607903 Sun Mar 29 19:56:56 -0700 2009 31 10 Florida 0 4549808 We were visiting Miami last year this time and had dinner at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink based on the great press here on Chowhound. We were not disappointed — absolutely loved the place. Here now and dined there last night and tonight. Last night was good, but not as good as it was last year. But still a cut above the typical Miami fare. Tonight, we were kind of stumped as to where to go and ended up going again by default. Honestly, it was a real disappointment. First of all, the service was terrible. The panzanella salad was awesome, but the pasta I ordered was almost inedible (meat sauce and escarole mixed together — just didn't work) and I wanted some cheese and had to ask for it three times. The place just seems to have lost its magic. The menu seems unfocused and all over the place. The service last year was so earnest and caring. This year, it seems kind of loose and average. Not like the staff is loving what they do and cares about your experience. The ice creams and sorbets last night was truly lackluster. Last year, I ordered a dish with a baked onion, ground lamb and raisins. This year, it wasn't even tasty. Onion was undercooked, filling was kind of tasteless. Michaels, I loved you and told all my NY friends to visit. This year, I have to reconsider. Hey, any other ideas out there for exciting dining in MIami. We have one more day! Sun Mar 29 19:56:56 -0700 2009 68616 niia 1 4550291 Michy's. I think Michelle Bernstein is still going very strong. If you want to splurge, try Azul in the Mandarin Oriental. I am a transplanted NYer and have real issues with the dining options in South Florida - those are really the two I find most enjoyable in the Miami area. Mon Mar 30 05:51:59 -0700 2009 4549808 165112 sethny 2 4550312 I'm sorry that I have to agree with you on this one. I stopped off in Miami for 36hrs before heading off on a cruise and Michael's was the one place I *had* to go to based on posts from here. It saddens me to report that my experience there was nothing more than average (at best). The beef cheek I had was dry and underseasoned, the sweetbread dish was cold, the pizza only had topping on just over half the base (yes, one part of the pizza really was just the base). Fortunately, the desserts lifted the experience a little but the damage was already done by then. I was so disappointed that I ended up going to Hiro's Yakko-San for a late night snack that was worth the hour's drive. I like to think that it was just an off night when I visited, but I too will reconsider hard before going again. Mon Mar 30 06:01:54 -0700 2009 4550291 131966 YSL 1 4550532 MGF&D has a few veteran waiters who are complete pros. However, they're not enough to service the whole restaurant, and much of the remainder of the waitstaff seems to come and go - not surprisingly, service can be inconsistent as a result. It's a problem throughout Miami for anyplace that has a staff of more than a few people but I can see how it can be a downer at MGF&D because the contrast between the veterans and the tyros is often pretty pronounced. As for the food, I don't find the menu unfocused at all. There are several "stalwarts" and the rest of the menu changes with the seasons as different products become available or as the kitchen starts working with new things, and to me this is one of the most rewarding things about going there. My last visit (about a week ago) I had a kingfish served in a big cast iron pan with a harissa-spiced sauce that was fantastic. It's a fish you almost never see served and it was revelatory - big, firm and steak-y, almost like a swordfish, but still completely tender and moist. It does seem based on comments here and elsewhere that kitchen execution has some consistency issues - though for the most part I've never experienced it and am there fairly frequently. Other dining ideas? Jeez, much as I like MGF&D, there's a great big world out there beyond it. Here's a partial list on this thread -> http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/607341?tag=highlight-4544353;post-content-4544353#4544353 www.foodforthoughtmiami.com Mon Mar 30 07:29:15 -0700 2009 4549808 35525 Frodnesor 2 4550693 We had a great meal at Michaels last week. Only our second time there, last time was a year ago also on vacation. It was very crowded, we sat in the room separate from the main room, and they could really stand to lose a table or two in there as the