La Ferme

I feel South Florida lacks a bit of variety in French and Mediterranean cuisine. The robust flavors found in this part of the world, is just one of the reasons I absolutely love traveling to Europe. (Others include the architecture, landscape and of course - the men). When I find a spot that brings me back to my adventurous travels, I absolutely have to share it. So for those of you looking for a magnifique meal that will put some ooh la la into your palate, you want to take a road trip to Boca Raton and visit La Ferme , located at 9101 Lakeridge Boulevard. La Ferme La Ferme (which means "The Farm"), is family owned by Bobby, Laura and their daughter Alexandra Shapiro, who aren't new to the restaurant scene. They also own the very well known Flex Mussels (two locations) in Manhattan and have have been the driving force behind several other restaurants in New York City, Baltimore and Canada. They decided to bring a modern bistro ambiance to their newest venture in Boca, using locally sourced ingredients and a distinct Mediterranean flair. While the decor is elegant yet quirky, (if you can imagine that) the feel is comfortable and familiar, making it the perfect spot for a first date, or a family gathering. When we walked in to La Ferme on a Saturday night, it was packed. I had the opportunity to look around and take in the vibe. If I was to analyze the guests, I'd say there was an equal number of newcomers and regulars. It was your typical Boca crowd, quite a world away from what you normally see on South Beach.  Steak Tartare Ceviche We ordered a glass of wine as we perused the menu and decided to start our meal with their Steak Tartare and Ceviche.  The Steak Tartare was phenomenal, made with hand chopped filet, capers and onions, then topped with a quail egg. The octopus ceviche was refreshing and light and opened our palate for the courses ahead. Foie Gras They didn't have their regular Foie Gras Terrine that evening, so instead we tried a different preparation f

Portions need to be Upsized, while Prices need to go on a Well-Deserved Diet!. We thought we would try La Ferme, meaning the Farm in French, after driving by it several times. A little odd that in their logo are figures of all the animals you will be eating, maybe not the best form of advertising. We wondered why was an expensive restaurant set in the 'ambiance' of a dumpy strip mall, complete with a rundown Chinese takeout and a dive of a pizza joint. It's kind of like putting a Rolls Royce dealership next to Century Village which is just a few blocks down the street.

After eating there I can see why they located there and not in East Boca where they would have a thing called competition, with a bevy full of four and five star restaurants most of them with better prices and food, equal to or better than La Ferme.

Yes there is valet parking, which consists of three valets talking with each other since it would take some effort to not find an empty parking place in this out of date strip mall. There were three people parked in valet when we left out of about fifty cars. You would've to be criminally lazy to park there and not walk ten feet to the restaurant. Either that or you want to impress your company by sporting a $3 valet tip. I guess they have to offer a valet to make themselves seem complete as an 'upscale' restaurant.

Nonetheless, we ate there and started with a French Onion Soup, $12. It was definitely good soup, not the best I've had but definitely very good. We then followed it with a Caesar salad, good but nothing special at all. Onto the entrée, which was a steak hangar, good but very small, even by uber-expensive restaurant standards. It comes with frites or fries, which were lame. How does a French Restaurant mess up French fries, kind of like going to a Scandinavian restaurant that doesn't even know how to make a Swedish meatball? Sides were good, we had potatoes and brussel sprouts. We also had the Bell & Evans Chicken and scallops. Definitely small portions and a limited menu with about a dozen choices.

The décor is very nice, like a Modern, Euro Chic look, with white everywhere. If there was any more white in this place, I would've sworn Casper the ghost was behind the decorating. Finally, we capped the evening off with their chocolate cake, which was really good. Not sure why the restaurant serves Foie Gras, which is basically a duck with a tube shoved down its throat to be force-fed and fattened-up for market super fast, banned in California and elsewhere for cruelty reasons.

Apparently, the Shapiros, the owners of the place fired the original chef, Chef Walden, who was the big draw to the place and replaced him with John Belleme of the failed Stephane's restaurant. Not sure why they fired Chef Walden who was nationally recognized with a chef of a failed restaurant who sports a recent DUI under his belt.

Anyways, it's a decent restaurant but it's expensive even by Ruth's Chris and Morton's standards, with skimpier portions. I think their prices need to go on a diet from their current nosebleed-levels and portions have to be seriously upsized; otherwise, just like its predecessor, Bistro Gastronomie, it too will go belly up!