Acclaimed restaurateur Stephen Starr (Morimoto, Upland, The Continental) teamed up with Shawn Hausman Design (Chateau Marmont, The Standard) to open Le Zoo, a 200-seat French brasserie in Miami. This represents Starr's fourth restaurant in South Florida.
Located at the Bal Harbour Shops, Le Zoo takes its name from a fictional location on the French Riviera. This breakfast-lunch-dinner restaurant plays on the aesthetics of classic French bistros to transport diners to the iconic sidewalk cafés of Paris with bright tones amidst neutral cream backing, Charlotte Perriand wall sconces, and rattan chairs with woven seats.
French mid-century lighting and Eileen Gray table lamps shine a spotlight on vintage decorative items. Handmade tiles made from wine corks line the ceiling and a collage assembled from '50s and '60s French magazines decorate the bathroom walls. An outdoor area spills from the main dining room and allows diners to linger over their meals as they would at a Parisian sidewalk café, complete with overhanging striped awnings and lush greenery.
Executive Chef Craig Wallen oversees a classic bistro menu with steak frites and trout amandine, along with more creative twists.