robyn

Yes - it is always that combination of expectations versus reality - with a touch of value for the money thrown in. I think I probably expected more of dinner at Michael's than of lunch at the Cafe at Chez Panisse. After all - the former is supposed to be one of the 5 best new restaurants in the US! - and Chez Panisse is considered by some to be of historical interest only. But things turned out the other way around. BTW - the best value roast chicken I have ever had is take-out from Costco. A whole 2-3 pound chicken - very tasty - for less than I'd pay to buy a raw chicken (about 5 bucks). And the best roast chicken I have ever had was a whole roast Bresse chicken at Georges Blanc (which cost a lot more than the chicken at Costco!). Robyn

Doing some spring cleaning today - getting out the fishing rods (we do a little fishing for fun at the JAX beach pier spring/summer/fall). And I got to thinking. Anne says that the fresh local Pompano is a regular menu item at Michael's (although I don't recall it being available the nght we ate there). Now I fish for pompano - love it. But it is one tough bird in terms of fishing regulations - both in terms of how you can catch it (no nets)- bag limits (10 if I recall correctly) and size limits (no small ones - no big ones). The fish and game guys patrol the JAX beach pier regularly and give out $75 tickets all the time for violating Pompano fishing rules. So Miami Danny - since you claim to be some kind of Miami food reporter - I want to know how a restaurant that is as busy as Michael's can serve fresh "local" Pompano to dozens of diners a night. Where do they get the fish from? They would certainly need just about every legal fish coming in on docks at places like Key Biscayne to serve their customers. Or perhaps Anne is wrong - and they only get a few - and run out. Or maybe they just use the fishing boats that run out to the Bahamas (where the fishing regs are almost non-existent) - and hussle the stuff they catch in the Bahamas back to Florida? Inquiring minds would like to know. Robyn

I am a little confused. Where exactly is this restaurant? I get the impression at or near Versailles - although my French is really awful and I could be 25 miles off base. If at/near Versailles - might be a very nice place for lunch when visiting Versailles. Although I haven't been to France for a really long time - I was at Gordon Ramsay RHR in 2004 for lunch - and he (actually his kitchen because he was filming a TV show and no where near the restaurant) did an amazing job with a Bresse pigeon. Was the food trendy - no. Was it delicious - yes. Robyn

I thought he lost the 3rd star a year or two ago. Guess perhaps he was waiting to see if he got it back this year. Will be interesting to see what the hotel does - what direction it goes in. Will it try to maintain the old menu with a new chef - or try something entirely new. It's April now - so it can use the summer busy but somewhat touristy season to come up with something - and hit the ground running in the fall. It's an opportunity to make a big splash - or a big flop. Robyn

Here's the article. Wonder what the story is? Robyn

Miami Danny - Any place that throws monthly garden soirees seems a little too chichi to be called a real working farm. BTW - after 35 years (and a huge amount of travel) in Florida - I think I know a fair amount about Florida agriculture. I've even been on a sugar plantation (guided tour courtesy of its lawyer). It's people who never get out of the metro areas who don't have a handle on Florida agriculture. BTW - there's a good discussion of the "local" issue in the Bruni blog Anne cited above (Local, Seasonal, Wishful). No reason repeating everything that's mentioned there. Robyn

Anne - We have a "bird habitat". Bird baths - feeders - etc. So we frequently have dozens of birds at a time - no match for a few tomatoes. It really doesn't get cold enough up here for stone fruit - usually not enough chill hours. And our yard is too soggy for things like potatoes (although they grow well in the higher drier western part of St. Johns County). Most herbs do well (some in the winter - others in the summer - I've just put in my summer basil). Robyn

Anne - If you look at the Paradise Farms website - they don't come right out and say "we grow our greens in a cooler" - but they mention the cooler - and growing the greens in the cooler is kind of implied. I can't get microgreens (immature spring mix stuff) to do anything here after about mid-April. It's just a waste of time. I buy my collards and other winter greens at Publix. I've found that Glory foods puts out a good product. Even though it isn't a "boutique" grower - it is a supporter of the Southern Foodways Alliance. Pest control is kind of impossible up here for food crops without heavy use of chemicals (and bird netting for birds - they hate tomatoes but will poke holes in all of them just to make sure they all taste the same) once the weather warms up. So I figured if you can't beat 'em - join 'em - and all I raise in the summer is plants for birds (especially hummingbirds) - butterflies and bees. I plant stuff (like parsley) which is food for caterpillars - and am happy to see them munching away in June. BTW - one "organic" way to get rid of caterpillars is to pick them off plants by hand. No way I'm going to sit there all afternoon picking at caterpillars. FWIW - my yard (about an acre) is very different than yours. Generally mucky soils which are subject to flooding in northeasters and tropical storms. It's much easier to grow native trees and shrubs than exotic anything. I like to plant herbs and the like in plastic "whiskey barrels" which you can find at Lowe's - Home Depot - etc. Easy to water by hand (so I can save water). Also - the termites don't eat plastic barrels the way they eat the real barrels. Robyn

