The approach to the new Conrad Hotel is not very promising, which makes the experience of stepping into the stunning lobby all the more spectacular, with the resort’s massive water feature spread out before you. The interior finishes are impressive throughout.
Equally stunning is the view from Ceiba, the Modern Mexican restaurant on the eight floor. This is probably the best place to wow out of town visitors, with a better view of Epcot and Magic Kingdom fireworks than anywhere except the Contemporary.
The menu is unique to Orlando: truly modern Mexican cuisine, with some familiar names such as flautas and tacos, but gourmet preparations inside, such as duck confit and braised lamb shank.
We started with the guacamole which, at $29, seemed pricy, but proved to be a generous serving, topped with ample crab meat, and spiced with salmon roe and thin slices of jalapeños. Delicious.
We’d planned on sampling several such botanas, but the serving was so generous that we went straight to entrees. Well, not exactly. My wife selected the Ceviche De Hamachi Verdi as her entree. Again, it was a generous serving of hamachi, but I would argue that it isn’t really a ceviche, as the fish hasn’t really been marinated in citrus, but rather is just served in a verde sauce. It was accurately described on the menu as coming with salsa verde, green apple, serrano, cucumber, and jicama, but I don’t think she’d order it again.
I had the Flautas de Pato, very crispy corn tortilla rolls (really more taquitos, if you will) filled with duck confit, and served with avocado serrano salsa, cabbage, and queso fresco crema. They were delicious, and I could only eat half of them…
…because I was saving room for the Tsokolate, a flourless chocolate sphere filled with dark chocolate mousse, accompanied by an assortment of delicious crumbles and gels. It was wonderful, and plenty for two people to share.
There’s a good wine list and a very extensive tequila list. I tried several interesting and creative cocktails.
Service was top notch. The entire staff was welcoming and attentive, and our server, Christian, was a genuine host, who made the experience special.
