We visited Michy’s during another stop on our continuing ‘foodies with cameras’ dinner/impromptu photo shoot quest with our good friend Kevin. Our mission: to find great food that not only delights, but looks beautiful as well.
This is not the first Bernstein restaurant we have visited on our trek. Check out my review of Sra. Martinez and related pictorial.
We ordered the large chef’s tasting menu this evening, and it was worth it. Expensive, but a great way to experience the menu. While I don’t think we will be tackling the tasting menu every time we have one of these dinners, for a restaurant like this, where we already know and love the chef’s food, it was a good way to go.
Appetizer Course(s)
Peruvian Style Ceviche – Seafood of the Day (scallops, a white fish and shrimp) with ginger, lime, chilies, sweet potatoes and crisped corn. This was some of the best ceviche I have ever had–nice and light, not too acidic, perfectly cooked and tender.
Tuna Tartar – Diced tuna with a soy, ginger, scallion and chili oil dressing and house potato chips. While not a standout dish, it was fresh and delicate.
Greek Style Watermelon Salad – Watermelon with upland cress, bacon molasses vinaigrette, feta, black olives and pecans. A well-balanced salad, though a touch of sour would have been a nice addition–maybe something in a pomegranate molasses?
Jamon Serrano & Blue Cheese Croquetas with Fig Marmalade – We were excited to see Bernstein’s fig marmalade, having absolutely loved it at Sra. Martinez. These croquetas did not disappoint–the bleu cheese was a great addition and the marmalade was fantastic as always.
Pork Belly with Tortellini – Crisped portions of pork belly with a sweetish glaze, pork cheek tortellini and rich ham jus. The tortellini and jus would have been a great dish alone; the addition of pork belly made for one rich (and tasty) appetizer.
Sweetbreads “Milanesa” – Lightly breaded and perfectly fried sweetbreads with Cippolini onions, apple slivers, black eyed peas, bacon and cider gastrique. This was the first time any of us had had sweetbreads, and we were all dying to try them. Yum. Creamy and light, we see what all the hubbub is about, especially when paired with the freshness of apple. The beans were also great–al dente and wholly satisfying.
Entree Course
Short Ribs Falling off the Bone – Short ribs (boneless as advertised) with a sun choke mousseline, natural jus and roasted vegetables (favas, tomatoes & English peas). There’s a reason this is Michy’s most popular menu item. These short ribs are great, giving up their beefy goodness with almost no resistance. The vegetables were a perfect accompaniment, although I must admit to being a sucker for sun chokes. I could have dealt well with much more of that puree.
Whole Yellowtail Snapper – Pan-seared Yellowtail Snapper with Malaysian curry, green and ripe mangoes, jasmine rice and hearts of palm salad. Our portion was most of a snapper, and I’m so happy it wasn’t more. This dish was great–it smelled amazing, and the curry was nice and light, but at this point we were getting pretty stuffed.
Fettuccine Carbonara – Fresh fettuccine with smoked bacon, crispy Jamón Serrano, prosciutto, melting St. Andre cheese and English peas. This was fantastic, and not just because I love fresh pasta and bacon. This dish was not near as heavy as I anticipated, and provided a luxurious bacon-y foil for the fish.
Creamy Polenta – Creamy white grits with truffle, poached egg and bacon bits and shaved Parmesan. What’s not to love about cream, cheese, egg, truffle & bacon? This was a great side.
Dessert Course
Baked Alaska – Pistachio cake with dulce de leche ice cream wrapped in toasted Italian meringue and sauced with passion fruit salsa. I’ve been dreaming about this dessert off and on since our last visit, and I am happy to say for good reason. The pistachio cake is awesome–not too sweet and not too heavy. I also appreciate any time my food has been on or near fire 🙂
Deep Fried Apple Pie A La Mode – Some sort of deep fried apple pie with apple cider caramel and vanilla toffee ice cream. This was also wonderful, but I was so preoccupied with the Baked Alaska, I only had a small taste.
Chocolate and Peanut “Candy Bar” – A soft, delicate chocolate cake & other things candy bar with fresh peanut gelato. It was no popcorn ice cream, but it was certainly tasty.
My Picks
Best Appetizer: Sweetbreads Milanesa, but the ceviche was a close second (possibly because it’s 999.99 degrees outside and ceviche is all I want to eat all summer).
Best Entree: It’s a really close race between the carbonara and short ribs. I do love my fresh pasta, but the beef was so.. beefy.
Best Dessert: Baked Alaska! I’ve been dreaming of the pistachio cake 🙂
My DH’s Picks
Best Appetizer: After deliberation, the Pork Belly with Tortellini–the tortellinis and jus was what put this dish over the top.
Best Entree: Hands down, the carbonara.
Best Dessert: No contest: the Chocolate and Peanut “Candy Bar”.
Kevin’s Picks
Best Appetizer: Peruvian Style Ceviche
Best Entree: Fettuccine Carbonara
Best Dessert: Deep Fried Apple Pie a la Mode
Check out the review on Foodie In Miami
Gastography 