We recently dined at Cioppino for our wedding anniversary, and I have to say that it was quite a let-down. The dining experience began badly enough when the hostess took the party ahead of us to their table and didn't return for more than five minutes, leaving the front unattended for the entire time. We considered leaving at that point. Eventually we were finally led to our table through a somewhat cavernous dining area that is sterile and uninviting. Once seated, it took several minutes for our waiter to arrive. The wine list is overpriced and has very little selection for under $100. The overly-scripted, synthetic enthusiasm of the waiter when presenting the evening's specials was laughably pretetentious, especially considering the quality of the food that later arrived. We had to wait several minutes for bread and many minutes more for the waiter to arrive to take our order. The oddly robotic staff seemed distracted, somewhat disorganized, and overly concerned with looking professional rather than actually being professional (typical for Miami area restaurants). There seemed to be some behind-the-scenes issues going on, as they would disappear for extended periods into "the back" leaving the dining room mostly unattended.

In terms of the food, the soup of the day (squash) was completely flavorless, while the assorted crostini appetizer was also very plain and uninspired. The risotto aragosta e zucchini was completely bland. The seared tuna filet was overcooked, over-salted and accompanied by a tiny portion of a rather pathetic artichoke ragoût with tomatoes and "black olives" - which turned out to be a single crushed black olive. The rib-eye steak was the only dish that was actually well-prepared and tasty.

Mid-meal, it took several minutes for the wine menu to arrive after it was requested. We felt somewhat abandoned by the waiter at many points during the evening, and although he was somewhat apologetic about the long waits between table visits, this does not negate the lack of service. Desert was the best part of the meal, by far - we had chocolate soufflé with pistachio ice cream, and this was very well executed, with great flavor and texture. Although a Johnny Walker Gold Label ordered to accompany desert was $28, the pour was very generous, as at that point the waiter appeared to be trying to atone for the (lack of) service.

When we made reservations we were asked if it was a special occasion, and told them that yes, it was for our anniversary, but no mention of that was made during the course of the evening, so I'm not sure why they bother asking. For what you would expect at a Ritz-Carlton, this restaurant needs a great deal of improvement in all aspects, from hospitality to ambiance, to cuisine. As it stands, they won't be getting repeat business from us.