Perhaps it would also be useful to mention the wine pairings that aren't so good (or worse). Robyn

P.S. When I first saw those "giant prawns" in Publix - I looked them up. They are basically farmed prawns from SE Asia - and there is a lot of controversy about the effect of their farming on the environment. I decided to pass. I am surprised that a chef doesn't know where his ingredients come from (I pretty much know where everything in my kitchen comes from - although I am not necessarily a fanatic of any kind when it comes to what I use). Robyn

I think you all have overlooked the fact that I really don't care very much if ingredients are local as long as they're good. Heck - the best fish in the US for high end Japanese restaurants frequently is caught in the US - and comes back to the US via Tokyo. I also believe in the ethical production of food. And I am not as impressed with how Paradise Farms works as all of you seem to be. It's basically a one woman operation with a (probably underpaid) single paid employee - and a bunch of volunteers! And a very small number of fancy chefs in town - about 5 - instead of working for the rights of Florida agricultural workers (many of whom work under totally miserable conditions) - and working in conjunction with established farmers to help them improve both the quality of their crops and their workers' conditions - choose to bestow their large amounts of money and influence on what is essentially a hobby farm (5 acres). IOW - Paradise Farms is not a model for sustainable local production on anything but a "microscale" (guess that's why they grow "microgreens"). For a good reason - Florida isn't California (where it's much easier to grow lots of things for large parts of the year). BTW - I was curious how you produce microgreens (indeed any greens) in Florida when the temps are over 80 (I can't grow greens when it's 80 - they're strictly a winter crop even here in north Florida). And the website seems to indicate that they're grown inside in a cooler. Doesn't impress me as very "natural". Most other things aren't grown in the summer. Because - as any Florida gardener knows (and I do garden) - there isn't much that grows well when it's 90 degrees - although there are a few herbs that will do ok through the summer. This brings up another food issue - which is using foods in season. Which I believe in (although I'm not a fanatic about it). Instead of using using local out-of-season microgreens grown in a cooler - why not use greens that are in season elsewhere in parts of the state with cooler climates (like collards and turnip greens). There is a final issue regarding local production - the environmental issue. A fair number of things that are grown here in Florida should not be grown here because they waste too much water and/or harm the environment (because - for example - they require too much fertilizer which runs off into water sources). On my part - I'd rather support sugar grown in Brazil than sugar grown on the edge of the Everglades (because I care less about Brazil than I care about the Everglades). Robyn

Who is Anthony (he of cheese course fame)? Robyn

Everything on the menu that is local is listed as local. And those things are fish and tomatoes. Not really unusual. Although we have lots of cattle in Florida - they are neither finished nor slaughtered here. And our potato crop - which is mostly grown where I live in NE Florida - 350 miles north of Miami - is hardly a boutique crop (although some local chefs do use local potatoes in their cooking - I doubt any chef is going to travel 350 miles to buy his potatoes here). If the chef were truly interested in local - he wouldn't be serving jumbo prawns - which are clearly not local. Because we do have great shrimp in Florida. Robyn

UE - next trip to the Four Seasons - look for the Chef's menu (it's in a little tiny box at the bottom of the menu if I recall correctly - my husband missed it too when he looked over the menu in the lobby). Drosendorf - I've only been to the cafe at Chez Panisse for lunch. Michael's isn't anywhere in the same league. As for the restaurant using "local" ingredients - there aren't many on the menu. A couple of fish (either pompano wasn't offered the night we dined there - or they were out of it - otherwise we would have ordered it) - and tomatoes. Not a cause to complain about a Florida restaurant IMO - since we don't have many good local ingredients here (fish is an exception). And the local ingredients in south Florida are different than those in north Florida. But it's not a reason for a restaurant to boast either. Robyn

