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We ate at Michael again last month, and I gotta tell you, they knocked it out of the park again. Just OUTSTANDING. How good was it? This was one of the two best dinners I've had in the past three years (and the other, at Alinea, cost several times as much). It was AMAZING.

When we were seated, we were served two small grugeres (melted cheese puffs) that were yummy. One appetizer was the foie gras appetizer noted in the original post above (seared foie gras over foie gras and mushroom strudel), although it is now labeled "foie gras served two ways" on the menu. The other was a giant sea scallop served over a spinach-filled crepe. Both were superb.

But wait, there's more! Next was a very nice frisee salad with pecans and Asian pears. ... And things just kept getting better and better as the meal went along. One entree we had pre-ordered after receiving an e-mail from Michael's mailing list. It was a Dover sole and Maine lobster duo, with half of a 1.5-pound Dover sole (2 filets) and half of a 1.25-pound Maine lobster (claw, tail and arm meat all shell free), served with Grilled thin asparagus and Drawn lobster butter over creamy polenta. Imagine the most tender, moist, and delicious Dover sole you've ever had in your life. Now imagine the most tender, moist, and delicious lobster meat you've ever had in your life. THAT'S how good this was. And oh yeah, the creamy polenta was equally amazing, with a silky smooth texture and a great taste (it had some goat's milk cheese in it). The other entree was just about as amazing; it consisted of a stuffed breast of hen, amazingly tender, moist, and delicious, and a breast of Pekin duck, perfectly cooked and fanned out on the plate in ultrathin slices, with virtually no fat to trim off, served alongside Door County cherries.

But wait, there's more! We had two desserts, and they were just as amazing as the entrees. One was a candied spiced peach served over a shortbread cookie, with a small scoop of spicy roasted orange sherbet placed on a French fig. The other was a "mango charlotte" that didn't seem like a charlotte but was easily the best dessert I've had all year. It was a buttery rich moist cake, almost like an upside-down cake, with chopped mango in the middle, and a small scoop of coconut ice cream on top, and it was just wickedly sinful. Amazing. (The waiter told us how it's made but I won't spoil the fun!) A little bit of chopped macadamia in the corners of the plate was a nice touch for this exquisite dessert. And our waiter also brought complimentary chocolate truffles, but even though they were very good, they were only the final touch on a meal that was already phenomenal.

Michael is also reasonable in price for such high quality food. It's $48 if you order three courses and $55 if you order four courses (the foie gras dish had a $6 supplement, the only supplement I recall seeing on the menu).

Michael is a very, very special restaurant, IMHO the very best in the suburbs and the very best in the Chicago area aside from a handful of uber-expensive big-name restaurants in the city. Those who haven't been there are really missing something special. If you live in the city, it's easy to get there on the Metra commuter train (see metrarail.com ); the Indian Hill stop on the Union Pacific North line is just a few steps from the restaurant, and the trains run well into the evening.

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

My one and only meal at Michael was MEDIOCRE, since your recent experience was OUTSTANDING/AMAZING I may consider giving them another try even though I mentally equate Michael with Wholly Frijoles, in other words playing for an audience whose palates and mine don't intersect.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

We had a wine dinner last night at Michael and he and his staff did a great job start to finish
Michael came out and smelled or tasted most of the wines and planned our courses around the wines.

Michael was very excited to use some micro greens from LI

Foie over a truffled potato mash

Sea bass over polenta with mushrooms and a lobster sauce

Venison with a sweet potato cake (hidden) and maybe a chestnut puree?

Squab perfectly cooked & a neat "potato chip" that was great with the egg

just a "wafer-thin" sweet to put us over the top...
Plus, he came in way under budget!


Forgot to shoot the cheese course...

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my food shots

I love Michael's the restaurant and I love Michael the chef's passion for the food. But this notice I received yesterday from Groupon makes me think he's a bit of a bonehead as a businessman. Changing the rules in the middle of the game is poor form, so I'm not sure I can support him in the future.

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John Danza

Really...you like the place, but you may not go there anymore? It's not as if you bought a Super Bowl ticket and didn't have a seat to see your favorite team play. You can easily get your money back for the groupon.

I'd prefer give small proprietors the benefit of the doubt when they are dealing with Groupon. It's possible that Groupon strongly dissuaded him to place such restrictions on the offer.
Also, it's difficult for the proprietor to forecast the quantity of sales and thus the impact on his/her existing customers. These statements may prove your point that he's not a good business person, but I choose my restaurants based on the chef's cooking talent, not business prowess. IMHO, there hasn't been any ethical issues...so I don't see what harm was caused here. You bought something...the offer was modified...you can get a full refund.

If we chose restaurants based on business acumen we'd all be eating at Friday's, Cheesecake Factory and LEYE restaurants tonight.

