Pizza & Burger – Michael’s Backyard Kitchen, the savory summer pop-up from nationally acclaimed star chef Michael Mina, has recently opened inside Fontainebleau Miami Beach and will remain open for a limited time only!
The menu consists of made from scratch pizzas, rich with fresh, local ingredients and Mina’s to die for burgers – an expansion of the offerings that has developed a devoted following at Michael Mina 74. Guests can design their own salads from a checklist of fresh, tasty ingredients, or graze on an array of crave-able snacks. All of this goodness can be enjoyed with handcrafted cocktails, wines by the glass and, in keeping with MM74’s reputation as one of Miami’s foremost gastropubs, a killer selection of local beers.
All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of TheSoFlaSage.com
A revered landmark and symbol of style and sophistication since its opening in 1954, Fontainebleau Miami Beach boasts 1,504 guestrooms and suites, 12 restaurants and lounges including two restaurants from Chef Michael Mina – StripSteak and Michael Mina 74; two AAA Four Diamond signature restaurants, Scarpetta and Hakkasan.
Stiggin’s Cup – Pimm’s #1, Bombay Gin, Plantation Rum, Pineapple, Lemon, Ginger, Sage and Pink Peppercorn
Loved this upscale “pimp cup” inspired cocktail! I usually don’t even like gin but I would definitely order this drink again.
Hair Trigger – Bulleit Bourbon, Drambuie, Mint, Ginger Beer
Very refreshing, a perfect ice cold cocktail for summer. The ambience at the bar is great too, this is a cool spot to just grab some drinks, play some board games and have fun in the photo booth!
Choose from a variety of individual or family style salads ($12-$28) including a Market Salad where you can select up to ten items from a list of greens, vegetables & fruits, cheeses, nuts, seeds & croutons and dressings & vinaigrettes. Add your own protein with toppings like Gulf prawns, King salmon, grilled skirt steak and free-range chicken. Other salads include, The Caesar, The Greek and The South Beach with baby kale, radicchio, arugula, grapefruit, avocado and basil dressing.
I created my own salad with little gem lettuce, shaved radish and zucchini, roasted corn, barrel feta cheese and a basil-lime dressing. So fresh! FYI: the basil-lime dressing has a spicy kick to it.
Sides ($6-$14) make for great accompaniments or stand on their own as snacks. Among those on offer are The Wings – spiced honey gastrique, pickeled apple and popcorn peanuts; The Tomatoes – Kumato tomatoes stuffed with burrata, balsamic and crispy basil.
The Toast – freshly baked toasted sourdough slathered with house-made ricotta, black pepper honey, toasted pecans, prosciutto and stone fruit.
The Toast was one of my favorite dishes of the evening, the house made ricotta was absolutely amazing!
Pizzas ($17–$39) run the gamut from classic pies made with extraordinary fresh ingredients to delicious multi-ingredient concoctions including The Standard with crushed San Marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and sea salt; and The Parmigiano topped with fried eggplant, meatballs, Sunday sauce, basil and whole milk mozzarella. Grandma’s Style Pizzas like the Grandma the Butcher with a focaccia crust, soppressata, pepperoni, bacon, hot coppa and peppadew peppers are perfect for larger groups.
The Surf – butter poached lobster, chanterelle charred corn and summer truffle
There are two kinds of pizza in this world: the simple kind; a more traditional, minimalistic pie and then there’s the kind that is loaded with fun toppings. The Surf definitely falls under the latter. For me, there was just way too much going on with this pizza. I think if just one or two of the toppings were excluded, it would make for a better pie as the individual ingredients would be able to shine. Pretty sure this was the first time I’ve had corn on pizza, this pie deserves kudos for creativity!
Burgers ($17–$22) include The Cuban Frita – beef, chorizo, smoked paprika aioli and crispy potato to The Hippie Chick – marinated and grilled eggplant, tomato jam, crispy zucchini and red onion labneh (Greek yogurt) and Haloumi cheese. All burgers can be supplemented with add-ons ranging from fresh mozzarella and crispy bacon to foie gras and butter-poached lobster.
The MM74 – Dry-Aged Steak Burger, Double-Smoked Burger, Bacon, American Cheese, Lettuce, Secret Sauce
Now that’s a burger! You cant go wrong with a classic, especially when its done right.
Pizza & Burger – Michael’s Backyard Kitchen debuted at Michael Mina 74 at Fontainebleau Miami Beach on Friday, June 24th and will remain in place through Labor Day, Monday, September 5, 2016. Dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday from 6 p.m. until midnight.
Michael Mina 74 is located at 4441 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, Miami, FL 33140 inside Fontainebleau Miami Beach, located right off the main lobby. For reservations or to call in a takeaway order, guests should dial (305) 674-4636. For more information, visit: https://fontainebleau.com/dining/pizza-burgers
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All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of TheSoFlaSage.com
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