i'm not really sure why i even bothered to leave laguardia airport, since 11 hours after i was picked up, a car dropped me and my S.O. straight back to American Airlines, but this time, i was headed to Miami.
i have been looking forward to this trip for a while solely because i've wanted to try michael's genuine food & drink. it's been on everyone's chowhound radar, and then frank bruni wrote it up in his "restaurants that count" 4-part article a few months ago!
we made a reservation (sunday, 5:30pm - i prefer to eat early, if i can), and during my downtime in china, i researched the menu (non-chinese food was on my mind a lot), the reviews, even the wine list, so by the time we arrived at the restaurant, i was ready to go.
the restaurant is located in an up-and-coming neighborhood, the design district, which, verified by our waitress, isn't the safest neighborhood at night. the little plaza, however, where michael's also has outdoor seating, is adorable, with the feel of belden lane in san francisco or stone street in new york. the interior feels like it should be warm as you enter, with a long dark bar and open kitchen with even some counter seating, but the high ceilings (which we generally love), white walls, modern lighting and the stoic hostess gave me more of a stark, cold vibe.
service was attentive, especially because of our early reservation. i liked our server jeanne (i think) who was sweet without being annoying or intrusive. the busboys cleared, provided and were polite and not bumbling.
the food, as it should be, was the real star. we ate so much; i'm just going to list it out:
-cheese of the week: brunet from piedmont, italy, served with a port-wine reduction, honeycomb and raisin-walnut bread - delicious creamy, runny goat's milk cheese; the bread was also perfect with it.
-the crispy hominy - i could've eaten 1000 of these lightly spiced snacks, they tasted like homemade puffed cheese doodles, without the cheese; great with a squeeze of lime
-deviled eggs - these were good, creamy, but i wouldn't need to order them again
-potato chips with caramelized onion dip - i was disappointed that the chips weren't crispy and that the onion pieces were so long - it was hard to pick up the dip and get some onion because all the onion strings were intertwined
-fried pork belly & watermelon salad - this was the best dish of all - i don't know how but the red onion, watermelon, pork belly, pepitas and dressing married so beautifully (so creative... i would never think of adding watermelon)
-crispy beef cheek - this reminded me a bit of tender chicken-fried steak (which i love), and i loved this too - the celeriac was very mellow, and i had no idea there was chocolate in the sauce - it looked more like a whole-grain mustard sauce
-blt salad - i wanted this to be more like the fried pork & watermelon, with chunks of pork rather than a slice, but the tomatoes were so seasonal and delicious, and the frisee was, visibly, so lightly dressed, you wouldn't know it was dressed unless you tasted it. the blue cheese, although tasty on its own, killed the taste of my wine (a bottle of the Etude 2006 rose), so i probably would not order this again.
-homemade fettucine - our night had wild mushrooms in addition to the artichokes, chunks of house-smoked bacon, fiore sardo cheese; the pasta had amazing texture. this is exactly what i needed to satisfy the food cravings from being deprived of western food in china.
-slow-roasted pork shoulder - perfectly tender, but there's a spice on the outside crust that i didn't like - i haven't yet determined what it is. my S.O. loved this dish though. tasted great with the pickled onion and cheese grits, and a sprinkling of salt.
-wood-oven roasted grouper - i didn't need this dish, but it was really so good, i'm so happy we got it. the accompanying roasted brussels sprouts with pancetta were slightly sweet, firm but so yums. and the lemon aioli was a wonderful dipper.
-french fries - i don't usually give credit to french fries, but my S.O. loves fries, and we get them almost everywhere, and he said these were one of the best fries he's ever had - perfect medium thickness, dark and crispy with some skin - so that says a lot. paired with the lemon aioli from the grouper, mmm.
-candy bar special dessert - i wish we had gotten the lemon pot de creme on the menu instead, but our server highly recommended this dish. it was ok, but i wouldn't order it again. or take a bite, even if someone else got it and offered me some. just not worth the calories, when there are so many other delicious things.
so i really enjoyed this restaurant. i wish they had michael's genuine in new york... this would be a HUGE HIT! plus it wasn't even that expensive... i mean, our bill was kind of pricey, but only because my S.O. let me indulge and order everything i wanted (besides the chicken liver crostini and sweetbreads, but i know he doesn't like either of those things, and it would've been outrageously indulgent for me to order those just for me, in addition to all of the above). so if you live in or near Miami, or if you're visiting, this is a must-try.