-Matt

Matt,

A couple of things are incorrect in your statement. First, it's very easy to forecast the sales because Groupon allows them to set a maximum number of groupons that can be sold. Second, my understanding from talking with the Maitre D'hotel when I was there in January was that this isn't the first time the restaurant has done a Groupon, so they went in with eyes wide open.

I think you missed my point on why I might not support him. It has less to do with business acumen and more to do with business ethics. I do believe it's unethical to change the terms of an agreement after the product has been sold, regardless of whether or not I can obtain a refund. If you're fine with buying a product from someone and having them tell you that it's different than it was supposed to be after you purchased it, that's fine. It doesn't make it ethical however.

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John Danza

John,

I will concede the points about groupon and that I misunderstood the thrust of your frustration. I agree the point at issue is whether this is an ethical issue or not. It is a matter of opinion and in my post I stated that I didn't believe that it was unethical. I don't believe that he did this with any intention of tricking people or trying to bait-and-switch them. I believe the scale of operation is relevant.

-If Taco Bell changed their offer, I'd hold them to a higher standard than I would a chef-run restaurant.
-If I had a contract to buy a condo at Trump Tower and he canceled it because he knew he could sell the unit for more, then I would call that an ethical issue.
-If Michael, rather than amending the offer, raised the price of dinner on Fridays and Saturdays then I would say it was poor ethics.
-If I have a fixed contract with a gentleman to plow my driveway and he asks me for more money after the blizzard of '11, I do not consider that an ethical issue.

If it is so important to you to be able to go on a Friday or Saturday then call them - I bet they would oblige for an existing customer (don't post about it though - that would put them in an awkward position). Trust me, I do not like to get ripped off...I've spent many an hour on a couch at a therapist learning to cope with it. I really don't see what causes such ire in this situation though. Sorry. Perhaps someone else can chime in because sometimes I have a hard time putting my thoughts into a coherent written argument.

-Matt

I just got a correction email from Groupon. It states the following:



I guess I apologize to Michael for my comments. I didn't know that they had turned into a "first come first served" restaurant on Friday and Saturday. According to their website, this policy was put in force on January 29, 2011.

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John Danza

Man, from nice guy chef to unethical businessman and back to nice guy chef all in the span of a few hours!

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Objects in mirror appear to be losing.

Took my Groupon and a good book to Restaurant Michael last night, and I had a superb meal with only one minor disappointment.

The book was Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl. It made a great companion for the evening.

The gougere was delivered, as expected, and was a lovely, gooey morsel, as expected.

Warm rolls were very nice -- a kind of sourdough taste that worked well with the sweetness of the butter.

The "Cannelloni" of escargot, gorgonzola-eggplant "caviar," crisp eggplant chips, rosemary oil, and toasted walnuts was lovely -- though you really need to like blue cheese. (Fortunately, I do like blue.) The eggplant chips were so good I wish they packaged them -- both crisp and unctuous at the same time. The noodles surrounding the escargot filling were perfectly cooked the sauce was lovely. Only thought was that the gorgonzola came close to overwhelming the taste of the escargot.

The featured spring dish is fresh spring pea with truffle soup. Hard to believe I'd pass on anything with truffles, but I just wasn't in the mood for pea soup -- but thought I'd mention it, in case it would appeal mightily to someone else.

The only disappointment for me was the Salade Lyonnaise. I am sure it must be pressure from clients on the North Shore that has had them back off of using true lardons -- the large, luxurious, fat-heavy chunks of bacon that are a key element of this salad, and which Michael was using the first time I ate there. Now, there are small, crisp, meaty bits of very excellent bacon -- tasty, but not lardons. However, the salad was still lovely -- bright, fresh, beautifully dressed, perfectly poached egg -- so I enjoyed it, but I was disappointed. I wanted my lardons. I will probably not bother getting it again here, since they have so many other wonderful choices.

My main course was celestial. I got the roasted saddle of New Zealand venison with chestnut purée, sweet potato and celery root gratin, and wild huckleberry sauce. This was absolutely perfect. The venison was perfectly cooked -- really rare but with a tiny bit of char on the outside. I'm not sure what they used to flavor the chestnut purée, but I'm guessing maybe maple syrup (?) -- but whatever it was, it was the best chestnut preparation I've ever had. The sauce was wonderful and fruity, and the little gratin was delicious. This was served, as always, with that magical purée of butter potatoes that comes with just about every main course, and which I love.

They have a nice selection of wines by the glass, and I had a Proseco with my appetizer and took the waiter's advice and went with Zinfandel with the venison (good choice -- nice peppery back notes matched well with the pepper in the sauce).

I noticed that they still had that incredible blueberry financier on the menu, but I was already full, so I passed on dessert and just had decaf. Even the coffee was surprisingly good -- rich and full bodied, strong without bitterness. Coffee also bought chocolate truffles-- and a truffle was just enough dessert for me.