seats were all pushed back against the seats at the adjoining tables. Our waiter (Scott) was excellent, but I do remember from our first visit not being impressed with the service. He paced our meal really well and the food was great. We had the double yolk egg, potato skins with bacon aioli, octopus with gigante beans (this was the best octopus I've had in a long time), the burrata salad w/ heirloom tomatoes, also really delicious, the beef cheeks, pork belly with kimchi (the pork belly is just too fatty for me to enjoy but the meaty parts and kimchi were delicious, fettucine w/ shrimp and leeks (very heavy), and the 1/2 roasted chicken with escarole and mashed potatoes which was just average, but the kids needed a little mashed potato love. Desserts were deiicious, lemon meringue pie, banana caramel chocolate panini (HUGE!) and the chocolate cremosa which I didn't try. This trip we ate at Azul which we loved last year and only had an average meal this time, Pacific Time which was good and Sra Martinez which we very much enjoyed and I reported on in a different thread. So, I haven't been to Michaels enough to say if it's slipping, but we had a really great meai with very good service and it's at the top of our list to return to next year! Mon Mar 30 08:11:55 -0700 2009 4550532 142362 sibeats 1 4551150 I've only been to Michael's a handful of times and have suffered from inconsistency from our first meal which was fair (not great, not horrible, but then we all got ill). I've also had some great dishes there, usually the ones I expected to surprise me the least. Service will be an issue in Miami in most restaurants, especially one so popular, even though most DD restaurants have above average service. In defense of Michaels' and the poor meals I have had there - Dessert is always good. Few high caliber restaurants in Miami offer delicious and not over-tweaked desserts. Mon Mar 30 10:27:55 -0700 2009 4549808 124704 Icantread 2 4551973 I also ate at Michael's recently and found it to be just as good as the first two times that I visited. That said, I do believe they have service issues. I wrote that in my personal review of the place some months ago and I still believe that to be the case. However, the food is the thing and it remains a top foodied destination here in South Florida. I'm always tough on New Yorkers who believe everything is better up north and if that's the case, why even bother to come down this way? I do believe that NY has phenomenal restaurants and way more of them than South Florida has due to the sheer volume of diners up that way. That said, Michael's was outstanding when they first openened, and my recent meals there seal my confidence in the establishment. But there are service issues there. I think the layout of the place plays into some of those issues. And hopefully the folks that run the place will see these service issues and correct them. They know how to cook. They just have to get the goods to the table in better fashion! Like the sign in my friend's shop says, "NY, 1250 miles north and we don't care how they do it there" Emac Mon Mar 30 14:07:34 -0700 2009 4551150 139206 LargeLife 3 4552766 The fact of the matter is food in NYC is superior to Miami in every type of cuisine except central and south american where we rule :). Mon Mar 30 18:34:14 -0700 2009 4551973 50328 tpigeon 1 4552336 Have had no problems at Michaels in my many visits. The only complaints I have with their dishes, are on occassion when you turn over your menu that often, things may not work at times. That being said, I was there last week and the duck and shortrib were as delicious as ever. Mon Mar 30 16:10:01 -0700 2009 4549808 117906 mikek 1 4552668 We ate at Michael's for the first time our last trip to Sobe last month. The food was excellent. The service was ok but the waiter seemed to spend a lot more time at the table next to ours, explaining different things on the menu which he did not do with us. Not a big deal. The only thing that really pissed me off was having a reservation and then having to wait 35 minutes for our table when we were told no less than three times that our table was "just about ready." Will we go back? Absolutely. Mon Mar 30 18:01:12 -0700 2009 4549808 17680 Rondo 1 4553149 Couldnt disagree more with this post. While I will admit I may be biased because I go to MGFD quite frequently, I think he has really pumped out some kickass dishes lately. Yes, there will always be the go-to staples like the double yolk egg, octopus, duck