La Goulue

About two weeks ago, Cliff and I decided to go to Bal Harbour Shops to look at some Tiffany bracelets which I've been dying to buy since. Well, it was actually me who was dying to go there but after much persuasion he relented - so we went. I was happy about it since I was able to finally get my bracelet and Cliff, being any typical male one would go shopping with, decides that he is hungry and is ready to grab a bite. Talk about 2:30 PM Lunch!!! After scouting some nice restaurants we decided to settle and have lunch at La Goulue. The restaurant is a Parisian style bistro that has other branches across the United States, but the original is located in Madison Avenue in New York City.

With the Miami heat and all, we chose the indoor sitting instead. Our server came and brought us cold water and warm french bread and of course the lunch menu. It took us almost ten minutes to decide on what to get since almost everything sounded so good. Talk about being super hungry! Cliff ordered the New York Steak which comes with an herbed butter sauce and pommes frite while I chose the Mahi - Mahi "a la Plancha," it's a seared fish with maltaise citrus sauce and creamy herb risotto. Yum! The server had suggested an appetizer for us which is Calamari a la Plancha. This is a seared whole baby calamari with basil, pesto, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil while sitting on top of sliced seared tomato.

The appetizer came, and Cliff was grossed out at first since he has never eaten a whole calamari before, so its fairly a new thing for him. But, it was so good! The meat was very tender and the sauce was tangy and sweetness of the tomato was perfect for the calamari. The sauce alone is already a very good accompaniment for the bread (the servers probably thought I was loving the bread so much that they brought another basket to our table).

Calamari a la Plancha

Our entree finally came before I could devour the 2nd basket of bread, again. The mahi mahi was seared to the perfect temperature and it's natural flavor was very sweet and the sauce was citrusy, while the risotto was creamy.

Mahi Mahi "a la Plancha"

Cliff's New York Steak on the other hand was grilled to his desired donness which is medium rare. The pommes frite was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The herbed butter is very flavorful, a great sauce for the steak.

New York Steak

By the time we finished eating we could not go through the dessert part. I was ready to sleep by then! We paid the bill which was a bit pricey but still, we both think that it was worth it. Cliff and I enjoyed the food and ambience of the restaurant, it's like being in one of the bistro's in Champs Elysees, a very relaxing moment for the both us where we can just sit down and embrace everthing that is around us. Perfect Afternoon!