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Food For Thought: Michele’s Dining Lounge – Boy’s Night Out Packs The House

June 19, 2013

Michele’s Dining Lounge kicked off their “Boy’s Night Out” a couple months ago. The weekly “family” gathering takes place on Monday nights, and is an outstanding way to spend out with friends or your sweetheart. Last Monday, when I went with my friend Tony, we were pleasantly surprised by the crowded bar and almost every table was sat.

Tony and I were greeted by a very friendly hostess who ushered us to a table in the beautifully decorated dining lounge. The gold accents and warm colored furniture are a nice change from the typical tropical décor of many restaurants here in South Florida. Modern and sleek, the furniture here gives the place a chick upscale feel.

Once we were comfy, Jeff our waiter came over to tell us that they feature $6 Grey Goose cocktails, but he would be happy to bring us wine (which they offer by the bottle or the glass) or anything that we would like. Tony had a Grey Goose Cosmo and I chose to have mine with sprite and OJ. The drinks were mixed perfectly, not too skimpy on the alcohol, but also not overdone either. Just perfect!

Once we had a chance to take a few sips of our drinks and a chance to catch up a little, Jeff was back to take our order. We decided on the meatball ($11) and the Beef Carpaccio ($15).

The meatball is a 6 oz. monster made with ground beef, veal, and pork. It was served with marinara, a scoop of ricotta cheese, and a crispy crostini. It was tender and delicious, and the perfect size for an appetizer portion.

The Beef Carpaccio was served with shaved parmigiana, capers, and was topped with micro arugula and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. Tony and I both commented how good this appetizer was, and we were dueling with our forks to get the last bite.

For dinner, I ordered the Veal Marsala ($28), one of my all-time favorite dishes. The two big pieces of sautéed milk fed veal scaloppini were served with sliced fresh mushrooms, marsala wine demi glaze, mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli rabe. If you like veal, you will love this dish, the meat was tender enough to not need a knife, and the hearty portion was more than enough to satisfy even the biggest appetite.

Tony chose the Double Lamb Chops ($32) that were French cut and melted in your mouth. They were glazed with a spicy mustard reduction and were good enough to gnaw on the bones! They were served in a rosemary mint reduction with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe and sliced carrots.

We also asked the waiter to have the Chef send out a few of his selections which, in the end, were certainly no disappointment. He chose the New York Strip ($36) as well as the Pan Seared Black Grouper ($32). Tony commented that he doesn’t usually eat seafood, but I made him try the fish, and I couldn’t get him to stop eating it. He mentioned several times that he will definitely order it when he goes back. The New York Strip was also delicious and cooked to perfection. Both dishes were served with seasonal veggies while the fish came out with butternut squash truffle puree (YUM).

Having wolfed down the better part of four entrees, I know you are astounded to read that we still had room for dessert, but it’s true… we did. (There’s always room for dessert, right?) Along with a cappuccino each, Tony and I split a cannoli and the warm chocolate brownie cupcake. (Think lava cake…)

The decadent cannoli is handmade right on the premises and filled with delicious cream when it’s ordered. You can taste the difference, and tell that it was not sitting around all day, premade. The cupcake brownie was served a la mode and was the perfect way to end an amazing dining experience.

Michele’s has Boy’s Night Out every Monday night. Besides the two for one entree special and the Grey Goose special, they also feature Mickey Havens on the piano in the lounge. Make sure you stop in for a dinner that will leave you satisfied, bring your honey and dance a bit before you eat, to really work up an appetite and burn some calories so you don’t feel guilty about ordering dessert. You really don’t want to miss that cannoli.