Agua Dulce

oh TONY, I wish I had the name of your reviewer. Was there Tuesday and STILL thinking of the delicious meal, incredible ambiance and helpful staff. We had the "to die for" cerviché, "Fall off the bone" shorts ribs, "succulent" duck, "creamy" flan & of course "the chocolate soup/drink of the gods". Next time skirt Steak. I would suggest this restaurant to anyone who wants to enjoy an "awesome and almost orgasmic" meal.Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE FOOD and this place is DEFINITELY WORTH IT.

It is embarrassing for your publication to have so many inaccuracies when completing such a simple task as getting the basic information correct when reviewing a restaurant. It is more than fair to criticize a restaurant for its shortcomings, but let's have the facts correct before you do so. If a reviewer can't keep the basic facts straight (there is no cascading waterfall, hangar steak or vanilla ice cream), then why should we give credence to anything he states about the experience.

I think the review picked up on the same vibe I got: Miami. However, that is where the critic and I part ways. My wife and I went there and had a great experience. The food was great, the drinks were great and the service was great too. We need more places like this in HK. From 42nd St to 57th St, there is too much Thai/Italian/Mexican/dive bar representation, so I think this place is a refreshing change.

I haven't gone to Agua Dulce yet and it seems like most of the comments are from the chef's pals. Sterling's rebuttal to this review comes off as overly defensive and loquacious. Although it appears to be a recent trend, hearing a chef rattle on about a bad review is unseemly. Sure, point out the errors, but to carry-on in detail about the decor and such makes Sterling sound like a whiny amateur. Chef, do yourself a solid: don't obsess over a suck-ass review, be a pro. Blow them off and move on.

OMG! I'm i reading this??? To publishing a "correct version" of a review is the wierdest thing I heard, you should send a critic with the knowledge to criticize not just nip and tuck a review that with all the evident flaws it had is totally unreliable to begin with! I have to say I have been a fan of Chef Sterling for 6 years now and everything he touches turns into yummy gold. And what he does in Agua Dulce is the proof..

Dear Tony, If I may call you that, (although something else does come to mind) Perhaps, like many new comers to the city, after living here for five to six years’ tops, you call yourself a New Yorker and from your point of view, the title FOOD CRITC provides you with an instantaneous pedigree and cache?? Maybe it’s all about the downtown spots. Even though I never met you I could envision you riding your brightly colored bike (single gear of course), in the center lane with arm outstretched stopp

Oh where should I begin? Firstly I would like note that it is understood that any editorial piece is a matter of opinion, (unless of course one posses a PHD of some kind and is writing for a medical journal or science publication or the likes there of,) so that being said, the fallowing critic of TIME Out’s critic is nothing more than my opinion and meant for entertainment purposes only. Dear Tony, If I may call you that, (although something else does come to mind) somehow I get feeling that you’r

Bravo! TONY took action and corrected the erred review. I have visited Agua Dulce several times, and whether I'm enjoying dinner after work with friends, a romantic bottle of wine, or a 2 am trist, my experience gets better with every visit. I love the food, the staff, and the drinks. As stated in other reviews, the desserts and cocktails have really improved. Love the décor. Everyone I have gone with or recommend Agua Dulce to have gone back again. Short ribs next time. I hear they are delish!

You'd think "Chef" Sterling would've learned how to make proper ceviche. Maybe he's still doing ya-yo?? Food will disappointment. Don't bother going.

I could not disagree more with the review of Agua Dulce. It certainly did not reflect my experience. I ate at the restaurant for the first time last night with an industry professional who is very knowledgeable of food and restaurants and we had a thoroughly enjoyable and excellent dining experience. We tried a few dishes which were delicious, the food was prepared perfectly, and the portions were very good. The service was excellent, attentive, and efficient – the wait staff were very personable and made the dining experience all the better. We will definitely return to Agua Dulce again to sample more of their dishes and enjoy what I expect will be another excellent dining experience.

First of all I want to start by saying that this review is totally wrong! I had the best time at Agua Dulce, the food was amazing and so was the staff. I would like to thank chef Ulrich for the wonderful hospitality! Thank you for the tour of your kitchen.Can't wait to go back!!!!

