depending on your needs, the ritz carlton card or a 2nd vx could make sense. you could find some discussion
here and in the ritz card thread
personally, i dont think the value of aa miles determines the proposition of strata elite. firstly, we have to wait for the exact details, but a $300 travel credit and $200 credit for best buy and american airlines does sound like a major chunk of the af can be easily offset. citi is also the only 1:1 transfer partner with eva air. the process for redeeming for other people is tedious, and the lack of transfer partners plus 3 year expiry is probably why it isnt more popular, but it has good value and availability. it is also good value for *A redemption. this can be very useful for people looking to travel to asia
aa miles are valuable, but its value is the result of the existing ecosystem. opening up a transfer partner changes that. after signing an exclusive partnership with citi, you can also expect some shakeup to the co-branded cards line up at some point, because it is meant to be an lucrative deal for both and they want to make more money. you can bet they are going to copy from dl and amex. i wont be surprised if there is yet another co-branded card. overall, the rate of aa miles being earned will increase and that put pressure to devalue the miles. and it isnt even something that aa needs to make a conscious decision of. they have dynamic pricing, so when many people have points, they redeem more tickets. when flights fill up faster, the cash and award prices just increase, so the miles are being devalued. for partner flights, even if they do not change the pricing, availability is already very limited, but now, you will have many more people fighting for the same number of spots. sure, the value is still high, but no point if you cant get the seats. that is a massive devaluation in my eyes
i think if people have to pay for their food, they could just as easily have gone to another restaurant. the prices maybe cheaper, but the quality is probably lower too. the reviews on tripadvisor isnt that good. i dont see this as a perk and probably worth $0. just like how many people actually visit c1 cafe