CUISINE
A FRENCH FIND
Une Part d’Amour
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Noraa
In the 1950s and 1960s, if
you were a gourmand, your
favorite restaurants were
French. Before chef Auguste
Escoffier set the standards for
French cuisine, dishes such as
Coquille St. Jacques were the
epitome of gourmet cooking.
Even in New Orleans, Creole
and Cajun dishes took a back
seat to traditional French recipes
with their sauces and flavorinfused
creations. For almost
two decades, the Tampa Bay area
has been mostly devoid of classic
French delicacies that lived up to
the former elegance of this style
of food preparation.
Thankfully, a couple from
Lyon, France, have relocated to
Clearwater and opened a small
café called Une Part d’Amour in
the Countryside area near the
corner of McMullen Booth and Enterprise
roads in Clearwater, where Christian
and Beatrice Noyret have brought their
expertise in operating a restaurant in
Lyon to our area. It is a small charming
spot, set between a row of other excellent
restaurants such as Pico Rojo and Thai
Spice. Since their seating is limited, be
sure to call for a reservation. Everything at
this carefully planned out restaurant is just
right, starting with its service and down
to the small, excellent wine list featuring
French regional wines only.
Each dish on the tiny menu is a study
in perfection. For lunch, there is a quiche
Lorraine, Croque Monsieur or Madame, a
ham and cheese crepe, Mozzarella salad,
a chicken Caesar salad, a soup of the day,
salmon carpaccio, an avocado shrimp
The beef tenderloin at Une Part d’Amour in Clearwater is served
with a heavenly peppercorn sauce and a large serving
of macaroni and cheese.
146 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2020
in parchment with vegetables
and fresh lemon dill hit all the
right notes. We also dined on an
excellent pork loin special and
their tasty Normandy chicken
breast with mushrooms in a
white wine and fresh cream
sauce served with tagliatelle
pasta. However, it was the beef
tenderloin with peppercorn
sauce that made us dream of
France. The flavor burst forth
from the steak that was prepared
to best show off its classic sauce.
This was served with a delicious
square of baked macaroni and
cheese, which can also be
ordered in a larger portion as an
entrée. Their excellent French
bread disappeared, as we used
it to catch every last bit of sauce
from our plates.
The classic desserts include a
small pot of dense and powerful chocolate
mousse with a vanilla ice cream to help
smooth the intensity of the chocolate.
In addition, we were impressed by a
delicious, perfectly executed lavender
crème brûlée, a Crêpe Suzette with Grand
Mariner to give a tastier kick, and a variety
of sorbets. All are ideal endings to this
reasonably priced meal.
This is the restaurant that has been
missing from our area’s abundant supply
of dining options. C’est bon! 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Une Part d’Amour
is located at 2475 McMullen Booth Road
(enter off Enterprise Road) in Clearwater,
(727) 754-3439.
ceviche and a charcuterie platter. Lunch
is served Wednesdays through Fridays,
dinners are offered Wednesdays through
Saturdays with brunch on Sundays.
For dinner, we tried every dish with
spectacular results from starters to
desserts. We began with the house
specialty of perfectly seasoned salmon
carpaccio with dill, followed by the
smooth and velvety summer soup filled
with flavor and a salad with mozzarella
and tomatoes that had a delightful
dressing. The asparagus flan was above
and beyond with its creamy texture and
combination of flavors and presentation.
For our main courses, the classic
Coquilles St. Jacques had perfectly
sautéed scallops with a parmesan cream
sauce over risotto, while the salmon baked