Michael’s Genuine Bistro photo
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For the third consecutive year, James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, renowned for his Design District restaurant Michael’s Genuine, is opening a full French bistro inside Design Miami during Art Week in Miami. But no, it’s not a booth, and it’s certainly not a stand. The pop-up, called Michael’s Genuine Bistro, is a fully functioning restaurant built from scratch inside the fair’s massive tent, complete with a kitchen, a bar, and a team that will serve close to a thousand people a day.
“It is like opening a restaurant in a week for a week,” Schwartz says. “There is plywood everywhere, booths going up, people sanding and painting. It is organized chaos.”
Michael’s Genuine Bistro photo
A Bistro That Feels Like Paris with Michael’s Signature Twists
The bistro, which runs from Wednesday, December 3, through Sunday, December 8, draws inspiration from both Paris and Michael’s Genuine. Last year’s favorites return, including escargot in parsley butter, croque madame, duck confit, mussels with fries, and braised short rib frites. This year, Schwartz is also folding in a few signatures from Michael’s Genuine, such as thick-cut potato chips with pan-fried onion dip and deviled eggs.
“We have always seen Michael’s Genuine as an American brasserie,” he says. “So leaning French for Design Miami feels natural. The fair is very international and very European, so the food fits the moment.”
The operation behind it is massive. Schwartz and his team load equipment, prep areas, and inventory a week in advance. Hot food is cooked in an outdoor, protected tent, then carried into the main pavilion, where cold prep, salads, and the plating station are located. The entire operation is staffed by a mix of restaurant veterans and newly trained temporary staff, many of whom are learning the system in real-time.
Design plays a key role. The furniture is provided by the fair, and Schwartz then layers in elements that reference Michael’s Genuine. The look mixes blonde wood with plants, bottles, cookbooks, and family photos. Everything is vetted by the Design Miami team.
“We try to bring in the feel of Michael’s Genuine without overwhelming the space,” he says. “The goal is warmth. You want it to feel like a little escape inside a big tent.”
That escape is exactly what he hopes fair goers find. “It is a place to sit and have a proper meal or just grab a glass of champagne or a coffee,” he says. “People can take a break from the noise and the crowds and just enjoy themselves. That is the whole point.”
Michael’s Genuine Bistro at Design Miami. Convention Center Drive and 19th Street, Miami Beach, at Design Miami; Wednesday, December 3, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, December 4, through Saturday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, December 7, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.