Roger K.
Yelp
Thirteen years is a long time to have been away from Chez Mike. We've mentioned it multiple times over those years as a possible dinner location but somehow always ended up someplace else. Gathering with friends on this occasion seemed to be the trick.
The restaurant was reasonably busy when we arrived at 5:15 on a Tuesday and all of the unoccupied booths already had reserved signs on them. When we left at 8 p.m. it was still almost full of customers.
We sat at the bar with a Chatham Helles Lager ($7) and a refreshing Mocktail ($5) made with cucumber and mint while we waited for our dining companions.
Upon seating our party of four into one of those reserved booths, my wife and I started with the Seared Halloumi Cheese ($13) as a shared appetizer. This dish was so attractive and appealing looking that our dining companions also ordered it after we were almost finished with our serving. Maybe our raving about the wonderful flavor of the cheese, the beautiful sear markings, the refreshing aspect of the watermelon pieces, the texture contrast of the pistachios, and the flavor of the honey-sherry vinaigrette also had something to do with their decision.
For her entrée, my wife ordered one of the daily specials, Pan Roasted Cod ($35). Served with steamed rice, braised Swiss chard, sweet potato, and a slightly spicy "Holy Trinity" creole sauce, she was very pleased with the dish. My taste of it echoed her sentiment.
As I've written previously, I don't get to enjoy lamb at home so I will frequently order it when it's available while dining out. Therefore, the Lamb Feta Burger ($23) had my attention. It was served on a toasted baguette (the same that is served as the delicious bread for the table with calamata olive butter), with caramelized onions, arugula, garlic aioli, and French fries. The lamb was fresh, moist, very mild in flavor, but with only a slight noticeability of the feta cheese. It was delicious! The French fries were served perfectly, hot and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Cups of coffee after dinner were rich and full flavored. Finally, the cubes of brown sugar that I was so pleased to see served thirteen years ago are still being served. Hurrah! Service was friendly and welcoming.