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DB Bistro Moderne: Daniel Boulud drops (some of) the formalities in Miami
Jan 19, 2012 (Sun Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
A dozen years ago, Daniel Boulud made headlines by serving what some people called the most-expensive hamburger in New York at his DB Bistro Moderne.
The $27 burger now costs $34 -- at least at his 14-month-old Miami DB -- and it is in many ways the most-remarkable item on the menu: sirloin, braised short ribs, foie gras and black truffle served on a Parmesan bun with a kick of horseradish mustard on the side. Remarkable because it's decadently delicious and, in my mind, one of the few things on the menu that define DB as a bistro. In the traditional French lexicon, a bistro is less formal than a restaurant.
Otherwise, chef Jarrod Verbiak presents what most South Florida diners will find to be a rarefied menu, slightly less formal than that of Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach.
Our first introduction to the DB was in the gorgeous bar and lounge, a very Miami study in 1970s beige-on-beige, where we sat at the table-height bar in swivel chairs. A Ketel One martini cost $14. A Chivas on the rocks was $12.
Table ready, we were guided through the restaurant to what's known as the Persimmon Room, where the 16-foot walls are covered in dramatic persimmon-colored faux panels. There are two other dining rooms in the restaurant, but everyone looks better in the glow of orange.
Our fellow diners ran the gamut from an elderly couple -- she in fur stole, he in jacket and tie -- to the younger, plaid-shirted denizens of downtown Miami. Toward the end of our evening, a big group of gorgeously dressed thirtysomethings arrived, the women in tiny dresses, the men in dark, slim-fitted suits and skinny ties. The scene was all very celebratory.
Speaking of celebratory, we started with the Grand Plateau ($85), a tiered collection of fresh oysters, clams, mussels, tuna tartare, ceviche and cooked shrimp. Served over ice, every element is fresher than the next. The accompanying cocktail and mustard sauces completed the picture. Foie gras ($26) with chestnut puree served with brioche toast points set a French tone for the evening. Equally rich was a pasta appetizer ($19) of cavatelli with ricotta, pecorino, porcini confit, speck ham and walnuts.
The menu includes pasta, seafood, meat dishes and so-called "les specialties de la maison" -- or house specialties. (I'm not quite sure why parts of the menu are printed in French.)
I order grilled branzino ($36), served with caramelized eggplant, vinegar peppers and lemon arancini. The peppers gave the dish a bit of a kick, which melded wonderfully with the crisp skin of the sea bass and the lemony rice.
On those rare occasions when I prepare short ribs at home, I go directly to a Boulud cookbook. I'm not sure mine are quite as good as the fall-off-the-bone creations ($42) served here, with pureed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and chestnuts. Either way, don't miss this signature dish.
While the New York strip ($52) wasn't prepared as American steakhouses do it -- it had none of the exterior char we've come to expect -- this prime piece of beef was ridiculously tender, served with Bearnaise and a slow roasted red onion.
We tried to order some side dishes one night. At $9 each, they ran from mushroom fricassee to chickpea panisse. But our waiter forgot about them.
That little bungle sums up much of the service at DB Bistro Moderne. It's mostly fine. But I wish our server knew more about the menu and could speak to us as fellow foodies. I suppose waitering is sometimes just a job.
End an evening here with the gloriously fussy desserts of pastry chef Jer"me Maure. I use the word "fussy" because they are the antidote to good, old American sweets, with each creation coming multiple elements.
Pear vacherin ($10) combines chantilly poached pears, juniper berry meringue, prickly pear gelee, chocolate and pear sorbets. Honeycrisp apple confit ($10) is an intense apple affair with a cinnamon puff pastry twist, green apple coulis and mascarpone ice cream. Creaminess comes via chocolate mousse ($12) with passion fruit coulis and coconut sorbet, or dulce de leche with chocolate foam, caramelized macadamia, hot chocolate sauce and coffee ice cream.
I couldn't eat like this every day. But if I could, DB Bistro Moderne would be near the top of my list.
DB Bistro Moderne
At the JW Marriott Marquis, 255 Biscayne Blvd Way, Miami, 305-421-8800
___ (c)2012 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Visit the Sun Sentinel
(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information
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