BALEENkitchen — Restaurant in Sunny Isles Beach

I was not impressed with my experience here today. A friend and I (and my freeloading son) came here for a Miami Spice lunch. I am more than positive that I will probably not come back again.

The valet parking area here is very tight. To get to the hotel level, you have to ascend up a very narrow driveway. The valet gentlemen were very nice and attentive. I love their automated valet system. They send you a text with your valet number ticket and when you're ready, you can request your car. Some of you may already know about this upgrade. I on the other hand don't valet unless it's cheap or complimentary.

Anywho once you walk into the lobby of the hotel, the restaurant is just one flight of stairs up. Once I got up there, no one was at the hostess desk, so we had to wait a few minutes for some assistance. Someone (probably a manager; based on dress) finally came to the counter and informed us that we could sit wherever we like as we practically had the restaurant to ourselves. We opted to sit outside since it was a beautiful day and a nice breeze. The view was beautiful. It was ocean view and there was music playing at the pool on the floor below us.

The food was delicious. Forgive me as I forgot to take a picture of everything. However our waitress took forever to bring us every item that by the time, I got my food all I could focus on was eating. For the appetizer, I got the Caribbean conch chowder. I can't say that it was much conch in it. There was a different type of meat in it. It certainly was not conch. The conch was very much minimal. It was also a tomato based sauce. It wasn't bad (the sauce) just different. For the entrée I had the Cuban chicken sandwich. Now this was really good. The bread was soft and buttery. The chicken was seasoned to perfection. The prosciutto I didn't really taste much of but the ham was plentiful. And the fries was really good. I really wish I would have gotten a picture of it. I usually do not like Key Lime Pie but this one was divine. I am happy that my mother was not in town because I would have saved it for her and never tried.

Now the reason for the 3 stars is the lack of service. As I stated before, aside from a party of about 5 we were technically the only people there. Yet our entire time there was a little over 2 hours. Not because we were talking, laughing and catching up but because every time she left our table she'd disappear for about 30-40 minutes. When it was time for our dessert, we were afraid to ask for a box and the check in fear that that would be another 30-40 minutes ordeal. And to top it off, they automatically add a 20% gratuity charge to the check. Sometimes I feel like in some atmospheres, waitresses and waiters take advantage of that because they know regardless of their service, they are still getting a tip. And our waitress, Farella or what have you, certainly would not have gotten a tip if it were left up to me. Great service should be tip, not just...

We went there on our first night at the hotel. We wanted to enjoy the oceanfront view while dining. We were told it was too windy to sit outside and enjoy the view and were seated inside where we could still see the water. The next customers were seated outside by the same waitress, directly were they obstructed our view of the ocean. The menu only had 5 dinner options, all between $30 and $40. The "appetizers" (which they call "shareables" for some ironic reason) were items like 1 taco for $10, 1 slider for $10, etc). My partner ordered his drink, and I only wanted water. As I was looking at the menu she brings me a large glass bottle of Evian water, opens the bottle, pours it and walks away before I noticed. I told her I just wanted plain tap water--I'm not paying for water! And it wasn't even on the menu as an option. We ordered pizza (the only "reasonably priced" item at $20-23 per 1-person pie which might actually fill us up). After 2-3 sips of the water and waiting a while, I had to wave down the waitress for a refill (she had given me water on the small glass that was already on the table, and even though the Evian bottle had been left on the table previously, the bottle of tap water that she poured from wasn't left for us. Meanwhile, the couple seated outside had large glasses of water-not from an Evian bottle-but they had wine too, so maybe you only get decent service if you order alcohol. We waited 15 minutes for her to come bring us the check, and during that time she didn't ever glance at our table and just sat there watching her-- we were one of only two couples dining at the time. And then the 20% tip was automatically added to the bill--that service barely deserved a tip at all-- all she did was take our order, bring our drinks, and then ignore us the rest of our time there. And, of course, any leftovers were just left on the table, because she didn't give us the option of taking it back to our room, despite 3/4 of my pizza not being eaten. Will never return to this place--overpriced, lack of proper menu options, and as expected, just another "fancy" hotel restaurant with...

We stay at Sole whenever we are in the Miami area for work. The hotel doesnt disappoint - the staff is friendly and the beach access make this my home away from home. Such a claim on comfort isnt complete without a review of the kitchen. Baleen Kitchen is excellent, Chef Ernesto cooks up delicious meals with consistancy and while we were disapointed to learn the kitchen was closed for dinner and therefore we could not enjoy the Cioppino which I had been dreaming of, we still enjoyed the amended menu. The Avocado Toast which we customized with a perfectly fried egg, was toasted to perfection with a thick layer of smooth, creamy avocado. The buttermilk pancakes were fluffy and buttery, topped with fresh fruit. During lunch we enjoyed the amazing oceanfront views, sipped exquisite cocktails and grazed on lightly fried calamari, savory parmasean truffle fries and Mahi mahi tacos. Not only was every meal an indulgent experiance the staff, was always kind and accomodating. Zakia is a one of kind manager, running a tight ship, while keeping her team happy and motivated. The experiance extends to poolside dining, where Jose and his crew will serve up ice cold drinks and upgraded favorites such as their signature burger cooked perfectly to your specified temp. My only wish is that the restaurant open up full time and soon as I cant wait to go back and enjoy a...