Michael's restaurant can be found tucked away on 3rd Street in Santa Monica. We recommend that you eat outdoors if available, it's wonderfully dressed with fairy lights and each table has its own heater to keep you warm as the night draws in.
The wonderfully flamboyant Michael walks around the restaurant interacting with diners. It's thoroughly entertaining to hear his stories and engage in small talk, and a pleasant surprise to be welcomed by him.
We settled in with a couple of pre-dinner cocktails. 'The Breakfast Club', which packed a fruity punch of Fresh Grapefruit, with Apples and Blueberries, a drop of St. Germain, and a shot of Bombay Sapphire. The strong fruit overtone with a gin undertone gave this cocktail a smooth delivery.
We also had a 'The Italian Job', which had a lot to live up to being named after one of the films of all time. It more than delivered, with Fresh Apple, Orange, Disaronno, Cointreau, and Combier. A delicious blend of spirits infused with fresh fruits, defiantly on my recommendation list now.
“We had such an enjoyable evening, the food was superb.”
We ordered a bottle of Stone Street, Monument Ridge, “Alexander Mountain Estate” 2010 for our table. An interesting wine with a complex blend of flavours, and an immense core of blackberries and cherry.
To begin we ordered the Hand-Cut Tagliatelle Pasta with Oxtail Ragout and English Peas. A wonderfully presented and enjoyable dish. Along with the Belgian Endive Salad with Poached Pear, Blue Cheese, Pecans, and Pommery Mustard Vin. Another wonderfully prepared dish, with an eclectic range of flavours. Very delicious.
For our main dishes we selected the 28-Day Dry-Aged NY Steak, with Maitre d’ Butter and Frites. The steak was absolutely superb, there is a distinct flavour you can only get from such an aged, quality cut of meat. It was delicious.
My partner had the Colorado Rack of Lamb, served with Ricotta Gnocchi, Baby Turnips, Braised Lamb Shoulder, and Roasted Garlic Emulsion. The rack of lamb was very juicy and flavoursome, and it's evident from the presentation how much care and attention goes into each dish. We shared side servings of Brussels Sprouts Dijon Aioli, and Marcona Almonds which was truly divine.
We didn’t have any room left for dessert, which was a shame as there were some tempting options on the menu. But we had such an enjoyable evening, the food was superb, the staff were very welcoming, and we’d recommend Michael’s in a heartbeat.
The Bill: £57 per head
