There’s nothing as sensually delicious as having your olfactories teased when you’re still half a block away from your dining destination. That’s how it is when you round the corner of Lake Avenue and Dixie Highway and meet up with the telltale smoky haze of steaks, ribs and burgers cooking away in the bustling kitchen of Michael’s Pub and Downtown Grille.
This marriage of good food and serious sipping takes place in a masculine-overtoned atmosphere of dark woods and oilcloth-covered tables where the flicker of oil lamps illuminates decor ranging from bowling trophies to stuffed sailfish. The main dining room is off to one side of the area dedicated to pub activities, so diners can seal themselves away in an elongated, cozy room that isn’t even remotely connected to the bar — one just on the right side of quiet for anyone who dislikes dining at high decibel noise levels. Highly organized and well-run, the facility also has a congenial family of lively staff who know their trade well but won’t intrude on your comfort zone.
While other restaurants may brag about their culinary accomplishments, Michael’s just goes ahead and does it. The compact menu fits nicely on two sides of paper: Seven appetizers, three salads, four sandwiches, five burgers and 11 entrees.
Burgers are the thing here, and you’re bound to see at least one on every table. With good reason. They’re half-pound standouts of hand-formed quality beef, grilled and juicy on big, light airy buns, and it takes two hands to eat ’em. Another of the restaurant’s prize winners is the baby back ribs. Dinner entrees include two sides — choice of steak fries (decent and freshly cooked), homemade coleslaw (nothing to write home about) or baked beans (with disappointing canned qualities).
Scampi Wings ($5.75 for 12; $10.25 for 24) would give anyone an encouraging start with the good-sized crunchy wings permeated in just enough of the scented rose to deem participants temporarily unkissable. The same good qualities apply to excellent baked French onion soup that runs $4.95 for the standard brown crock. The abundance of nicely caramelized, slow-cooked onions, perfectly flavored stock and great oven timing to melt the cheese into crusty goodness make it better than many I’ve sampled in authentic French bistros. In the du jour category, a creamy beer cheese soup ($2.50 per cup; $3 per bowl) with its delicate malt and hops richness appealed to all at the table who sampled it. For those who like something a little more authoritative, have the secret-recipe chili that literally groans with the density of chopped meat and beans crowded into a cup ($2.75) or bowl ($3.25). It owns just enough vibrant spicing to make you thankful water glasses are refilled often.
From the handful of burger creations, we liked the sound of a beauty called a Lake Worth Burger, at $7.75 the highest-priced option in the category. It’s marinated in teriyaki sauce then, after grilling, it’s topped with house-made soft herb cheese, similar to boursin. This creamy herbal escort melted perfectly atop the sizzling, cooked-just-like-it-was-asked-for burger, elevating each mouthful to eyebrow-raising heights. You also can have one topped with cheese, grilled onions or sauteed mushrooms.
The kitchen’s adept versatility showed up in other pleasurable entrees: divinely cooked and sauced meaty barbecued baby back ribs ($9.95 for a half rack, $14.95 a full rack) hang over the plate; an 8-ounce filet mignon ($16.95) with enough credibility to stand on its own next to any we’ve tried in steakhouses at twice the price, and fillet of salmon ($15.95), brushed lightly with a teriyaki glaze then placed over open flames and masterfully grilled. The restaurant’s personal interpretation of surf and turf combines an 8-ounce New York strip with a fresh dolphin fillet ($16.95), or you can let the ultimately fresh dolphin shine singularly and have it plain, grilled, Cajun style or lemon peppered for $15.95. Any way you have it — or just about anything else on the menu, for that matter — you’ll undoubtedly join the ranks of fans who understand why Michael’s has remained a stalwart for good reliable food at reasonable prices since 1975. It certainly appears well suited for the needs of the community that adores it and knows that satisfaction is a simple matter of following the aromatic haze that hangs deliciously in the air over downtown Lake Worth.
G.B. Kirkland is a pseudonym to protect our dining critic’s anonymity. Please phone in advance to confirm information on hours, prices, menu items and facilities.
