaskan Halibut - Sautéed and Basted, with Lavender, Meyer lemon, and Madagascar Vanilla Bean Oil
Queen Charlotte "Red Bandit" Rockfish - Sautéed, with Braised Butter Lettuce, Grilled Chipollini and Roasted Parsnip
Fromage Blanc Cheesecake - Ginger Poached Pears, Raspberries, Guava and Graham Cracker Streusel
Carrot Cake - Passion Fruit Cream, Candied Walnuts and Coconut Cream Cheese Ice Cream
Our favorite dishes were both of the desserts. The carrot cake was moist with a hint of spice, and the cream cheese frosting was not too sweet--just perfect. The cheesecake was the lightest cheesecake I ever tasted. It melted in my mouth.
I thought that the rockfish was just ok--nothing out of the ordinary, although the fish was cooked perfectly. I found the halibut, on the other hand, very enjoyable. I was skeptical when I saw cucumber and grapes on the side of the halibut, but it actually went quite well with the fish and the lavender vanilla sauce. What a bold and unusual dish!
As for the chowder, the Water Grill is famous for its version of the soup and it was great. The broth was a little thin and had perfectly tender pieces of carrots and potatoes in it with some clams and bacon.
The after dinner complimentary desserts were so cute!
*See Pics*
Made a reservation for two a week before the date. 6 p.m. on Saturday. They phoned the day of the res and asked if we were going to a show somewhere. I replied, "no, just dinner." Arrived and they asked the same question at the front desk. The waiter asked us the question as well. I'm assuming that they have communication issues. I love the room, we were given a small table where I sat with my chair in the aisle with busy waitstaff running behind my chair all night. They sat another couple at the adjacent table that could sit together, side by side. I was a bit jealous. The food could have been better, lobster was tough, crab cake over salted. I think they could do far better for the cost. My overall impression is it ws not worth the money.
at the last minute my companion suggested we try the Water Grill before a show at the L.A.Music Center. We were very happy. before meal a little pre appetizer of Cucumber Rolled Spicy Big Eye Tuna
Heart of palm puree, ruby grapefruit and Tobiko wasabi. on a tablespoon was brought out. It was wonderful. the tuna just melted on my tongue. The wasabi was so subtle it was warm but not uncomfortably so. The flavors just complemented each other. I'll be back when I'm in the area again. This is a wonderful resturant.
High end places equals kiddy sized portions at the cost of roughly $50 per dish. Well it's dinner time, so of course it's bound to be expensive than lunch. I usually don't complain about the price if the meals worth it, but by the end of the night, I was left hungry and sorely disappointed. Is this all a one star Michelin restaurant had to offer? But then again our group of 4 should have ordered an appetizer, entree, and dessert. It probably would have been satisfying enough I suppose.
Here's what we ordered:
-Kumamoto Oyster: DELICIOUS. Order it if it is offered!
-Clam Chowder soup: It's chunky, thick, full of vegetables, and have REAL clams. Impressive.
-Crab cake: It was not so memorable. I've had better. The sauce was pretty good though.
-Surf and Turf: ONE prawn split into two and bits of pork cheek. $36. The expression on my boyfriend's face was priceless.
-Lobster: Well, at least it's taken out of its shell. Not bad.
-Chilean Seabass: The best thing of all the entrees we've ordered. It's quite flavorful and savory.
The food was good but not THAT great. Water Grill needs to up its game if it's going to continue its recently acknowledge recognition as a one star restaurant.
Remember guys: order an appetizer, an entree, and dessert. You'll definitely need it if you want to have a satisfactory meal.
AWESOME place if you love seafood! Everything here is fresh. Oysters = awesome, all the fish = awesome.
As for dessert, well...they are just average. I would stick to the seafood and get dessert somewhere else.
Parking is a bit hard to find though, so when you get on the block where the restaurant is located, make sure to slow down and carefully look for the valet entrance. Also, please note that the sign for the restaurant is not obvious.
I went here this past week with Frank M for the Dine LA week. I never really looked into what the hell Dine LA was.. but it seems like a pretty cool thing. Anyway.. the place was kind of hard to find. First of all, it's in DTLA.. everything down there is kind of crazy with all those one way streets and everything. It wasn't even visible from the street! It was inside some building or hotel. Anyway, we finally found the place... and it's Valet. I think $8 with validation. Damn.
After leaving our car, we walk inside.. and the building is NICEE.. the roof is so pretty. Fresh flowers.. Mirrors. And that's before we even got to the restaurant. So we showed up a few minutes before our reservation.. and we were seated right away. From the DineLA menu, I got the 1) Clam Chowder, 2) Halibut, and 3) Cheesssseeeeeeecake. MMmmM. Frank ordered the.. 1) Sashimi, 2) Swordfish, and 3) Carrot cake. (You can read his review if you want to know what he thought of it I guess).
As for me, I thought the clam chowder was delicious. It wasn't like Campbell's Chunky Clam Chowder.. lol.. but I do like Campbell's Clam Chowder. This one had real clams in it.. and it was a little watery.. but in a good way. As well as real onion and carrots.. and other things that all went in my belly. Hahaha. Well.... Except for the clams. I gave that to Frank.. cuz I don't really eat them. The halibut was good.. although.. I think the swordfish tasted better than the halibut. It was a lemony fish.. with frou frou stuff all over the plates. And the.. cheesecake... mmm.. it came out topped with some kind of milky ice cream.. with.. figs, peaches, two kinds of sauce splattered all over the plate.. and some blackberries. Oh hell .. all of it was good. The both of us scraped our plates clean on every dish. I was so full.
