pied à terre

elegant splendor at pied a terre cozy and captivating it's always exciting to come across a true hidden gem; the kind you've never heard of and would rarely come across without a good pointing to. such was the case for me very recently when i discovered pied a terre at the charming, timeless boutique hotel in south beach: the cadet hotel. pool have a relaxing drink seeing the magic unfold it would be impossible to talk about the magnificent food at pied a terre without first paying a bit of tribute to the hotel itself. built in 1941, the cadet hotel has been a historical timekeeper located at 1701 james avenue, since world war ii. initially built as a luxury hotel, it was used after the attack on pearl harbor, as a place for cadets to stay during the war. while most hotels in miami beach served the same purpose throughout this time, for some reason the cadet left a significant mark and somehow kept that graceful elegance and magical aura synonymous with those years. dedicated visionary

stop. don’t go! this is by far the worst french food we have ever had. and we have been to some of the best all over the world. i really don’t believe all these great reviews and suspect some of the these are fake. right from the beginning we should have taken heed of the signs and left as our host did not allow us to sit where we wanted even though the place was completely empty. he seemed not accommodating to allow us to sit at a big comfy table as they would have to clear off a extra few dishes. then when we ordered the sparklingly water it had a very fishy odour. it was the water or the glasses. we were not sure. this would have been time to leave. but it was late in the evening and our anniversary so we decided to give it a try.. we ordered the 5 course tasting menu and almost everything was horrible. the foie gras was disappointing. the broth had a funny taste like the water. the lamb chops were terrible as well. very bland. not much flavour at all. french food is all the about the sauces and all that we tried here failed horribly. and the wine pairing was over priced for amount you received. one good thing of the evening. the wait staff were excellent. but for $400 dollars on a very special night we expected much more than what we got. by far the worst restaurant we have ever been too. you know there is s problem when you can’t even get the water right!

#miamispice2016

hit: the  asparagus creme brûlée surprised me. based on the description, i expected something completely different and was certainly not expecting it to be cold. the salmon and the tangy salad dressing harmoniously played off the thick asparagus cream. as an added touch,  you now also receive an amuse bouche, even if you order from the miami spice menu.

villa rene lalique in alsace, france is the seven room trophy hotel and restaurant of the owner of the iconic crystal brand lalique.  as you can imagine, it has uber luxe furnishings and accessories, from lalique maison furniture, the finest crystal glasses and carafes  to crystal panels designed by damien hirst concealing a 20,000 bottle wine cellar. and then there’s three star michelin chef jean georges klein who came to villa rene lalique last year and brought his culinary team. pied a terre, 1701 james avenue (t.305-531-4533),  tapped klein’s number two sous chef to do the bi-annual remakes of the restaurant’s menu and, once again, it’s a winner.

total delight - our rez was honored on arrival even though they were full.
great a/c- it was over 90 outside.
located in the cadet hotel.
fabulous french good but not creamy heavy nor cheesy - international flavors - fish was cooked to perfection - desserts looked wonderful but we passed cuz the homemade bread was unreal.
we live in aventura but will make our way here a couple of times a month for our fix of superb cuisine.
prices reasonable - our bill was a surprising 130.00 for 2 with wine- i was expecting to pay closer to 200.00.

delicious, informative, fun in a foodie way.
wonderful charming service.
perfectly cooked proteins.
lite french fare that plays with international spices.

phenomenal. after a lot of research i decided to have my birthday dinner at pied a terre. as soon as you walk in it feels as though you have stepped into an old european lobby. the hostess was very friendly and immediately went to get our server so we could be seated. there was a large party occupying the restaurant so they put my group in a beautiful room that was completely private and extremely intimate. our server was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. he explained the entire menu to us in such great detail, you could tell he was very proud to work there. we had a variety of appetizers including the foie gras and vegetable tart. i’m personally not too fond of foie gras but was pleasantly surprised at how mild and delicious it tasted. the vegetable tart was fantastic and very different from anything i had tried before. the wine list here is surprisingly affordable which is unlike any other restaurant in miami. we had a great bottle of chateauneuf-du-pape for under $60!! we all thoroughly enjoyed our entrees, my lobster was cooked perfectly! the veal was huge! patrick, the general manager was in and out of our room the entire evening and was extremely friendly. he explained the entire concept behind his restaurant, where all the food came from, as well as some personal stories. he even suggested other types of restaurants we should try in the city! at the end of the night he also gave us a tour of the entire restaurant. next time i’m there i will definitely reserve a seat in the garden area! i highly suggest this restaurant for dinner, whether it’s a romantic dinner for two or an evening with good friends!

our sobe september food experiences..... so on a recent week long break in miami (6 to 13 september 2014) we dined in various restaurants including il sole by barton g, pied a terre, the restaurant by barton g and cafe prima pasta (dined in casa tua previously). in terms of service, quality of food, ambience and overall experience we would rate them in the following order (***** = our star rating)
1. pied a terre *****
2. cafe prima pasta ****
3. the restaurant by barton g ***
4.il sole by barton g. **

pied a terre was excellent. the food was exquisite, wine list exceptional (for such an intimate restaurant) and service by young staff attentive, knowledgeable and efficient. we love french food and would rate there dishes as highly as any as we have eaten in france. the sommelier and manager (i think) was very knowledgeable and he briefly showed us around after we had dined which was a lovely and unexpected treat.

we dined at casa prima pasta on september 9 and were very impressed with the menu , greeting, service, food and overall ambience. thanks to giuseppe marino (gm) for the complimentary drink on arrival and his interest in why we had choosen to dine at the restaurant. very personal and attentive service, coupled with delicious food.

our dinner spend was fairly high in the barton g restaurants. the restaurant was fun, and a one off experience. the service, food and experience was good and we had a lovely evening, smaller deserts are needed as they are so big they could serve 4-6 people easily.

we were very disappointed by il sole where the service could at best be described as haphazard (got the wrong wine, conflicting information about what was and was not available on the menu, asked if we wanted pre drinks in the cocktail bar, then we were not even served them before we were instructed to go to the dining room, snobby hosts and door staff, are a few issues that you should not expect in such a restaurant). having dined in michelin star restaurants all over the world they are a long long way off attaining any accolades in my opinion. we would not return , nor recommend it as it is over priced and badly run. the highlight was of course to see inside the former versace mansion which is an experience but not worth the money given all the issues they have with their service.

oh and got a great breakfast at finnegans way, south beach, great canadian bacon!

the food is spectacular. but don't expect to get stuffed bc the portions are petite.

our choice for main courses were the excellent roasted rohan duck with its leg confit accompanied by croquette, wild mushrooms and lavender scented jus. i chose the rack of lamb which was vacuum packed with herbs for 24 hours before cooking, meltingly tender and flavorful, and of a quality one seldom finds. it came with baby bok choy, mashed potatoes scented with fresh mint and lamb jus reduction. other choices i would have liked to have tried were the lobster in asian flavors, halibut poached at low temperature and chilean seabass inspired by peruvian cuisine. patrick suggested wines to accompany each course along the way, unconventional choices from a white wine selection from greece to lebanese and austrian selections.

disappointing. service very good. wine selection unique (in a good way), but food hit & miss. husband really enjoyed his meal. i didn't care for mine.

duet of prime beef. braised in red wine the short rib was impeccably flawless (and it takes a lot for me to eat red meat). this dish also had new york striploin that was pan roasted (delicious). at the bottom was a crème fraiche potato puree that tasted like velvet and complimented the beef by not being overpowering.

it has been quite a long time since i walk into a new restaurant and feel i am privileged to be there - but at pied a terre last month i felt just like that. not many people know about this place