Petit Rouge

Description:

• The interchange between elevated French tradition and decidedly unelevated American crassness can benefit everyone: their New Wave filmmaking resulted in the timeless Monkees' feature Head, and you'd still be in bed right now if there wasn't a Croissan'wich to lure you out. Combining French cuisine with the decided USA-ness of the strip mall, Petit Rouge. Sitting just north of the Kinko's near 123rd and Biscayne, Rouge, from the former owner/chef of Neal's and Il Migliore in Aventura, plates uncompromising French bistro cuisine in a railroad car-sized space imbued with a simple, quaint old world vibe via rustic tile floors, hardwood tables, folksy Gallic art, and pretending like it's not just north of a Kinko's. Hors d'oeuvres range from head-on Key West pink shrimp cocktail w/ a mustard tarragon mayo, to seared Hudson Valley foie gras w/ prune port wine reduction, to more adventurous fare like crispy sweetbreads in a caper sauce, wild Burgundy escargot in herbed garlic butter, and rotating seasonal specials like Everglades frog legs Provencal -- ahh, delicious cannibalism. Entrees're meticulously French, like three versions o' steak frites (finely chopped filet mignon tartare, skirt w/ caramelized shallots, pan-seared filet w/ green peppercorn sauce), sauteed Dover sole w/ lemon brown butter sauce, and for heavier, earthier flavors, sauteed calf's liver w/ caramelized onions, and crispy duck leg confit w/ potatoes cooked in duck fat, which you will instantaneously convert into dude fat. Done-in-house desserts include a densely layered apple tart w/ vanilla ice cream, and a five-piece cheese tasting plate, as well as coffee that's French-pressed to showcase the oils from the bean, and give a more "luxurious feel in the mouth" -- a phrase that sounded elevated until your crass American brain got a hold of it.
• © Thrillist 2012