Best part.. heh heh. *evil laugh* they brought us dessert TWICE!!!! I couldn't finish mine. So I only ate some of the second round of desserts.. although... it did taste even better the second time around because it was.. FREEEEEE. Don't worry.. we did tell say.. hey dude.. you already brought us dessert.. what the hell. But the waiter said we could keep it. YES!
Oh yeah.. almost forgot.. the bread. Stingy bastards. I only was able to try two. Mine.. and Frank's. I got the white one.. and he got olive one. If I were you, I would get the olive one. It was yummy. The white one.. .. whatever it was called.. was just regular. So regular.. we don't even need to know what it was called.
Service was great. They seemed very thankful for some reason. And I think we had 2 waiters. A male and a female. And I must have seen them both 6 different times.
Came here for dineLA after a couple year break. The service was as excellent as before, the atmosphere is downtown business so it's pretty quiet still, and the food....well, I am disappointed but I will try again because I still have fond memories of the place from years past. As far as our last meal goes, here goes:
- Tuna tartare was light, flavorful, and the perfect starter
- Chowder was my favorite dish of the night, VERY rich, creamy, with wonderful Manila clams
- Halibut: perfectly cooked but the Madagascar vanilla sauce with grapes was pretty horrific. This was a great idea, but the execution was the most disappointing part of the meal...
- Cheesecake was amazing, carrot cake was little too sweet but the coconut ice cream was delish.
In a nutshell: The ingredient quality is 1st rate as usual, but the preparations were confused. This place is sure not what it used to be, but is still reliable for a good meal in downtown.
last note: besides the place being not busy at all, we were seated right next to a couple of unpleasant women (the staring snide kind); the unpleasantness was not the restaurant's fault, but hostess please, if you know it's not going to be busy... let me have some privacy
Special occasions or business meals are perfect reasons to check out the Water Grill - assuming of course your culinary preferences extend beyond just the turf.
Just past the Biltmore Hotel is an unassuming looking restaurant from Grand Ave, but inside is an LA bastion to wonderful seafood, excellent service par none, and a great dining environment. I've dined at the Water Grill twice, both to take out my parents for their birthdays and they still talk about it fondly.
I'll admit the food isn't always quite deserving of a 5th star (still always a solid 4 star at the least), but it's the fabulous service that earns The Water Grill a 5th star in my book. The wait staff is courteous, professional, and efficient. Dining there, everything seems effortless. Short of feeding you, the waitstaff will do everything to take care of you. I've dined out often enough to give credit for great service when it's due and The Water Grill always nails it.
Food always ranges between 4 and a 5 star. I've tried several items off their menu and never had a bad experience. Their NE clam bake was very good. I was worried halfway through my meal that I was going to go hungry, but nearly doubled over as I stood up to go as I groaned under the weight of my dinner. My mom's sword fish with pomegranates was awesome. I think someone mentioned the cheesecake and even for someone born without a sweet tooth I have to admit it was delicious - very light compared to your standard cheesecake.
Without a doubt there are fancier places or kitchens that serve mind numbingly amazing dishes, but The Water Grill has the all around package that's hard to find in LA.
My bf loves Water Grill so I decided to dine their during Restaurant Week. We were seated promptly and our server was super attentive. Having been voted Best Seafood in LA for years, I definitely wanted to check this place out (the bf's been here before).
To make it short and sweet, here's what we ordered:
- Clam Chowder - overpowering bacon flavor but the oysters are good :)
- Blue Cheese and Plum Salad - delicious!
- Halibut - so good. loved the vanilla-lemon flavor
- Rockfish - DO NOT ORDER. i hate when fish is served with the skin on but not only that... this fish is flavorless & the mustard dumplings are not too appetizing.
- Assorted Ice Cream - good. the horchata ice cream has delicious nuts inside!
- Cheesecake - traditional, nothing special but it's served with cream cheese ice cream.
Pros:
- Great portion sizes. I really appreciate a restaurant that serves not small but not huge portions. Just the right size without filling the two of us to the maximum.
- Delicious bread and superior service. There is a "bread man" that comes around and asks you what type of bread you want. His basket has an assortment of fresh ciabatta, french, and olive (YUM!!!) bread.
- Fast service considering how busy they were on a Friday night.
- Perfectly cooked fish even though the Rockfish had not taste.
- DELICIOUS mojitos!
Four stars for great seafood and service. I wouldn't say it was excellent but the dineLA menu was definitely a great excuse for coming to water grill again without having to fork over $250 for two.
Oh yes, and there is the dreaded $8 parking after validation.
I came here with colleagues for lunch during DineLA.
You've read the other reviews.
- Tuna tartar... it could have been fresher. And for a raw appetizer, freshness is clutch.
- Halibut: perfectly cooked. Not under, not over. Even the seasoning was okay, although I wish they had ground the fleur de sel a little more (crystals were still big). But the flavoring was... well, complex and interesting, but I wouldn't say awesome.
- Cheesecake: just ok. Very pretty, but flavor-wise, nothing grand.
Decor's nice, restaurant's huge, bread's good, services is fine.
I'd come again for DineLA. But for normal prices? Just for the entree, maybe.
