Oscar Billordo works at the Raw Bar of Au Pied de Cochon.

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10

MiamiDean

Posted on Tue, 09.22.2009 @ 07:59

here's the place to go for ex-french people like me! good food and good ambiance, you feel like in France itself! not too expensive and good serve! ... Read more

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The Big Review:

Au Pied de Cochon

9/16/2009

Victoria Pesce Elliott

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Member rating:

• Au Pied de Cochon
  81 Washington Ave, Miami Beach
  305-674-1844

• Hours: 11:30am-midnight Monday-Wednesday, 11:30am-2am Thursday-Friday, 10am-2am Saturday, 10am-midnight Sunday
  Prices: Appetizers $9-$29, entrees $24-$38, desserts from $8-$12.

• FYI: Full bar; Wine by the glass from $7-$14; Bottles, including rare Bordeaux and Burgundies from $23-$866. Corkage fee by arrangement with the sommelier for $25. Metered street parking or valet ($7-$14). Reservations accepted but not required. AE, MC, VS.

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Miami is having a French moment. And nowhere is it more authentic than on the tip of South Beach at the new Au Pied de Cochon. The concept started back in 1947 when pork butcher Clement Blanc wanted to create a place to feed his hungry staffers when they came off their early shifts in the old Les Halles market. It soon became the in spot for artists, actors, socialites and writers in a way only a French employee canteen could. All the restaurants ... Mexico City, Atlanta ... sport the same whimsical theme, namesake pigs' feet frolicking with maidens in the wall murals and as vases holding fresh flowers. The menu is as vast as the space. French brasserie standards include onion soup gratinee, moules marinieres, escargots de Bourgogne, pan-fried foie gras with apples, steak tartare prepared tableside and steak frite. Formally trained waiters in ankle-skimming black aprons are happy to suggest dishes, replace a dropped Cristofle knife or refill a Riedel glass.

Ambiance: Those who know the Paris original will appreciate the whimsical design of the 6,000-square-foot complex inside the 1938 Henry Hohauser-designed Deco classic. It has been done up in swirly art nouveau style with jangly crystal and brass chandeliers and loads of shimmery marble. Depending on one's taste, the décor can either be over the top or just fun.

What Worked:

• Golden, crusty and utterly transporting breads
• Seemingly simple salads
• An awe-inspiring selection of fresh-shucked oysters alongside piles of crab, lobster, prawns, mussels and more
• Succulent pan-seared red snapper with tangy pesto, gently carved potato and an earthy black-olive puree
• Jewel-like salmon over warm lentils in a sweet balsamic glaze
• Delightfully satisfying deconstructed bouillabaisse with plump mussels and shrimp in an aromatic broth with long paddles of aioli-slathered croutons
• A  superb bone-in rib-eye dripoping salty, minerally juices from its pink center
• Steaming frites as thin as matchsticks
• Divinely crisped duck confit
• An extensive Franco-centric wine list and expert sommelier service
• A great wine by the glass variety
• “La Vie en Rose” dessert with raspberry sorbet, hibiscus gelatin and loads of fresh raspberries arranged in an oversized martini glass
• A meltingly rich nougat-and-praline layered cake mimicking an artisanal Kit-Kat Bar

What Didn’t Work

• Heavily breaded and overcooked roasted pig’s trotter and braised veal cheeks in a red wine sauce as sweet as dessert