The Early Word on La Gloutonnerie in SoFi

Serving upscale French bistro fare South of Fifth, the Mexico City import La Gloutonnerie opened its doors a little over a month ago in the space formerly occupied by Au Pied de Cochon. Touting itself as "a hidden corner where Old World traditions meet the vibrancy of modern Miami", La Gloutonnerie serves the classic French, albeit expensive, cuisine of executive chef Christian Testa in a retro "Mad Men-style" dining room. Here's a roundup of the things guests are saying about La Gloutonnerie:

The One-Percenters News: Sara Liss of Miami.com found La Gloutonnerie to have "pleasing French food in a laid back, quantly retro dining room" with chef Christian Testa's cuisine having "a subtle Mediterranean flair" on the traditional French dishes like "chateaubriand for two and foie gras terrine". Although, "prices are skewed to the one-percenters". [Miami.com]

The Incredible News: An OpenTable diner found the restaurant "romantic and rememberable": "Absolutely incredible - service, food, everything. The manager is first class. We let them know we were on our honeymoon and they made the night super special. I will certainly return." [OT]

The Good News: One yelper found La Gloutonnerie "a delicious surprise in SoFi" that "takes a different approach in decor and ambiance with a traditional and innovative French menu". The yelper dined on "Les moules gloutones served in mouthwatering chablis sauce and the Chateaubriand gave us one of the most memorable dining experiences! The traditional souffle it's made to order and very decadent too". [Yelp]

The Dreary News: Another OpenTable diner found La Gloutonnerie's ambiance gloomy: "The restaurant has few windows and low ceilings, which leads the room to feel very enclosed and bit dreary." Where the decor failed, the food was a success with "perfect French bistro cuisine and lovely wine list. Perfect coquilles St. Jacques, Chateaubriand, perfect salades (sic), perfect bread, amazingly perfect souffles!" Along with the ambiance, the service was a misstep: "Alas, like most South Florida restaurants, the service did not match the high quality of the food." [OT]

The Hidden Gem News: One OpenTable diner felt right at home, "but with an elegant twist": "There is market there which gives the feel of being in an actual brasserie! Everyone was great and the food was excellent. Also was introduced to the chef and if you have time try the Souflee (sic). It takes about 40 min for it to be prepared but, worth the wait." [OT]

The Diamond in the Rough News: Blogger Princess Martha gives a thorough run down of her neighbor La Gloutonnerie calling it a bit out of place, "it doesn't have Prime in it's name, it didn't come to Miami with a big fancy following from the Big Apple and they certainly aren't related to Joe and his stone crabs. But what is does have and what it brings to the block is fresh, delectable outstanding food combined with impeccable service." She goes overboard with the adjectives "The restaurant itself feels retro, modern, clean, chic, cozy and comfortable" and at the end of the day "this place is fine dining done right" [PrincessMartha]

The Worth the Search News: Princess Martha loved the restaurant so much she got on Foursquare to say it's a struggle to find La Gloutonnerie "behind the trees and set back from the street" but was still "worth the search" with "amazing food, excellent service and chic atmosphere!". [Foursquare]

The Worldly News: Another yelper found La Gloutonnerie to be "lovely and intimate, the service was attentive and thoughtful and most importantly, the food was out of this world. South Beach finally has a world class French restaurant." [Yelp]