Went here for DineLA restaurant week as I'd been meaning to try out this place. Note the specialty here is fish, so if you don't enjoy fish, don't bother trying out the restaurant - there aren't really other options.
- White chowder - delicious, especially with clams in the shell in it
- Tuna sashimi - not bad. The sauces it was served with were very good.
- Halibut - loved the lemon sauce and hot fruit that comes with it. Only wish there was more sauce.
- Rock fish - good. I love the way they crisped the skin.
- Cheesecake - probably one of the best cheesecakes I've had and the portion size was perfect. Too often dessert is far too big and filling after a large meal, but this hit the spot. It came with some amazing ice cream and delicious sauces.
- Carrot cake - pretty good. My husband really enjoyed it.
Overall I enjoyed it, but considering the price of the regular menu, I'm not sure how often I would go back.
Went here last Friday to celebrate my GF getting a promotion, and with the $44 prix-fixe menu for DineLA at a place where most entrees are $44 dollars, we couldn't go wrong...right?
The only reason this place didn't get a 5 was the service. Don't get me wrong...the food was awesome! But the service just didn't match the quality of the food. I've been here once before 2 years ago and met the previous general manager; service quality has seemed to have dropped since then. My server asked my gf and I not once or twice, but 5 times to confirm what we ordered. And since it's a prix-fixe menu, I feel like it shouldn't have been too difficult to keep track, but it might've just been the server I had that night.
Quick thoughts:
nice decor and ambiance, Quality Seafood and flavor combinations, huge wine selection, mediocre service, difficult to spot from the street.
Meal Breakdown:
Appetizer:
Big Eye Tuna Sashimi - Yuzu, Red Radish, Asian Pear and Shiso
Main Course:
Queen Charlotte "Red Bandit" Rockfish - Sautéed, with Braised Butter Lettuce, Grilled Chipollini and Roasted Parsnip
Dessert:
Ice Cream Assortment - Milk Chocolate with Chocolate Streusel, Horchata with Gingerbread, and Salted Caramel with Candied Pecans
Drinks:
Talbott Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay, 2006
The quality of the fish was there, but the sauce it was presented in wasn't exactly what I was looking for - it was slightly tangy and sweet! was cooked perfectly - really soft inside and cruchy outside, plated on a bed of greens. The ice cream assortment was awesome - was light and each ice cream provided a different pairing of taste and texture.
Other:
This restaurant is In the heart of Downtown LA, get here early if you don't know the area: lots of one way streets and construction. The parking lot was valet only and was $8 with validation from the restaurant.
I give this a 4.5 ... the food is excellent just a little pricey. I seem to spend about $250 a couple every time I go and that would only include 1 drink per person.
Good soups. Always light and clean tasting. Just what you'd expect at a good restaurant.
Went here with two friends for a dineLA dinner on Friday night. Here's what I tried between my own order and my friends':
- Cibatta, white baguette, and olive bread: Served warm which was nice. The olive bread was delish.
- Amuse bouche of spicy tuna w. cucumber, pink grapefruit, heart of palm puree, roe: Our amuse was actually delicious. Refreshing with spicy kick and the heart of palm puree gave it a nice balance.
- Manila clam chowder: Good in that it wasn't overly thick, floury or overloaded with potatoes. That said, would've liked more clams which would have provided a stronger clam flavor. My friend who had been there before also commented that the bowl had gotten smaller since the last time.
- Seared swordfish with spaghetti squash, butternut squash puree, root vegetables, caramelized onion topping, and balsamic and brown butter drizzles: My entree sounded so yummy, but didn't live up to its description. One of the fillets was a bit dry. The caramelized onions, which were sweet and tangy, was my favorite item on the plate. Overall, I've had more flavorful preparations of swordfish.
- Sauteed rockfish with potatoes and some cream sauce: I just tried a bite of this but it was quite good. The rockfish was moist while the skin was crisp, and the cream sauce and potatoes gave a nice depth.
- Cheesecake with raspberry drizzle, figs, apple slices, raspberries, and vanilla bean ice cream: The cheesecake was so smooth and light and the delicious vanilla ice cream was a wonderful combination. This was my favorite part of the meal (which is kind of wrong in a high end seafood place like this one.)
- Carrot cake with coconut cream cheese topping: Took a bite of this, and it's pretty tasty. I liked how there were no raisins in the carrot cake. This is a pretty small serving tho.
- Dessert amuse bouche of pink grapefruit jelee, a pistachio macaroon, and a lemon curd bite: Not bad. The lemon curd bite was a particularly nice finisher with a nice refreshing citrus flavor.
Good but underwhelming. I wouldn't return unless on someone else's dime, particularly given the limited street parking, forcing you to pay a $8 valet. Boo hiss! I can get an awesome dinner with $8 in SGV or Thai Town!!!
I came here on a date. I used the DineLA Week to use as an excuse. This place is very well decorated; low lights, marble everywhere, fancy!. Initially to find this place it was a bit hard as it does not have a street entrance. I was able to find it because right next to were its supposed to be there was a parking structure and said parking for Water Grill with validation.
Upon leaving your car at the Valet, you enter this building, allll marble. It looks very expensive and pretty. the floor stairs and walls are mostly covered in marble. This building houses mostly lawyers. So we followed the signs to the restaurant.
Once inside and seated we had an older waiter, maybe mid 40s? very professional and the service was great. they were very nice and attentive, but not annoying. Me and my date had a 3 course meal.
