AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
My wife and I were given a two-top at Bagatelle Miami River. The chairs had been arranged at an angle facing the water, just like the other tables along the riverside. It was a stunning spot, with the Miami River sending a slow Friday night parade of seven- and eight-figure yachts, close enough to study the upholstery. Then, before our drinks arrived, the largest yacht in the procession came to a stop. It shifted sideways deftly, coming closer and closer. Until the view was gone, replaced by a giant blue hull.
This could have wrecked dinner. It did not, mostly because Bagatelle knows exactly what kind of restaurant it is. When we asked our waiter for another table, we were moved immediately to a spot farther back, away from the blocked view and into the kind of evening Bagatelle has built its name on.
Tartare de thon Bagatelle
Bagatelle began in New York and has since turned French Mediterranean cooking, Champagne, DJs, polished service, and late-night table dancing into a global restaurant brand. Its new Miami River location gives the group a second address in Miami, replacing the now-closed Bagatelle at the Ritz on South Beach, and putting the party just west of Brickell, where the city’s money tends to arrive by land, water, or both.
The river location is built for that exact audience. Inside, the restaurant unfolds over two levels, with multiple dining areas that feel glossy and expensive without drifting into stiffness. Then the space opens onto a large patio, where white umbrellas with blue printed undersides glow after sunset over linen-covered tables, colorful banquettes, and striped chair cushions. It is a Riviera fantasy recast for Miami.
Every Bagatelle gets a slightly adjusted version of the menu, and this one, with chef Jimmy De Almeida in charge of the kitchen, carries some Miami influence through its seafood, raw bar dishes, and Latin accents. We stayed mostly with the classics. The truffle pizza is a dish I’ve had many times now at the Ritz location: a cacio e pepe sauce, a fluffy-slash-chewy Roman-style dough, truffle shaved atop. The tuna tartare was cool and clean, with artful dollops of avocado and radish slices and a little heat from Espelette chile.
Pizza Romaine
Then came the chicken, which arrived tableside baked inside a humble bread dome, decorated by a few basil leaves baked in to it. The server cut it open, carved the bird, and served it over potatoes and mushrooms with a rich jus. It was peasant food in formalwear, and I mean that as the highest praise, this outrageously glamorous restaurant serving the kind of food a French grandmother might serve on Sundays.
Poulet fermier
The carved roast chicken
The chicken had picked up a faint, intoxicating bread aroma and flavor, the jus clung to the potatoes and mushrooms, and the whole dish had the comforting logic of something older and humbler than either the restaurant or anyone in it. On the side we got the grilled Caesar, the greens slightly charred and tender, the sauces on top decadent and rich, a nice accompaniment to the chicken.
Crêpes dentelles
By dessert, the restaurant had changed moods. We ordered Bagatelle’s Tower of Textures, with crêpes dentelles, rum-scented cream, and dulce de leche, a classic on Bagatelle menus, a tower of textures and not-to-sweet ingredients. Outside, the umbrellas were lit, guests were moving on and off a yacht for a birthday dinner being served onboard, and the music had started to climb. Our waiter explained that table dancing would begin soon and, with a smirk, said he’d be happy to help us onto ours when the time came.
We left before that happened. Still, Bagatelle had already made its case. The view had vanished behind a yacht, and somehow the restaurant had turned that into part of the story rather than the problem.
Leonardo Opens on Miami Beach With Pasta, Cocktails, and Cabaret
At Leonardo, it’s handmade pastas, tableside branzino, Italian cocktails, and a supper-club feel.
These are the Michelin-Ready Restaurants in New Hampshire
New Hampshire still doesn't have an official Michelin Guide, so we set out to build a list of the deserving restaurants.