Glad (as a local) to hear that. I think the new chef is a good fit with this restaurant. Robyn

Either this is a casual place - or it isn't. If casual - a signature dish shouldn't take over an hour (75 minutes+ we were told) to cook. A casual signature dish like a roast chicken which takes time to cook should be "in the works" for restaurant patrons. If you have a full house every night - and a certain percentage of people order roast chicken (a good restaurant should have a handle on this) - what's so hard about having some in the oven so the prep time is less than an hour? We're not talking about a 3 star Michelin bresse chicken in France here. I realize fish come in different sizes. But 3 to 11 pounds? A fish for 2 should be about 2-4 pounds. Why on earth would a restaurant have an 11 pound fish meant to be served to a single table? This is an issue of the kitchen ordering intelligently from its suppliers. FWIW - if you're talking 3-11 pounds - you're talking different species of snapper. The world record for a yellowtail (an excellent fish IMO) is 11 pounds. Many lesser species of snapper are bigger - some a whole lot bigger. As a long time Florida resident - and occasional fisherman - the "snapper" designation is kind of meaningless. It would be like if a restaurant had a dish that was entitled "beef for 2 - 3-11 pounds). On my part - I'll eat yellowtail snapper any day of the week. As for some other snappers - I'd consider them racoon food at best. I talked with my accountant yesterday (reason for the trip was a meeting with him). We both had pretty much the same views about the restaurants I wrote up. A lot of our impressions and reactions have to do with patron demographics (and - if I detail them - this message will most likely be deleted). Robyn

OK - let's turn the tables. How many times have you dined at Acqua - and what do you dislike about it? I've dined there about 3 times (usually once each time we stay at the FS). Thought the old chef was a total bore - and have high hopes for the new chef (our meal last week was a lot better than any we've had there - both in terms of concept and execution). We used to stay at the RC Coconut Grove - don't these days because it's a no-smoking hotel - and the last chef there was excellent. The lunch we had there this trip (new chef) was mediocre. We wound up dining at the RC for lunch because our business meeting with our accountant was a couple of blocks away. We usually have lunch at Monty's with our accountant - it's across the street from his office - mediocre food - nice setting - but the outside part of the restaurant (the only place to eat at Monty's) was closed the day of our meeting for a movie shoot. FWIW - I like good values. Our stay at the Four Seasons cost $250/night. And the chef's menu there - like I said before - was $55 without wine and $75 with - the cheapest dinner of our trip. Oceanaire was by far the most expensive of our 3 dinners - and the worst (in terms of food - service was quite excellent). BTW - for people reading this thread - our trips to Miami are basically business trips - not vacations. That's why we stay on Brickell or in Coconut Grove. So - can you compare these restaurants head to head? When it comes to love - I have none for Miami in terms of the food scene. It dismissed Jordi Vallès from Mosaico (best meal we've had in Miami in the last decade). He wound up here at the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island (not a good fit). Don't know where he is today. Miami wouldn't know a good chef if he or she threw 3 star Michelin dishes in its face. Just my opinion. OTOH - since I have to take trips there - I am always open to what's new and good. Robyn And P.S. I ate Michelle Bernstein's food at Azul and was totally underwhelmed. I really long for the old days when Mark Militello had only one place at 135th Street - and Norman Van Aken was doing his thing in Key West. Of course - that was a *very* long time ago.

I had the chocolate dessert (I love chocolate). It was ok. Nothing to rave about. I had lunch at the previous incarnation - don't have a clue whether it was open for dinner. As for design - well our "Bistro" in Jacksonville just opened a new room (doubling its size). All Philippe Starck and the like. Serious dollars. This place? Well - it was comfy - that's about it (except that the tables were too small and too close together). Guess I'll say it for the 3rd time. Not a bad place - or overpriced - just over-hyped. It is really regrettable that this is thought to be the best new place in Miami (a large metro area) this year. But that is the fault of Miami - and the people who live - visit and dine there - not the restaurant. I suspect people who travel to places to eat would be very disappointed with a place like this. FWIW - we live almost exactly half-way between Atlanta and Miami - we travel to both cities - and if I had to choose a place solely on the basis of restaurants - no question Atlanta is the winner - by a lot. A place like Michael's can't hold a candle to a place like Bacchanalia. BTW - have you dined at Acqua? Certainly not the same scene as Michael's (the place was really dead when we went there on Tuesday). No D list celebs. But much better food IMO. And excellent wine pairings (at bargain prices too). We met a lot of people staying at the Four Seasons who were dining at Michael's - and lots of other trendy places - but they didn't want to dine at the hotel - because it wasn't trendy. And that just about sums up Miami in a nutshell. People are more interested in "the scene" than the food. Which is why - IMO - dining in Miami is worse now than it was 20+ years ago. Robyn

