THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Dore South Beach

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Dore South Beach Restaurant Review:

Located in the oceanfront The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach (but not one of the property’s restaurants), Doré, which is literally gilded floor-to-ceiling in varying shades of gold, has retained the best design elements of its predecessor in this space, David Bouley Evolution --- most notably some glittering hand-painted glass undersea murals and oversize Art Deco lighting fixtures. The result is a relaxed restaurant/lounge, part high-heeled shoes glamorous and part kick-off-your-shoes beachy, mirroring SoBe itself. The multicultural menu, too, succeeds at accommodating a wide range of appetites, with both a large selection of international tapas for grazing loungers and starter-entrée-dessert sections for those wanting full conventionally formatted meals. Artful small plates (tapas and starters) especially showcase the playful creativity and serious classical French techniques of executive chef Jeff Pfeiffer, formerly of Bal Harbour’s La Goulue and Atlanta’s Bistro Niko. The main must-have is house-cured duck bresaola atop Parmesan sablés, garnished with exotically spiced fig jam plus drizzles of port wine reduction, balsamic caramel and fruity EVOO. Also delightful are elegant upgraded rustic/street foods, like Niçoise socca; the savory chickpea crêpes, typically served in scraps on butcher paper, are here wrapped around a goat cheese/eggplant/tomato/olive filling encapsulating sunny Riviera flavors. Dessert reinventions from pastry chef Kriss Velasco include the King Macaron; the normally tiny, trendy sandwich cookies are presented as one huge almond-rich macaron filled with fresh raspberries and yogurt mousse. Cordial beverage manager Piotr Wolny will happily suggest pairings from Doré’s extensive global wine list; we’d recommend trying one of his interactive cocktails, customized for guests (he considers his own creations “the start of a conversation”). And the best comes last, with the check: while not cheap, prices are gold-plate level for 24-karat quality.