Cena by Michy

Was luck enough to make it to Cena just a few days before they closed.
We originally had a reservation, but got there a bit early for drinks and decided to stay at the bar for dinner.
Service throughout was excellent, and the staff treated us graciously even though the end was just a few days away.
We enjoyed the black rice risotto, endive salad (they went HEAVY with the blue cheese), duck confit, and steak frites. Highlights being the risotto and the confit.
Sad to see the end of an era. With the closing of Cena you’ll have to go to Crumb for food from Michy…

Small but very beautiful and intimate restaurant! I came here on a Saturday night and it was very busy, so make a reservation in advance. The chef is one of the best in the areas I’ve been told. Only valet option available which is 5 $.
They have a long list of appetizers to choose from, few main dishes and a full wine list. Ask for the specials of the night.
We had Pinot noir, the polenta and octopus for appetizers, turbot fish and skirt steak for main course.
The polenta was simply mouthwatering!!! And seared octopus, which I’ve had before many times at different places but here was cooked and seasoned to perfection and absolutely delicious!
For main course I had turbot fish which was on the specials that night and it was delicious, it’s not on the main menu otherwise, it was 2 pieces of filet with some kind of sour veggie stew sauce.
My friend had skirt steak and he said it’s perfectly cooked and very tasty! My only complaint was the server, he was polite and nice and I understand it was busy night but for such an expensive place we had to call him few times to order or ask ourselves for the specials of the night. In any case highly recommend!

Excellent. We started with the Gorgonzola and ham croquettes. For the main course we had the short rib, just wow and the MB burger, also delicious. We finished with the strawberry hand pies, yummy. Everything was flavorful. The waiter and rest of the staff were attentive to all our needs.

I first visited Cena about a year ago at the time of opening and was impressed. Thought it was well past time to do an update on their anniversary.
A word about ordering: the best value is in the apps, and most of the menu is devoted to apps, so I’d recommend ordering one or two of these per person, and share the larger dishes (in fact I’d just stick with the apps if I was on a budget — I’d just feel weird about ordering NO mains).
APPETIZERS:
Polenta with Brussel Sprouts and egg — ⁵⁄₅ ($ 14): this stuff is awesome, and gives Scarpetta a run for the money (except Scarpetta’s includes mushrooms you mix in that makes it highly addictive and one of the best dishes in all of Miami, IMHO).
Croquettas — ⁴⁄₅ ($ 15): Michy Bernstein is famous for her croquettas, but surprisingly they aren’t a regular menu item (but were available as a nightly special $ 15 for 5). I think I would prefer the variation with blue cheese, ham and fig dip, but on my visit they were broccoli and cheese with apple dip — very good, but at $ 3/​pc, and without the strong flavor of blue cheese, it wasn’t perfection.
Grilled Octopus — 3.5÷5 ($ 16): I thought I’d had octopus before, but maybe I’ve been confusing it with squid, which has a little more chewiness to it. The texture seemed alien to me, which maybe is appropriate for something with tenticles. This was the one dish that was fought over the least.
Cauliflower Steak — ⁵⁄₅ ($ 12): This is still my favorite bite at Cena, and also the best value (it’s a very large plate, enough for 3 or even 4 to share). I almost ordered 2 of these, but one was definitely enough to share. Like the «soft egg» dish at Alter, the cauliflower steak at Cena is becoming it’s signature dish, and justifiably gets a lot of press: order it!
Rock Shrimp Tempura on Potato Salad — ⁴⁄₅ ($ 16): this was a touch heavy on the tempura, and not everybody loved the smoky potato salad, but for me it was a winner.
MAINS:
Carbonara — ⁴⁄₅ ($ 26): a beautiful and tasty dish, but it’s a pasta, so $ 26 is a little rich. Again there is an egg involved, which for someone ovo-​averse as I is not a big plus. Still, very enjoyable and inventive.
Branzino — ³⁄₅ ($ 39): on my visit a year ago I enjoyed the snapper, but had some bones. A year later the fish had changed, but the bones were still there. Not sure what’s going on with the preparation of fish here, but the combination of the bones, the price (at this point everything is measured against that awesome cauliflower, and the fish is the cost of THREE of those yummy vegs) and overall satisfaction made this the one dish I’d wished I’d omitted to drop the bill by $ 50.
SUMMARY:
Cena is in the vein of Chicago’s famous «Girl and the Goat», and like GATG, my own personal recommendation is to stick with the front end of the menu. Skipping the mains will leave room in your stomach (and your wallet) for some of the great desserts here that we were too full to try. Like the croquettas, Michy’s bread pudding is legendary, and I would have preferred 3 or 4 orders of that (one per person) for the price of the branzino. Next time!

