Peacock Garden Bistro at 2889 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida.

The setting is lovely. It was what attracted us to Peacock Garden during an afternoon walk. The reviews, on the whole were good. But I didn't abide by my own rule and check the age on the reviews, or I would have seen that several of the newer review called the restaurant into question. Still, they did offer a few vegetarian dishes and had a reasonable by the glass wine list, so we made a reservation for an early dinner to celebrate my wife's birthday. Arriving, the restaurant was virtually empty, but we attributed this to the early hour. The staff was courteous if unenthusiastic. It was there that things started to go wrong. We were told the bread would be out shortly, it was in the oven. It took more than 10 minutes to arrive, as our wine waited, and when it did, it was badly burned on the bottom edge. We ate around the charred portion rather than wait for a second attempt. We both opted for the Tonnarelli Pasta, which the menu indicated consisted of tomato, roasted garlic, fresh basil and goat cheese. The dish arrived, at best lukewarm. The pasta was overcooked and gave the distinct impression of having been previously cooked, rinsed and dipped via strainer in boiling water to reheat. There was no "stickiness" which ought to be present in fresh cooked pasta. The tomatoes, though adequate in quantity gave the distinct impression of being canned. They utterly lacked the taste you would expect from a good freshly cooked roma tomato. The goat cheese was pleasant and tasty but the basil, what very little there was of it, was barely discernible in the dish. Later that night we both felt mildly ill. Given this was the one meal we shared, we can only attribute it to the meal. Perhaps it was the tomatoes, but in any event the food was second rate, and it was a special occasion ruined. We often return to the Grove, but never again to the Peacock Garden.