Ever since we began reviewing restaurants for Vero Beach 32963 late last spring, we have wanted to write a glowing review of the Indigo Room at the Vero Beach Hotel & Club.

From sampling a couple of dishes at the Taste of Vero, we knew the Indigo chefs were capable of producing great food. So we made several visits to the Indigo Room over the summer and during the early fall, hoping that each would result in the perfect dining experience.

As a venue, the Indigo Room, a dark-paneled grill which looks out through a 15-foot-high glass wall on the sea, is arguably the most fashionable dining spot on the beach.

And the service, which last season was a weak spot , has gotten much better in recent weeks under the direction of Kimpton, one of the top U.S. operators of luxury boutique hotels.

But while you can get a good meal at the Indigo Room, we cannot yet report that the overall dining experience is what you are entitled to expect when you go to a four-star hotel and pay four-star hotel prices.

Our most recent meal started with presentation of an amuse-bouche, a bi te-sized hors d’oeuvre which varies from night to night at the whim of the chef and is offered to all as a pre-appetizer to excite the taste buds.

On this night, the amuse-bouche was a New Zealand mussel topped with prosciutto and cheese.

The problem, alas, is an amuse must be prepared in quantities sufficient to be served to all guests just after their orders are taken. Our guess is that early diners on this evening found the amuse a heavenly prelude to their meals. By the time ours made it to us at 7:45 pm (not a particularly late hour for dining), it was totally dried out and no longer amusing.

Following the amuse, our appetizers arrived. A cup of she crap soup ($6) was creamy and very well prepared. The hearts of romaine bouquet salad ($9), served with a fire-roasted red pepper infused Caesar dressing, along with asiago and marinated tomatoes, was large and tasty.

The ahi3 ($12), an artistic presentation of three types of yellowfin tuna, drew a mixed review from my husband. The spring roll, filled with ahi and vegetables, was a treat. The ahi tartar was spicy and delicious. But the pepper charred ahi, served over an Asian inspired slaw, had disappointingly little taste.

For main courses, our party of three ordered two seafood dishes and one chicken (though we were sorely tempted by the braised American osso bucco style short rib at $32).

My husband’s main course of Chilean sea bass ($44) – one of the Indigo Room‘s specialties -- was seared perfectly and served with a tasty "tiramisu" risotto with asparagus, roma tomatoes, and a bouillabaisse pan sauce. My entree of “civilized” spicy day boat scallops ($42), nicely seared and prepared with saffron-chardonnay butter, also was served with the “tiramisu” risotto.

Both dishes were better than versions of the same dishes that we have had on earlier occasions. But our companion ordered a grilled chicken and penne pasta dish ($24), with Asiago cheese, Westphalian ham and shiitake mushrooms. While the penne was cooked perfectly , the chicken was overcooked and dry.

Ultimately, we concluded our meal with espresso ($5.25) and volcanic chocolate cake dramatically presented on a plate adorned with a crystallized sugar sculpture. None of chocoholics among us thought the cake was the best of this kind that we have encountered.

While the wait staff is improved considerably since the Kimpton take over, on this Friday night the restaurant was not adequately staffed. In a restaurant of this caliber, diners should not have to refill their own wine glasses.

If one were paying mainland restaurant prices, some of the observations we have made here might seem overly picky. But the Indigo Room ought to be a fabulous restaurant – and it is priced as though it already were. Alas, it doesn’t yet reach that level.

But Kimpton is now in charge, and our hopes again run high. Our beachside town needs this elegant hotel, and we badly want what should be one of the island’s top restaurants to not disappoint. This season would be a good time for the Indigo Room to finally realize its potential.

I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com .

The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.

Hours: Dinner Sun-Thursday, 5:30 pm to 8:45pm, Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 9:15 pm. Lunch daily 11am to 2 pm, breakfast daily 7 to 10 am

Adult Beverages: Full bar 

Address: 3500 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach

Phone: 231-5666

Review first published: Dec. 19, 2008