It would be nice if you could mention the general part of Paris where these restaurants are located - so those of us who are planning a trip can make a note if and when we will be in those areas. Robyn

I'm over 60 - didn't feel threatened. A boring dead neighborhood isn't the same as a threatening neighborhood. Can't comment on the prices - since I've only eaten there once. I can't recall what the whole chicken cost. We wanted to order one - but were told it would take well over an hour to cook from scratch. This isn't a real menu item IMO (who wants to wait over an hour - which basically means 90 minutes from when you arrive at a restaurant - before you get your main?). Like I said - if this is a signature dish - and the restaurant is overflowing - there should be at least a few of them "in the works" so the wait time isn't so long. As for the decor - it really isn't a matter of taste. The whole restaurant is kind of done "on the cheap" - without any degree of flair - kind of unusual considering it's in the Design District. I've eaten in this restaurant space before on previous trips - when it was a different restaurant - and it didn't look to me that any substantial amount of money had been invested in refurnishing the place. Frankly - I don't know whether or not the chef was in the kitchen (and we did not have a choice of days to dine). I do know that people who looked like they were from the kitchen kept dropping by the table next to us - the table with the 2 guys from New York who were being comp'd a lot of dishes (and the reason I know they were being comp'd a lot of dishes was their server said so when they were presented with the bill - it's hard to avoid hearing anything when you're sitting about 6 inches away from the table next to you). Anyway - I'm not saying it was a bad place - or overpriced. Over-hyped is probably the best way to describe my impression. And - good grief - if you're going to comp your friends for over half of the cost of their meal - don't let people like us know about it (because we wind up feeling like schmucks). Perhaps it wouldn't be a problem if the tables weren't so close together. We met with our accountant this trip - he and his wife dined at the place a month or two ago - and said every time the people next to them had to leave their seats - he and his wife had to get out of their chairs to let them out - that's how close the seating is. Why open a place in a low rent district and arrange tables as if you're in mid-town Manhattan? Robyn

