IF YOU GO
Place: Two Chefs Too.Address: 2288 NE 123rd St., North Miami.Rating: *** (Very Good)Contact: 305-895-5155, twochefsrestaurant.comHours: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Dinner 5:30-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, until 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Bar opens at 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday.Prices: Starters $8-$15, entrees $19-$34, desserts $7.50-$10.FYI: Full bar; corkage $15. Half-price wine specials on Mondays. Free parking. AX, DN, DS, VS, MC.Poised on the shore near the bridge to posh Bay Harbor Islands, the one-time Mark's Place space fell on hard times after Mark Militello moved out a dozen years ago. A couple of dining enterprises gave it a whirl and failed. This time, however, Two Chefs Too has backup.
That would be chef-owner Jan Jorgensen, who shuttles between the new North Miami location and his flagship Two Chefs in South Miami. Classically trained, Jorgensen has never gone in for froufrou. That's a good thing, since food fads fade (all that Ferrán Adriá-inspired foam, for example), while solid cooking rocks on.
The two restaurants share menu staples such as his coq au vin and signature barbecue meatloaf, which began at Two Chefs as a kind of humoresque. It's a fine meatloaf, really, moist and flavorful, wrapped in bacon. Though it entered white-tablecloth territory years ago with the impulse toward ''comfort food,'' meatloaf is best eaten at home. Still, Two Chefs Too is homey and ingratiating.
Not that the menu shies from taking the haute road. A sauté of escargot appetizer with smoked duck is served in a puff pastry shell. The tartare of big-eye tuna is served atop wheat strips resembling tortilla chips, and the tuna is redolent of Peruvian ají amarillo and truffle oil, an alluring Andean-meets-Piedmontese combination.
Perfectly grilled baby artichokes and diver scallops set each other off beautifully, but the mealy tasting roasted roma tomatoes in that appetizer don't come off as well. They seem a chef's favorite, for they appear in other dishes, also with mixed success.
I'm a sucker for anything on a menu that says ''our way'' -- it makes me want to sing the Paul Anka/Frank Sinatra classic -- so I had to try the Caesar salad: nice, big chunks of romaine topped with broad, thin slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano and, instead of croutons, torn pieces of sourdough toast on the side. Fresh, in every sense of the word.
Seafood entrees are enticing, but meats are even more so. The veal sweetbreads were plump and flavorful; the roast duckling, juicy under a crackling crust. The Perigord sauce on the steak was more of a glaze that emphasized the contrast between the crusty exterior and medium-rare center.
Two Chefs Too has a fairly extensive beer and wine list, but its modest-sized full bar does not match the South Miami restaurant's awesome single-malt collection. When asked, the bartender explained that, quite simply, there was not enough shelf space.
The sweet tooth of youth has left me altogether, so I seldom eat dessert unless required. I will report that the brandied peach soufflé is wonderful, and dribbling it with crème anglaise and caramel, as the waitress suggested, is the right thing to do. (One of our servers was on her first day, but the rest of staff was fully informed and helpful.)
As a meal-ending alternative, Two Chefs Too offers a cheese menu. Seduced by the name, I chose a brie-like Vermont cheese called Constant Bliss that was pure tenderness with a mild mushroom aroma. Next time I'll go with something tangy, perhaps even smelly.
And why not? As the misbegotten children of nouvelle cuisine recede into passing fads, earthiness has returned to restaurant menus. At Two Chefs One and Too, it never left. The minimally decorated (though not minimalist) dining room is not crowded, at least not yet. Time (and the economy) will tell, but of all the restaurants that have occupied this spot since Mark's Place, Jorgensen's has the best shot at success.
