Miami (South) Beach restaurant recommendations

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hopefully the dude abides… [cheers.gif]

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Our meal at Michael’s was pretty sub-par, but it sounds like that is not very common, perhaps an off night. Liked Michy’s food a lot, though the restaurant reminded me of a suburban Chinese restaurant. We liked the Dutch the best and sitting outside there is very pleasant.

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We just got back from Michael’s Genuine, and I’d agree. Good, but not great. Valet parking is $3. BYO is $25.
I think a Zagat rating of 27 is overly generous. Don’t get me wrong, the food was delicious. But there were some I’s not dotted and T’s not crossed.

To begin, my wife ordered the beet salad. At $20, it was enough for 2. If you love beets, you’ll enjoy this.
I ordered the roasted eggplant. Very nice.
My brother in law ordered a salad.

Bread is served, but nothing special.

I ordered the chicken. Crispy and delicious. My wife ordered the pizza. [swoon.gif] My B-I-L really enjoyed his swordfish.
Sides ordered were brussel sprouts (ok), and roasted tomatoes with pesto. I asked for pesto on the side since my BIL likes it. When it arrived with pesto, I returned it. I’m not one to eat what I didn’t order. Now we’re more than half way through eating, when I tell the waiter not to bother bringing the replacement. He said it was still being prepared. By the way, when the bill arrived, the hostess said they were deducting this item. Duh!

They did comp us dessert. Nice touch!

Cost per person was $55 all-in. Todd, if I were you, I’d spend a few bucks more and seek out an elegant place for you and Jen.
I will say that there are plenty of beautiful people here, and I don’t mean me.

We ate outside, and were seated on arrival at 6:00. Hey. I’m old. neener
The inside of Michael’s is nothing special to write about. Same goes for the outside.

So in spite of my enjoying the food, Michaels still left me [scratch.gif]

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Sorry, I just saw this thread. My wife manages a nice restaurant here, so we are friendly with a few chefs around town and frequently eat out, so here is my long opinion.

Many of the places mentioned are very good. But, if you are looking for a Miami-known restaurant, then there are three big players in town.

Michael Schwartz runs Michael’s Genuine, Harry’s Pizza, Restaurant Michael Schwartz, and The Cypress Room. I find Michael’s Genuine to be consistently good but not great. I find Cypress Room to be the best of the group. Restaraunt Michael Schwartz is a definite skip.

50 Eggs runs Yardbird, Khong, and Swine. They are all very good but specialized so if you don’t want pork dont go to Swine, etc. Yardbird does serve Pappy at the bar. All three places often have guest chefs from out of town, and often do family style seating for these events.

Pubbelly runs Pubbelly, PB Steak, Pubbelly Sushi, Barceloneta, and Michaelina. With the exception of Michaellina they are all on the same block and have service at the bar. We will often mix up a meal by having a dish or two at several locations. Tasting menu at Michaelina for $45 is one of my favorite meals in town.

Other favorites to note.

Palm d’Or in the Biltmore is fancy, romantic, elegant and fantastic French food.
Tuyo and Nemesis (both downtown) serve unique dishes in unique atmospheres. Tuyo is run by a long time, well known Miami chef and is atop the Miami Dade Culinary School. Nemesis is a tiny restaurant holding maybe twenty people that serves stuff like Kangaroo and Alligator.

Please let me know of any questions and I will post some good places to have a drink, hang out, etc later.