Cielo Garden and Supperclub
The Herald had a very nice review of Cielo Garden & Supperclub (3390 Mary Street). Victoria Pesce Elliott, the reviewer, praised chef Enrique Villardefrancos (shown above) as being a "chef worth watching" and Cielo as being "a restaurant worth checking out."
I didn't realize they were open for lunch, I may check them out this week.
I didn't realize they were open for lunch, I may check them out this week.
posted by Tom Falco at 8:26 AM
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4 Comments:
I went to Cielo last Saturday night but will never return. The band was setting up around 10:15 p.m. when my girlfriend and I arrived. We wanted to dance and went to the bar to have a drink while waiting. I ordered a Johnny Walker black label and a glass of Pinot Noir thinking that the cost would not be an issue. After taking a few sips the bartender handed me the slip. I almost spit out my scotch when I saw the total. $31!!!! I asked her if she was kidding and she just shrugged her shoulders. I paid it but should not have. I will NEVER return - that is highway robbery.
And I was complaining about a $2.60 onion. Now I don't feel so bad. But those prices are crazy. I thought the Delano was bad. The Herald story went out of their way to say they were reasonably priced. Guess they didn't check the bar out before writing the review.
Ok, I have some comments and this is a long one because Im passionate about food and local joints so bear with me here haha... I ate there Tuesday night because Im on a kick of trying out new restaurants (did Ludo's last week). I heard about Cielo when it opened and have walked by a few times and it has been totally DEAD. But, since I wanted to get served quick I figured that would be a good thing. I went with a lady friend of mine who had been there on a Friday and said it was packed. She said it was a bit of a college crowd, which was surprising because the place has a nice look to it and doesnt look like things would be priced at "college levels". But, she said the college crowd that was there was probably supporting the band and was well dressed and not typical "gimme a bud light" patrons.
We were the only ones for dinner when we got there which I made a joke about with the hostess who was very nice and accommodating. The decor of the place is gorgeous. They have great chandeliers that look like starbursts and the restaurant has a bit of a day/night feel. Im not sure if that was intended, but 1/2 of the room has daytime clouds while the bar and other 1/2 has a night motif. Looks like a place that you would find at a hotel on SoBe, and I liked that because Im tired of the dumps we have in the Grove.
We ordered the antipasti ($10) which was awesome - proscuitto, pimento olives, cheese, and pepperoni. They kept us stocked with bread and when my friend said that the Cuban bread was gross (I think something was up with this particular bread - I didnt find it "gross" but it did reek of oil that may have burned), they promptly brought out some more of the other fresh bread. Then the main courses came. I had the Mustard Tuna (around $24 and the waiter's favorite) and she had the Seabass )also around $24). Both were phenomenal! Even the yuca fries that came with my meal were done just the way I like em - nice and crisp. I was drinking Maker's Mark manhattans (2) and she had a glass of pinot grigio and a lemoncello. They also have grappa, which is one of my favorite after dinner drinks, but I abstained this time. We were compelled to order the chocolate fondue ($12 I think...) because the waiter butchered the pronunciation so bad that we laughed and felt bad about it. It was great and I was happy that they took pride enough in their food to tell us that the bananas were not looking great so they subbed them with pineapple.
The bill came and it was $120 w/o tip. A heavy part of this was alcohol, which I felt was quite overpriced, especially for the Grove. I think my whiskeys were $10 each and her wine was $12 and lemoncello was $12 too (I could be a tad off here...) Just seemed way too high for the Grove, but the bartender gave me an extra shot of Maker's so I was satisfied.
Overall, I thought the food was phenomenal, the alcohol was overpriced, and the service was great. They do have a happy hour from 6-9pm but its only at the bar and consists of well alcohol and house wine. I was pleased to see that they had a nice outdoor area too. The wine selection was great and they had a cool private room that was like a wine cellar encased in glass doors. Looks like a great place to go with a big group.
You know, its places like this that make me want to form a "Grove Restaurant Marketing Group". There are so many restaurants that come and go in the Grove and the main reason for that is due to the fact that no one knows they even exist. Cielo is on the outskirts of the Grove. In fact, I walked by Casa Nostra italian joint (which really could use some serious marketing because I hear the food is great) on the way home, only to find out that they had sold 1/2 of the place and a new place called "Eclipse" had started up. I just dont understand how these places, especially those away from Cocowalk and normal foot traffic, can expect to open a restaurant and not market it to the people. My favorite was the Mexican joint that went in the old Paulo Luigi's space, lasted maybe 3 months, and then was gone. I think their total # of patrons was maybe 20 in that time period.
There is a lot of interest in Cielo because we receive tons of hits to this blog by people doing a search for them. They don't seem to have a website, so we come up whenever we mention them.
So people do find it and are looking for it. So I don't think advertising is a problem. I think their prices may be, especially for people who want to drink.
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