We had such a great experience. The service and food were amazing. We were a group of 4 and ordered drinks, starters, entrees, and dessert and felt it was very well priced. The duck fat fries are so crispy and delicious. The rock shrimp tempura starter was great. So we’re the croquettes. It was a party for my palette. It was so refreshing eating something different from the usual Latin menus all over sfl. I can’t wait to go back.

I left Cena wanting to do the wave or something crazy like that. I really enjoyed the food. Guests at my table had the branzino and the steak frite. Both got high marks. I had the mushroom carbonara and felt it was very tasty. The desserts brought this show to a great close. Michelle Bernstein is great and she seems to have a lot of fun preparing something new in each of her restaurants. Service here is what you expect, above average to great. Our waitress was fun, knowledgeable and thorough. Food portions are about right and prices are on par with the food quality. There is valet parking in the back of the restaurant or you can street park where ever you can find a spot. I found it strange that ice tea is not a standard drink here, it should be. Bar area and dining area are basically in the same room so you may get higher noise levels when the bar starts filling up. I love the fact that there are a lot of vegetarian choices on the menu. Another great restaurant in the MB empire!

The food and service are impeccable. The food prices are very reasonable but the alcohol prices are somewhat steep, and they do have a full service bar. The sixties motif is really chic but only marginally comfortable (hard on your butt). Parking is valet. Overall I give Michy’s high marks and recommend it for every foodie out there who loves eclectic cutting edge food creations.

Great food + Great Service + Great ambiance = 5 star experience!
My wife and I came to Cena by Michy and absolutely loved the new Michelle Bernstein spot. We arrived for dinner and were immediately greeted by a very kind hostesses who showed us to our table. Our waiter, Robert, was nice, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. We came with a Gilt City voucher for $ 125 so we had a lot of flexibility to try several menu items. We started with the croquettas, and tuna carpacio. The croquettas were unreal and a must get! Filled with broccoli and cheese and served with an apple chutney each bite was incredible. In fact, I can still taste the croquettas while writing this review. The tuna carpacio was fresh, light and very tasty as well.
The only complaint I have is that some of the menu items we saw online were not the same as the items offered. For people like my wife and I who study menus before arriving to restaurants we often choose to come to restaurants based on their online menu items. However, although the items we wanted were not being offered we were definitely satisfied with what we ordered. For dinner, my wife ordered the octopus and the cauliflower steak. I ordered the free-​range chicken.
All the food was absolutely spectacular! The chicken was one of the best I’ve ever had. Moist, tender and full of flavor. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her octopus and cauliflower steak. If you have read any of my previous reviews, you know that my wife and I often don’t return to restaurants (unless they are exceptional) without a deal. Cena by Michy was exceptional and we will definitely be returning to Cena!

We love going to Michelle Bernstein restaurants. But last night Was the WORST experience I’ve ever had at her restaurant, the biggest thing was the service and food.
Our server (Jaun) was not on point at all he didn’t listen to a simple request we asked him to bring out out salad first but he brought out the duck first and the foie gras. He seemed like he was too annoyed because we didn’t want to order all our food at once. We like to eat, taste, talk about items then talked. The water was not attended to nor anything was good about dinner.
Now to the food, there wasn’t anything special or to remember to talk about the next day. The food was ok and wasn’t worth spending $ 200 not a great meal. Definitely won’t recommend it to my friends and family.

Went for the last all you could eat chicken of the summer. The highlight however were the sweetbread tacos. Best thing I’ve eaten in Miami in a long while. The fried chicken was good. I’ve had better but it had a nice unique flavor, pretty sure there was all spice in there which was a nice touch. And all we got were dark meat pieces which was great. Watermelon salad that accompanies the chicken was refreshing and delicious. An upscale version of mashed potatoes were fluffy and cheesy. Biscuits were awesome and another highlight, they upstaged the chicken. Wait staff was friendly and johnny on the spot with refills on the chicken. Interesting a place of this caliber has an all you can eat chicken night. Upscale casual atmosphere. They only offer valet which I’d definitely take advantage of due to a lack of available parking in the area.

Came here with a Gf for Miami Spice.
We had come to Michy, when it was there before and use to love it. In my opinion, Cena is an upgrade from Michy.
Nicely decorated, full of mirrors. When i arrived at around 8:30, the place was packed!
I had a drink at the bar while waiting for my friend, try the Mychy-​lada, it is different, refreshing and spicy! Very original.
The Miami Spice menu was nice. I particularly liked the summer squash appetizer i had. The desserts were scrumptious.
My friend liked her dishes as well. Everything was well prepared and with a touch of latin flavors. Yummy
My only complaint would be the service. From the moment we sat down, the waitress would come to our table every 5 minutes to ask if we were done and taking plates away. In one instance, she took a plate away from my friend when she wasn’t even done eating!!. We had to tell her to not take it.
This made us really uncomfortable and rushed. Like they just want you out of there as fast as possible. I understand they were busy but i like to relax while having dinner and not worry that i have to hurry up and eat fast because they want to turn the table.
Because of that, we felt it was very rushed and kind of uncomfortable experience.
Not sure if it was just this one waitress. She was rather young and seemend like she wanted us out of there fast!
Not sure if we would be back. Who likes to be rushed for dinner?. That is the reason i only give 3 stars.

