The French Connection, Miguel’s
I remember the first time that I experienced dinner at Miguel’s on Siesta Key. It was 1996, I was 16 years old, and my family and I had just moved to Sarasota from Johannesburg, South Africa. I remember the feeling of that time—the thrill of being in an exciting new place—and I remember the tableside Caesar salad. We were seated in the dining room and the waiter approached with a cart and proceeded to prepare the salad for us like it was a stage show. I remember feeling delighted, special, so important that we warranted a performance. I remember where we were seated, and I remember how good that salad tasted.
A few weeks ago, I visited Miguel’s again, with my best friend of over 20 years, Stephanie Brown. We became friends a couple of weeks after that memorable dinner, at a school located just a few minutes down the street from the restaurant, on the same island. Dining at Miguel’s is still a distinctive and exceptional experience. The tableside preparations are not limited to the Caesar salad (there’s a variety of excellent dishes that you can order to be made for you at your table) but the Caesar remains my favorite. Call it nostalgia, or call it a damn good salad, but I was gratified to learn that Miguel, himself, is a huge fan of that particular dish. Miguel is no longer the chef and owner of his eponymous French Continental restaurant on Siesta Key, but his legacy is in no danger of deteriorating thanks to the careful stewardship of the new owners; his sons: Gabe (the chef) and Dan (the maître d’).
Miguel Garcia hails from Malaga, Spain, and his original restaurant concept in 1983 involved Spanish tapas, an idea before its time for the Siesta Key of the early ‘80s. I’m sure Miguel’s Tapas would be a huge hit today but I’m thankful that his initial venture resulted in a course correction, rather than a surrender. I asked Dan Garcia if they still get confused inquiries about a French restaurant named Miguel’s and the smile in his voice is evident: “It happens all the time and people sometimes assume it’s a Mexican restaurant. Dad wanted traditional tapas originally, but it didn’t catch on and he had lived in France (and his wife, Bette, is French Canadian, originally, from Mississauga, Ontario) so he decided to make it a French restaurant and put a continental spin on it…” but he wasn’t going to change the name. He wanted it to be his. Dan says that his parents still live in the same house in Sarasota that they’ve lived in since he was 3 years old and they’re still involved in the restaurant, albeit peripherally.
Before you go thinking that Miguel’s sons lucked into their current positions, let me set the record straight: Chef Gabe Garcia attended culinary school at Johnson & Wales; trained in Malaga, Boston, and Miami; and is a Level 2 Sommelier. If you don’t know what it means to be a Level 2 Sommelier, I suggest that you go to Netflix immediately and watch Somm, just so that you’re suitably impressed. Dan attended business school and is so invested in his role as front-of-house manager that he remembers the individual drink orders of hundreds of loyal regulars, including the couple who have been coming in for dinner every Saturday since Miguel’s opened in 1983 and eating next to the fireplace.
Speaking of regulars, let’s talk about Strawberries Acapulco. Strawberries Acapulco is listed on the menu as having been invented by one of the Miguel’s original servers named George Kordel. The story goes that a regular guest asked for a dessert that combined his favorite flavors: strawberries and Sambuca. George concocted the delicious flambéed dessert that is still prepared tableside today and contains strawberries, white rum, Sambuca, and cream, finished with a touch of pepper. George is no longer working at Miguel’s but that guest still comes in for dinner.
Chef Gabe likes to do his own shopping for both produce and proteins, visiting local purveyors and markets a few times a week to select fresh ingredients and look for inspiration for nightly specials. The menu features wildly popular mainstays like escargot, whole Dover sole (deboned tableside, bien sûr), and chateaubriand for two, but also features Chef Gabe’s specials—predominantly fresh fish and other seafood.
How did Miguel’s fare during the spate of restaurant challenges owing to COVID? Thanks to a loyal fan base and a refusal to compromise their quality of service, they’ve come through remarkably unscathed. They continue to operate at 50 percent capacity but they’ve never completely shut down. “We switched to carryout, we expanded our online ordering, and we made a three-course dinner available online but we didn’t change our hours or limit our menu. We felt that we owed our regulars some consistency in a difficult time.”
With a full cocktail bar and rotating wine list, a four-course early-bird special every day from 5 to 6:30pm, an extensive menu of French Continental cuisine, and a whole lot of things being lit on fire in the dining room, Miguel’s has something for everyone. I’m happy to report that I feel just as special when I eat there today as I did 24 years ago, and that’s an unusual kind of magic.
Miguel’s: 6631 Midnight Pass Rd, Siesta Key; 941-349-4024; miguelsrestaurant.net
