After an award-winning, three-decade career, Mark Militello watched his namesake culinary empire collapse like a souffl� in a shipwreck last spring. I silently applauded when he resurfaced at 1 Bleu at the Regent Bal Harbour in November, thinking how great it would be to have an old pro at the stoves of this stunning property with a renewed sense of purpose.

You'd think the management at 1 Bleu would be excited, but a glance at their website makes you wonder if they're thinking at all. The glossy restaurant images are of long-gone Gerdy Rodriguez and his molecular cuisine. And having dined there several times since Militello took charge, I'm still waiting to be wowed myself.

Robed in sumptuous tones of chocolate and caramel, with high-back leather chairs and wrap-around pool views, the dining room is an instant oasis of tranquility (and eerily quiet on weeknights). White-draped tables are elegantly set, and a well-wired sound system provides a lovely stream of music.

A small staff of polite, well-trained pros enhances the experience, as does a well-chosen international wine list with a range of super options in large and small format bottles and by-the-glass samplers.

Militello's menu is billed as contemporary American, but would more accurately be described as Mediterranean with such starters as caprese salad and clams with chorizo, garlic and white wine. Mains include rack of lamb and grilled beef tenderloin with polenta cake and Gorgonzola. Half a dozen pastas and rice dishes such as porcini ravioli with homemade ricotta and mushroom risotto offer vegetarians lots of options.

Much of the fare is expertly executed. A classic lobster risotto, loaded with sweet bits of seafood, was smooth and glossy with a perfectly bitey texture. A pastry tartlet filled with goat cheese, sun-dried tomato, baby pine nuts and slivers of portobello mushroom topped with a crisp potato waffle made for a tasty retro starter.

A lovely hunk of veal tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto and showered with fresh chopped sage is finished with a lusty wine- and butter-infused stock, making for an elegantly rich dish. Shrimp "saganaki" with feta and capers in a tomato-based sauce works in an uninspired way.

Simple and delicious sides include a creamy cauliflower puree, a delicate potato gratin, buttery polenta with wild mushrooms and a satisfying plate of pencil-thin asparagus topped with a deliciously runny-yolked fried egg.

Not as good was Militello's signature crab-encrusted grouper, which had a strangely flabby texture, and a crispy snapper which was, in fact, soggy. At least its tasty saffron broth with loads of baby mussels, clams and tiny cubes of chorizo was generous.

That same night, the fettuccine with shrimp and stuffed zucchini blossoms was marred by a thick, pasty cream sauce and funky, strong-smelling shrimp. (From the minute we stepped into the lobby that evening, the whole place reeked of rotten fish for some reason, making it tough to enjoy seafood of any kind.)

Desserts are much more daring and consistently delicious, including a deconstructed baklava with divinely nutty honey crisps served with walnut chantilly cream, walnut ice cream and a caramel sauce over chopped pistachios and strings of candied orange peel. So, too, a white chocolate "risotto" made with aromatic jasmine rice and topped with brandy-soaked strawberries and bits of lemon zest.