From Caramelized Onion Dip with Thick Cut Potato Chips, to Crispy Sweet & Spicy Pork Belly and his addictive Kimchi, Chef Michael of the famed Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the Design District will share the recipes for dishes you know and love…and want to know how to make!

With the intention of opening an unpretentious bistro that would serve as a neighborhood favorite, chef Michael Schwartz opened Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in March 2007 to immediate acclaim. More than three years later, Schwartz is still riding a wave of raves – most recently by garnering a prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef: South. In March 2008 the restaurant was designated #4 on New York Times’ dining critic Frank Bruni’s compilation of the 10 best new restaurants in the United States and has been feted in almost every major travel and culinary publication including Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure, among others.

A favorite of top culinary talents (Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters, Morimoto, Wolfgang Puck, Suzanne Goin, Tom Colicchio, Katie Lee Joel) and celebrities (Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Bernadette Peters, Marisa Tomei, David Caruso, Michael Caine, Bruce Weber, Eric Dane, Robert Downey Jr., Martha Stewart), the restaurant scores equally high points with local residents including area designers, architects and developers who hop from table to table; as well as tourists, shoppers and a slew of regular customers that often frequent the restaurant several times a week. Featuring moderately priced down to earth contemporary American cuisine reliant on the best possible products available, Schwartz crafts deceptively simple, perfectly executed cuisine.

The menu is chock full of choices encouraging everything from a light bite to a multi-course feast. A quick glance and Schwartz’s intentions for this restaurant are revealed. Notable is the frequency of the word homemade in the descriptions of dishes — be it thick, hand cut potato chips served with a pan fried caramelized onion dip, homemade linguine or grilled local swordfish its apparent that this chef does not believe in taking short cuts, opting instead for the more timely, but ultimately more flavorful and genuine option.

With a forward by Chef Michael Symon, Michael’s Genuine Food: Down to Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat, published by Clarkson Potter, will be released to retailers nationwide on February 15, 2011. To pre-order, visit The Genuine Kitchen.

Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink located at 130 NE 40^th Street in Miami’s Design District is open Monday through Friday for lunch and daily for dinner. Happy Hour, featuring half price cocktails, wine and beer, takes place Monday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday brunch is offered from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Reservations are strongly suggested at 305.573.5550. Ample metered parking is available as well as Design District–sponsored valet service. For more information, please visit the website at www.michaelsgenuine.com or blog at www.thegenuinekitchen.com.