Date night! Last night my husband and I were planning to watch a movie and grab a quick bite to eat before hand… but not at a chain restaurant… and not fast food. So I’m driving down the freeway and I say – hey. How about Acqua in White Bear Lake? We’d both been very curious to try it out, so we decided to abandon the movie and enjoy our night on the lake.
Acqua is nuzzled right on Lake Avenue South, which is on White Bear Lake. We were seated on the deck which had beautiful views of the lake, romancers walking by on the boardwalk (really its just the sidewalk/path), and street cars. We joked that Lake Ave South was the “strip” of White Bear Lake, because of all of the old streetcar traffic.
Right there on the lake gives you the impression of Madeline Island (our favorite place on earth), and we joked… are we in poor mans Madeline Island? Or is Madeline Island poor mans White Bear Lake? We determined they are similar in charm. (Though I love Mad Isle so much more).
When we arrived they asked if we had reservations, and we said no, and they furiously looked through their seating charts, and apologized profusely that there may be a 15 minute wait. (15 minutes? no problem!) I enjoyed a little Sauvignon Blanc while we waited.
After a very short wait (probably just five minutes) we were ushered out to the deck, which had a great view of the lake.
We decided on the tasting menu, which offered a salad, main course and desert for one convenient price!
3 Course Tasting Menu
Starter
(Choice of)
(Choice of)
with Shrimp and Garlic Baked Croutons
with Fried Lemon-Honey Goat Cheese
with Apple-Pear Compote, Prosciutto and Aged Balsamic
with Fontina Crostini
with Cucumber, Egg, Kalamata, Feta, Tomato Vinaigrette
with Fried Lemon-Honey Goat Cheese
with Apple-Pear Compote, Prosciutto and Aged Balsamic
with Fontina Crostini
with Cucumber, Egg, Kalamata, Feta, Tomato Vinaigrette
Entree
(Choice of)
(Choice of)
with Harissa Grilled Shrimp, Parmesan and Basil
with Lemon-White Wine Butter
with Port Demi-Glace and Sweet Potato Puree
with Fontina, Basil Pesto Risotto and Chicken Pan Sauce
with Lemon-White Wine Butter
with Port Demi-Glace and Sweet Potato Puree
with Fontina, Basil Pesto Risotto and Chicken Pan Sauce
Dessert
(Choice of)
(Choice of)
Starter:
Jason got a Cesar Salad (the shrimp was so good!), and I got the Spinach My salad was amazing! It was kind of like a desert and appetizer all in one with the compote in there! Jason liked his salad as well, but wasn’t too sure about their cesar dressing.
Main course:
Jason got the Walleye and me, the Roast Chicken. Both of these were quite good! His Walleye was right from Rain Lake I believe (not sure where that is…) but the server assured us its very good, and never more than a day old! He gave his meal a B+, and I gave mine a B. (Should have got the Bolognese like the server suggested! – next time, though my chicken was very moist & delicious)
Desert:
Jason – The Butterscotch Budino, and me- the Creme Brulee. Oh so good! We ordered coffee – mine with Baileys since Jason was driving, and enjoyed each others company on the deck.
We would definitely come back. The ambiance for sure got an A+, and we feel that’s part of what you pay for. The food was very good, but not breathtaking (like Wild Rice in Bayfield… but nobody can compare with Wild Rice)! I would definitely get either the Walleye, or the Bolognese next time, and keep everything else the same.
Bon Appetite!
Little Blessed Life 