conrad miami

what goes perfect with unparalleled service and impressive food? a great view! my first pick for this year'smiamispice is atrio restaurant & wine room at the conradmiamihotel. atrio is a luxurious restaurant in the trendy yet sophisticated area of brickell, offering panoramic views of the city and bay area. its beautiful decor personifies unpretentious elegance, with a warm and inviting feel. as i rode the elevator up to the 25th floor, i saw themiamispice menu displayed on the wall. usually, i know right away what dishes i want to try because not all of them will appeal to me. however, the first thing that jumped out on our high speed ride was that the choices they offer for each course of themiamispice meunu all sound amazing. and on top of that madness, you could also choose a select wine pairing for just $6 a glass.  me likey already! we sat down next to the floor-to-ceiling window and admired the view, while our incredibly knowledgeable and

reyna's food corner. this week i am reviewing the atrio restaurant located on the 25th floor of the conrad hotel in brickell avenue, miami. the restaurant is beautifully decorated and has an estonishing panaromic view of downtownmiamiand biscayne bay. upon our arrival we were seated by the maitre'd who guided us to a table overlooking the beautifulmiamiskyline. our white-gloved waiter introduced herself and briefly explained the specials of the day and make some suggestions about the wine list.

a quick glance at the menu gives an indication that the menu is more shifted toward seafood items, so we picked a white chablis listed for $64. the appetizers on the menu are watermelon chipotle gazpacho ($7), soft shell crab ($16), duck confit spring roll ($18)l, conch escabeche($15) and tequila cured salmon ($14).

the duck confit spring roll was the best of them all. deliciously cooked and well paired with smoked corn and tomato jam, the rolls leave you a desire for more. the watermelon gazpacho was flat and uninspired and the soft shell crab was small and didn't provide the wow effect that we were expecting. all the appetizers are petite in size and not designed for sharing.

for the main course we selected yellowtail snapper with grateful salsa and cilantro aioii l($30), the seared striped bass with orange confit and fennel puree ($38), grilled swordfish steak with papaya salad ($36) and papardelle pasta with trouffle oil ($18). we accompanied the dishes with asparagus and creamy mashed potatoes ($10 each side dish).

immediately you can noticed the strong southwestern influence of the chef on all the meals. the recipes have a heavy doses of vegetables salsa, chipotle, cayenne and fruits like papaya and mango. the yellowtail snapper was grilled and served a combination of tomato, chives, parsley and grateful salsa. the chipotle aioli complemented the dish well.

the bass was also cooked well and provided an intriguing flavor with the fennel puree. the swordfish with the papaya salad was another dish show casting the use of southwestern ingredients. overall we all felt that the recipes were simple and effective but not sophisticated. we were actually expecting more.

the dessert was a big disappointment, we ordered a pineapple tart with coconut ice cream and chocolate cake. we couldn't believe that the tart was nothing more than pre-made pastry that looked like it came out of the supermarket freezer, while the chocolate looked like it was also mass produced.

i rate this restaurant 7.5 out of 10. take away the view of the city and the impeccable service and you end up with food that can be found at bonefish grill, but here is three times more expensive. nevertheless, the restaurant setting plays great as a background for a romantic evening away from hectic buzz of south beach.

if you are interesting in trying this restaurant watch for upcoming savings through the "miami spice" promotion and consider taking your own bottle of wine for a corkage fee of $25

atri-no. with exception to the view, everything about this place was a disappointment. there was not one single thing i enjoyed about my meal, including dessert. had the food been decent, at best, i wouldn't have minded the ridiculously over-inflated prices.

here's the breakdown:
amuse-bouche - frozen watermelon topped with bleu cheese and pecans

appetizer - heriloom tomato burrata
(texturally, the burrata was waaaay off. the tomatoes were sliced so thin, they got lost in the creamy mess that was supposedly burrata)

main course - black truffle and foie gras meatloaf
(gristly (yes, gristly), greasy and heavy on the palate)

dessert - pineapple ginger panna cotta
(a runny, gelatinous mess - the ginger completely overpowered the dish, rendering it inedible).

bad food coupled with bad service leaves little to be desired. although the view of downtownmiamiand the bay were spectacular, this is one place that i won't be going back to. no way, no how... not even if someone else paid for my dinner.

great views...but..... i been waiting to go for a special night to celebrate....i did last month and the view exceeded my expectations, food was good but the service was horrid!!!!! really major disappointment given the build-up, the fact that it is in a conrad hilton and it's pricy!!1 save your money, lots of great views inmiamiwith better food, less cost and much better service!