Appetizers:
Clam Chowder (fancy names)
Tuna Sashimi
Main course:
Swordfish
Alaskan Halibut
Dessert:
Carrot cake
Cheesecake
Now these are generalized because they had other names and food added to them. The tastes were really good. You wont find these flavors at a local food place. Really good mixture of acidic spicy and fruity. I would love to come here again.
We even got a complimentary sample of tuna wrapped in cucumber with something else. DELISH! I think my date enjoyed it. Well I sure did. I felt like i was in an episode of BOSTON LEGAL or ALLY McBeal (Lawyer shows)
Come here on Sundays for the Lobster Clam Bake!!
For the appetizer I got a balsamic vinaigrette salad which I really liked. Our entrees were whole steamed 1-pound Maine lobsters with a cup of butter. The lobsters came with a giant bowl of New Zealand cockles, mussels, potatoes, carrots and a Portuguese pork sausage for everyone to share. The sausage was really good. For dessert, I had the peach cobbler a la mode. My sister had theroot beer float. We loved it. At the end our waiter served us our mignardises, a plate full of little fruit jellies and macarons. I was too full to try it but it was supposedly good as well.
The Lobster Clam Bake is $55 pp and only on Sundays. Other people in our group ordered DineLA and they wished they ordered the lobster. Oh and they have one Michelin star from 2008 so you know it has to be somewhat awesome...
3.7 but not quite at the 4.0 mark.
I came here for lunch for a DineLA experience. Well for starters.. the parking isn't too shabby. Valet parking and $6 for the first two hours with validation.. which is expensive but still.. not TOO bad.
Now for the FOOOOD!
For appetizers I ordered the oysters. YUM and REFRESHING. It's only three but it was a good amount. definitely didn't smell too much like the sea but you could taste it. especially when you drink the "oyster juice" from the oyster shell after you eat it-- and when its mixed with the cocktail sauce a little with a drizzle of lemon juice. GAH.
My friend ordered the tartar which was.. very different from all the other tartars that i've had. Water Grill's tartar tasted a little like indian food.. it was still good though.. just different.
My other friend got the clam chowder. I usually stay away from soups at high end restaurants but this clam chowder was AMAZING. I don't know what made it so different but it was freaking yummy.
oh by the way! their breads! one of their breads had olives in it. It was a wierd mixture of warm fluffy bread with a taste of salty olives. but nonetheless, it was delicious!
okay so for the entree.. unfortunately my friends and i all got the alaskan halibut so I couldn't try the other choices. but the fish was tender and juicy. The lemon sauce was VERY tasteful. no complaints though. the unknown nut and grapes and celery and yaddy yaddy on the side was good too. the grapes were a little wierd, i'll admit but not worth complaining about.
lastly! for the dessert.. again we all got the cheesecake so i wasnt able to try the other desserts. but the cheesecake had vanilla bean ice cream on top with a drizzle of guava sauce, i believe, and some raspberry sauce? There was a blueberry/mulberry (couldnt tell the difference) a small piece of plum and a half slice of.. IM TOTALLY GUESSING HERE.. a fun sized guava that was slightly glazed with sugar.
oh.. and lastly for reals. they gave out the petite desserts. For those of you who are confused, petites are these WAY TOO FUN sized desserts that are basically served as samplers from the chef. Water Grill's petites consisted of this really sweet sugar gummy thing-- i did not so enjoy it much, this passion fruit really citrusy biscuit thing-- better than the gummy. and lastly this pistacchio dome cookie thing. that was pretty good. :))
IT WAS DELICIOUS.
unfortunately.. i can't give it a four. :(( im not a fan of this place but i wouldnt mind going back if someone was paying for me. HEHE.
DineLA gave my friends and I an excuse to check out Water Grill. I had the main oysters, halibut and cheesecake. I also got a chance to try my friends clam chowder. The food was decent, but nothing spectacular and I could never see being able to justify paying full price for their menu. The oysters and halibut were great, but nothing amazing. The chowder was a bit disappointing; the bacon dominated all other flavors and it seemed watered down. The cheesecake was fantastic, but it was really tiny. Come to think of it, all the portions were tiny.
I think there are better, more exciting places in downtown for a lot less.
My husband and I had dinner here the other night. I had the halibut and he had the salmon as main courses. Both were on the cold side. The clam chowder was good and my salad was fairly generic. Service was
capable. We both had one glass of wine and no dessert. Skip the coffee. It tasted like cheap diner coffee. Our bill came to just under $200
not counting tip. This restaurant needs to pull it's act together. I was totally underwhelmed by the food. Not good.
Your downtown, and you want a good location for an intimate meeting: maybe business, maybe dating, maybe the dating business? Don't have reservations? Need a good spot on a Sunday night? The Water Grill is the answer to many needs, and a spot of calm collective coolness in what can be the crazy downtown lifestyle.
The Water Grill is a quality location that features very good food and good to acceptable service. I wish I could say the service is as good as it use to be but, it was truely special in the old days and has slipped to "acceptable." I think the food out paces the the service by a long shot.... and the quality of the fish can not be denied.
High Points:
Best Chowder - Water Grill (Top in the city?)
Best Oysters - Water Grill (Hard to deny)
Very good flavor control on the seasonal items, David the Chef filled really big shows and has done a great job.
Interesting wine by the glass and wine list - Water Grill.
Easy to park
Easy to get a table - open table even.
