Best French

If you want great cuisine, look for great chefs. If you want great French cuisine, look for great French chefs. Le Provençal's chef Christian Antoniotti began his career at Hotel Restaurant Le Provençal in Cassis and then moved to four-star hotels in France and Switzerland as well as celebrated dining establishments in England. He moved to Miami in 1984 and began working at Chez Maurice, which in 1988 would become Le Provençal Restaurant. One of the chefs there, Jean-Pierre Terrou, had graduated from the Souillac Culinary School and worked at the Michelin-starred La Ferme de Mougins in Cannes, and later came up with foie gras recipes at Rougie Foie-Gras in Sarlat, France — where the world's most renowned foie gras is created. Locals, however, will probably recall him from Le Festival Restaurant in Coral Gables, which was at one time the finest French dining establishment in Miami-Dade. Terrou moved to Le Provençal in 2002, and Le Provençal moved to its current Miracle Mile location in 2009. France Guillou, the president and manager of the venue, completes the trio of veteran professionals who make dining here such a seriously rewarding experience. Most starters are under $15 and most main courses cost less than $30, but the restaurant runs a three-course $35 prix fixe dinner menu that changes monthly. For June, the first course is a choice of duck pâté with orange essence or goat cheese tartlet with herbs. The second round includes rooster in red wine sauce with mushrooms and smoked bacon, grilled lamb chops with basil and sun-dried tomatoes, and Alaskan salmon fillet stuffed with spinach, garlic, and lemon sabayon. Dessert options encompass delights such as fresh strawberries with Grand Marnier and whipped cream, and chocolate lava cake. The regional French wine list runs deep, the Provençe-inspired décor is as pretty and charming as the former first lady of France, and the comforting country fare is as impressive as the resumés of those who cook it.

Source: Miami New Times

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