1 Bleu

06/13/08

Can't wait to go back!

by ciruela at Citysearch

So, I finally went for dinner at 1 Bleu! The restaurant and hotel are absolutely beautiful!! I can?t believe Mimaicuisine?s review, we must have gone to different restaurants? My experience and that of my friends was great and the chef has been serving locals great food for years at some of Miami?s top restaurants, La Broche, Norman?s, Mandarin Oriental, etc? Don?t be misled, this is a great place!

Anyway, my partner and I went with friends, for dinner at 1 Bleu. As soon as we sat our server brought us a science experiment looking shot. We asked what it was and the server responded, "it's a welcome cocktail, white rum and lime mint foam". WOW what a great idea, it was amazing!! We quickly asked for another round. Then the server brought us 4 spoons each with a small crispy square and said "this is the amuse bouche, compliments of the chef. It's a liquid croquette of jamon Serrano and manchego cheese". This was a great way to start the meal, we had mini mojitos and a burst of Serrano and manchego cheese and hadn?t even really begun dining yet. Everything we had after that was equally delectable. For starters we had the tuna carpaccio, mixed green salad with berries and feta, and the ceviche duet. Our favorite was the carpaccio, it was simply prepared, served with a vinaigrette which I can?t remember (must be the mojitos) and a truffled potato chip. For entrees we had the prime beef tenderloin, lamb, seafood mixta and lobster risotto with garlic ice cream! We loved them all! For dessert we had the cheese plate and introduction to chocolate, absolutely decadent! If you want fresh, organic and local ingredients, then you shouldn?t mind paying the extra bucks. I?ve gone to other restaurants in the area that charge the same or more and serve up the same typical mundane foods. This restaurant is a bit pricy, but well worth it! We can?t wait to go back! Hopefully they?ll do something for Miami Spice too!

• Pros: Ambience, food, wine and service
• Cons: None, love this place!

06/10/08

Celebrity Disaster

by miamicuisine at Citysearch

This is a beautiful restaurant in the Regent Hotel. I went for dinner with my husband and some friends. We thought we where in for a spectacular meal. I had been reading about the Chef on the internet. According to what I read he is a Celebrity Chef in Miami (I've never heard of the guy), but we where optimistic. Such a great hotel like the Regent wouldn't just hire anyone to run such a beautiful hotel. Anyways the food was horrible and extremely overpriced. The waiters seemed as if they where imported from some restaurant on Ocean Drive. I don't know where the Chef gets his ideas, but if he is a celebrity chef in Miami he should know what Miami eats. I felt robbed. I Do Not Recommend.

• Pros: The Regent Hotel
• Cons: The Chef