AquaKnox
Global Water Cuisine
Food: Service:
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Suite 109
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702.414.3772

Expensive / Reservations Required

Spending some time in Las Vegas was certainly just what the "Dinner Doctor" ordered! The restaurant scene is very competitive there, and even your most casual hotel restaurants deliver food and service that is surprisingly good. Upon arrival in Vegas, I already knew that we would dine at AquaKnox on the recommendation of GM John Bates and Chef Nick Morfogen of 32 East fame. These guys couldn't have been more right on with their suggestion!

The Venetian Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas

I waited until my last night in Sin City to experience AquaKnox, nestled deep inside the Venetian Hotel & Casino. The Venetian Hotel Las Vegas has brought the most romantic city on Earth to the heart of the world's most exciting destination location. Yes, Venice in all its glory has come to Las Vegas. The super-luxury Venetian Hotel Las Vegas opened in June 1999 to a tumultuous reception. In a city renowned for high standards and imaginative architecture, the Venetian Hotel just may have topped them all. Graceful arched bridges, flowing canals, vibrant piazzas and stone walkways capture the spirit of Venice in faithful detail. Every internal and external feature of the Venetian Hotel Las Vegas is flawless.

As we exited our limousine, men in red and white striped Italian pullover shirts and black berets rushed to open our vehicle's doors. Even the breezeway was gorgeous, as we entered the beautiful hotel and into one of the longest and most ornate hallways I have ever seen. We continued through the casino and into another hallway where several Italian themed eateries were available for casual or fine dining. We remained focused on our planned destination however, as we finally arrived at the entrance to AquaKnox.

The hostesses acknowledged our reservation, quickly showing us to our table in the gorgeous restaurant, drenched in blue and chrome. There is a repeating cylindrical theme throughout this establishment, from the cascading water logo in the front, to the massive round, see through "wine room", to the secluded semi-circular booths along the far wall. At least $100,000 worth of wine is on full display just behind the front door, and in full view of the entire place. Inside this giant see through "wine room", it is temperature controlled, with one of those tall ladders on wheels to get to the many bottles that are stored way up high. Managing Partner Ron Garcia gave me a little tour, and showed me the beautiful open kitchen as well, where Executive Chef Tom Moloney is creating some wonderful treasures from the sea. Get it? AquaKnox = Treasures…Fort Knox = Money…Valuables…Treasures.

This paragon of aquatic culinary expertise began with the enormous Seafood Plateau platter, filled with steamed and chilled lobster, Stone Crab claws, raw oysters and clams, mussels, crab cerviche, and three (3) "Oyster Shooters", made with sake, ponzu, citrus juices, a raw oyster, a dash of Tabasco and served in a shot glass on a separate plate! This highly addictive "shot" would become a large part of our dining experience…more later. A glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect accompaniment to this natural seafood feast, as I began perusing the ample wine list in search of some red wine. The cerviche in particular was made without added sugar, featuring just pure limejuice…a testament to the quality of the original product and Chef Moloney's intuitive skills. Our server Joe dropped off three steaming hot towels right on time, as other servers silently whisked away the finished appetizer platter. We settled upon the Ilona Cabernet, continued on our excursion into excellence.

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The "Oyster Shooters" kept flowing, as my Celebrity Guest, Giovanni Pietanza (yes…he is Italian and really loves the authenticity of the entire Venetian concept) and I continued to order and enjoy these sliders from the sea! We were all sharing a Tomato Panzanella Salad, refreshingly created with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, feta cheese, olives, and croutons of course, all topped with Banyuls caper vinaigrette. This salad was fresh and perfectly seasoned, with lively herbs bringing this salubrious salad to perfection. Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes were served piping hot over a yellow wax bean salad, and finished with a seductive citrus aioli. Chef Moloney is certainly a master of his trade, serving winning combinations from his open kitchen that are carefully matched to this slick but sophisticated restaurant. AquaKnox's affluent crowd must surely be captivated each night by his wizardry.

Main courses were everything we expected by the time they arrived. Cindy enjoyed the Seared Day Boat Scallops, over parsnip puree, perched above flavorful warm citrus juices. Still revealing a bit of translucence, each scallop was a tasty treat in itself. Giovanni went for the Whole Yellowtail Snapper done on the grill. An abundant sauce of cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs made this fish delicious from head to tail. Periodically a fish bone would get in the way, but the server gave it a valiant de-boning effort. This is always the risk the customer takes when ordering "whole fish". My dinner might have been the best of all! I wanted to try the Sautéed John Dory (St. Peter's Fish), but it had sold out, so Ron recommended a piece of Turbot done the same way. The "same way" was sautéed over lobster succotash and sweet corn broth. The lobster "succotash" was exquisite, featuring chunks of Maine lobster, corn, baby Fava beans, shallots, and naturally sweet corn broth…phenomenal!

Dining in Las Vegas has really opened my eyes to the competitive nature of countless fine dining establishments vying for the dining dollar here…which many times is the same as the gambling dollar. AquaKnox delivers one of the most relaxing atmospheres I have ever dined in. Combined with truly caring, attitude-less service, we soon realized that we were enjoying a Five Star Dining Experience.
This is only the second Five Star Review I have ever done for Dinnerreviews.com in two years, so you can bet it is well deserved. Other servers including Chris, Haydee, Michael, Ben, and Nicole were moving about briskly, some making appearances at our table too. All of AquaKnox's servers seem to work beautifully together, and this is the direct result of training and great interest on the part of Ron Garcia, Tom Moloney, and everyone in management. Ron says, "To me it is important that the service here be very warm and attentive." He goes on to explain, "We utilize a real Mom and Pop approach here…very friendly." Even the music was conducive to dining…very funky and cool.

On the way out, Giovanni, Cindy and I decided to stop at the Raw Bar / liquor bar for…that's right…another Oyster Shooter! As we tilted our heads back, letting the spicy citrus liquid slide down our throats and chewing the raw oyster at the same time, I knew we were hooked! Ron says, "During the week we serve dinner until 11:00 Pm, with the Raw Bar open until 1:00 Am, and on weekends we serve until 11:30 Pm and may keep the Raw Bar open as late as 2:00 Am." I made a mental note of the Oyster Shooter recipe, vowing to make them at home some day…yeah right!

Make AquaKnox your first stop for fine dining in Las Vegas. We at Dinnereviews.com are quite sure that Ron Garcia and his team will show you the way to your very own Five Star Dining Experience.

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~ Fish Factoid ~

Turbot defined: (Scophthalmus maximus), a broad-bodied European flatfish of the family Scophthalmidae or, in some classifications, Bothidae. A highly valued food fish, the turbot lives along sand and gravel shores. It is a left-sided flatfish, with its eyes normally on the left side of the head, and it is scale less, though its head and body are studded with numerous bony knobs, or tubercles. The Greenland halibut is a deepwater flatfish, which is known to many people under many names. To Americans it's the Greenland halibut, to eastern Canadians the "Greenland turbot" or "Newfoundland turbot", to English fishermen the "blue halibut", to Danes the "hellefisk, to Greenlanders the "kaleralik", and to German fishermen, the "black halibut".