Dirty French Steakhouse Miami is made for the Magic City, a fancy steakhouse experience with its high gloss, eye popping décor, buzzy ambiance, indulgent menu items and wine list, and service captains dressed in custom designed pink tuxedos. It’s a great place for a celebratory meal with its buzzy ambiance, combo of delicious steakhouse and French classic dishes, and tableside preparations with a flourish. Not surprising that a restaurant with this kind of personality comes from the Major Food Group known for Carbone, Sadelle’s and The Grill in New York City where we enjoyed an outstanding prime rib presented in a way that hearkened back to the Four Seasons restaurant in the 80’s.

Dining is in one of three restaurant spaces each with its own décor and personality, all baroque and playfully irreverent.  Find design elements like zebra upholstered dining chairs, silk lanterns overhead activating a gold leaf ceiling, and walls upholstered in burnt orange velvet. The Jungle Bar is a perfect place to start the evening, with its own glitz and look including a gold leafed ceiling, onyx bar, Murano glass leafed chandelier and fringed leopard bar stools and more. The bar is open to all, even those without a dinner reservation and would be a good place to go  for a drink or to have an advance look so to speak. There’s also a  private dining room for large groups, events and dinner guests.

Start with any of their decadent and rich hors ‘oeuvre like the lobster ravioli with sauce Nantua ($45), giant grilled oysters “bourguignon” ($25) or crisp crab cake croustillant with butterball potatoes and cayenne. And then there’s caviar vichyssoise (MP) and their version of the wedge salad, here decomposed ($24). We enjoyed the wedge salad and one of their signature dishes, a unique mushrooms millefeuille (wrapped in pastry) with green curry and snap peas ($29).

The main event at Dirty French Steakhouse Miami is of course its prime aged steaks ($65-$95 or 40 ounces porterhouse $225) which can be pared with a number of sauces, and a 16-20 ounce ounce spit roasted prime rib option for two ($155) which we opted for and Mr. W proclaimed first rate (he’s Mr.Picky when it comes to prime rib).

They’re also proud of their seafood and “birds” options including the bass citron with a Thai basil pistou and the standout for me, the duck a ‘orange,  ($54)which has always been one of my classic French bistro favorites. Next time I’d like to try the pork chop with apple brandy sauce ($48) and the Dover sole meuniere to share served tableside (MP). A selection of vegetable and potato sides are offered ($15).

For dessert there’s a signature chocolate souffle flambeed tableside. My favorite though, a candidate for one of my best dishes of the year is the Pineapple Pain Perdu. Star shaped pineapples are sauteed and flambeed tableside with sugar and spices creating a caramel sauce. It’s then flambeed with run, poured over the brioche toasted and served with spiced brown butter ice cream. 

There’s an extensive 700 plus bottle wine list with, as you can imagine, some very serious wines.

Valet parking is offered for $20.

Dirty French Steakhouse Miami, 1200 Brickell Avenue, Miami. 33131 It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.  Note that they’re a hot ticket so reserve well in advance especially for Thursday through Saturday.