Mika Lands in Coral Gables, and Michael White Isn’t Leaving the Hits Behind

Mika, which opened in Coral Gables on December 12, is part of a glamorous new chapter for chef Michael White. But White, who became New York’s foremost practitioner of high-end seafood-focused Italian cuisine when he opened Marea in 2009, is never going to stop blasting out his hits. So, of course, Mika features bangers, like his lobster with burrata and his fusilli with octopus and bone marrow, that were born at Marea.

“It’s like how Jimmy Buffett always had to sing ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise,’” White tells Observer. “Those two dishes will really set the tone.” White, who also just debuted Santi in New York, is continuing to do what he does best and what his longtime fans want him to do. He’s serving elegant, meticulously made pasta and pristine, beautifully plated crudo.

He believes that this is the right time to debut Mika, his first standalone Florida restaurant outside of a hotel, because Miami has turned into a dining mecca and is home to many transplanted New Yorkers as well as discerning longtime locals. Plus, getting ingredients and supplies is easier now that purveyors like Baldor and Chefs’ Warehouse have made their way to Miami.

“There’s been massive infrastructure that’s been built down here,” White says. “And so, we’ve been getting the same kind of product that we buy in New York City.” And it makes sense for White to do the same things in Miami because the appetite for sea scallop crudo and handmade pasta here is as big as in New York.

“I’m pushing hard now to make different pastas, different shapes, using different flours in order to keep raising the bar,” says White, who’s got dishes like squid-ink lobster mezzaluna on the menu at Mika. “Everyone was making sourdough during Covid. I was making pastas and other things I hadn’t made before and really delving into what I wanted to do now.”

White, who opened Mika with partners Alex Pirez (a real estate and hospitality magnate who’s also partnered with Major Food Group and Groot Hospitality) and Matt Safchik (who was previously vice president of food-and-beverage development at Wynn Las Vegas), left Marea in 2021 during the pandemic. Marea is also now in expansion mode, with its Beverly Hills location slated to open in January. And beyond Beverly Hills, Major Food Group has partnered with Altamarea Group to open outposts of Marea around the world. 

Major Food Group debuted Carbone Vino, a couple miles away from Mika in Coconut Grove last week, and this is a moment where White believes that a rising tide will lift all these opulent Italian boats.  There’s a lot of shared history here. White and Major Food Group’s Jeff Zalaznick are longtime friends. White fondly remembers going to eat with Zalaznick and late food writer Josh Ozersky almost two decades ago, back when Zalaznick was the food blogger behind Always Hungry. White also remembers Zalaznick dining with his parents at Marea.

“I spoke with Jeff and his team the other day, and they will honor my legacy in that restaurant,” White says. “I really respect and truly appreciate that. I’m so extremely humbled that I left an indelible mark on everything. There’s a core set of values and pasta-making that will stay in the restaurant.” The respect is mutual between White and Major Food Group, which Zalaznick runs with chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi.

“We’ve got nothing but love for him,” Carbone says. “I have incredibly fond memories of eating at Marea. Rich, Jeff and I used to go there to celebrate at the end of the year. I hope he kills it. Him doing really well in the Gables would be good for us.” White laughs when he’s asked about how far everyone has come. He’s been part of a major decades-long movement that has taken Italian ingredients and techniques to the forefront of dining in America.

“Listen, I was working in 1991 with Paul Bartolotta at Spiaggia making pasta, and we were drizzling this green sauce over gnocchi and it was called pesto,” White says. “Prosciutto just got to America. And we were stirring this fucking rice in a pot and it was called risotto.” It’s not lost on White that many Americans make risotto at home now. What he keeps adding to the conversation is his luxurious version of Italian food like Mika’s excellent spaghetti with blue crab, caviar and lemon butter. For dessert, there are little gelato cones topped with a sliver of truffle. It’s a sweet ending that also feels like a new beginning in Coral Gables.