THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Royal

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Royal Restaurant Review:

Despite its indoor/outdoor setting overlooking The Raleigh hotel's famous Art Deco pool and stints by some notable chefs (Eric Ripert, for instance), the property’s restaurant has never, since South Beach's early 1990s revival, settled on a culinary identity that seemed to fit. The latest turn under NY-based celeb chef John DeLucie even came with a rechristening of the name as The Royal, but DeLucie and his New American comfort food menu lasted little more than six months. So currently The Royal is in transition, with lunch and dinner menus that reflect a typical generic Miami resort mix of American, Mediterranean and Latin influences --- with one exception: brunch. Grab a sheltered Veranda table and unwind over tasty inventions like a witty grilled cheese sandwich (blue cheese mousse and heirloom tomatoes on whole-wheat, with pistachios and watercress), Maine lobster sliders with crisp slaw, an updated Uruguayan steak/ham/egg “chivito” sandwich, or wild blueberry and lemon pancakes.