From Italian to Japanese to American to Israeli—is there a cuisine Major Food Group (MFG) hasn’t touched locally? Yes, but it’s only a matter of time (read: there's more in the pipeline). Currently, however, the NYC–based hospitality group is giving the French steakhouse a whirl with their latest restaurant to open in Miami, Dirty French Steakhouse.
Making its official debut tonight in Brickell, the local offshoot of MFG’s Lower East Side stunner by the same name is opulent, over-the-top and excessively designed like some Liberace-styled fever dream. All that said, it’s pretty gorgeous if you’re into velvet, crystals and animal prints—which, who isn’t?
Ken Fulk, who conceived the look for Carbone and ZZ’s Sushi bar, also designed the lavish interiors that feature nods to the world’s most glittering dining rooms like Maxim’s in Paris. Guests enter through the Jungle Bar, a striking cocktail lounge decked in tropical motifs, before making their way to the main dining area where the aforementioned textiles and leopard and zebra prints (from upholstered chairs to drapery the bar fringe) plus Murano glass reside. There’s an adjacent dining parlor with private nooks and dim lighting for those seeking a little more privacy. It’s a special aesthetic, for sure, and it trickles down to the impeccably dressed captains donning custom-designed pink tuxedos.
The menu at Dirty French Steakhouse is just as you’d predict: a smattering of French dishes—including classic preparations of dover sole meunière, duck à l’orange and various soufflés—an array of aged steaks (think a 40-ounce porterhouse and a wagyu tomahawk), seafood entrées and the quintessential American chophouse side dishes that put diners over the edge—in the best way. There’s also an impressive 700-bottle wine list to peruse for options to wash it all down with.
Dirty French Steakhouse opens tonight, April 29, in the former Morton’s The Steakhouse space at 1200 Brickell Avenue (www.dirtyfrench.com). Good luck getting in!