confit, and beef cheek (which I always find to be great but always makes me long for the days of the grouper cheek) just to name a few of my favorites. Within the past month or so, Ive really enjoyed the scallop carpaccio, the pan seared local kingfish with farro, chorizo, grilled lemon, cilantro, and a saffron aioli (one of the best dishes Ive ever had in Miami), and the kingfish dish that Frod described here. The cheese of the week is another great feature that I often have as a dessert because Im not a real dessert person. Ive been with a few dates there though and all the desserts have been phenomenal. A guy at the table next to us this past weekend said he has dined out every day for the past 7 years and the saffron pot de creme was amongst the best desserts he has ever had. To me, it really says something when a restaurant can keep its menu in flux as much as MGFD does and still make a killer dish. It never gets boring and while all may not blow me away, Ive yet to find a total failure. I also like the chef using locally sourced ingredients that support the local economy while providing fresh tastes. As for the service... I sit at the bar 99% of the time whether solo or with 1-2 others. Both Ryan and Irene are great bartenders, incredibly friendly, and do a great job at making customers feel welcome while providing suggestions on the menu whether it be food or drink. In the past 3 months, Ive sat at a table twice and had Scott (mentioned above) as my server both times. Extremely nice guy, attentive without being annoying, knowledgeable when it comes to the food and wine, and he does a kickass job of spacing out the meal if/when asked. As for the rest of the servers, I cant really comment though there are a few faces that Ive seen there for quite some time. Unfortunately, in Miami we are supposed to expect service to blow and just deal with it. The snotty SoBe attitude born from the auto-gratuity has poisoned this city. So, its kind of impossible to avoid and many restaurants suffer from being a product of their own environment. Mon Mar 30 21:06:55 -0700 2009 4549808 115383 Blind Mind 2 4555187 Back home and thinking about our dinners again after reading these comments. I'm the one who started this, so want to deliver my thoughts a few days removed. I think my dinner there last year was so sensational, that it would have been hard for Michael's to live up to my memories. And the first night came close. We sat ourside and just about everything except we ordered was good. Great waitress, all was well. When we returned the next night without a reservation, we were seated in that first room on the left which isn't so great (as walk-ins, I can't complain) and a few of the dishes were just so so. But many were great. I'd certainly return. It's certainly a cool location and an innovative restaurant. And the person who said I shouldn't compare it to NY, I didn't!!!I loved it for the unique and exciting place it is. Dining here again actually figured into our coming back this year. So maybe it was just too perfect the first time. Surely, we'll be back. Tue Mar 31 13:46:46 -0700 2009 4553149 68616 niia 3 4555268 For what it's worth, we were seated in that same room and it was the only downside of the evening...very crowded and uncomfortable. I was disappointed since I made the reservation about a month in advance, but I didn't specify anything because I wasn't really aware of that room. Oh well...the food was great and I'd go back in a minute...if only I wasn't back in Connecticut! Tue Mar 31 14:12:13 -0700 2009 4555187 142362 sibeats 4 4555363 There's no elegant solution to the second room issue. The place is full almost every night, not everyone wants to sit outside, and there's no way to squeeze any more tables into the main dining room (the main dining room is also pretty crowded). They could probably do a better job with the decoration and lighting, but it's always going to feel a bit like Siberia. The other spaces in that plaza are all rented (but they're all going to feel like Siberia anyway), and I always get irrationally scared that a restaurant will lose its mojo if it moves locations (it happened to Ola when they left Biscayne Blvd.!) www.foodforthoughtmiami.com Tue Mar 31 14:41:21 -0700 2009 4555268 35525 Frodnesor 5 4555777 I hear you. It wasn't the Siberia aspect that bothered me, just the fact that the room was so tightly packed you literally could not move your chair an inch if there was a table behind you. I give the waitstaff