Category Archives: MGFD_MIA

The Merrier Genuineland: Wine, Tequila and Mezcal, Martinis & More at our May/June Events

Posted on May 16, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Wine… Tequila and Mezcal… Martinis… Who could ask for more? Apparently we can.  With new restaurants come more opportunities to get together, and our events page has been begging for an update on what’s most imminently down the pike.  That happened this morning, and we wanted to make sure you noticed!  Here are the fine occasions you can join us over the next month or so, with links to menus and how to secure your spot.  Cheers from all of us, to summer fun in good company!

screen-shot-2012-01-18-at-10-41-37-amMIAMI BEACH  Argyle Wine Dinner at The Raleigh Hotel May 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Restaurant Michael Schwartz is hosting a wine dinner on May 22 with Argyle Winery’s Rollin Soles.  Soles has been producing fine wines from Dundee, Oregon since 1987, ranked among the top 100 Wines of the World by the Wine Spectator. Seven times. He is the only Oregon winemaker to hold this distinction. In Miami, we pour his wines at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, and even hosted a wine dinner in early 2012 in our private dining room which we wrote about here (condition your mustache?) For the menu, click here, and for reservations, please email RMS@sbe.com or call 305-612-1163

photo 1-10MIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT  Spirited Sirens: Mexican Maidens  Monday, June 3 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink welcomes Spirited Sirens to its private dining room, a series of educational seminars primarily geared towards women and artisanal imbibing.  Jennifer Massolo, founder of Spirited Sirens, pays homage to Mexico, with a two-hour sampling session dedicated to tequila and mezcal, the roasted, smokier cousin spirit of tequila made from the fermented juices of the agave plant. Amid tasting and talking, guests will have the opportunity to learn about the basic history of these spirits; the tequila and mezcal making process; how to incorporate them into making cocktails; the styles and nuances of both and how to pair them with different dishes.  $35 per person includes a welcome cocktail as well as two neat tequilas, two neat mezcals and one closing cocktail, plus two dishes to share family-style from the genuine kitchen and a treat from Executive Pastry Chef, Hedy Goldsmith.

RMS_Family MealMIAMI BEACH  Family Meal: Share Dinner Together on Mondays  Every Monday Night at 8:00 p.m. 
Restaurant Michael Schwartz will offer a new prix fixe dinner beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Monday evenings, with one seating available by reservation only. The menu includes passed hors d’oeuvres and three courses served family-style, with a special cocktail served from the outdoor White Bar. The first course goes down at the adjacent communal table at 8:30 p.m., with wines by the glass and bottle selected by The Genuine Hospitality Group wine director Eric Larkee also available. $50 per person exclusive of beverage, tax, and gratuity. Menus are updated weekly and available online on the restaurant’s webpage.  For restaurant reservations, please email RMS@sbe.com or call 305-612-1163

RMS_Martini CultureMIAMI BEACH  Martini Culture:  Curating Original Martinis on Tuesdays, Every Tuesday Night from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.Ranked by Details magazine as one of the Top 10 Bars in the World, The Martini Bar at the Raleigh Hotel reflects the spirit of the golden age of cocktails. With the launch of Restaurant Michael Schwartz, we have the opportunity to rekindle the magic of its storied past together. On Tuesday nights from 7:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m., The Martini Bar welcomes a new guest bartender each week to serve as host and introduce an original martini of their own design to its list.  We kicked off the series highlighting the Classic Gin Martini and the Lemongrass Gimlet from Robert Montero of The Cypress Room.  The upcoming schedule includes Hillary Choo of Bar Centro (5/21) and Robert Ferrara of Swine (5/28.)   Snacks from Restaurant Michael Schwartz are also available, served a la carte. Walk in, and take a seat. No reservations necessary.

Jeffrey MichaudMIAMI DESIGN DISTRICT  Osteria Pizzeria, Tuesday, June 18, 7:00 p.m.
Harry’s Pizzeria stakes its claim as a showcase for the Best of Philadelphia in Miami – first the grand poobah himself Marc Vetri and now another talented member of the family, Jeff Michaud who has carved his own path to greatness earning the 2010 James Beard Award for “Best Mid-Atlantic Chef.”  The Executive Chef and co-owner of Osteria Restaurant and Amis Restaurant, Jeff began his cooking career at the age of 13 in a pizza shop in New Hampshire, where he was raised and has since traveled from Aspen to Bergamo, Lombardia, Italy discovering his love for Italian cooking. We can’t wait to host one of our favorite talented chef friends and bring his smile and northern Italian cooking in Miami. We will have the menu next week!

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Posted in At the Bar, Chef Pops, Harry's Pizzeria, In the Neighborhood, MGFD_MIA, On the Menu Now, Raleigh Hotel, Restaurant Michael Schwartz, Special Event

Thank God It’s….LYCHEE Season!!!