Negatives:
Kick some whoop ass on the quality service, and whip it back into shape! Its not a diner for petes sake (who is pete anyway?) This use to be one of the finest restaurants in LA and while I still highly recommend it, its no longer at the top of my list but can be depending on day of the week and type of location your looking for.
OH MY GOSH are you kidding me? This was the WORST seafood ever. I've had better seafood at a steak restaurant and I've had some of the best seafood ever. What a full on RIP OFF. please don't go here. After seeing a wonderful show at the LA Opera of L"Elisir D'amore we were ready to eat fancy-shmancy and this was touted as the best seafood in LA. I've had better seafood at LA's---I think it's called Lobster on the beach in Santa Monica. And although I'm partial to lobster with purified butter--- I'm okay with it being cooked in a different way but the sauce at this place was like melted rubberband. The shrimps with their heads on (which was just plain messy with the antennae's) were cold and clammy and it was just a grade A RIP OFF!!!! Such a disappointment and a really old "I'm taking my mistress while the wife's away" crowd.....ick. Boring and overpriced.
Not to boast but we have some of the best restaurants in SFBay Area so i know what i'm talking about. and Still i'm ready to give kudos where Kudos is due---just got back from Vancouver and they have some of the best dinner's I've had: Sanafir/Italian Kitchen/Guu---Anyways, If you're in San Francisco and you want seafood there's AQUA'S, FARALLON, SUSHI-WISE: TATAKI'S, SUSHI RAN IN SAUSALITO (very hard to beat). Well just some of the best restaurants period: Kokarri/Perbacco/A Cote/ad Hoc/Poesia/La Ciccia/Range/Delfina's/Boulevard's...And for the more casual but still good: Tomassos on Kearny/Dragonfly in Noe Valley/Mamacitas in the Marina/Market in St. Helena/Bouchard's YountvilleWood Tavern in Berkeley
The list goes on....
I just feel i have to let you know what i'm talking about so you don't get ripped off too.....I mean I like fancy-schmancy when it's good even little size fancy schmancy like Quince when i'm in the mood but this is just CHE FREGATURA! (RIP OFF).
Great seafood and each of my many trips to this established downtown LA restaurant. The service could be a little more reliable, but it's not bad.
There's no doubt that The Water Grill has outstanding cuisine. And so, if you're in downtown Los Angeles and near The Biltmore, it's definitely a wonderful place for pescetarians to stop. So why am I only giving it 4 stars instead of 5? For the same reasons that I haven't been there for a few years.
First ... even with a reservation made weeks in advance, a business luncheon would often find us seated elbow-to-elbow with "deuce" tables on either side, about six inches away. While this made for a packed lunch time restaurant experience, the annoying thing was the noise level. If you planned to have no conversation and didn't care about the privacy of what you said, then of course one wouldn't care about the placement of tables.
Second ... while it doesn't appear to be on the current sample menu listed on their website, I used to go for the cioppino, one of the best tasting versions I ever tried. The taste was so good that I never minded the fact that it wasn't a pretty bowl of cioppino--- too many things with tentacles floating in it---but the flavor was truly fabulous. However, they used to INSIST on placing the massive bowl in front of me and then putting A BIB around my neck!!! One is supposed to accept this with grace, but honestly, this wasn't a dive and it was just so humiliating at a business lunch to have everybody in your party and at adjacent tables laughing at you over this, and I didn't appreciate the presumption I was going to make a mess. Will I go back? Sure, someday when the embarrassment has completely dissipated.
So I started going across the street to the restaurant in Checkers.
Definetly one of the best restaurants in DTLA, especially for seafood. Any item you choose will be expertly prepared by some of the best chefs anywhere.
Downsides; beside the prices, the ambience is very old school, hasn't changed in years, and the service can be very stiff and formal. Sitting at the tables in the bar area seems to lighten up the servers moods a tad.
I would recommend it more for a business dinner than a date place, especially if it can be expensed. But if you are staying at the Biltmore, or any of the other hotels nearby, and you don't mind dropping $100, inc. wine per person, this is a great spot.
I probably have gone to this restaurant more than a dozen times and have not been disappointed with its seafood selection. Although it's pricy, I sense it does mostly business lunch or dinners.
I've been here three times now, twice for lunch, and as of tonight once for dinner. While my first two experiences during lunch were quite favorable, my most recent one for dinner was not. So much so that I've felt compelled to write my first sharp review.
Nobody offered to take our coats, which was the first sign of what we were in for. So I took my own coat off after being seated and the entire time I was fiddling with such, the menu was being shoved in my face. Tacky and surprising, given my fond memories of the prior dining experiences I had during lunch.
The evening progressed very much in this way, with quirky mistakes and bizarre service abound. Our server was nice enough, but not really engaging. We brought a really nice bottle of champagne and an even nicer bottle of white wine, and they were the highlights of the evening.
As for the food, I honestly felt like it was comparable to BJs. In fact the entire experience was like going to BJs, which I am not fond of. Unfortunately, we spent way more money here. OK, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh? The food was good, but the entire experience was second class, far from being a pleasant experience.
As a disclaimer, I just returned from France where every dining experience was quite spectacular. Unfortunately, I feel disappointed by the Los Angeles dining scene as a whole after said trip. I'm not sure that I've found a great deal of places that I really love here. In San Francisco there are such places. Maybe I should move there.