high marks for moving around the space with hot plates and not dropping anything! There were a ton of open tables outside, and I asked to sit outside when we arrived, but the hostess said they weren't available. Like I said before, my fault for not requesting it when I made the reservation! Tue Mar 31 17:01:42 -0700 2009 4555363 142362 sibeats 1 4557205 As to the original posting about the restaurant "slipping" I don't see that happening. I have been frequenting the restaurant for the two years it has been open, and have never really had any issues with service. There has been a bit of turnover with the staff, but I am sure it is due to Chef's high standards. As Frod stated they do have a solid core of waiters that have been there for years who are very professional, and knoledgeable about the food and wine. The reservation team is very good about accomodating requests to sit with these servers......If you have a good experience with one you should request a business card from them....I'm sure they would be delighted to take care of you in the future... Wed Apr 01 08:00:58 -0700 2009 4549808 214084 MGTico 2 4563902 Hate to say it as it is my favorite restaurant in Miami, but I was disappointed in my meal at Michaels last night. Starters – Potato Chips were fine and addictive – as any potato chip should be. Hominy – Always one of my favorites but last night tasted burnt. Crispy in a burnt way. And the hominy was way too salty. It was edible but a rough-go. Double Yolk Egg – Again, always one of my favorites but last night the egg wasn’t just overcooked - It was hard-boiled. So the whole point of the dish was defeated. It was a bowl of hard-boiled egg yolk. Which I’ll eat but… Halibut Cheek – Used to love the Michaels’ Grouper Cheek so I wanted to give this a try. To be fair, others in my party really liked it but I felt the fried coating on mine was too dense, too tough and WAY TOO SALTY. It reminded me of conch fritters I used to have at Sundays on the Bay, one of the worst restaurants in the history of Miami, by the way. The fish inside was nice but, man, I had to scrape that coating off to enjoy it. One of my friends ordered the Short Ribs – they were really good – as any short rib dish should be. I ordered the Fudge Farm Pork Pork Chop. Excellent. Really enjoyed it. Meat was cooked perfectly and the subtle brine worked very well. Actually, the brined aspect of this dish reminded of a recent pork chop dish I had in the West Village NYC at a restaurant run by Anne Burrell, who used to be Mario Batali’s sous chef at Babbo, I believe, and, later, his assistant on Iron Chef. That was the first time I had a brined pork chop and this one at Michaels was just as good, if not better. Ironically, while the brine adds an intentional saltiness, this was the least offensively salty dish I had all night. Another friend ordered the Sausage-Stuffed Squid. I took one bite and said “Now this is what I come to Michaels for”. The flavors were complex. There was a really nice smokiness. And everything worked well together. My friend, who ordered it - a very devout Michaels fan, by the way – admitted, however, that after 3 or 4 bites it was way too salty. I guess one bite was enough. I guess the one thing we may all agree on is that Michaels is prone to inconsistency much like most other restaurants whereas it used to be a stalwart of consistency. Fri Apr 03 07:04:13 -0700 2009 4557205 116564 nikklos 3 4563922 I said from the very beginning it is inconsistent but always at least good. Fri Apr 03 07:14:06 -0700 2009 4563902 50328 tpigeon 3 4564129 Went last night - totally different experience. Just had snacks. Squid was delicious (stuffed with chorizo studded black squid ink rice). Dish came with two squid and although I don't agree it was salty, the dish, accompanied by saffron aioli, is a bit rich for one person. Splitting as we did was a good idea. The housemade pork and fennel sausage with polenta and braised radicchio was excellent and hopefully will be a stalwart on the menu (maybe not in the summer, but it'll hopefully be on the rotation). While I admit that all restaurants have some level of inconsistency, I'd say the band of inconsistency at Michael's has been narrower than most and enough so that I wouldn't brand it as inconsistent. Fri Apr 03 08:13:45 -0700 2009 4563902 12101 lax2mia 4 4565198 I was one of the friends that dined with Nikklos last night. My double yolk egg was overcooked but not as bad as his, meaning the yolk wasnt completely solid. I