The Rusty Pelican's View Still Trumps; 2.5 for Mare Nostrum

Lee Klein says that at The Rusty Pelican, the waterfront view from every seat steals the show. The menu by chef Michael Gilligan is, "surprisingly, not very seafood-centric." Some dishes "satisfied," others were "fine," and "tastily coated," but others were "uninspired," "lackluster," "semisoggy," and, yikes, "laughable." The bottom line in Klein's review is that "So much about the Rusty Pelican has changed, but ultimately the best rationale for dining here remains, as always, the view." [MNT]

Over at the Herald, Enrique Fernandez checks out Mare Nostrum, which, he says, is "beautiful" and "mostly a seafood restaurant." Several things worked well, sea bass fillets "cooked to perfection," "excellent dorada," and "luscious manchego cheesecake," while others not so much: "not very flavorful shark bits," and "not tender enough razor clams." But what Fernandez wants to know is "Why import seafood from across the Atlantic when there’s so much of it a few blocks away, in the mare nostrum we call the Caribbean? We’re sailing with the foodies, who want the authentically precious." Bottom line: 2.5 stars. [Miami.com]