Thursday, February 23, 2012

First Date-Jean Paul's House (Wynwood)



Jean Paul's House opened a couple of weeks ago in the Wynwood section of Miami.  It is owned by chef Jean Paul Desmaison who started his cooking career in Peru at La Cofradia.  In 2005, he moved to Miami and opened a La Cofradia in Coral Gables.  He eventually left to explore other business ventures.


Jean Paul's House Restaurant and Market
 

Jean Paul's is located in a renovated house that has a modern cottage feel to it.  There is a long bar with ample seating that is perfect for solo diners or those who enjoy eating at the bar.  It should be noted that happy hour starts at 3pm with half price beer and wine until 5:30 p.m.  A happy hour tapas menu is also in the works as is a market in the back section of the house.  There is also outdoor seating available.



The menu is currently broken down into five sections consisting of bites, appetizers, crudos, salads and entrees plus sandwiches during lunch.  They also have a reasonably priced wine list with several by the glass options.


I started off at the "bite" section of the menu and found a real gem in the garbanzos, spinach and chorizo dish.  This dish had a real nice balance of flavors and was a steal at $4.00.


Next up was the Eggplant Carpaccio.  It featured a very fresh and thinly sliced grilled eggplant topped with shaved reggiano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 


From the salad section I opted for the beets, blood oranges and avocado salad.  There was a nice contrast of flavors here that paired nicely together.  The only issue I had with this dish was the amount of greens on the plate but that's coming from a non salad eater.



Jean Paul's grilled octopus was a really nice dish.  It was comprised of very fresh and perfectly cooked pieces of octopus.  It was paired with roasted garlic, peppers, olives, tomatoes and fingerling potatoes.  

In a nutshell, this was a very nice first meal in a very inviting setting that showed a lot of promise.  Everything was prepared with a light touch that allowed the ingredients to standout on their own.   Prices are reasonable and I will be back for a second date and more for sure.  I look forward to working my way through the rest of the menu.

There may be a diamond in the rough of Wynwood.

 Jean Paul's House on Urbanspoon

Hours: Monday – Friday Lunch 11:30 am – 3 pm
Happy Hour and Small Bites Monday – Friday 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Monday – Thursday Dinner 6 – 10 pm
Friday & Saturday Dinner 6 – 11 pm
Close Saturday Lunch and all day Sundays

Jean Paul’s House
2426 NE 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33137
305-573-7373

1 comment:

SteveBM said...

Looks good although I find it pretty dumb to have a happy hour from 3p - 530p. The average person gets out of work at 5p-530p. If you're gonna do a happy hour, do it at the right time or simply don't do it at all.