thought the halibut cheek was delicious though. The chef really works the taste of lemon with fish well, this time in an aioli. Loved it, though really made me long for the days of the grouper cheek. The squid was phenomenal, however, it was overly salty and Im usually not one to complain about saltiness. I made it thru the first squid without any problem, so perhaps the other one got loaded with salt? I disagreed with Nikklos about the hominy being "burnt" as I thought it was cooked right but it definitely was over seasoned, to the point where we simply didnt finish it and that is extremely rare for me, especially when we're talking about snack food. The chips/dip was great as usual just like it should be. We housed 2 portions. Fri Apr 03 12:59:48 -0700 2009 4564129 115383 Blind Mind 5 4565538 If the entire raison d'être of a dish is eggy gooeyness how can it be allowed to leave the kitchen with the yolk in solid form? I mean, it's an egg - go do it again. This topic is about "slippage" - these double yolks are exhibit A. Fri Apr 03 14:35:32 -0700 2009 4565198 116564 nikklos 6 4565680 I also have seen the egg dish overcooked on more than one occasion. It's a small art to get an egg cooked right when you're staring right at it in the pan - I think it's got to be exponentially more difficult when it's tucked away in wood-burning oven which is at ???? temperature. Stated another way, I think the egg dish might be a deceptively high-degree-of-difficulty item. I hate to say it, because the guy should be allowed to take a night off every so often, but I think there may be a difference when M.S. is manning the wood-burning oven and not. As for oversalting, that's another issue entirely but not one I've personally experienced. www.foodforthoughtmiami.com Fri Apr 03 15:21:09 -0700 2009 4565538 35525 Frodnesor 7 4566935 A tip with wood burning ovens in general is avoid ordering those dishes when the place is jammed -- unfortunately for michaels that is all the time -- because when you combine multiple items cooked simultaneously with the high heat, you can get variations. That's why when I go to sardinia I avoid wood burning stuff if the place is packed but go all out when it is quiet (I tend to go early...). I bring this up because it could account for the inconsistency in Michaels -- I never really ponderd this until just now... Sat Apr 04 07:54:26 -0700 2009 4565680 50328 tpigeon 8 4569856 This makes sense to me! Never thought much about it before. Kind of like when i tell people not to hit a BBQ restaurant at 3:30 or 9:30 at night....you won't get the best they have to offer at those times either..... EMac Sun Apr 05 16:19:34 -0700 2009 4566935 139206 LargeLife 6 4581041 Nikklos - I went there again last night. Crispy Pig Head. Nuff said. I also talked w/ the bartender (same from when we were there) who said we should have sent the eggs back. I guess we should have but Ive never been one to do that anywhere. He restated that its the only way to make sure the problem is fixed and I appreciated that. The theory on wood oven temp is a solid one. I also think I need to try the squid again to see if the chorizo is where I was getting "salty" from. Could have been that I pretty much housed that dish myself and its got a decent amount of chorizo which I may have just OD'd on. If that is the case, then the egg was the only minus and one that I would not categorize the entire restaurant as "slipping" for. Especially with some of the more innovative and different dishes theyve been pumping out lately. Thats just me though. To each his/her own. Thu Apr 09 08:36:37 -0700 2009 4565538 115383 Blind Mind 7 4581583 Crispy Pig Head - that's all you had to say. Now that's what I go to Michael's for. Maybe my post came off as a little too harsh. I still love the place but, you know, just pointing out some things. Thu Apr 09 10:42:26 -0700 2009 4581041 116564 nikklos 8 4597803 Had that stuffed squid again. Its not overly salty, its just me. I really like the dish but it should be shared by someone like me. Grilled sweetbreads theyve got right now are turbo tasty. Wed Apr 15 08:49:54 -0700 2009 4581583 115383 Blind Mind 1 4581450 I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. I was just there last Saturday and had a pretty stellar meal, besides the chocolate-coconut tart, which I found to be extremely dense and cloyingly rich. The doughnuts I had on a prior visit were much better option. We started with the Crispy Hominy and the Tuna Tartar. Both were good - nothing mind blowing - but well executed and quite tasty. For entrees, we ordered the Crispy Beef Cheeks and Grilled Short Ribs with Romesco Sauce. The beef cheeks were amazing; perfectly crisp and served over creamy parsnips along with a zesty mustard sauce that really helped cut the richness of the dish. The short ribs were delicious as well, but they were definitely better on my prior visit – not as charred and less crispy on this visit. However, flavors were spot on and the lemon on the side was a nice touch that really helps cut through the fat and richness of the dish. We steered clear of the onion. I have to agree with niia that the dish is pretty bland and the onion is a little undercooked, which really upsets me because the dish has such potential. I think it would benefit by adding the apricots, mint and some of the spices at the end instead of stewing them all together until the flavors are muddled and lost. All in all I had a great meal, even though there were a few missteps. I have to say I really respect and appreciate what Michael Schwartz is doing here. For my taste, Michael’s Genuine is one of the few solid dining experiences I’ve had down here. I’ll agree that at times it’s a little inconsistent, but all in all I’ve had a positive experience to 2 times that I’ve dined. Thu Apr 09 10:10:44 -0700 2009 4549808 259804 gquest78 1 4612757 From my first and only visit this past Sat. night I would have to say somethings didn't come out right and there was no excuse. We sat at a table directly in front of the kitchen. No problem with that, I like facing the kitchen but it was crowded and a very tight fit between tables. On to the food. I ordered the ceviche as an app to share with my wife. It didn't come! When the entrees came I mentioned that we didn't get the ceviche and they said they could bring it. I wasn't really interested in eating it as dessert and passed. My wife really wanted to taste it so they brought it. They did comp the ceviche. I had the pork belly and kimchi which was fine dish. Both were made well. The kimchi was very nice. My wife's grouper had a very raw part that was not edible and the accompanying fire roasted Brussels sprouts we okay but a couple I had were hard as rocks and were essentially raw. No excuse for these mistakes for a restaurant that is ranked this high or for any restaurant for that matter. If I'm in Miami again I might try them again but not on a Sat. night. Mon Apr 20 15:41:33 -0700 2009 4549808 89493 scubadoo97 1 4623139 Took my time replying to this thread because I wanted to give myself the opportunity to investigate a little further. If anything, my recent visit only served to reinvigorate my affection for this place. My parents claimed it was the best meal they have ever had at MGFD. I agree that it was way up there ... Dishes ordered included: Chorizo stuffed Squid w/ some type of lemony aioli; Soy glazed Yellowjack collar w/ roasted lemon; a Grilled/skewered Sweetbreads w/ a farro risotto; Fried Rabbit; Shortribs; Fudge Farms Pork Chop w/ apple compote and whipped parsnip; grilled spring onions, sprouts, grits, mashed potatoes. i tried everything at the table (everything really good) but personally ordered the Yellowjack Collar and the Pork Chop. The collar was an off-the-menu special, soy glazed I believe, with the exterior charred and crispy, the interior flesh super moist and tender. It was served with a charred lemon which balanced the flavors of the fish perfectly. Very nice price for this fairly large collar. The Fudge Farms Pork Chop was THE BEST PORK CHOP EVER. Very juicy, very flavorful. The flesh was darker than your average pork chop. Seriously, the type of thing where you take that bite and then put your silverware down and just smile and rub your belly while you finish chewing slowly. I tasted the compote just to taste it, but this chop was best eaten by itself and savored. I find this no coincidence (best chop ever) being that the last Fudge Farms pork dish that I enjoyed at MGFD was likewise in the best ever range. If this is slipping then I don't want to get up. Thu Apr 23 15:25:22 -0700 2009 4549808 136768 dmo305 2 4623244 There is nothing like that Fudge Farms pork. He did a dish w/ pork shoulder from them a few months ago that I still pine for. Thu Apr 23 15:58:27 -0700 2009 4623139 35525 Frodnesor 3 4623277 The one that was braised, sliced, and thrown on the grill w/ some homemade bbq sauce... yup that was the one Thu Apr 23 16:08:56 -0700 2009 4623244 136768 dmo305