Sereia

Sereia has it together in every aspect except the food. The service at the upscale Portuguese restaurant is attentive—doors are held open and backstories of dishes are recited with the passion of a theater major. The space has an expensive coastal vacation personality, with floors the color of sand and a shaded patio full of plants. But the dishes don't grab you by the collar and demand your attention. The bacalhau à bràs, one of the restaurant’s signatures, is more of a polite whisper. Despite the salted cod, fried potatoes, and olives, it somehow needs more salt. A puny arroz de pato leaves you wanting more duck and more rice, especially because the dish costs $48. Some of the smaller plates, like scallops plopped with caviar and a tartare-uni situation on toasted brioche are tasty. But not good enough to justify the girth of the check. Sereia wants to be a special occasion restaurant, but it isn’t there yet.  

photo credit: World Red Eye