Friday, March 11, 2011

MB's at Omphoy Ocean Resort falls short of Palm Beach standards

MB’s at Omphoy Ocean Resort
2842 S. Ocean Blvd.
Palm Beach, Florida 33314
561-540-6444
Breakfast, lunch and Sunday Brunch




By Jane Feehan

The best thing going for MB’s terrace and patio at the Omphoy Ocean Resort is the ocean.  Lunch at this former Hilton property didn't make waves.

MB is short for Michelle Bernstein, acclaimed Miami chef who edged out Bobby Flay in a Food Network Iron Chef matchup. Breakfast, lunch and brunch are served on a semi-enclosed terrace that opens to the patio – and a fabulous view of the ocean.  Dinner upstairs at Michelle Bernstein’s also comes with an ocean view, and hopefully, better food.                                           

Lunch offerings had me turning the menu over to find more choices. Caesar salad, fish and chips, vegetables in cream sauce, burgers, roasted chicken and wild salmon seem pretty ordinary for a place claiming to house a chef that “bested” Bobby Flay. Stewed mussels and skirt steak (and the half roasted chicken for that matter) would have appealed to us for dinner but not a mid-day meal on an outdoor patio.

We ordered wild salmon a la plancha (cooked on a metal plate), which was good, not exceptional ($19) and fish and chips, terrible ($16).  Greasy and tasteless the fish was, with fries unfit for McDonald’s. A sticky, dirty bottle of Heinze malt vinegar was delivered as a condiment, the final blow.

For a resort that tries to capitalize on its Palm Beach address, the Omphoy has a long way to go to catch up to its neighbors, the Four Seasons and The Ritz Carlton. With bread crumbs covering table bases, missing salt and pepper shakers, sticky bottles, and mediocre food, I can't recommend lunch at MB's at the Omphoy. Service: fair. Very casual dress                 

Tags: Palm Beach dining, Palm Beach hotels, Palm Beach brunch, Palm Beach lunch, Palm Beach