RJ Cooper’s Seafood-Filled Tasting Room Surfaces in Germantown Next Week | Eater Nashville

"Doubling down on Germantown, I see James Beard Award-winning chef RJ Cooper has opened a prix-fixe spot to showcase fish, octopus, and other underwater ingredients plucked from Italian waters. The first seatings began Friday, March 18, in a bright, 32-seat dining room attached to his swanky American restaurant Saint Stephen. Calling itself a “sea-life avant-garde restaurant focusing on the Italian coast lines,” Acqua runs a progressive tasting menu of 14 to 16 courses that are all seafood except one; reservations for two to four are $150 per person, while a chef’s table for four to eight is $185 per person and adds surprise courses. The room lightens Cooper’s usual racy, dimly lit vibe with teal booths, gold utensils, white chairs, and yellow-flecked walls, and despite the fine-dining format patrons are encouraged to come as they are—no tie required; reservations are currently open through April." - Tierney Plumb