Delano Dishes Blue Plate Special

Tomorrow evening, February 5th, the Delano Hotel and its' new executive chef Maria Manso will debut the late-night brasserie Plat Bleu. With its' oversized tufted camelback sofas, etched mirror floor lamps, and Carrara marble-topped tables, the space is meant to evoke a 1940s French salon. The brasserie moderne menu has been conceptualized by acclaimed Chef Claude Troisgros, who marries the classic French cooking style of his famed family with Brazilian twists he's picked up since expatriating to Rio de Janeiro. In fact, Plat Bleu's bill of fare borrows from Troisgros' hugely popular CT Brasserie in Rio. This means offerings such as onion soup gratinée, duck foie gras au torchon, and mussels mariniéres alongside shrimp with guava barbecue sauce, a pressed duck confit medianoche, and skirt steak with Brazilian sea salt and herbs. Steak also comes in familiar Gallic forms -- au poivre, tartare, and with frites. Entrees range from $18 to $39, which may be a tad more than you'd pay for these foods in gay Paree, but Plat Bleu offers people-watching from the end of the Delano lobby that even the City of Lights would be hard-pressed to match.

The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. every night but Friday and Saturday, when it promises to stay lively until 4:00 a.m. For reservations call: 305-674-6400.