Endless Brunch or Too Much Brunch (Aqimero Review)

August 31st, 2022

Authored by Nina Wilson and Dynisha Murray

*Pictured above, Parfait, Included with Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.*

What defines fine dining? Is it defined by the quality of ingredients? The portion of food that you receive? Or is it defined by the location of the restaurant? Or is it all of the above? Although there is a concrete definition of fine dining, we believe that the definition is subjective.

For some Cracker Barrel or Denny’s can be classified as a fine dining experience, while for others the thought of referring to the latter as such would appear to be an insult at best repulsive at worst. This idea of fine dining was something that we pondered about during our visit to Aquimero.

Aqimero is a contemporary latin restaurant that is located in the lobby of The Ritz Carlton in downtown Philadelphia. It opened on June 23rd, 2016. The restaurant is owned by renowned celebrity Chef Richard Sandolval. Sandoval, who was born and raised in Mexico City, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and opened his first restaurant, MAYA, in 1997 in New York City (Chicago Gourmet).

Since opening his first restaurant he started the Richard Sandoval Hospitality Group, which comprises 60 Contemporary Latin Restaurants that are located world wide with some level of affiliation with Marriott International, which is the hotel group that the Ritz is a subsidiary of. One of the restaurants, Lona, was one that Nina visited while she was in Florida a few months back.

In addition to owning multiple restaurants, Sandoval is also highly decorated having won multiple culinary awards from being a semifinalist for the James Beard “Outstanding Restaurateur” Award to Honorary degrees from Johnston and Wales University (Chicago Gourmet). Chef Sandoval also has worked as a culinary consultant, television personality, cookbook author and brand ambassador. He is presently a featured chef on Bravo’s Top Chef Master. It is safe to say that Chef Sandoval is extremely accomplished and experienced in providing what most would classify to be a fine dining experience.

We visited Aqimero on July 30th, 2022 and arrived around 1:30 pm. The day in question was sunny and in the high eighties. We made reservations two weeks in advance of our visit, and it is recommended that you do so in order to secure a spot. Aqimero is located in the center of The Ritz Carlton’s lobby, so you have to walk into the front of the hotel to enter. The interior of The Ritz Carlton and in turn the restaurant was gorgeous, as to be expected.

The lobby has massive columns made of white marble that circled the entire space. There was molding around the tops of the columns that were extremely intricate and were molded in the shapes of flowers, swirls, and various designs. The top of the lobby had a dome, which also contained intricate molding but it also doubled as a skylight, which added to the majestic vibes. The restaurant was completely open, there was a lounge that worked as a buffer before you entered the restaurant. The kitchen was an open concept one, with the bar located towards the back of the space which covered some of the kitchen, if you’re looking at it straight on. Where we sat was next to the bakery that had floor to ceiling windows.

We opted to do the Endless Brunch and Bubbles, which is 70 dollars per person, for 4 courses of various brunch dishes. We wanted to taste a little bit of all of the menu items, and based on the offerings and the endless bubbles options, it seemed like a more cost efficient option. However, if that is not what you’re looking for they offer an a-la-carte brunch menu as well. Most of which overlaps with what is offered with the Endless Brunch and Bubbles menu.

First Course

Pictured above, Bakery Basket, included in Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

The first course had a Bakery Basket that was described as containing assorted croissants, seasonal fruit danishes, and seasonal muffins. It also came with a Parfait that was composed of granola, strawberries, blueberries and agave. The Bakery Basket is exclusively offered on the brunch menu, but the parfait is offered as a brunch item as well as an a-la-carte option, at $12 dollars a- la- carte.

The presentation of the Bakery Basket was simple but beautiful, and the flavor of the items was even better. The croissant was flaky and soft, the fruit danish was an apple danish and was the perfect balance between tart and sweet. The puff pastry of the fruit danish was flaky and soft much like the croissant, with a burst of sweet and tart apples. The muffins were soft and cakey, one being blueberry and the other a citrus raspberry muffin. It was a slice of heaven that we rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Onto the parfait. This was one of Dynisha’s favorites from the first course, and how could you not like it? The yogurt was light, thick, and creamy. It had the consistency of a mousse. The agave added a subtle sweet flavor. The blueberries and strawberries were fresh and paired perfectly with the sweet but tart flavors of the rest of the dish. The granola added a nice bite of texture, and it was apparent that it was made fresh. Overall, this was a simple but well executed dish and we gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

Second Course

Pictured above, Avocado Crab Toast included in Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

For this course we received an assorted toast presentation. There were three different types of toast, Avocado and Crab, Mushroom, and a Philadelphia Toast. The amount of food we received was proportional to the amount of people seated at the table. So since there were two of us, each one of the slices of toast were cut so we each could get a portion.

Presentation of all the toasts were beautiful, and we’re not sure if this was intentional or not, but the plate on which the toast was served was one that you could spin, which made it easier for us to grab the slices we wanted.

We’re going to start off strong with the Avocado Crab Toast. The menu described this dish as containing guacamole, crab, chili flakes, and micro cilantro. It is included with the brunch special, but on its own costs $18 dollars. The bread had a nice crunchy texture to it and had a bit of butter, but it was not greasy. The crab was fresh and delicious, and the guacamole pulled the dish together. Each bite was packed with flavor, and had a nice kick of spice. It was also well proportioned. So every bite you got a taste of all of the toppings on the toast. Based on these things and more, we gave this toast 5 out of 5 stars.

