Roberto Trevino: Viva Aguaviva

By JULIETTE ROSSANT I love a sense of humor in a restaurant. A happy decor sets the tone of the food and makes the meal a joyous event. Such is Aguaviva, one of the hot restaurants in San Juan overseen by Iron Chef America contender Roberto Trevino. Having arrived by plane only a few hours before, over a crystal blue sea to stay at the San Juan Marriott, Aguaviva was just what I needed. At 10:30 p,m., island music was pumped up, and stepping into the restaurant from the rainy streets of old San Juan was like stepping onto a yacht moored in an aquamarine sea. The floor, the table tops, the menus were all covered with crystal water motif. The rest was painted white-ceiling beams, chairs, and kitchen. Hanging from the ceiling were colored jelly fish lamps with trailing tentacles. It reminded me of Barbara Lazaroff's Granita. Trevino, a hearty, warm chef, greeted my party and set to work sending us his tasty Oysters Rockefeller accompanied by mojitos made with a touch of pineapple juice as well as mint, rum and lime. Four ceviches followed: spicy mixed fresh fish with tomato, fresh tuna and salmon, shrimp and clam green ceviche and fresh marlin ceviche with garlic. The shrimp and clam were bright and refreshing, the tomato dressing was rich, and the tuna and salmon were excellent. The garlic was so charged that only the faithful could attend to it. When our animated musician-cum-waiter came around asking us if we wanted to order any of the three grilled swordfish chops left in the house that evening, I jumped at it. The swordfish was huge and justly famous. How could such a thick piece of meaty fish cooked so crisp on the outside and yet so moist inside?, wondered a companion who is an expert in cooking fish. The mushroom escabeche and pozole that accompanied the chop were good foils for the rich meat. Others at the table tried tuna steak a la plancha, cooked perfectly rare, that comes with spicy seafood enchiladas -- so crunchy and delicious I could have eaten a whole plate. Fresh grilled marlin with chorizo was also expertly cooked, and the halibut was tender. We finished our dinner with two desserts – a creamy creme brulee and a pear tart. Yamira Ortiz-Plumey, organizer of Puerto Rico's annual Future Chef Convention, could hardly have picked a better spot for my first dinner on the island. Trevino is justly famous on the Island for this and three other restaurants where he is executive chef, as well as his recent appearance on Iron Chef America. He seems pleased as punch to have so many platforms where he can cook – it was a pity all I had time to try was Aguaviva. Previous articles: Iron Chef America: Running On Empty Restaurant Michael Mina Rocks More Reality TV Chefs (Or Less)? Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Columbus Day Special: Chubby's BBQ of Emmitsburg Iron Chef: America vs. USA Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild --> back to superchefblog