That said, the salad I had was quite good. Detailed and fresh and flavorful. I can't really remember what it was, but it had lots of things going on that actually caused me to eat it a bit slower and savor it. I've had their salads before and have always enjoyed them. If I have one word of advice if you dine here, it is that you should try a salad. My friends clam chowder was chewy but otherwise quite good. We both had the Baja Rock Cod, and it was a disaster. It was cooked well enough and a good portion, but it was accompanied by some mushy and strange greens with a sauce thing on top that didn't really do much for either of us. Dessert, cheesecake, was average.
The place is in need of an update. The entire restaurant needs to be overhauled, the chef needs to move on, the wait staff needs to be filtered through... The best part of the staff was actually the quite attentive busboy that always caught the mistakes that arrived to our table and quickly tried to remedy them.
The 'general manager' came out and tried to save things by offering us a taxi voucher. I think he has his work cut out for him in general. Unfortunately this restaurant is riding on a wave that has long fallen back into the ocean. And it's a fish restaurant so it needs to be fresh. They even charged us corkage despite the fact that the waiter caused the champagne to explode all over the table.
Get to work guys.
I hadn't been to Water Grill for probably 9 years, so I went for DineLA just recently (the lunch menu).
First, I was not impressed with the service. The restaurant was not crowded and we waited at least 15 minutes for water. Maybe she made us wait because we ordered LA's finest instead of perrier? I love that sneer that always comes with "Just tap, please". When we told our server we'd like a bottle of prosecco too and we were ready to order she didn't take our order and went running off. later we saw her carrying desserts to another table. She did not inform us how long it would take, or what was going on, so we sat there for another 10 minutes, when the sommalier finally brought the prosecco. He could tell we were frustrated, so finally our server took our order (we'd been there for more than 1/2 an hour at that point). I mean we are lucky enough to be working in this economy, but we can't be taking two hour lunches people. Not cool.
I had the chowder (awesome - chunks of potato, two mussels, and a light cream base - not super thick- and very bacon-y-I would've liked more mussels but whatever, I was eating on the cheap (for the Water Grill), so who am I to complain?!). I also had the halibut and the carrot cake for dessert. I was not impressed with the halibut. It was overcooked, as was my colleague's, too dry, and not flavorful enough. Tom Colicchio would have had some choice words on that one. It was served on a light drizzle of a nice light lemon sauce, but the sauce was just too light for the fish so you would get a little pop of flavor and then nothing else. Halibut needs something flavorful because the fish itself is so flavor-less. Honestly, a nice grilled piece of fish with salt and pepper would have been better. There were also some marcona Spanish almonds and a little bit of veg (celery perhaps? hard to tell) and some whole grapes on the plate. The grapes seemed a bit out of place and, since they weren't sliced, made it hard to capture them with a fork. All of this gave for an interesting texture balance, but I wasn't there for a texture party in my mouth, I was there for flavor - it has to TASTE good. And this was o-kay, but not stellar. In anycase, I would not rec. the halibut. I fixed it up by stealing a bit of my other colleague's mustard aioli which had come with her sandwich.
Dessert was okay, tasty, but underwhelming. a small piece of carrot cake and a little dollop of ice cream. whatev.
My other dining partners had the following:
tuna tartare w/ spicy chili - pronounced delicious
oysters (appetizer)- also pronounced delicious
the deconstructed tuna sandwich - the presentation was cool. it came on a plate with some small pieces of cooked tuna (albacore) in a mason jar, a dollop of mustard aioli in a dish, a dish of a relish made from capers and sweet pickles and onions, a small dish of salt, a chunk of cheese, gherkins and two slices of toasted brioche. One of my colleague's pronounced it too much work, the other one liked it. If you want to play with your food, or are a really picky eater, then this looked like a good option. The general consensus was that the tuna would have been better just seared instead of chunked and fully cooked.
The cheesecake - definitely the dessert to get. blew the other ones out of the water. creamy, yummy, delicious. my dining partners who got it barely stopped short of licking the plate.
the ice cream - underwhelming. the horchata flavor tasted flavorless and icky. The chocolate was passable. The salted caramel didn't taste like anything at all. maybe a lame vanilla. "If it's not good, don't serve it." They would have been better off serving ice cream from a box.
In anycase, I remember the Water Grill being amazing, but this was just so-so. Maybe it's because of the Dine LA menu and they aren't putting themselves out there. who knows? If it was just based on the food I'd give 3 stars, but am knocking one off for the crappy service. and the 6.00 valet parking (with validation). Oh, and their lame water glasses which are top heavy and which we almost knocked over several times. The women dining near us DID knock hers over, which gave us a little comic relief. And, despite the fact that the crash was pretty loud, not one waiter came running over with a towel. See what I mean about the service?
When we found out that we were moving out of town to a place not known for food, this is where we had our "Last Supper" (and for good reason). I think it's some of the best prepared seafood I've ever had. This place is constantly at the top of the Zagat guide and it's not because it's trendy without substance; the food is awesome and the wine list is fairly extensive.
I think though, that the property needs a face lift. It feels a little long in the tooth and although it might be my imagination, the wine list seems a little shorter than in previous visits.
I'm sure the economic downturn hasn't helped things.
I went here for Restaurant Week. This is the fanciest eating I have ever experienced. A month later, I can still visualize the sleek, white, mound of fish on my plate! Peeled, warm grapes on the side...Yum!
