Lou Lou Le Petit Bistro: Middling; 2.5 Stars for Kane Steakhouse

Lee Klein visits Lou Lou Le Petit Bistro and says that although the owners "plaster words such as organic, local, and sustainable on their shop window and menus," "the food here seems lost in another time and place." The beef had "heavy brown sauce" that was reminiscent of French onion soup in which the onions and marinade battled it out on the palate, but there were no winners." Klein also had issues with the origin of some of the ingredients, writing, "Because the bistro touts its "local" cred, why not serve seafood from a closer source than Scotland?" A house burger made of ground brisket, origins unknown, was "delicious." Pate was "timeless," and the actual French onion soup garnered "praise at the table." But it still didn't cut it. Bottom line: "Much of the rest of the menu needs to be sharpened. Because though you might get away with middling Asian bistro food, these days middling French bistro fare is simply not what the times demand."[MNT]

Victoria Pesce Elliott calls Kane Steakhouse "another decadent meat palace," offering "no nonsense food." Of Chef Daniel Ganem, she writes, "His expert technique is evident in every dish, even when they’re not masterpieces." What worked? Caesar salad with "zippy basil," "gorgeously juicy, meaty cobia," "Steaks treated with care and dramatically charred on the outside and lusciously pink in the center," among other things. What didn't? "A rather bland, skin-on branzino fillet," "petite New York strip too generously marbled (translation: more fat than beef)," "Lobster macaroni and cheese - a huge flop," and "Service bordering on the obsequious." Bottom line: 2.5 stars. [Miami.com]