This review gives TONY a bad name. Did the writer even go to Agua Dulce? Cascading water on blue tile, I think they got lost and ended up at Rosa Mexicana… in my book how can you trust the taste (clear lack of) if the writer can’t even get the basic facts correct… I call for a re-review! Last night I ate at Agua Dulce for the 5th time, my office is right around the corner and they have become a bit of my home away from home. The décor is gorgeous, staff lovely and the food is down right awesome. I work in media and as we all know image and ambience are of the upmost importance, so I take all of my business meetings there. (going for lunch again today!) My guest last night is a vegetarian, which made me a bit nervous since I go mostly for the sweet breads, oysters, pork buns, and short ribs… she had a salad to start and then the poblanos about which she raved… “the sauce is incredible.” I tried the duck, which was juicy, deliciously seasoned, and tender followed by the chocolate cake. I was and always have been very happy with the service and food at Agua Dulce, and honestly think that either this writer didn’t go to the restaurant (shame!) or is simply uneducated.

WTF with this review???? Hey TONY...you stink! Your credibility continues to spiral down the drain with yet another of your anonymously authored error ridden reviews. Do your writers live in this city? Have they graduated college? Do your editors bother to review the work of their freelancers. It seems not. Seriously I'm embarrassed for you.

I've been there with my family, and they loved it. We are definetely going back. I don't realy know what this reviewer is talking about. the guacamole hit the spot with the diced mango and the side of warm tortilla chips, and the salmon ceviche was just great

I ate at Agua Dulce 3 times (probably twice more than your reviewer). "Water cascading down a blue-tiled wall"? Cut your reviewer's mojitos allowance! I think the food is innovative, creative and delicious. I lived in Paris for three years, where I sampled some of its best restaurants. Your reviewer may not be culturally ripe enough to appreciate what is going on there. Food is culture. And Agua Dulce’s got it! In addition to stellar food, staff is courteous, helpful, and cool.

I can't believe this revie I normally don't comment but this reviewer should be fired on the spot,I would rather eat at this beautiful place where the food is incredible than any place in the world.The place is great ,the people are great and the food is great and this reviewer is the worst I have ever read and witness.I take my mom there and we love it ,the fish is prepare by the chef is simple the best fish I have ever ate,plaese try this place and get back here with review.

What restaurant did this reviewer go to? Obviously not Agua Dulce... I have had numerous dishes from their menu and I have to say I love about everything there... It's fresh, original, and exciting. There's plenty on the menu that is organic and sustainable and obviously well thought out. The friends whom I've recommended eat there all come back saying "oh my god! That was amazing" And to quote my wife while eating one of the appetizers: "wow, I just can't stop eating this. It's that good."

I frequent Agua Dulce on a regular basis and always have an excellent time. The food and drinks are spectacular and the staff are always on point. I have never seen this cascading waterfall the writer speaks of but I will be on the hunt for it. Most writers fact check prior to publishing.

WOW! I'm incredibly surprised with this review. Its my new fav place. I've been to Agua Dulce at least 8 times since it opened.The food/drink have been nothing but amazing every time I've gone.Yes, I tend to get the same things every time, but I've tried almost everything on the menu and enjoyed it all. The 'short' rib is anything but, and no knife needed.It falls off the bone and melts in the mouth...not to be missed. Did the reviewer actually eat here or pull scraps from the trash in the back?

I spent last night at Agua Dulce and most of today thinking about my fabulous meal. Chef Ulrich sure has a knack for creating interesting and tasty cerviche. The short ribs were fall off the bone, melt in your mouth incredible and the salty caramel ice cream dessert was an usual, but very appealing end to my meal. In addition to the food the cocktails alone are worth the trip! I'll be back!

While the physical description of the restaurant is the restaurant in which I eat, the description of the food sounds so unfamiliar that I only state the author must have been someplace else. The food at the restaurant I know is truly not the standard Latin or Caribbean food, but actually a creative adventure that works! Good food, beautiful decor, friendly staff with no HK attitude. This is a joy to have in the neighborhood.