I rarely visit a place twice within a month but after experiencing Water Grill's dineLA lunch, I had to bring my Nacho here on a work day (he had the day off). it was that memorable, that delicious, and that of a great deal.
i also rarely order the same thing at a restaurant, but here I ordered the exact same things as I did last time: White chowder, White Sturgeon, and Red Velvet pudding. I loved these choices as much as I did last time. Read my last review.
Let's check out what Nacho got.
-Cucumber Rolled Spicy Big Eye Tuna - pretty presentation, interesting combination, but not something you would get at Water Grill
-California Swordfish - good fish, good polenta sticks but the green sauce was a little overpowering for Nacho
- Blueberry Marscarpone Cake - he liked it, I think it's alright. I agree that the Red Velvet pudding isn't the best Red Velvet ever but I personally preferred my dessert.
Service was very good and the food was excellent. Best $28 meal ever!
Start here for pics this review: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Pics from my first review:http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I used to envy my friend's fiancée who travels and eats on the Robb Report's dime, but after taking… Read more »
Aloha.
Aloha also means saying hello to the the Hawaiian swordfish at the Water Grill. A joyous dish. It rocks. Along with a touch of tomatoes and squash. It's grilled like fish are meant to be.
The Hawaiian prawns. Massive. Get some of those before the meal takes flight. You won't regret it. The wine was a Cali chard which the waiter suggested. On target like the rest of the meal and service.
The sea platter which a pal got and I had a couple very nice bites of: shrimp, clams, lobster, crab, mussels, on ice, it looks like something that would be good to enjoy for a late lunch with some wine.
Aloha.
Nice restaurant. Most people are dressed business casual and they do the whole give-you-a-black-napkin-if-you're-wearing-dark-col ors thing. It's a good business dinner place. Very attentive service (though I felt the waiter was a bit snotty). The seafood tasted very fresh. The portions are small but I prefer quality over quantity. Great food presentation and most importantly, it tasted delicious.
If you like dirty martinis, definitely try their LA River martini....sooooooo good.
We had an early reservation at 11:45am. The very nice host apologized for the slightly colder temperature since they just opened. We sat down with our menu, then waited... waited... and waited... for the waitress to come and take our order. The restaurant was quite empty at the time. But service was really really slow. Later when the restaurant started getting busy, service actually became faster. Another interesting thing I noticed, most of the patrons were Asians. I noticed the same thing last year at all the dineLA restaurants. I guess us Asians know a good bargain when we see it.
Three kinds of bread in the basket: baguette, olive roll, and ciabatta. We all liked the ciabatta bread the most. As I mentioned before, service was really slow at first. So we sat and finished the whole basket of bread. No refill was offered.
The white chowder with Manila clams was DELICIOUS! The soup was thinner than your regular clam chowder. It was so flavorful and full of fresh veggies. 3 big Manila clams, but my mom got sand in her clam. This soup was listed as $13 on their regular lunch menu.
In House Cured Alaskan Salmon was my dad's favorite appetizer. The chopped salmon was seasoned perfectly. The little quail egg was a nice touch. Mom said that the food presentation was beautiful. It almost seemed like an art piece that was too pretty to eat.
I like the cucumber rolled spicy big eye tuna the most. Chopped spicy tuna was wrapped inside a thin slice of crispy cucumber. The tuna was a lot spicier than I expected, but it was so good. This dish was listed as $17 on the regular lunch menu.
Dad and I both thought the grilled Columbia river white sturgeon was the best main dish. The sturgeon was very meaty and buttery. It had the texture of cod. So soft that I almost felt like I didn't need to chew. I love the roasted golden beets that came with this dish. $36 on regular menu.
Swordfish wasn't our favorite type of fish. It tends to be dry if not cooked right. Water Grill's swordfish was probably the most tender swordfish I've ever had. Yet it was still a little dry comparing to sturgeon and salmon. We didn't like the swordfish as much, but it wasn't because they didn't do a good job cooking. It was simply our preference of fish. The best thing on this plate was the polenta batons with the salsa. The texture was "firm tofu" like, but it was even better than tofu. There were 3 pieces on the plate. I wished they would replace the swordfish with... let's say... 20 more pieces?
Orkney Island Scottich king salmon was recommended by the chef to serve medium rare. Since mom doesn't eat raw fish, we requested to have it fully cooked. Even though it was fully cooked, the fish was super moist and soft. The crispy salmon skin was equally delicious. There were cubes of "tofu" (most likely it was polenta cubes) on the plate. Just like the "tofu" on the swordfish plate, DELICIOUS! Love the trumpet royale mushroom, too. Dish was listed as $38 on regular menu.
Time for dessert! When we first saw the blueberry mascarpone cake, we thought it looked a lot like Chinese Wheel Cake. It didn't taste like the "Wheel Cake", but the "structure" was exactly the same. Instead of the red bean for Wheel Cake, there was blueberry jam in the middle of the cake. The cake was crumby, and yummy. The red velvet pudding was exactly pudding. It was just soft and chewy chocolate cake. I don't know. None of us really liked this one for some reason. Sorbet assortment came with strawberry, mango, and pineapple sorbet. Everything was great, but everything was "bite" size. I mean, seriously, I can finish each sorbet in one bite. Tiny winnie mini complimentary mignardise came with the check. Each piece was about the size of my fingernail. None of the free dessert tasted good though.
