Can a chef from an Italian Michelin-starred restaurant transform this Coconut Grove spot?
Last November, the restaurant Like Mike opened quietly on the Main Highway in Coconut Grove.
Now, less than a year later, the name is the same, but the concept has changed. The menu always had an Italian flair, but now it has undergone a complete overhaul and will showcase contemporary trattoria fare, thanks to a new Italian chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant.
The new chef is Luigi Salomone, who rose to prominence as executive chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Re Santi e Leoni in the town of Nola in Naples, Italy.
Here’s what the Michelin guide said about Re Santi e Leoni, which is housed in a 19th century palazzo and part of the Lucio Giordano Group, owners of Like Mike: “This restaurant has a bright, airy and elegant feel with high ceilings and an open-view kitchen to the rear. Attentive service accompanies your meal throughout, with a choice of options in which the clean, simple flavours of fish and seafood take pride of place, including elegant raw dishes.”
At Like Mike, which is named for a friend of Lucio Giordano who passed away, Salomone aims to share the flavors of the Amalfi Coast with Miami diners. Specialties include pasta alla nerano (spaghetti with fried zucchini and provolone del Monaco) and cacio e pepe al tonno (tuna). The wine list will focus on varietals from Italy’s Campania region.
Lucio Giordano says that at the restaurant customers can expect a modern atmosphere and the traditional warm hospitality they would find on the Amalfi Coast.
“What fascinates me about this new American project is to import the picturesque exotic Italian essence and culinary wonders to an American audience,” he said in a statement.
Salomone isn’t the only chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant opening a spot in the neighborhood. The tiny but dynamic Sushi by Scratch from Los Angeles, which serves Japanese fare omakase-style, opened a few blocks away on Charles Street in July. The brand’s Sushi by Scratch restaurant in Montecito, California, and its Pasta by Scratch restaurant in L.A. both earned Michelin stars.
Like Mike
Where: 3433 Main Highway, Coconut Grove
Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays
Reservations and more information: 305-392-0679