Azure

 

Expectations never run high for a restaurant in a dated hotel, but the food is well executed, if a bit overpriced. On one night, tuna stuffed with delicate snow crab is a terrific appetizer, dipped in tempura batter and flash-fried for a crisp exterior and a rare centre. A duo of beef features a juicy hunk of tenderloin under herbaceous chimichurri sauce and a succulent short rib braised in red wine. Pan-roasted sablefish is perfectly timed, though its bed of al dente Israeli couscous, roasted squash and shiitakes is overwhelmed by a too-salty soy broth.