To whom it may concern, First and foremost I would like to state I enjoy their publication when I do actually need to find a last minute bar or restaurant to slip into. I find the layout and writing to be well done and representative of our current time and scene here in NYC. But not this time. This article purely and whole heartedly bashing Pan Latin cuisine as being tired and harking back to the days of Douglas Rodriguez ( my mentor mind you) is ridiculous. The fact of the matter is the food I create and serve here at Agua Dulce is my direct interpretation of “classic Latin” and by no means is intended to be “authentic”. Our whole intention with the food as well as the décor is to embrace, not focus on the culinary and cultural styles of what we consider to be the best of central and south America. Definitely not the “generic versions of standards” as this writer so put. Moqueca, not “moqueta” as the writer of this article so blatantly misspelled, is a classic seafood stew from Bahia in Brazil. It is traditionally enriched with oil from the Dende Palm, which contains the highest saturated fat and caloric content of any non-animal based fat on the planet. Hence why I enrich this classic dish with a healthier option of pureed toasted cashews, instead of the former. Very inauthentic indeed. And the “slimy undercooked pieces of snapper” as this writer was so unhappy with, would he have inquired would have found them to actually be thin slices of the same sashimi grade yellow fin tuna I use also in my Tuna Tiradito on the menu. Again instead of an overcooked mush of a no name fish, fresh medium rare slices of sashimi grade tuna. Again overly inauthentic. The fact also comes up that if this dining reviewer really did know what he was writing about , he would find that we don’t and never have served hanger steak at Agua Dulce. The churrasco on our menu is a “classic” Latino cut of skirt steak, not hanger steak, and to showcase the awesome flavors of this wonderful cut of beef, I try not to muddle it with anything other than a “classic” chimichurri, and roasted potato. As for the desserts, we were most certainly plagued with a few missteps in our initial opening, but I can assure you are spectacular now. The chocolate cake this writer was so dissatisfied “ so molten almost soup like” makes me question the authenticity of this dining experience. The cake is sold on our menu as a “molten chocolate, with a chili chocolate soup”. The title of the dish is even “Xocatl” the Aztec’s famed chocolate soup/drink of the gods. Also, the ice cream served with our plantains is a rum raisin, not vanilla as stated in the article. The other fact stated in this article that really allows me to question its authenticity is the “cascading water on the blue tiled wall”. We have never, nor ever will have any way shape or form of cascading anything in Agua Dulce. Nor do we have a blue tiled wall. Our interior has three major materials used for our walls, an Ann Sacks Glass mosaic ( a mosaic of glassy green), Laminate alternating black and white wood (black and white), a huge black lacquer wall (black), and yellow and blue painted brick. The only “blue tile” we have essentially is the teal along the underside of our bar. And I can assure you the only cascading liquid there is if some mishap happens with one of our fantastic cocktails, not a waterfall. Over all , there may have been a few issues in something being over, or under seasoned. I will gladly take these criticisms to heart and pursue the consistency issues that obviously may have been true in this article. As the chef of this beautiful space, its my duty to our guests to assure perfection, and exceed expectation. If anything else however, the only thing truly inauthentic, has to be this article. -- Ulrich A. Sterling Executive Chef Agua Dulce 802 9th Avenue New York, NY 10019 (212) 262 1299 (917) 474 0720 ?

great place for great food. and drinks. i am certain that you will go back as often as i do (once a week).

Agree!!! Decor is right on but food way to much $ for these slim times and some of the staff is a little rough for a gay friendly hood.. Hope they get it together!! Love the space live the outside!!

The decor is brilliant that they got down.. Food okay but not worth the price

I think the reviewer ought to give Agua Dulce another try when he is in a better mood, because clearly there is another factor here. I have been to this place many times since it opened and been very impressed time and time again. I will admit, I'm not crazy about the decor, but it definitely has a vibe. As for the food.. I absolutely loved everything I've had there.. Mostly.. I agree that the Guacamole could be better.

Is this reviewer kidding? I have eaten at Agua Dulce probably five times since it opened, and in my experiences there the cuisine has always been balanced and beautifully fine-tuned. I think there is room in the culinary canon for pan-Latin, considering an entire continent is dedicated to it. This seems a shallow and cursory review.

I frequent Agua Dulce and th experience is one of kind in NYC. The food is fabulous and I've recommended it to many people who have nothing but great things to say about it. It's a great place to go after work for drinks and stay all night.