Acqualina

Has anyone been or heard anything about this place, which is on Lincoln Ave., south of Montrose and just north of Tournesol and Jury's.

I have not been, but I do know that it is run by the same chef/owners at Tizi Melloul (sp?).

While out walking in the 'hood I've peered inside and studied the menu that is displayed. The space looks quite nice. The menu items (or at least their descriptions) looked enticing but I thought the prices were set a bit on the high side. I guess I'm still waiting for somebody else to take the first step and share with the rest of us.

Aqualina was reviewed(favorably overall ) today in the Tribune Friday
7/30/04 Dining section.

In other Lincoln Square dining news, Essence of India and Toucan (a Caribbean spot have just opened in the spaces on the northeast corner of Wilson and Lincoln where two Italian spots recently were. I'm curious to hear comments on both.

Oh, and I changed the subject line, MAG, for spelling.

Business friend of mine who lives nearby said they tried Acqualina and had great food, inept service, but he assumes that's a just-opened kinda problem and will gladly give them another chance.

I'm a fan of Acqualina.

First visit was in March and went back last night for the second time. This time, we sat at the bar and lingered over a longish dinner. Added bonus was that they were having $3 martini and selected small plates...don't know if it's a daily special or what.

The star of the show (and a big reason for the return visit) was their mussel appetizer. Per menu -- fire-roasted prince edward island mussels, w/warm harissa (clarified?) butter. I could eat these all day long. It's a very large portion for an appetizer. Smoky paprika for days. A finger-lickin' free-for-all.

Salad was pretty (I haven't graduated to pics of food, yet) and tasty. Crabcake was delicious. We split sea bass entree, which comes with a almost-over-cheesed risotto with chorizo. Service was friendly and efficient.

Only small gripe with our experience -- both visits, for much of the evening, they're playing the Gipsy Kings. I like the GK, don't get me wrong, but it was distracting to hear track after track...

I'll be back.

Acqualina
4363 N Lincoln

Just as I was about to call Acqualina to make a reservation, I got word from my weekly Chicago Mag "Dish" e-mail that Acqualina is closing at the end of the month.

I guess that I'm a little disappointed that I did not get a chance to try it. I hope something good takes its place -- I'm hoping for a few more upscale entries in the Lincoln Square dining scene.

You beat me to the punch, BR. Here's the Dish announcement:

The Other Big Closing
Acqualina (4363 N. Lincoln Ave.) is calling it quits in Lincoln Square at the end of September. The colorful Cal-Med spot, which, like JP Chicago, was one of Chicago magazine’s best new restaurants of 2005, lasted only slightly longer: 15 months. So what happened? “I kind of got an offer I couldn’t refuse,” says Steven Ford, a partner. Look for another restaurant to open in the space in the near future.

I'm going to try to get there before the closing for a repeat of the mussels. (Incidentally, these are the same mussels served at Tizi Melloul, for those who might be interested...I just preferred Acqualina's location.)

Zee

And the irony is that they were just featured in the most recent Gourmet magazine as a 'neighborhood destination' .