Foodie Friday: Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

Best wishes from the staff at Michael's Genuine

The Man and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary in October and although we haven't done the big shindig we'd like to do (he still owes me a trip to Greece haha!), we did get to take a one-night trip to Miami. While there, we enjoyed dinner at Michael's Genuine.

If you're a fan of Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, you might have heard about Michael's Genuine. On their sweet tooth episode, three - 3!!! - big-name chefs said the best dessert they ever ate was at Michael's Genuine in Miami. During last year's Miami Book Fair International, the girls and I had to try it out and we fell in love.

So since we were going to Miami and Michael's Genuine is definitely a treat, I thought it would be a great place to celebrate our anniversary. Fortunately, The Man agreed. I was an epic-fail at taking pictures. The food looked so good that we just kept diving in before I even thought about it.

Crispy Sweet & Spicy Pork Belly - think best bacon ever.

Michael's Genuine's menu changes with the seasons - they use only fresh, organic ingredients. They offer an eclectic array of choices that includes dishes like wood oven roasted double yolk farm egg, house smoked bacon wrapped figs, crispy rice cake made with chorizo and shrimp, rack of lamb, a whole chicken and 24 oz ribeye. There are no appetizers and entrees, but, rather, different sized (small, medium, large and extra large) dishes that you can share (or not). They also offer a Cheese of the Week and delectable side dishes.

Macallan Brownie Sundae

And those highly recommended desserts? The chefs' faves on the show were Peanuts and Popcorn (pieces of Snickers-like candy bar and popcorn flavored ice cream), Tangerine Creamsicle Pot de Creme (warm doughnuts with blackberry tarragon jam) and homemade poptarts. My fave is probably the doughnuts.

As I said, Michael's Genuine is definitely a special treat. The food is delicious, yet rich, and the service is wonderful. If you ever get to Miami and want to splurge a little, I'd highly recommend it. After all, how often do you get to eat somewhere that three of the best chefs in the business recommend?

Have you had the chance to eat somewhere that's been featured on Food Network? Have a recommendation you think should be on Food Network? What is your The Best Place I Ever Ate pick? (Honestly, the best place I ever ate is not Michael's Genuine. It's Nikolai's Roof in Atlanta. OMG. That was 20 years ago and I still remember it!)