Simply a perfect meal. And despite the Groupon, I was treated like a valued customer and got splendid service. Everyone was charming and friendly. Maybe it's because, if you're dining alone and reading a food history book, they know you're really into the food (and there was genuine delight in all faces whenever I complimented a dish) and not just there because you've been dragged there by someone -- but I felt positively pampered.

I'll be back.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

Fun development at Michael that combines the best of a couple of eras and chefs.

Tomorrow night, Friday August 18, Michael will be resurrecting the famous salmon with lobster mousse en croute that was a house specialty at Le Français, back in its hey day. Patrick Chabert, long-time sou chef to Le Français's Chef Jean Banchet has assisted Michael with recreating this classic, which will only be availble for one night.

I won't be able to go, but I do wish to note that this is an amazing dish. It was, in fact, the main course I ordered the first time I ate at Le Français, back in the '70s. If it's anywhere as good as Jean Banchet's, it will be a splendid repast.

Just thought you'd want to know. Trip down memory lane. (And if you're a fan of Paul Bocuse, know that it was Bocuse who originated this dish, and Bocuse who trained Banchet. So a bit of history here.)

Good fun. The new stuff is great, but I like visiting the classics. Hope this does well so he'll do it again.

Oh -- and if you want to go, not only do you need reservations, you need to tell them if you want this dish as your main course. It's how they keep the specials specially priced -- they only make as much as is ordered in advance.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

as did we this evening.

started w/small gruyère stuffed rolls, still a bit warm so cheese was very soft. Nice start.

next was SMALL tomato bisque, nicely done, heady tomato flavor

zucchini blossoms stuffed w/salmon & mushroom mousse w/dash of curry sauce. we didn't taste any mushrooms in the mousse, all salmon, I would have liked more of the curry sauce but I can imagine most folks going wouldn't appreciate more curry. (just my personal belief).

escargot 'roll' w/truffle sauce, 4-5 escargot rolled inside a flat piece of pasta w/truffle sauce. I felt the escargot were tough & did not have a lot of flavor, nor did the truffle sauce.

chicken/mushroom mousse around pork loin en croute, the knockout dish of the evening, everything else was ok at best but this dish was terrific, pork was done just perfect but the star was the light en croute & chicken/mushroom mousse, just sooooo much flavor.

to end, mini chocolate soufflé w/second small cup of warmed liquid chocolate w/sliced strawberry & pistachio crisp, a good dessert.

Wine pairings were all either French or Italian.

Michael was never seen the whole time we were there.

if it had not been for the pork loin w/chicken/mushroom mousse en croute, I would not have been moved by our meal, just nothing special, but due to this one dish, I will go back and give Michaels another try.

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I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.

Had a very fun "End of the World" dinner last night at Restaurant Michael. There were three special entrees, all very luxurious, plus a choice of any appetizer and any dessert, for $45. Plus wine was half price.

All three entrees sounded pretty amazing, but I couldn't resist the kobe beef with foie gras dumpling and truffled potato gratin. The kobe beef was lovely, but the foie gras dumpling, which was incredible, was almost worth the price of admission. For my starter, I picked the warm terrine of chanterelle mushrooms and artichoke with truffle artichoke puree, because I'd had it previously and loved it. Then the beautiful kobe beef and dumpling, and for dessert, the chocolate souffle with butterscotch gelato. Very nice -- but for me, the savory courses are always the highlights of the meals. Since wine was half price, we went with the "Sommelier Recommends" Cabernet on the by-the-glass wine list. Very nice.

Big surprise of the evening was seeing Michael. Didn't even recognize him at first. He's lost a ton of weight, shaved the beard, and cut his hair. Looks like a different person -- and even the name embroidered on his chef's jacket didn't fully convince me at first that it was really him -- at least until he stopped by to chat.

Great meal. Excellent price -- which is good, since the world didn't end, and I'll have to pay the credit card bill when it comes.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

We were there on Tuesday, no corkage night, and great to see it packed. Michael must have been off, no sight of the 'new man'. Another good meal, one of my favorite dishes there, the venison loin, was just outstanding. Our only quibble is the dessert selections heavy leanings on chocolate and ice cream. It could use some fruit and pastry options.

We were probably sitting close by.

The entrees were homages to famous chefs - the kobe beef to Pierre Orsi, the dover sole to Fredy Girardet, and the truffle-stuffed organic hen to Paul Bocuse.

Everything was excellent as usual. Our favorite dish was the sole ("Sauteed Filet of Dover Sole, Caramelized Cauliflower and Ossetra Caviar Cream, Crispy Pomme Anna").


We had the poached pear and pear bread pudding, which should qualify. (Along with the fallen chocolate souffle that Cynthia mentioned. Souffle, yummmm... Which reminds us of how Michael likes to joke about how serving souffle is like charging people for flavored air.)

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban