Taste Evolution
Executive Chef David Bouley Creates Grand Cuisine for Ritz-Carlton, South Beach

The Rack of Cooperstown Lamb was excellent, though we would have liked a little more of it on the plate.

 
Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé

By Mark Goldberg

The first thing you notice upon entering David Bouley Evolution, the four-week-old restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, is the beauty of its design. From the Jacques Garcia Spirit of Miami décor with its heavy drapes, curves rather than angles and carpet instead of hard surfaces, to the Coliat family’s hand-painted and stained-glass seascapes throughout the rooms, Evolution offers a modern approach to Old World charm.

The second thing you’ll realize is that you can hear your dinner guests’ conversation, even though there are more than 100 other diners laughing, talking and eating, and there is music playing. That, too, is in part thanks to the carpeting, drapes and finished ceiling most of today’s restaurants eschew.

Black Sea Bass in a Sea Scallop Crust, 24 Hour Cooked Tomato with Coconut Jasmine Rice and Sauce Bouillabaisse

Third is the team of waiters, sommelier, bread servers, runners, water pourers and everyone else determined to make your dinner at Evolution memorable. In fact, had the service been a little more ingratiating, it would have been too much. But our waiter answered every question with aplomb, from ingredients to bread yeast to the background of Chef Bouley.

And speaking of David Bouley, the Connecticut-born executive chef spent nine years training in France before becoming executive chef at New York’s Montrechet and then opening his own (Bouley) restaurant, where he earned four stars from The New York Times, James Beard Chef of the Year honors and Zagat’s highest award for seven straight years. So we expected his menu’s creative approach to please.

Phyllo Crusted Florida Shrimp, Cape Cod Baby Squid Scuba Diver Sea Scallop, Sweet Maryland Crabmeat in an Ocean Herbal Broth

It did, beginning with a fabulous raisin and apple roll. All breads are baked on premises with flour and 15-year-old yeast flown down from the New York restaurant. Most dishes are prepared in the French style, but with influences from Japan, Thailand, Austria and Hungary. In fact, there is a full Japanese kitchen and menu featuring not only the cold dishes we’re familiar with, but hot Japanese dishes as well.

The Tuna Sashimi appetizer ($19) must have been a toro belly cut of the bluefin with its deep-red color and buttery texture. The tuna was dressed with a lightly tart miso yuzu dressing and a sweet Asian pear julienne. For Grilled Eggplant Terrine ($14), Chef sliced the vegetable very thin and multilayered it with a puree of roasted red peppers, celery, onions and garlic. The top layer was a generous bit of Vermont goat cheese. While the Yellowtail ($18) was superb — soft and mellow, prepared in a cold oil that was slowly brought up to temperature — keep in mind that the ginger aromatic sauce is actually a foam that covers the whole dish. I mention this because some diners shy away from foam preparations. The French Foie Gras ($30) was delicious in its puree of organic quince, although one corner could have used a little more heat. The pruneaux d’Agen addition of French pitted prune pureed with Armagnac offered a sweetness beyond the quince.

The Rack of Cooperstown Lamb ($41) was excellent, though we would have liked a little more of it on the plate. Dressing the dish was a puree of sage, Brussels sprouts, zucchini and mint, and homemade gnocchi. The Randall Farms Veal ($39), with its tasty Parmesan-herb crust, was surprisingly tender considering its thickness. And the vanilla-glazed baby turnips were a nice touch. Long Island Duckling ($38) was a good-sized breast, rich and sweet, although a bit too rare. The duck was dressed with a glaze of fresh lavender flowers, butter and honey and placed on a bed of wheat berries that offered a nice contrasting texture. The Cape Cod Lobster ($41), poached in a beurre blanc, was one of the most tender and delicious lobsters we can recall. Totally de-shelled, it was cooked at low temperature for six minutes, deconstructed on the plate and served with mango, papaya and asparagus in a lightly sweet ginger vanilla glaze.

Every dessert was a masterwork, from the eight-minute Soufflé ($16) filled with warm Valrhona chocolate (you’ve seen it elsewhere, but Bouley invented it) to the Topfen Palatschinken ($14), a very light wild huckleberry and sour cream crepe that was like a pancake-style blintz served with huckleberry/sour cream ice cream.

Like its name, Evolution is evolving nightly.

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David Bouley Evolution

• ADDRESS: 1669 Collins Ave., at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach

• PHONE: 305-604-6090

• HOURS: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

• FOOD: French with global influences

• SERVICE: Impeccable

• PRICES: Appetizers $14 to $30, entrées $32 to $41

• WINES: Multi-page wine book with quality domestic and international labels

• ATMOSPHERE: High-styled room with marvelous acoustics

• RESERVATIONS: Requested

• CREDIT CARDS: Mastercard, VISA, American Express, Discover