michael's genuine food & drink
Atlas Plaza
130 NE 40th Street btwn NE 1st/2nd Aves (Design District)
Miami, FL 33137
(305) 573-5550
i have been looking forward to this trip for a while solely because i've wanted to try michael's genuine food & drink. it's been on everyone's chowhound radar, and then frank bruni wrote it up in his "restaurants that count" 4-part article a few months ago!
we made a reservation (sunday, 5:30pm - i prefer to eat early, if i can), and during my downtime in china, i researched the menu (non-chinese food was on my mind a lot), the reviews, even the wine list, so by the time we arrived at the restaurant, i was ready to go.
the restaurant is located in an up-and-coming neighborhood, the design district, which, verified by our waitress, isn't the safest neighborhood at night. the little plaza, however, where michael's also has outdoor seating, is adorable, with the feel of belden lane in san francisco or stone street in new york. the interior feels like it should be warm as you enter, with a long dark bar and open kitchen with even some counter seating, but the high ceilings (which we generally love), white walls, modern lighting and the stoic hostess gave me more of a stark, cold vibe.
service was attentive, especially because of our early reservation. i liked our server jeanne (i think) who was sweet without being annoying or intrusive. the busboys cleared, provided and were polite and not bumbling.
the food, as it should be, was the real star. we ate so much; i'm just going to list it out:
-cheese of the week: brunet from piedmont, italy, served with a port-wine reduction, honeycomb and raisin-walnut bread - delicious creamy, runny goat's milk cheese; the bread was also perfect with it.
-the crispy hominy - i could've eaten 1000 of these lightly spiced snacks, they tasted like homemade puffed cheese doodles, without the cheese; great with a squeeze of lime
-deviled eggs - these were good, creamy, but i wouldn't need to order them again
-potato chips with caramelized onion dip - i was disappointed that the chips weren't crispy and that the onion pieces were so long - it was hard to pick up the dip and get some onion because all the onion strings were intertwined
-fried pork belly & watermelon salad - this was the best dish of all - i don't know how but the red onion, watermelon, pork belly, pepitas and dressing married so beautifully (so creative... i would never think of adding watermelon)
-crispy beef cheek - this reminded me a bit of tender chicken-fried steak (which i love), and i loved this too - the celeriac was very mellow, and i had no idea there was chocolate in the sauce - it looked more like a whole-grain mustard sauce
-blt salad - i wanted this to be more like the fried pork & watermelon, with chunks of pork rather than a slice, but the tomatoes were so seasonal and delicious, and the frisee was, visibly, so lightly dressed, you wouldn't know it was dressed unless you tasted it. the blue cheese, although tasty on its own, killed the taste of my wine (a bottle of the Etude 2006 rose), so i probably would not order this again.
-homemade fettucine - our night had wild mushrooms in addition to the artichokes, chunks of house-smoked bacon, fiore sardo cheese; the pasta had amazing texture. this is exactly what i needed to satisfy the food cravings from being deprived of western food in china.
-slow-roasted pork shoulder - perfectly tender, but there's a spice on the outside crust that i didn't like - i haven't yet determined what it is. my S.O. loved this dish though. tasted great with the pickled onion and cheese grits, and a sprinkling of salt.
-wood-oven roasted grouper - i didn't need this dish, but it was really so good, i'm so happy we got it. the accompanying roasted brussels sprouts with pancetta were slightly sweet, firm but so yums. and the lemon aioli was a wonderful dipper.
-french fries - i don't usually give credit to french fries, but my S.O. loves fries, and we get them almost everywhere, and he said these were one of the best fries he's ever had - perfect medium thickness, dark and crispy with some skin - so that says a lot. paired with the lemon aioli from the grouper, mmm.
-candy bar special dessert - i wish we had gotten the lemon pot de creme on the menu instead, but our server highly recommended this dish. it was ok, but i wouldn't order it again. or take a bite, even if someone else got it and offered me some. just not worth the calories, when there are so many other delicious things.
so i really enjoyed this restaurant. i wish they had michael's genuine in new york... this would be a HUGE HIT! plus it wasn't even that expensive... i mean, our bill was kind of pricey, but only because my S.O. let me indulge and order everything i wanted (besides the chicken liver crostini and sweetbreads, but i know he doesn't like either of those things, and it would've been outrageously indulgent for me to order those just for me, in addition to all of the above). so if you live in or near Miami, or if you're visiting, this is a must-try.
michael's genuine food & drink
Atlas Plaza
130 NE 40th Street btwn NE 1st/2nd Aves (Design District)
Miami, FL 33137
(305) 573-5550
