TASTE
By the Sea
Michelle Bernstein’s new restaurant at the Omphoy Ocean Resort more than lives up to the famous chef’s reputation.
BY MARK SPIVAK
Michelle Bernstein has garnered many accolades in her career as a chef. She won a James Beard Award in 2008 and defeated Bobby Flay in Food Network’s Iron Chef America. She presides over two successful restaurants in Miami, Michy’s and Sra. Martinez. Not content to rest on her laurels, she has ventured north and opened her latest establishment, Michelle Bernstein’s at The Omphoy, in the new Omphoy Ocean Resort, the first oceanfront hotel to open in Palm Beach in several decades.
Bernstein brings a dramatic new sensibility to Palm Beach, which is both unusual and refreshing. Her ingredients are pristine, her flavors are bold and assertive, and she blends elements of the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Asia and the American South into a seamless whole.
Her restaurant is located on the second floor of the Omphoy, with views of the ocean framed by large picture windows. The interior is modern, dark and peaceful, enhanced by backlighting and mirrors, watched over by two stone Buddhas that sit at the rear of the room.
Among the Signature Starters, Spinach and Feta Croquetas ($7) are fried to perfection on the outside, juicy and flavorful within, and accompanied by a sweet, rich fig marmalade dipping sauce. Calamari a la Plancha ($15) arrive in a porcelain dish, rather than on a wooden board, but are still delicious. Served over a scampi-style risotto, they are enhanced with an herb oil and toasted garlic.
Seafood occupies pride of place among the entrées. Cioppino ($34) is a fish stew prepared with a fiery tomato broth, Maine lobster, stone crabs, bay scallops and panisse. There’s a Salt Crusted Fish of the Day, and if Mediterranean dorade is offered on the night of your visit, grab it—the fish is moist, flaky and succulent. Malaysian Curried Snapper ($28) offers just the right amount of intense but well-modulated heat, offset with gunga pea rice and heart of palm slaw. For carnivores, there’s a filet mignon and New York strip, but the Braised Short Ribs ($34) are worth seeking out. Tender and almost totally devoid of fat, the meat is presented in its natural juices over a potato purée with leafy greens.
