So, as I was saying about those timely posts...
What gets me most is that when I look back to consider what I'd like to say about the places I've eaten only to realize just how much time has passed. The days sort of feed into one another and what I remember as being about a week or two has actually been closer to seven--which is actually the case with my trip to Michy's, amongst others. It was six or seven weeks ago that I, after eight months of work, received my first Friday night off without having requested it, which obviously meant I needed to spend it wisely. And what better way to spend a Friday night than a night out wining and dining with the one you love most.
The decision to actually go to Michy's rather than simply returning to my favorite Michael's Genuine was a little more difficult than you might imagine. It was Friday afternoon at almost two o'clock and I hadn't yet made a reservation. I had heard that Michy's was some sort of high end Latin fusion all the way down on Miracle Mile. Mixed reviews left me wondering if the trip would actually be worth another Latin meal when my neighborhood was teeming with the equivalent of Central American Applebee's.
My first reservation was actually with the Food Gang, thinking it might be fun to go and see Howie Kleinberg's (the argumentative, sweaty bald guy from Top Chef 3) food in real life, but the reviews there were even more mixed. Flipping through a magazine I had received highlighting restaurants in Broward and Dade counties, I finally gave in and called Michy's, delightfully surprised to find out that not only is it North Miami Beach, much closer to my house, but also that the food is actually quite appealing, and not just another take on old Latin favorites.
What excited me most about Michy's was the subtle vibrance of everything. First of all, the place is very quietly located on US1, next to a Starbuck's, a gas station and a residential street. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you wouldn't find it. Then when you enter (as we did, mistakenly through the front door which is actually the back door), you are hit with blue. Blue envelops the room and gives a sense of boundary. It isn't until you look around and realize that the banquette along the far wall is bright orange and the chairs bright white that the room really comes alive, enough to match the clamor of the guests all enjoying themselves. As far as first impressions go, this was a pretty good one.
So we finally sat down, I in the orange banquette, Doris in one of the many white mismatched chairs that fill most of the room. To our right was the dining room, full of well-dressed adults, a family with their kids, smiles on everyone's faces as they took bites of the delicious food. To our left, the wall of wine, the bar and the bargoers out not to eat, but to have a good time. Michy's, I realized, isn't just a place to go and have great food--it's a place to go and have a great time.
Be forewarned--I was easily sold into two $18 glasses of champagne that, admittedly, tasted damn good, but were a little pricier than I had expected. Regardless, they made a great start to a fantastic meal and quickly heightened the romance that only Michy's quirky elegance could create. With the champagne we enjoyed oysters with the apple horseradish mignonette, and the silky, heavenly white gazpacho with almonds, grapes and cucumber. Smoother and less acidic than most any other gazpacho I've ever had, this was like eating a smile and swallowing perfection. Second was the bibb lettuce salad, topped in crispy shallots (which I made at work the next day they tasted so good) and a jalapeno ranch dressing just spicy enough to excite the lettuce, but not so cloying that I kept reaching for my water.
Before I go any further I must talk about ham and cheese. While traveling through the Southern half of Argentina last year at this time, we spent well over fifty hours on busses owned by companies that believed ham and cheese sandwiches were the best option for quick meals. In all fairness, ham and cheese are some of the cheapest and most ubiquitous ingredients to be had in all of South America, but when you are sitting on a bus, stopped-over for two hours in the middle of Argentina only to be fed a trio (yes a TRIO!) of ham and cheese sandwiches with cookies, carbs and more carbs, all in the middle of a 36-hour bus ride, your disdain for the two ingredients quickly rises and you basically never want to see them again. However, when we saw the ham and cheese croquetas on the menu, they sounded too good to pass up, and served as a nice interlude between salad and entree.
Finally, it was the churrasco Steak Frites, served with a Bearnaise and an Au Poivre dipping sauce. For me, it was the least exciting element of the evening, perhaps becuase I've been working a grill station for over five months and therefore am a bit tired of steak and heavy sauces. Then, inevitably, it was the red velvet cupcake and shot of milk served in a mason jar for dessert that we had seen upon entering. There was honestly no room left to stuff a cupcake, but if you could the presentation alone of the cream cheese icing and glass of milk, you'll find a place.
The cool thing about Michy's is that the menu is divided into half and full portions, so you can turn four courses into a tasting for two simply by sharing, just like we did. The bill for everything, including the champagne, coffee and gratuity was $160, not bad considering we left feeling satisfied. Once I've completed more of my tour of South Florida cuisine, I'll definitely go back, though perhaps not for the Steak Frites. It is an environment unto itself, unpretentious and bursting with energy--worth the travel and worth the money.
Michy's
6927 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, Fl; (305)-759-2001
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