Posted on May 10, 2013 by | Leave a comment

photo (47)I don’t remember the first lychee I ever ate. I believe I was much too young, but as far back as I do remember my mom and I were drying and sprouting the pits, trying to grow a lychee tree. They’re not so easy to grow, we learned, so while I’m screaming ‘Thank God it’s lychee season’ from the rooftops, I’m also thanking Genuineland’s lucky stars for one Roland Samimy who keeps us well stocked, and well informed as to how we can expect this lychee season to go.  His report went just like this:

Compared to last year (which was an absolute disaster) this year is much better.  There will certainly be more than enough to meet your needs, however, it is still a less than average crop.  If you recall, we have two varieties (Mauritius and Brewster).  Mauritius fruited, Brewster’s, nada!  So right off the bat it is half a crop.  Same goes for the rest of the growers.  Got to love mother nature.  It is a weather thing.  My best hypothesis is that since the Brewsters lag behind the Mauritius by a few weeks, the Mauritius flowered and got pollinated before getting hit by a cold snap or wind or a combination of both that likley hit the grove when the Brewster flowers were at their most vulnerable.  As such, poof, no Brewster crop.  Plus there is the issue of the bees.  Bee populations are way down.  That is a problem for all agriculture in general not just lychees.  The bummer is that lychees are hard enough to grow as it is without these issues.  So here we are.  Waiting for things to ripen up !!

And ripen, they have! Just two days ago I laid my eyes on the first lychees of the season fresh from the Redlands in the MGFD walk-in, and I swear I squealed like a little girl. I can’t help it. I see a lychee and get that same feeling I did as a kid at Publix with my mom when we first saw lychees on the shelf: 1) That it’s summertime and school’s almost out! And 2) it’s almost my birthday! Then, there’s that juicy pop of breaking the skin and the cool crunch of the milky white fruit, so sweet and fresh, as sweet as the sight of them is to me, I love them that much. And I’m not the only one.

I grapped a couple and shoved them in my pocket for my mom, who I was going to see that evening - a little thank you for the lifelong lychee love.  Those lychees in my pocket brought up all sorts of similar fondness from everyone I passed (who couldn’t help but tell me I had lychees in my pocket). From the bar to the kitchen to the managers upstairs it seems whether you’re a Miami native or a recent transplant, everyone is screaming TGILS!!!! So, here are a few ways these summer treats are popping up on our various menus. Come in and get ‘em while we got ‘em!

photo (48)MGFD:

On the menu: wreck fish ceviche with avocado, citrus, papaya AND lychee and cilantro
From the pastry station: Coconut lychee sorbet
From the bar: Lychee Market Special – Lychee puree, muddled mint, simple syrup, double cross AND a lychee martini

Harry’s Pizzeria is implementing a Lychee Farmer Fizz today to run through the weekend!

And last but not least, Roel has yet to reveal how, but lychees will be finding their way on to the Tasting Menu tonight at The Cypress Room.

None of this is to be missed. TGIF! And TGILS!

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Posted in At the Bar, Behind the Scenes, Farmer Update, Harry's Pizzeria, MGFD_MIA, The Cypress Room, What's Cooking

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Summer Time is Intern Time at The Genuine Hospitality Group!

Posted on May 9, 2013 by | Leave a comment

TGHGlogo_vert
We are currently hiring a summer intern for the TGHG branding team (me + Ms. Ellie Groden, brand manager and chef’s assistant completing her second year of employment with Mr. Schwartz TODAY – Congrats Ellie!!!!)  We have some great leads but always like to make sure to put the call out to the genuine audience!  So here it goes.

We have had a long line of great interns and summer tends to excel in this area (echem, Victoria Calleja) so the bar is high. We look for the best and brightest, and although it’s not in the guts of our job description below, because it goes without saying, the first criteria is always a love of food, and one in which respect for ingredients is the most important. Some might call it #foodcrazy.  We call it fun.  Please join us!

TGHG 2013 Summer Internship Description:

· compile biweekly news and calendar reports we lovingly call the TGHG FLASH
· assist in social media for all TGHG properties including photos, posting and engaging with our online audiences
· research and development
· support and coordinate media relations
· help activate culinary and community events, as well as other brand projects

This is a nicely paid position with yummy perks.  The nature of the job requires the candidate to be mobile, commit to 2 1/2 days in the office (which sometimes pops up in multiple locations in the Design District and South Beach,) and to have an iPhone. Macbook-ready vs PC is preferred.

We will be conducting interviews for candidates this week and next, with a decision to be made by end of next week!  To apply, email your resume to thegenuinekitchen@michaelsgenuine.com.

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Posted in Help Wanted, In the Neighborhood, Local Ingredient, MGFD_GCM, MGFD_MIA, News, Restaurant Michael Schwartz, Special Event, Student Serving, The Cypress Room