Foodie Find: Dirty French

The steakhouse on Brickell Avenue offers thrilling takes on French classics in a decadent atmosphere.

Wagyu Tomahawk Steak

With the opening of Dirty French, a steakhouse swathed in extravagant décor and a menu with thrilling takes on French classics, the Brickell Avenue restaurant scene has a new and opulent neighbor. Created by Major Food Group, the brand bringing Carbone to Miami Beach, the Miami location has a sister in New York but bears little resemblance to any surrounding eatery. Anywhere.

Angel's Envy Manhattan

The dramatic entrance is a dark hallway with carved wooden arches and dim chandeliers. Start with a drink in the lounge and soak up the jungle from every direction – beginning with the green marble bar to the gold palm leaves shading low-hanging lights. There are carved wooden zebras, tigers and elephants resting by liquor bottles and cheetah or leopard prints covering the chairs. Consider an Angel’s Envy Manhattan, as the deep aging of the spirt finished in a ruby port cask will assist in the visual transformation. It’s served in delicate, old-world crystal.

To dine, select the Disco Room or the Zebra Room, where the animal print is accented with red walls. (For extra privacy, there’s also a Purple Room.) To start – after the Dirty French flatbread with chili flakes and Moroccan spices — do not miss the beef carpaccio, which is elevated here with black truffle and hazelnuts, chives, mushroom and watercress. There’s also a tuna tartare served with crisp potatoes and a mushroom millefeuille of royal trumpet mushrooms sliced thin and compressed overnight and seared so it’s silky, with green curry and snap peas.

The menu has meat cuts chosen from important local relationships with farms in Idaho, Australian and New York. You can select the traditional, such as filet mignon and ribeye, but there’s also a wagyu tomahawk with a high marble content as well as a porterhouse. The Dover Sole is two pounds of fish with brown butter, apricot jam and sesame and the chicken & crepes is cooked at 600 degrees with the skin on, which leaves the outside crispy and the breast soft. The cajun snapper is cooked with chowchow. On the side, select spinach with sesame or creme, pommes frites or puree, dirty rice or broccoli.

Beef carpaccio
Beef carpaccio
Chicken & crepes
Chicken & crepes
The jungle-themed lounge Dirty French on Brickell Avenue
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