We were in Miami - business and shopping trip - Sunday through today. Dined at a few places. Quick summary. We were staying at the Four Seasons and arriving late Sunday. Met my brother and his wife at Oceanaire in Mary Brickell Village (near the hotel) late Sunday night. Thumbs down. Not that the food was bad - it was just mediocre and outrageously overpriced for what it was - an upscale chain ($400 for 4 people). We get fish at Stonewood Grill (higher end chain) at home for a whole lot less - and the preparations are better. I'd skip it. Note that our server was delightful - and the service was flawless. Had lunch with a business associate at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove on Monday. Again - mediocre (although prices weren't too bad and setting was nice for a quiet business lunch). Good service. Dinner Monday at Michael's Genuine. Food wasn't bad (it was fine) - or too pricey - but I can tell you that in terms of this kind of food - it isn't even the best in Florida (our Bistro Aix in Jacksonville is better). And as for it being one of the top 10 new restaurants in the US - per Frank Bruni in the NYT - I can't believe it (unless this has been a very bad year for restaurant openings). IOW - if this were just a nice neighborhood place - I wouldn't have had any complaints. But since it is this week's restaurant of the year in Miami - and extraordinarily crowded with a lot of tourists (we knew they were tourists because they arrived in cabs - not something most locals do) even on a Monday night - we expected more - and it was kind of a let-down. One big point in its favor - it did honor our Opentable reservation at precisely the time we booked. Another is the service was excellent. Some locals we met in the Design District complained that it used to be a fairly inexpensive neighborhood place - but has raised its prices quite a bit since it became a trendy destination restaurant. One thing I didn't understand. My husband and I had both reviewed the menu before we went - and thought we wanted the whole wood oven roasted chicken (a signature dish). Upon arrival - we were told the chicken would take well over an hour to prepare. If the restaurant is this popular - and this crowded - why do they have to make a signature dish like this from scratch? You'd think they'd have 1 or 2 cooking in the oven on spec (note that we ordered other things because of the cooking time mentioned for this dish). Another signature dish was the whole wood oven roasted snapper. Priced per pound. When we asked - we were told the fish could go from 3 to 11 pounds depending on what was in the kitchen. Didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Another thing I didn't understand is that for a restaurant in the Design District - the layout of the restaurant and the design and the furnishings were totally underwhelming. We dined about 2 inches away from a couple of guys - and found out more than we ever wanted to know about them during our dinner. One fact was that one was a real estate broker from NYC - and the other was a money manager in Miami. Another was that a lot of their meal was comp'd. They were obviously very happy. Wonder if that happened to Bruni - and that was why he was very happy? Anyway - not a bad place - but I don't know what the big fuss is all about. Tuesday we were in the Gables and had lunch at Caffe Abbracci. We used to eat there a lot when we lived in Miami - and it seemed time had stood still when we entered the place. It isn't inexpensive - or trendy (in terms of food or clients) - but it serves the same solid Italian stuff it has always served. Packed for lunch with a lot of business types. Seems to be as popular as it was the week it opened. Tuesday night was the surprise of the trip. We dined at the hotel restaurant - Acqua in the Four Seasons. It has always received rather mediocre reviews - and the a la carte menu is pretty expensive. But we were tired - didn't want to go out - and noted that there was an interesting looking reasonably priced tasting menu. Three courses - each with 2 contrasting items. And it was really excellent (not Michelin star quality - but really good for Miami). Won't go over the particular items on the menu - because the tasting menu changes at least weekly - if not nightly. And it was a relative bargain at $55 without wines - $75 with wines (2 glasses for each course to go with the 2 items in each course). And the wines were wonderful. E.g., an excellent California Roederer sparkling wine and a nice French champagne to go with the first course - a soup and ceviche pairing. Maybe we just lucked out - or this restaurant hasn't received the attention it deserves. FWIW - the hotel and the dining room are both really lovely - and the service was excellent. Today - lunch on the way home at Toojay's (small Florida chain deli) in Palm Beach Gardens. Excellent pastrami sandwich (impossible to find in Jacksonville). We chatted with the manager a bit and he said there are plans to expand both into Miami and Jacksonville next year. Fingers crossed those plans work out. Anyway - if I had to sum up our dining - some disappointments and some surprises in terms of food. But overall excellent service (don't know if that would have been true had we ventured to South Beach - which we never liked even when we lived in Miami). Note that we did spend an evening and an afternoon in the Design District. I can't say whether it's on the way up or the way down. New places opening - but some old stalwarts like Knoll are moving. On a regular night - except for Michael's - the place is dead as a doornail. I wouldn't want to park 2 blocks away from the restaurant. As an aside - I think all of the new condos in the area from downtown to the Design District are grotesque. And I don't know who's going to live in them (maybe renters after vulture funds buy them). What surprised me is stories I heard about lenders redlining a fair number of the places and refusing to lend on them (because they don't think they're stable financially). Not to pick especially on Miami. I live in Florida - and the real estate picture all over the state isn't very pretty these days. Robyn

It was the Village of Merrick Park (got the name wrong) - and the place is called Villagio. Michael's Genuine is a possible for lunch or dinner one day. What do you think of Oceanaire for a simple grilled fish one night (my husband and I like to eat grilled fish - and the place is near the hotel)? I realize it's a chain - but Legal Seafoods is a chain too - and we enjoy the grilled fish there. Robyn

I think you'll enjoy Vau. We had a very good lunch there. Note that lunch is a relative bargain compared to dinner. Robyn

Seems like a lot of my concerns about the location were on target (can't speak about the food - since I never dined there). If anything - I suspect the area is in worse shape this year than last due to the condo crash. I'll find out next month (going to Miami for a short trip - will spend at least a few hours in the design district). BTW - I am not here to bash Miami - but to find decent places to eat when I visit. Anything reasonably new worth considering that is somewhere near the Four Seasons on Brickell (my brother lives on the beach - so I'll let him pick the restaurant he likes there the night we dine with him)? Michael's Genuine sounds interesting. The new Italian place in Merrick place does not. Robyn

I can't speak for anyone except myself - but I don't dine at places that have lost stars. I will eat at a place that's on its way up - but not on its way down. FWIW - I have always thought that Michelin was too slow to grant stars - and too slow in taking them away (it is not unique in this regard IMO). I would rather eat at a restaurant that I think might get a first star in a year or so than a restaurant that had 3 stars for many years and just lost one. Robyn