Hanna Raskin Takes AQUA by El Gaucho Down; Bethany Clement Finds Sushi Circus at Momiji

If you thought AQUA by El Gaucho(formerly The Waterfront) sounded like a brand consultant's dream and a diner's nightmare, Seattle Weekly's Hanna Raskin tells us the latter is true. While AQUA "is hardly hell-bent on destroying the world's oceans", the menu "name-checks more countries than a speaker at a G-20 summit" and "presents a morass of dilemmas for the scrupulous diner". Raskin notes that AQUA is not alone in presenting highly selective sourcing information. However, she singles out this MacKay Group restaurant, because "food at Aqua is awful." If you happen upon an AQUA gift certificate or accidentally find yourself there through some other contrivance(perhaps a Groupon lies in their future), Raskin suggests the whole crispy fish. She also praises the baked Alaska.

In the comments to Bethany Jean Clement's latest review, some take issue with her characterization of Momiji, Capitol Hill's newest Japanese eatery, as a sushi circus. Please to refer to Clement's review of Unicorn: She likes circuses. Clement notes that the highly styled Momiji, which bills itself as bringing Kyoto-style dining to Capitol Hill, serves up "giant-sized sushi rolls that are tempura-fried and/or sprayed with pink aioli and/or doused with jelly and/or lolling in pools of dark, sweet syrup". She finds herself drawn to the fresh fish list. Like Raskin at AQUA, Clement notes that Momiji does not concern itself with sustainability or local sourcing. But, Clement will be back-with a group of friends, "gales of laughter and I-LOVE-YOU-GUYS!es".

· El Gaucho's Reel Problem [Seattle Weekly]
· Sushi Circus [The Stranger]
· All Week in Reviews Coverage on Eater Seattle [-ESEA-]
· All Momiji Coverage on Eater Seattle [-ESEA-]