Jolene Eats Here: The Water Grill, Downtown L.A.

Alaskan Halibut - Sautéed and Basted, with Lavender, Meyer lemon, and Madagascar Vanilla Bean Oil

The Water Grill is a fine dining restaurant in the business district of Downtown Los Angeles. This week is Dine L.A. week, so Brad and I came here for a bargain of a dinner.

While the Water Grill seems conservative and stuffy in its decor (dim lighting, high backed chairs, marbled counter tops and waiters in white tuxes), its food is anything but. We ordered:

White Chowder with Manila Clams - Weiser Farm Potatoes, Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon

Alaskan Halibut - Sautéed and Basted, with Lavender, Meyer lemon, and Madagascar Vanilla Bean Oil

Queen Charlotte “Red Bandit” Rockfish - Sautéed, with Braised Butter Lettuce, Grilled Chipollini and Roasted Parsnip

Fromage Blanc Cheesecake - Ginger Poached Pears, Raspberries, Guava and Graham Cracker Streusel

Carrot Cake - Passion Fruit Cream, Candied Walnuts and Coconut Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Our favorite dishes were both of the desserts. The carrot cake was moist with a hint of spice, and the cream cheese frosting was not too sweet--just perfect. The cheesecake was the lightest cheesecake I ever tasted. It melted in my mouth.

I thought that the rockfish was just ok--nothing out of the ordinary, although the fish was cooked perfectly. I found the halibut, on the other hand, very enjoyable. I was skeptical when I saw cucumber and grapes on the side of the halibut, but it actually went quite well with the fish and the lavender vanilla sauce. What a bold and unusual dish!

As for the chowder, the Water Grill is famous for its version of the soup and it was great. The broth was a little thin and had perfectly tender pieces of carrots and potatoes in it with some clams and bacon.

The after dinner complimentary desserts were so cute!