Miami: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

NYC winters are not exactly the worst. (We both grew up in Canada.) Nevertheless, we usually try to find someplace warm and sunny to find some respite. This year, we chose Miami Beach. I had been there years ago for “work”, but Nora—gasp—had never been to Florida, apart from a layover. Our friends John and Sarah have been raving for years about The Standard in Miami Beach, so we decided to give it a try. Just what the doctor ordered! And although the food at The Standard was good, for a hotel, we knew that we would need at least one great non-beach dinner.

For that, we chose L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami. We are big fans of the late great chef, and love the concept of the restaurant, which was early-in on the counter-seating-open-kitchen approach. We had a super memorable meal at the old Atelier in NYC, which was at the Four Seasons on 57^th Street. We loved how the friendly, approachable service complemented the exquisite food. That night, we kept asking for recommendations, they kept on suggesting vegetarian plates which seemed uninspiring on the menu, but were all mini flavor explosions. The counter seating creates a very chatty vibe, and we ended up going out for drinks afterward with the couple seated next to us, art industry folks visiting from Vancouver.

My next visit to L’Atelier was in London, which has alas since closed. I was solo on a business trip, but Nora’s sister Emma was living there at the time. The counter seating section was closed for renovation, so we ended up seated elsewhere in the multi-storied restaurant. In fact, we began with a cocktail in a lovely dimly-lit room in the basement, and then moved up a couple of floors for the main courses. I was telling Emma about the apple-themed counter service, and the staff gave us a mini tour of that room so that Emma could see it for herself.

All of which is to say, we had some very high expectations for L’Atelier in Miami! As we settled into our seats at the counter, it was clear that all the folks around us were old hats at the Robuchon game. The couple to our right were New Yorkers (I have just heard that Miami is the ‘sixth boro’), who seemed to be on a first-name basis with the staff. Both couples to our left were younger locals, who chatted about all the other Ateliers they had visited.

The Wine List

Settling down with an aperitif, Plymouth Martini (no onions for my preferred Gibson) for me, a glass of Rosé Champagne for Nora, the first step was to tackle the wine list. A somm appears, unprompted. Ideally for a meal like this, I’m looking for a red burgundy with some bottle age, something like a 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin would be perfect. I notice that the New Yorker couple has a 1998 Le Vieux Donjon sitting in front of them. I don’t see it on the list; I ask, and yes, they brought it from home. Must be some 1998 in the air, because the Somm guides us to a 1998 Vallet Frères Morey-Saint-Denis. It was very good! The Somm, who was French, advised against decanting, which I would have done, so he took care pouring it.

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The Menu

Even though we were on an escape from winter, we ordered from the ‘aux saveurs d’hiver’ four-course menu. I started with caviar and crab, Nora with the beet salad. Both were delicious. Next course, we both had gnocchi with black truffle. Good, but I have some caveats. First, I am a gnocchi monster, so having a few on a small plate is not going to scratch the itch. Second, same goes for truffles–if you can count the number of truffle shavings on a dish (three), it can be a little underwhelming–“un peu, mais pas assez!” Third, pasta should be either piping hot, or chilled I guess, and this was luke-warm. As we know from basic thermodynamics, a small body is going to radiate out all its heat much more quickly than a large body: a huge plate of pasta will stay hot, a tiny bowl will not.

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For our main course, we both had the Icelandic cod with caviar, baby leek, and Champagne sauce. Hello, we are back in Robuchon country! When the younger couple saw that dish come out, they ordered one for themselves. I have to admit, I think Champagne sauce is from Heaven. It reminded me of the sauce that comes with the Quenelle de Brochet at Le Coucou. I should also state that this dish came with a side of chef Robuchon’s famous mashed potatoes, which it is safe to assume are 50/50 potatoes and butter.

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We still had plenty of wine left at this point (the New Yorker couple was smartly taking a leisurely pace through dinner, enjoying their wine, instructing the team when to fire the next course), so we added a cheese course. I haven’t mentioned L’Atelier’s bread yet, and it’s worth mentioning! In addition to the expected mini baguettes, they offered bread with Comté cheese baked in, as well as little snail-shaped croissants—all so good that we needed another round with the cheese.

The desserts were also both very good: Nora had Le Calamansi with a glass of 2005 Chateau d’Yquem, and I had Le Chocolat Sensation, with a vintage port. All in all, it was a lovely meal with my best gal. The next night? Valentine’s Day, and we know better than to brave that one, so we opted instead for pizza in Miami Beach, at Lucali.

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