Second toast we tried was Mushroom.It contained sauteed mushrooms, garlic crema, goat cheese, caramelized onions, truffle oil, and arugula. Once again it is included with the Endless Brunch and Bubbles special, but a-la-carte it is $14. Dynisha is not the hugest fan of Mushrooms, so this one was not her favorite. The mushrooms had a very woody/ earthy flavor, while the garlic crema, and goat cheese added a savory creamy tang that complimented the mushrooms well. The arugula added an additional layer of freshness. The bread was nice and crunchy, which is really an important part of toasts such as these. This was another delicious bite that we gave 5 out of 5 stars.

Pictured above, Mushroom Toast included in Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Philadelphia Toast. Once again it was included with our brunch, but outside of the brunch special it is $18. It is described as containing, herbed cream cheese, capers, red onion, chopped egg, and smoked salmon. There was a lot going on with this toast. The salmon, cream cheese, and tomatoes added a weird texture that can be a bit off putting if you’re huge on texture. Everything was married well together and it was packed with flavor, however some of the toppings could have been left out of the toast. In closing, we rated this toast 4 out of 5 stars.

Pictured above, Philadelphia Toast included in Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

Third Course

Pictured above, Pina Colada French Toast Included in Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

At this point in our experience, we were starting to get full. However, we persisted in anticipation of the delicious entrees we would consume. So Dynisha ordered the Pina Colada French Toast, and Nina ordered the Steak Hash. We were really excited for our entrees, especially since everything up until this point had been so delicious.

First, let's talk about The Pina Colada French Toast. This dish was included, but a-la-carte it is $16 dollars. It is described as caramelized pineapple, coconut rum cream, rum syrup, and mint. We were not impressed by this dish. The whipped cream had a light pina colada taste, and the coconut flakes were nice in terms of texture but the dish was still not sweet. The pineapples tasted like they were canned, and the french toast appeared to be over battered, dry, and a bit greasy as well. Overall, there were a lot of ways the pineapple and coconut flavors could have been infused into the dish. The french toast could have been soaked in a pineapple coconut mixture, or they could have used a pineapple syrup as opposed to maple syrup. This dish had a lot of potential to be great but in the end, it just didn’t measure up to our expectations. Thus, why we rated the Pina Colada French Toast, 3 out of 5 stars.

Pictured above, Steak Hash, Included in Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

Next, was the Steak Hash. You can get this dish on the regular brunch menu for $23. It is described as containing a poached egg, sweet potato, oaxacan cheese, pickled chilies, salsa matcha, and micro cilantro. We ordered the steak to be cooked medium well, and that is exactly how it came. It was melt in your mouth tender. There was kale at the bottom, which soaked up a lot of the juice from the steak and the salsas, so it was packed full of flavor. The sweet potato was perfectly cooked, and likewise for the poached egg. It is not your typical steak and eggs, but it was delicious either way. Thus, why we rated this dish 4 out of 5 stars.

Fourth Course

Pictured above, Churros, Included in Endless Brunch and Bubbles. Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.

Finally, when we thought we could eat no more, We received our churros. It is included with brunch but is listed on the regular menu for $14 dollars. It is described as coming with hot chocolate and caramel cajeta dipping sauces. Honestly, these were nothing special. They were a little too sweet, and the proportion of sugar to cinnamon was off.

The sauces mentioned in the description were drizzled on the plate and not included on the side, which didn’t help to break up some of the sugar on the churros. We personally would have skipped this if given the option. Final rating on the churro, was 3 out of 5 stars.

Final Thoughts

Although the food was mostly delicious, we felt like towards the end of our meal the ball was dropped. This is in addition to the service that we received. The main perk of doing the brunch special, is the bottomless mimosas/ cocktails that are meant to come with your meal. That normally comes with the expectation that your server is going to be attentive, and keeping track of when your glasses run low to replenish your drinks.

Our server, Jasmine, was not the most attentive. During the first course of our meal, she forgot our drinks, and then when she did bring them, they were incorrect. As our meal went on it became apparent she was more concerned with fraternizing with her coworkers than providing us the service we had paid for. Which led to us not being able to take full advantage of the bottomless mimosas that we had been promised. When we did ask for a final mimosa towards the end of our service, which was one of the few times we could grab her attention, she made it seem as though she was doing us a favor, when in reality she was doing what she was supposed to do. Her job. Thankfully, there was support staff that helped carry the weight that she dropped, otherwise I think we would have struggled to enjoy ourselves. Thus why we rated the service 2.5 stars out of 5.

Normally, scrutinizing servers is not something we do. Working in the service industry is a very demanding job and we try our best to give servers some slack, because they receive a lot of scrutiny. However, there is a difference between that and just not doing your job.

In terms of the food, We’re not sure if this was intentional or if we just picked the wrong items of the menu, but it did not match the anticipation built from the first and second courses. Despite this and our issues with our server, we still gave it 4.25 stars out of 5.

What do you guys think? Do you think Aqimero is worth $70 dollars per person? Or do you think that there’s better options out there? Please let us know in the comments down below.

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XOXO,

The Brunch Besties