Feast on American steak with French flair at The Setai Grill

Sara Liss3/4/2013

The goods: The Setai Grill, the smaller of the South Beach hotel’s two restaurants, reinvents itself as a French steak house. 

Ambience: The sumptuous space is outfitted with cushy chairs, leather pillows, a communal table and soaring slate and brick ceilings.

The grub: American steak with French flair. Executive chef Mathias Gervais and chef de cuisine Thomas Griese oversee a pricy menu: Starters range from $13 to $38 and mains are $28-$125.

Start with Iberico ham, aged prosciutto, a melanosporum (black French truffle) soup with flaky pastry shell or foie gras torchon with12-year-aged balsamic vinegar and pineapple chutney. The menu focuses on aged cuts from New Jersey cult butcher Pat LaFrieda and Sons, including a 32-ounce tomahawk, a Black Angus filet, Colorado lamb and “blanquette” braised veal. Sides include classic frites and eggplant bayaldi layered with zucchini and tomato.

Verdict: The only spot in Miami where you can get a juicy steak from famed purveyor Pat La Frieda and Sons.