Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

New American cuisine prepared simply & well with no fussiness and no pretensions. Emphasis on local and organic ingredients.

What we had:

The menu is split into sections by plate size--small (tapas-sized), medium (large tapas to main course), large (big main course), extra large (for two or more) and snacks. We went with 2 snacks and 2 medium plates, which was enough to fill my DH and I up without making us hurt.

Snacks: Crispy hominy & thick-cut potato chips with pan-fried onion dip.

The hominy's texture was a perfect balance between crunchy and slightly chewy. well-spiced and thoroughly satisfying.

The onion dip was great. Caramelized onions lend a hint of sophistication to this old classic, elevating simple chips & dip above mere bar food.

Medium Plates: Crispy beef cheek with whipped parsnip, pickled pearl onions frisse & mustard sauce and duck confit with cauliflower mash, wilted greens & a pear raisin chutney.

The confit was nice. I'd eat it again--and the skin was amazing--but it was just nice. Kind of like a decent date with someone you just aren't that into. Ok, maybe that's a bit strong. It was a good dish, a solid dish. A dish I would eat again--the duck was cooked perfectly, the slightly peppery greens counterbalanced the richness that is duck fat perfectly & the chutney gave a great sweet note to it all. Maybe the beef cheeks had something to do with why I was so unmoved.

The beef cheeks. Holy crap. What's beefier tasting than a steak? or a great beef stock? Beef cheeks. The beef cheeks represented one of those aha moments in food for my DH and I. Now we get it. We know now know why beef cheeks are almost everywhere in food media, and why Tony Bourdain drools over them. They're that good. The mustard sauce..blah, blah.. balance.. crispiness.. texture.. blah, blah. All you really need to know is: holy crap this was good. This was stand in line for an hour and punch out an old lady for the last slice good. *homer drool*


Décor:

Low-key, not too fussy. We went on a Saturday night (at 6:30) and ended up sitting at the chef's bar. Every (nice) restaurant should have a chef's bar. We watched the chefs make all of the wood-fired dishes. It was kind of like food porn. The most popular dishes of the night were the whole roasted "poulet rouge" chicken, whole roasted local snapper with fennel & the wood fired pizza. If you have a group of over 2 or have some desire to sit at a regular table, i'd make a reservation. Even at 6; even though they open at 6. It was packed the whole time we were there, and we had cocktails and took our time.

Service:

Our waiter was good. Attentive without being obnoxious about it. The other waiters seemed to be pretty good, too--we only saw 1 dish left to die in the pass all night--a lonely side of asparagus that was in all likelihood done too early.

Overall impressions:

We have our next three trips planned out already. Next time, we're doing the whole grouper. The time after, maybe spicy pork belly (if my DH can work around his abhorrence of kimchee) and possibly some rabbit.

What Google says; Company website.


Rating:

5 out of 5 salamanders

Panya Thai

Small Thai place on 167th in North Miami Beach.

What we had:

I had the Pad See Ew (sp?), which was good. The shrimp wasn't cooked to death, and the spice balance was nice.

My DH had the Pad Thai, which was solid as well.

All in all, the meal was satisfying. Fresh ingredients, a great menu (laid out by sauce with meat/main ingredient options), and a good selection of Thai dishes.


Décor:

Really impressive. From the outside, this place is nothing to look at--it's in a tiny, 2-store run-down looking shopping center between 2 other run-down-ish shopping centers. Open the doors, and its a different story. The decor is elegant and decidedly Thai without being garish or trying too hard.

Service:

Good service.

Overall impressions:

So far, this is our favorite Thai place in town. Granted, we haven't been to many yet, but this tops Sushi Siam and the other two.

What Google says; no company website.


Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

Hot Tuna Miami

Rock-n-Roll cabaret/sushi/Japanese joint in South Beach.

What we had:

My DH and I went with a few friends. We had the edamame, California Roll, Rainbow Roll, a simple tuna roll, a soft shell crab roll, some other form of tempura roll, a himachi & jalapeno roll with crispy garlic chips, lobster and wasabi mashed potatoes, saki, and mixed drinks.

The food was impressive. Granted, I have been lax in my sushi-eating since making the move to Miami, but this was pretty great. The quality was spot on-the sushi chef, not so much (our rolls fell apart). The mixed drinks were really good, too. I had a sunrise something--orange vodka, grenadine, fresh OJ. A couple of our friends also had pineapple upside-down shots, which they said tasted just like really good, really fresh pineapple.

The lobster mashed was awesome and a big hit with everyone. Mental note: lime goes great with edamame.

The rolls also came with interesting dipping sauces--a really good pineapple, a light peanut butter and some sort of ginger. The pineapple was impressive. It had a bit of heat, but just enough to tickle the back our your throat.


Décor:

Nice. Nice black gator-print leather (the tasteful small scales style), ambiance, "hot" girls dancing on the bar to rock songs (we were disappointed--no corsets and fishnets like on the website--but, hey, beggars can't be choosers and all that).

Service:

Our waitress was attentive, knowledgeable, friendly and adorable. She was great at up-selling without making it obvious.

Overall impressions:

We'd totally go back again. This is a great place to take out-of-town guests. Definitely an experience. The bill wasn't terrible, either. Our bill only averaged out to $40 per person.

What Google says; Company website.


Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders