Two Stars for Tempo's Amuse; Tepid Review for The Water Club

This week, Victoria Pesce Elliott ventures to Tempo Miami, the resort nestled within an empty Biscayne Blvd. condo, to check out its restaurant, Amuse. After the "Argentine chef left just a week into the gig (a replacement is expected any day now)," Amuse was left with "a rather bristly menu mashup of tropical, Asian and Mediterranean elements with some modern flourishes." While the "descriptions make it tough to know what to order," VPE "found most we tried to be more ambitious than delicious." That being said, VPE says she has hopes for that place, saying "it would be a sexy spot for drinks and dinner before or after any event downtown." Verdict? Two stars.[Miami.com]

With Lee Klein on vacay, blogger Paula Niño takes a stab at replacing him, reviewing The Water Club, where her first visit "got off to a shaky start when our server took my dining companion's order and left without taking mine." D'oh! What ensues is that the waiter forgets her date's order, a manager fails to notice dirty glasses and napkins, and, after "a basket of warm, buttery bread rolls" arrives, things suddenly start to look up. Sort of. Mussels were "lukewarm" but "nicely flavored." A "thick, tender pork chop" was bordering on "overdone" but "was one of the dishes we liked most." Bucatini pescatore "lacked spice." Snapper fillet was "uninspired." Desserts "didn't make up for the uneven food and service." Bottom line: "One would hope that a restaurant in the experienced hands of the Randazzos would have worked the bugs out of its system after four months." [MNT].