Major Food Group Does It Again, in a Transporting Setting, With Dirty French Steakhouse

Anyone who doesn’t believe that dining has become synonymous with entertainment hasn’t been to Dirty French Steakhouse. With this fanciful Brickell bistro, a Ken Falk-designed hallucinatory throwback to the 1970s and ’80s (complete with Blondie on the playlist), Major Food Group continues its culinary domination of Miami.

After scoring hits with Sadelle’s, Hasalon, ZZ’s Club, and especially Carbone, the company’s trio (Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick) still has the vision and talent to surprise and delight. (Several of these concepts began in New York, and versions of Carbone, with its storied Greenwich Village origins, has also popped up in cities as diverse as Las Vegas, Dallas and Hong Kong.) Dirty French delivers delirium, and few restaurant groups show mastery of gastronomic dreams as does Major Food Group.

So, have a seat in your zebra-print dining chair and enjoy the show.

To peruse the menu is to know you’ll want to come back, because it’s replete with specialty dishes from another era: duck a l’orange. Chicken and crepes. Crab croquettes. Giant grilled oysters bourguignon. And we haven’t even gotten to the carnivores, who will gravitate to the Wagyu tomahawk and the 40-ounce porterhouse (both for two).

My friend and I, who like to share, opted for a mix of traditional delicacies and decadent standbys. In the case of the former, the crab Louis was prepared tableside, and the result was rich and delectable. For the latter, we savored the lobster ravioli with saffron. At our gregarious server’s request, we also shared a flaky mushroom milleuille—a milleuille is a layered puff pastry creation that’s typically reserved for desserts, but we scooped up this savory interpretation, a Dirty French signature. To complete our time travel back to Manhattan, circa 1980, we couldn’t resist the Dover sole meuniere.

It sounds like a lot of food, but we both appreciated the restrained portion size, which allowed us to revel in a feast of flavors without feeling overstuffed and uncomfortable at evening’s end. Then, only one question remained: Whether to return for the caviar Vichyssoise or head to Major Food Group’s next debut—Contessa, which just opened in the Miami Design District—first.

You May Also Like
New Hotel Proposed by Related Group and BH Group—Across from the Diplomat

The developers are proposing a 300-room hotel in Hollywood on the site of what is now a parking lot.

Read More
Opening this Fall: The Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel

Omni Hotels & Resorts will bring its first property in this market to the Broward County Convention Center.

Read More
W Fort Lauderdale Names New GM

With 18 years in hospitality, Cody Bertone has built his career across Florida and Louisiana.

Read More
The Breakers Palm Beach: Addressing the Workforce Housing Challenge

The Breakers Palm Beach is exploring development of a dedicated housing campus for its employees on a vacant 1.16-acre lot in West Palm Beach, just a few miles west of the resort.

Read More
Other Posts
Global Cosmetics Firm Picks South Florida for Headquarters

Miami was chosen for its high concentration of med spas and clinics.

Read More
A Decade of Progress Celebrated at South Florida Behavioral Health Conference

United Way of Broward County also introduced three groundbreaking new programs.

Read More
Who Are the Highest-Paid CEOs in South Florida?

It’s only fitting that CEO David Gitlin of Carrier Global—makers of air conditioners—would be at the top of the list.

Read More
A Car Dealership as a Lifestyle Destination? That’s the RETAIL.NEXT Concept

Braman Motors has unveiled a newly transformed BMW + MINI Showroom that upends the traditional car shopping experience.

Read More