Jean Paul’s House, a date-friendly restaurant from former La Cofradia chef Jean Paul Desmaison, occupies a quaint cottage in Wynwood. The space is decked out in artfully-scuffed chairs, circular mirrors and a communal picnic table. An L-shaped bar provides ample room for solo diners or those popping in for happy hour cocktails. There are plans for a gourmet market in the back as well as takeout pizza counter and a small wine-tasting bar.
Italian, American and Latin dishes pepper the menu but Peruvian classics like ceviche and lomo saltado (steak stir-fry) anchor the offerings. And the Peruvian spirit pisco find its way into dishes like the crispy pork belly and the passion fruit tart. Prices are wallet-friendly with snacks for $3, starters $9-$11 and mains $16-$29.
Start things off with the homemade potato chips and black mint sauce or the garbanzos sautéed with spinach and chorizo. Starters include three types of cured fish – a flounder tiradito topped with avocado, a salmon sashimi and a traditional ceviche. The eggplant carpaccio brings thinly sliced grilled eggplant topped with shaved reggiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil while the beet salad is a colorful combo of yellow beets, avocado and blood orange. Mains include braised short ribs over polenta, a bouillabaisse with lobster stock and red snapper cooked with white wine and grilled lemon.
Pastry chef Lamyaa Samir (Soho Beach House) curates a dessert menu with items like Peppercorn Genoise, an Italian sponge cake topped with figs and balsamic glaze and a passion fruit tartelette with a mango piscojito sauce and toasted meringue.
