High Water Marks

Aqua brings Cape Charles dining to a whole new level.

by Mary Lou Baker

As seen in Chesapeake Life Magazine - August 2005

Aqua

5 Marina Village Circle

Bay Creek Resort, Cape Charles , VA

757-331-8660 or bay-creek.com

Food: Fresh and fabulous

Atmosphere: Simply elegant

Clientele: Fine Diners

Dress: Tastefully casual

Service: Attentive

Don't Miss: Chicken and pistachio galantine with wild mushrooms, Salmon with cherrystone clam sauce, New York Strip Steak, Sunsets

Trekking more than three hours to the southernmost tip of Virginia 's Eastern Shore in pursuit of a restaurant had me muttering, "This better be good." My destination: Aqua, the fine dining restaurant at the spectacular Bay Creek Golf and Marina Resort in the historic (though long-dormant) town of Cape Charles ,VA. But I can assure you, it was not just good, it was fabulous.

Richard "Dickie" Foster, the resort's visionary developer and owner, has incorporated a powerful "wow" factor into this ambitious project (a spa and inn are in the works), which has earned favorable write-ups in the publications ranging from The New York Times to Golfing magazine. It delivers on all counts: two world-class eighteen-hole golf courses, a 224-slip marina, shops, waterfront homes painted in a rainbow of pastel hues- and my goal, Aqua.

This stunner evokes a luxurious yacht club, with interior dramatized by a wall of windows showcasing the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and fronted by a slice of sandy beach and sea grasses dancing in the wind. Interior walls the color of café` au lait, teak floors, and soaring ceiling are punctuated by regal Grecian-style pillars flecked with light-catching aqua-colored glass tiles. An elegant teak bar dominates the lounge area; its leather couches and chairs make fort a cushy place to start the evening while waiting to sample executive chef Amy Brandt's considerable talents. (Fair-weather pre-meal seating is available on the narrow outdoor deck.)

On our visit, Brandt and executive sous-chef Shelly Cusmina, both formally of the Lucky Star in nearby Virginia Beach , circulated through the dining room, amid well-spaced tables and comfortable leather-upholstered booths, to greet familiar clients. (Special occasion diners can choose the twelve-seat, glass-enclosed "wine room," with its wall-to-wall cache of vintage bottles.)

Brandt describes her style as "putting a spin on traditional dishes," and Cusmina refers to the restaurant as a "scratch house" – meaning everything is prepared "from scratch." Aqua makes fine use of the local seafood and produce, from herbs and vegetables supplied by two local farmers to fresh local oysters to clams dredged from Cherrystone Creek, just a stone's throw from the restaurant.

Aqua's menu is a good read, best enjoyed while nibbling on a miniature baguettes, served hot in a basket. This special touch was just one reflection of the attention lavished on guests by a fleet of young servers, who have clearly learned a thing or two from the special resort-wide training program.

We browsed the appetizer selections, such as seared day boat scallops with foie gras in a blood orange glaze and duck confit with chickpea fritters. But we decided on the bouillabaisse, a unique take on this no-holds-barred seafood festival of clams, shrimp, scallops, and jasmine rice in a garlicky broth as exhilarating as a sea breeze.

The kitchen takes pride in its homemade soups and offers a choice of daily specials. Thai chicken was a star on our visit, with its cubes of white meat bathed in a hot and haunting stock softened with coconut milk and flecked with celery, red pepper, and cilantro. It was a magical version of "chicken soup for the soul."

Our attention was drawn from the lingering sunset by the arrival of warm chicken and pistachio galantine slices on a bed of wild mushrooms, buttery black lentils, and rounds of tender fingerling potatoes tangled with fresh thyme. A colorful confetti of beets carrots, and scallions was scattered over the plate rim for a picture-perfect presentation. Aqua's food is framed, like art, on pristine white china in angular shapes and sizes-another example of the attention to detail that makes dining here special.

Entrée choices are divided into "land, sea, and sky." The menu changes frequently to reflect the seasons, but the kitchen's love affair with seafood is steadfast. One of Brandt's many "spins" on standard preparations is grilled organic wild salmon in a delicious pool of creamy leek sauce studded with tiny cherrystone clams. In our visit, the salmon was paired with seared pepper-crusted tuna, both thick cuts cooked rare, on a bed of white beans and garnished with broiled tomato quarters and roasted asparagus. Meat and potatoes people can take their pick from medallions of Colorado lamb leg with Provencal escargot ragout (another Brandt "spin"); a twelve-ounce pork chop with bourbon-spiked apple sauce, braised red cabbage, and a potato pancake stack; and a twenty-eight ounce porterhouse or fourteen-ounce steak. My muscle-bound companion restrained himself enough to order the smaller version and pronounced his skillet-seared New York strip steak "perfect" – so tender it seemed to suck in the knife. The meat gained even more flavor with a dollop of the chef's own tangy steak sauce, served in a small pitcher alongside the plate. Slices of yellow and zucchini squash were a soggy afterthought, and the addition of three kinds of potatoes (purple, new, and fingerling) was overkill for someone struggling to stay on the South Beach diet.

Wine is a huge part of Aqua's attraction. Both Brandt and Cusmina bring adventuresome tastes and broad knowledge to their appreciation for wine as a compliment, with most by the glass in the $5-$7 range (a welcome change from the ridiculously inflated cost that many restaurants charge for an often skimpy portion). Even sophisticated wine lovers will marvel at the scope of Aqua's wine list-nearly 250 selections ranging from $16 to $1,500 for a chateau Mouton Rothschild 2000 Pauillac.

Cusmina prepares her desserts according to her whim and fruits of the season. Her specialty is a homey fruit crumble (an apple raison version was delicious on our visit) or perhaps a creamy Italian panna cotta (a rich gelatin-lightened custard), lavished with lavender-scented whipped cream and served in a long-stemmed wineglass. Every bite, savored from a graceful iced-tea spoon, was a delight.

Aqua is a young restaurant, off to a brilliant start in its first full summer season. Led by the enormously talented Brandt, with Cusmina in a strong supporting role, its future as one of the Chesapeake region's finest dining destinations seems assured.