The food at water grill was exceptional, especially the main dishes. They really know how to cook fish well. Even though service could be faster, the waitstaff was polite and friendly. One thing we didn't like about was the portion. After the meal, none of us were full. So my parents thought the food was good. But in our budget concious Asian mind, my parents said, "you can go to a Chinese seafood restaurant, spend the same amount of money and get a banquet table. You can get lobster, crab, fish, meat and veggie and feed 10 people with the same price." Well, I guess that's true. But I just want my parents to experience a different kind of dining experience. My parents thanks me for taking them out to this fancy restaurant for lunch. But they want me to save my money next time.
I already forgot what I had for dinner during DineLA just last week. That's how unmemorable the food is.
First thing that resurfaces is the Red Velvet Pudding, which was absolutely wonderful. Delightfully rich cocoa flavor, light texture with a creamy dollop of mascarpone. Second recollection is the overpriced $15 LA River specialty drink. It's surprisingly lightweight for a martini! Granted it was extra dirty, but I suspect there was a little extra water in there as well. The smoked salt on the rim of the glass was a pleasant addition.
Sturgeon, bleh. White chowder, double bleh. The smoked salmon appetizer is actually worth trying, very delicious unfortunately I didn't order it.
The extraordinary service is to mentioned. Parking is a bitch, but there's valet for $8.
I came here for DineLA on a Wednesday night and it was pretty crowded. I hadn't been here in a while, since Michael Cimarusti was cooking here, and I was expecting a good meal since this was a pretty reliable place. For the first course, we had:
White Chowder - Manila Clams, Weiser Farm Potatoes, Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon
Cucumber Rolled Spicy Big Eye Tuna - Hearts of Palm Puree, Ruby Grapefruit and Tobiko
The first thing I noticed was that the portions were smaller for the DineLA menu, which I wasn't too happy about. Anyway, the chowder was pretty good, though I like it creamier. And I think it was better before the chef change. Also, they could've done better than three clams in the soup. The "tuna rolls" were actually pretty good.
It took long enough for the entrees to come out that we had to ask what was going on. The table of six across from us came after us and all had their entrees before we were served. For the entrees:
Grilled Columbia River White Sturgeon - Coriander Spiced Yam, Rapini, Baby Roasted Beets, Pearled Barley and Oregano
King Salmon - Sauce Soubise, Trumpet Royale Mushrooms, Red Wine Reduction
The salmon was cooked perfectly with a very crisp skin. The fish and the accompaniments (trumpet mushrooms, baby zucchini) were very fresh. The sturgeon was also cooked well, however the taste got rather boring by the end of the dish.
The biggest surprise of the dish was the dessert, a Red Velvet pudding with marscarpone ice cream. It really wasn't a pudding at all but more like a cake with ice cream on top. The cake was a little warm, not too sweet, and made a great dessert.
Overall, it was a decent meal but fell flat due to my fairly high expectations. I definitely would not be back for the a la carte menu unless my work is paying for it. There are a number of better seafood options out there in LA for your dollar.
Whaaaa?! No, fish knife? What sort of seafood place is this?
Ok, your seafood is fresh and delicious. And, since I judge base on what's on the plate alone, you lose no merit for that.
For my first visit, we opted for the DineLA menu. Everything was good, but not great. (Thus, I understand the one Michelin star.) The hearty chowder was actually light, which is refreshing for a first because doesn't leave you heavy or wishing you didn't order more. It's just right for the following courses. The in-house smoked salmon was a tartar, which I felt lacked luster. An acid, perhaps? A sip off the LA River did suffice. Our main, both ordering the sturgeon. I felt that it was filling, but it was the sweet potato puree which made me swoon. And, for the final offering, the blueberry mascarpone cake laid on a bed of sweet corn... interesting. While, the red velvet pudding was delightfully good.
But, again, we're left with good... not great.
Our bill came to $80 per person (1 DineLA prix fixe, 1 cocktail, 1 coffee/tea, tax, and tip) and pacing and consumption took roughly 90 mins.
Expectations for the First Time Visitors,
neither of which have any baring on my rating on this establishment (rating is judged solely based on what's on the plate):
1.) Don't expect fresh bread if you get the first seating time. Chances are the bread will be hot, but it's only been reheated from the lunch/dinner prior. (Eww.)
2.) If you don't look like a wealthy elder or a professional in a power suit, don't expect them to treat you in the highest regard until (sad to say) you prove the staff otherwise. (Pathetic.)
3.) "The Nile" is a cocktail served in a martini glass, which I felt was more of a "let's chat it up with the girls drink." Definitely, not as refined as I had expected. (Sad.)
What a wonderful place! Classy but not stuffy. Superb service and fantastic food.
Cocktails! Try the LA River martini. Very unique!
We started with an oyster sampler with six different varieties that were outstanding. We then moved on to the crab cake which was probably in the top 3 I've had in my life. Very nicely done! We skipped the salads but they all sounded wonderful. I'll be sure to try them next time.
For the main course, I had the Chilean Sea Bass (Corvina) with lavender infused sauce. It was stellar! Dessert was also very good but I don't recall what it was as I'm writing this 3 weeks after dining.
In summary, this is a wonderful restaurant for special occasions or business dinners. Enjoy!
I visited the Water Grill for a business lunch. Of course, we took advantage of the restaurant week menu. I never knew that sturgeon was so yummy. The food was really good although I liked my main much better than the clam chowder starter which only had two clams in it. Dessert was the best course-red velvet "pudding." Triple yums from Mo for that dish.
Overall the service was very good. The food was good. But the price is high. So, if you got the moolah, check it out.
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