A Local Café – South Miami

Lunchtime…and we were ready for a break between our tours of local attractions.  We’d completed our visit to the Deering Estate and Fairchild Gardens was next on our list!  We drove around until we found a likely place for lunch…

After wandering around for a bit, we stumbled upon this little restaurant in South Miami. 

Café Pastis is a little French bistro that’s located in a small strip shopping center.  It’s patterned after the neighborhood eateries in Paris.  Chef Philippe Jacquet was born in Marseille and he was trained in Paris.  He partnered with Miami native Scott L. Price to recreate an authentic country French dining experience in South Florida.

Café Pastis is indeed a cozy place… It isn’t a big restaurant but it does have the same advantage that most south Florida restaurants have throughout the year.  Outdoor dining is available and popular.  We sat indoors and seating was comfortable enough despite it being a bit tight.

The staff was friendly even though Laurie and I definitely had that ‘tourist’ look!  The décor inside Café Pastis consists of brightly colored walls covered with Gallic memorabilia.  The food smelled good and the bread looked great…

OK… I had to find out what “pastis” was.  Pastis, (French pronunciation: ​[pa.stis], is an anise-flavored liqueur and apéritif from France.  It typically contains 40–45% alcohol by volume, although alcohol-free varieties do exist.

Now the question was…what to have for lunch?  Was it going to be Les Soupes, Les Sandwiches, Les Salades or, was it coming from the list of Les Spécialités?

Dawn Marie and Laurie posed for me and I captured this happy photo!

Laurie was certainly tempted to order Gratinée à l’Oignon, Frottés d’Ail, aka Baked Onion Soup with Garlic Croutons. ($6.00)  In addition, there are 7 luncheon salad options on the menu at Café Pastis.  Of interest was the Fondant de Chevre Chaud au Miel, Croutons aux Olives, Huile de Romarin, a salad entrée with Melted Goat Cheese and Honey on Crispy Olive Bread, Mesclun Salad, Rosemary Scented Oil. ($14.50)  You could order it with Grilled Chicken, ($17.50) or with Grilled Shrimp. ($18.50)

We all opted for the sandwich menu.  I chose the Croque Monsieur…basically a ham and melted cheese sandwich on toast. ($7.50) Like all of the sandwiches, it came with our choice of French fries or salad.  I decided to behave a bit and I went with the salad… With a bit of spicy mustard, this was a very nice sandwich and the greens were nice and fresh.

I have to admit that I took a long look at the Luncheon Specialties portion of the menu… I was sorely tempted to order the Entrecote Grillée au Beurre de Roquefort Persille, Frites…aka., grilled New York Steak with Roquefort Parsley Butter and French Fries. ($20.50)

Sorry for the blurry photo.  This was Dawn Marie’s lunch.  It is the Poitrine de Poulet à l’Harissa…spicy Harissa Marinated Chicken on a nice French baguette. ($10.50) It was a joy to have some quality French bread!

I took a look at the dinner menu just to see what might take our fancy if we were ordering our evening meal… For an appetizer, Laurie would have ordered the Escargots au Beurre de Pastis, Aile et Basilic…snails in a Pastis Garlic Basil Butter. ($12.50) For her entrée, she might have ordered the Confit de Canard Braisé au Jus de Cassis et Figues Confits…braised Duck Legs in a Light Black Currant and Fig Sauce. ($22.50)

Laurie ordered the Portobello Grillé et Gruyère Fondu…grilled Portobello and Melted Swiss Cheese sandwich on a baguette with the side salad. ($10.50) We all stayed away from the temptation of French fries in a French bistro!  Laurie thoroughly enjoyed her luncheon selection…

Café Pastis was a great random pick for our lunch.  It certainly didn’t offer your average luncheon fare…and that was nice for a change.  Café Pastis is located in South Miami’s central shopping, entertainment and business district, just one block south of the Shoppes at Sunset Place on US Highway 1.  This restaurant is located at 7310 Red Road.  Phone: 305-665-3322.  Café Pastis’ website is found at   http://www.cafepastis.com/index.php?action=home.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave