Chef Michael's — Restaurant in Islamorada

Very disappointing! I've been going to chef Michaels for nine years and I have been recommending it to my clients for nine years. I've never had a bad meal there. I'd usually get the prime rib end cut for the last eight years.. I reserved two cuts one for myself, one for my wife. My wife's was perfect my piece, I could barely cut with a knife. It was totally dried out. I mentioned it to our waitress, and she said to me that's the chance you take with an end cut At that point I tried to eat a little bit more hoping possibly I could see a little bit of redness in the meat, but absolutely not. I just couldn't eat it. It was so dried out There was no way to enjoy it. I then called her back to the table and said I cannot eat this. I've been eating prime rib there end cuts for eight years. This is inedible she said would you like me to take it off the bill And I answered can you just get me another piece even if it's not an end cut she said they were all sold out. This is at 5:30 PM... then she said to me, let me take it in the kitchen and talk to the chef and asked me if I would like to take it home with me the original piece I said no, you can throw it out. I'm not going to eat it so the chef told her that I had eaten too much of it. This was a huge piece that was left over. She then brought me back the piece in a to go box that I asked her to throw out and all of a sudden she said well we do have a little piece left of prime rib because somebody ordered a larger piece and changed it to a small one which was about the size of a hockey puck. It really bothered me. At that point I paid my bill gave her a 25% tip because that's the right thing to do and was pissed off for the rest of the night. It just got to me the next morning I called and asked for Chef Michael and they said he's never there in the evening when the restaurants open he only comes in the daytime. I left a message for him to call me. I then waited 28 hours and never received a call. I called back again and gave another message which they said they will give to him. It's now been four days and I never heard from Chef MICHAEL when you eat consistently the same meal for nine years and the waitress is going to tell me That I just got unlucky and got a bad piece is ridiculous. Thank you for all the years in your restaurant. I will no longer be back especially because I did not receive a phone call and I will no longer be sending my clients there. I wish you the best and I hope...

Outstanding meal, great atmosphere, very friendly and courteous staff.

Went for dinner, was able to get a reservation the same day, but not much available as most time slots were already booked.

Great inside atmosphere, nice ambiance not overwhelming, but definitely a nicer look and feel than a lot of the beach style establishments. Evening casual dress was perfect.

Sat at the bar, and was immediately made to feel at home by the bartender Dave, good casual conversation mixed with a thorough knowledge of all the items and specials on the menu. Offered good info on the different types of fish, and the various toppings that were available.

Ordered a bowl of Conch chowder to share as a starter, good thing because there is more than enough for two. Dave was great in that he had the kitchen split the chowder, and it was the perfect start to a great meal. They also provide fresh bread with an herbed olive oil dip, very tasty!

We ordered a couple of the fresh fish options, Mutton fish and Hogfish with two different toppings. For the Mutton fish, we chose the Adriatic topping which was olive oil and herbs, and while very good, the Mutton fish was a bit soft for our liking, and the topping could have used a touch more fresh herbs and a little salt. For the Hogfish, we chose the Pontchartrain topping, which started with a blackened fish, topped with crawfish in a creole cream…simply amazing flavor…spicy but not overwhelming, and extremely flavorful. Each dish came with a side of coconut rice and fresh green beans, which like the fish, were cooked perfectly with great flavor. Needless to say, we loved our meals!

Had great conversation with a couple fellow diners who are locals, verified this is the place people come for outstanding food and friendly service.

Cost is a bit higher than average, we spent a bit over $50 per person, not including any drinks (which btw they have a very good wine selection) but very reasonable for the high quality food and service.

Too full for desert, but eyed the carrot cake as one was carried by…looked amazing, and plenty for two or 3 to share.

Would I go there again…absolutely! Would I...

Have you ever been kicked out of a restaurant? Well, despite the best food we had on our trip, the server left much to be desired. We made reservations to celebrate my daughter’s 4th birthday with two of our dear friends that made a special trip down just for her. The way we were greeted upon arrival was very warm and inviting, but that is where the good service stopped. We weren’t being loud or loitering at the table because we do our best to be aware of that during busy times at an eatery tables need to have more reservations, but no sooner was the bill settled, the server literally asked us to leave because they needed our table. Who does that? We had our desserts to go, so we didn’t even have the opportunity to finish our conversation. She even went on to say there was a group waiting for it and that management allows for 2 hours for each reservation (there was no line of people waiting and there were several other empty tables on the patio where we were—at least 6 open tables at the time we were “kicked” out). We were discussing our plan for the next day, and had only been seated a little over an hour and a half. We still had every bit of 30 minutes left if that is truly how they conduct their reservations.

Early in the dining experience, the server was very transparent with her feelings when asked for some extra butter for the bread, and it was obviously something she felt put out in some way. Not only was she just unpleasant overall, she also wasn’t a “hop to it” type of server so we couldn’t have ordered more drinks or anything.

We probably had a $300 tab by the end of the meal and she was tipped (before being rude to ask us to leave her table) which sadly couldn’t be re-evaluated after her behavior and sadly we couldn’t recalculate her gratuity to a more deserving amount after her unacceptable rudeness. There is absolutely a right and wrong way to have a table be available, and by no means did she execute the hospitable and gracious way you would expect an establishment with the price points they...