South Florida has witnessed a culinary awakening in the last decade, prompting even the selective Michelin Guide to come to town. And while many worthy eateries received well-deserved acknowledgment from the esteemed culinary bellwether, only L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (part of the Bastion Collection) was anointed two, out of a total of three, Michelin stars. Spend an evening at the contemporary French winner in Miami’s upscale Design District, and you’ll understand why.
“Atelier” means workshop in French, something that serves as both springboard and root to the culinary creations taking place within the sleek, buzzing restaurant.
Its signature 34-seat dining counter purposefully overlooks the open kitchen — a concept the late Chef Joël Robuchon helped introduced in 1992, when the process of food preparation in restaurants was considered a secret affair done behind closed doors. One of ten outposts (the first opened in Paris’ Saint-Germain neighborhood in 2003, followed by Tokyo that same year), L’Atelier Miami opened in 2019 atop its sister eatery, Le Jardinier, known for its vegetable-forward menu.
Manny Rivera, my culinary guide for the evening, assures me this will be more than a dinner, this will be an experience — and he’s right. Just the entry into the restaurant (a spiral staircase ascending from Le Jardiniere with carpeting that subtly shifts from green (to match the downstairs eatery) to black (to welcome the onyx and scarlet palate of L’Atelier) is a start. The space is cast in dim lighting, meant to draw one’s attention to either the kitchen or the dishes being enjoyed. Servers and chefs donned in black move in quiet, organized unison as if engaging in a well-rehearsed dance.
The menu is extensive, allowing diners the flexibility to create their own experience or select from several seasonal tasting menus composed by the chefs. I highly recommend Rivera’s suggestion: opting for the signature “Evolution Menu” (an 8-course menu including dessert) and adding one a-la-carte item for a full experience. Oenophiles will want to add the wine pairing, as Sommelier Henrique Castillo sources exceptional, unique selections that bring an added level of joy to each course. Of course, a full bar beckons (in fact, Head Bartender Ruben Rolon was awarded the Exceptional Cocktails Award by Michelin Guide), so if you enjoy a good cocktail, such as a timeless Old Fashioned, you’ll find the monogrammed ice cube and the contents being chilled within, irresistible.
Restaurant Photos By Gio Gutierrez
The premise here is simple: to elevate straight-forward dishes to an ethereal level by way of flawless technique, unparalleled creativity and premium ingredients.
Culinary Director Alain Verzeroli, a longtime protégé of Chef Robuchon and Executive Chef James Friedberg are the two overseeing the Miami restaurant. My guest and I began with the Foie Gras Royale: an amuse-bouche housed in a tidy shot glass filled with a warm, savory foie gras custard made with essence of Maury “Vielles Vinges” (a rich, buttery French wine) and topped with parmesan foam. It’s not a large serving: maybe 5 to 6 bites using a minuscule spoon, but the flavor profile is so abundant, so deliriously delicious, you’ll find yourself lingering in awe. Next came Le Caviar Et Le Homard, a signature Chef Robuchon dish consisting of Maine lobster, crustacean jelly and celeriac cream. It arrives looking like a work of art and, before I dig in, Rivera explains that the amber gel is a reduction of lobster broth that has cooked for 48 hours in order to achieve an intense, infusion serving as a buoy to the tender lobster and briny caviar.
Take a pause here. Hopefully, you have been poured a glass of white wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley. It is fruity yet bone-dry and works wonders on the palate right about now. There is also a breadbasket which arrived before the meal kicked off featuring 3 types of breads — all baked daily in-house. It is highly likely you will be tempted to fill up on the artisan offerings (particularly because they arrive paired with a medallion of creamy butter), but at the risk of sounding motherly, I suggest you hold off and save room for what is to come.
Rivera is giddy to bring out the next course and his enthusiasm and affable nature is both endearing and contagious. “It’s tuna,” he offers, “but just wait,” he adds, his eyes growing bright.
Delicate slivers of tuna sashimi served in a warm vinaigrette made with brown butter, mustard and exotic lime arrives. It is quite possibly the best tuna I have ever had. The marriage of tender fish with the nutty component of brown butter, peppery bite of mustard and tangy quality of the lime result in a euphoria that leaves me speechless.
Salad follows, but you have already caught on: this is not your ordinary greens. Instead, compact 1-inch warm spheres of tomatoes paired with tomato jelly and fresh goat cheese discs dance in a tarragon-lemongrass vinaigrette that turns my guest — a known salad hater — into a passionate advocate. Again, the restaurant has managed to infuse so much flavor into such a small dish. It feels as if I am eating a magic trick.
The last three courses are the main dishes: poached sea bass with an airy marine mousse and vanilla broth, roasted veal sweetbreads with carrot dressing, bay leaf oil and citrus confit and filet mignon with green asparagus, chanterelles and Marcona almonds served with one of the restaurant’s most iconic side dishes: mashed potatoes, oftentimes referred to as the best mashed potatoes in the world. Each is worthy of a standing ovation.
All the while, Rivera seamlessly ensures all needs are met while weaving in engaging history lessons about the wine glasses (single blown, from Germany), the French-made cutlery (made by Charles Christofle, a jeweler who bought the patent for silver plating and revolutionized the world of utensils) and morsels of South Florida trivia as well.
We end on a sweet note, sampling both the Black Forest chocolate crémeux with cherries and Kirsch Chantilly and the refreshing strawberry dessert — diced fruit, strawberry light emulsion and corossol (also known as soursop) sherbet. Then Rivera guides my guest and I to the kitchen where we are introduced to the team responsible for an evening I will not forget.
“This is part of it,” Rivera emphasizes while looking around at his colleagues, all of whom have paused their work to say hello. “We are a team,” he adds, noting the air of comradery flanking us.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is located at 151 NE 41st St, Miami. For more information, call 305-402-9070 or visit latelier-miami.com.
Tuna Sashimi