{image1} Come on in, the water's just fine. When Rick Walia opens the doors to Aqua in this week, you'll want to jump in, feet first.
The new Park East Hotel restaurant (916 E. State St.)will be fun and airy. It has a South Beach fresh gentle breeze blowing through it. It has Florida's light blue skies, turquoise water and sun-drenched pastel colors splashed all over the bistro. Its funky, but tasteful, art deco fashion is accented by white leather in the dinning area. Its multi-colored acrylic bubble-bar, that's right, a bubble-bar, with matching stools and tables, will simply astound you. This place has Don Johnson, Jimmy Buffett and Tony Montana written all over it. Cool to the touch and pleasant to the eye.
As for the taste buds, make no mistake about it, Aqua is a serious dining experience. French Chef Michel Koenig, no stranger to Milwaukee's restaurant scene, will see to that with an abundant breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night menu.
Aqua started as a dream. Wilia envisioned a place like this when he was in the real estate business back in his native India more than 17 years ago. When he came to Milwaukee, he operated a number of service stations and convenience stores.
"I've had this idea for a restaurant for a long time," says Walia, who together with his brother Jay, an attorney, recently purchased the hotel. "We are building it from scratch and it's coming along just as we thought.
"I love South Beach. It's so international. I wanted to do something special in Milwaukee, someplace people will remember. Everything is custom made for this restaurant and bar."
Work on the restaurant began shortly after the brothers purchased the five-story hotel.The Walias wanted to have control over every aspect of the hotel's operation and plans for upgrades, including the restaurant of the main lobby were the first priority.
The Ten Eleven Restaurant, operated by Johnny Vassallo, who owns Mo's A Place for Steaks, soon closed, and the renovation project began shortly thereafter.
"We love Milwaukee and this neighborhood," Walia says. "I've always wanted to open a restaurant so I'm lucky to be living my dream. People will find that this restaurant is very unique. When you walk into Aqua it will remind you of South Beach." {image2}
The bar sits squarely in the center of the lounge and seats an amazing 50 with another 20 or so stools and complementary tables surrounding the signature piece. Two dance floors - one straight out of the disco age and the other versatile enough to be a DJ staging area for entertainment and ideal for a projection television on Packer Sundays - flank the lounge to the south.
Aqua has two entrances from the lobby and two more off Astor Street, where patrons will be greeted by a hostess stationed behind an acrylic pedestal, featuring those dancing bubbles.
The dining area expends more than half of the room on the north. A large wine rack leads into a 220-seating dining area.
There, Chef Michel Koenig prepares the feast which he calls eclectic (assorted) cuisine.
"Steak and seafood with a bit of Indian influence is mixed with Italian and French," Koenig explains. "Everything is made fresh. Even our seafood is flown in fresh."
Entrees will also include duck, lamb and chicken, with the specialties being a crisp snapper, Mahi Mahi, Siam Grouper and lobster tail in the fish group; and a nine and 15 ounce center cut Filet Mignon, a 16 ounce New York strip steak and a 24 ounce rib eye in the meat groups.
One of Aqua's 13 appetizers will feature Naan Pizza made with a special bread from India topped with saffron curry and yellow tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and Asian tiger shrimp.
Starters will include a choice of four salads, the soup of the day or the Aqua house special, saffron lobster bisque.
The kitchen will prepare eight different home-made desserts, topped by Koenig's favorites chestnut Tiramisu served with mocha crème anglaise or a flourless chocolate cake made with white chocolate and served with pistachio ice cream or a Cardamon Crème Broulee. Cardamon is a Turkish spice.
"It's a beautiful restaurant," says Koenig, who began his apprenticeship in France at age 13 before coming to the United States in 1973. "People of Milwaukee will love it. I want to make sure that everything is prepared just right from the first plate served to the last one."
The lunch menu has an assortment of sandwiches, salads, soups and entrees while the late-night fare features sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres.
"I suspect people will come from all over," Walia says. "There's nothing like this in Milwaukee. To me this will be good for the city. When we get out-of-town guests to the hotel, they will experience this unique restaurant and want to come back. That's my hopes."
Target date for the Grand Opening is November 12.
Open every day for breakfast at 6:30 a.m., lunch at 11:00 a.m. and dinner at 5:00 p.m. Also serving a late-night menu fare until 1:00 a.m. For more information, call (414) 272-1011
