La Piaggia

• Cuisine(s): Mediterranean
  Price: $$$$ $$$$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Smoking, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
• Alcohol: Full bar
  Reservations: Accepted, Required
  Parking: Valet

Description

This South Pointe haunt re-creates the leisurely French Riviera via an elegant, open-air beach club ambiance. Half the tables are set on a tiled floor under a white canopy awning; the rest sit in sand and are shaded by bright orange umbrellas. Warm, crusty bread in a cloth-covered basket arrives first and goes hand-in-hand with Mediterranean appetizers such as whole steamed artichoke with vinaigrette, fresh anchovies with harissa and tomato, and a dazzling salad Niçoise with two planks of seared tuna and invigoratingly sharp Dijon vinaigrette. The jewel of the menu's crown is grilled dorade royale, two thick white fillets expertly extricated from the bone and skin tableside and served with lemony, tarragon-perfumed butter sauce. The delicate dorade, chaperoned with ratatouille, is $39. A bountiful bouillabaisse is $28.50; sprightly mango-threaded tuna tartare $19.50; herby, full-flavor hangar steak smothered in sautéed shallots and sided with skinny frites, $25.50. La Piaggia is a members-only club, but if you sound respectable when making reservations, there usually isn't a problem.