Oh boyyy. We came here for date night last month and it didn’t disappoint. I was a big fan of Michy’s and I’m happy to say this is a great restaurant too. Usually if it’s broke don’t fix it but this is great and I like all the new stuff we tried. My gorgeous date ordered a burger which I thought was a crazy move until I tried it. One of the best in S Florida. I had the gnocchi which was absolutely perfect. For apps we had the lamb ribs and the foie Gras mole omg they were both amazing so I can’t really pick a winner here. I’m a fan!

For the foodies!
The green goddess dressing is delightful.
The kale pesto gnocchi is one of the most unique and wonderful dishes I’ve had in a while.
They even stayed open late so we could dine.
For the up and coming MiMo district this is a must try:)

Remembering fondly the previous iteration of Michy’s restaurant (in this same space), I was looking forward to trying Cena. I was not disappointed.
The sweetbread tacos were a delight. Ditto for the boneless «whole» fish.
Service was attentive but unobstrusive.

I never was able to visit Michy’s, so when Cena by Michy opened I was ecstatic to try Michelle Bernstein’s newest project. Needless to say, I cannot wait to go back! I love myself a great Moscow Mule, so when I saw that they had one (named Mr. Pink) I had to get it. To my surprise, they served it in a copper pineapple! The presentation was on point, enough said.
We started with the Creamy Polenta w/​a Truffle Poached Egg and Bacon Bits. Our waitress told us this was a crowd favorite and boy was she right! Polenta is not something I am typically attracted to when reviewing a menu for the first time, so I am glad I was convinced to give this dish a second shot.
For my meal, I decided to go a little lighter and went with the Grilled Octopus and their Cauliflower Steak. Yes, yes and more yes. If you’re sensitive to spice, the octopus may not be for you. But since I’ve recently learned to handle the heat, this dish was right up my alley. It was cooked perfectly — not charred — and the most tender.
If you’re a panna cotta lover like myself, you MUST indulge in their Fennel Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote and Ginger Snaps. I’ve tried about every panna cotta there is in town, and this is definitely ranked in the top 3!

I’ve been a fan of Michelle Bernstein’s for years. I remember being a newly-​minted lawyer with enough money of my own to stray from the tried-​and-​true pricey restaurants my parents favored, and stumbling upon Social Miami at the Sagamore all those years ago. I was completely in love with the menu and so excited to venture on my own foodie path. Those were the good ol’ days, but I digress.
I went to Cena for Miami Spice with my sister and some girlfriends last night for dinner. I’m reluctant to judge a restaurant solely on it’s Miami Spice menu, since I know the offerings aren’t always the best things on the menu, due to several possible factors like cost, mass production, etc. However, one would think that a restaurant would want to use Miami Spice as an opportunity to showcase its best on a wider scale. Anyway, we arrived for our 7 PM reservation and were seated right away. The host was delightful. Unfortunately, our server seemed to be overwhelmed and maybe bit annoyed with the whole Miami Spice thing. She was short and not too helpful (although the tip we left her did not reflect her less than stellar performance). Strike 1 for the server.
We ordered a bottle of Malbec and the Croquetas to share. Despite their not being on the Spice menu, I couldn’t come to Cena and not try them. Both the wine and the croquetas were excellent.
Onto the spice menu. To start, I ordered the gazpacho based on the server’s recommendation. She said it was the best of the three appetizers offered. My sister ordered the green bean salad and our friends ordered the corn. The gazpacho was very good, the green bean salad was just okay and the corn was excellent. I soon regretted not getting the corn. Strike 2 for the server.
The entrees offered were a skirt steak with a foie gras-​cherry sauce and smashed fried potatoes, salmon, and rotisserie chicken with wild mushroom bread pudding. My sister got the steak and I ordered the chicken. The steak was okay. It was a bit chewy, even for a skirt steak. The sauce was okay and the potatoes were good, but not stellar. The chicken was a bit dry and bland although the bread pudding was tasty.
For dessert, we tried the fennel panna cotta which I didn’t try but heard was good, the peach cobbler which was tasty, and the bread pudding which was the best of the lot and delicious.
When the bill arrived at the table, I wrote out specific amounts and credit card numbers to make things easier for the server (because one of our friends wasn’t drinking wine). When I explained what i’d done to the server she snarkily mentioned that the computer would automatically divide the bill into four separate bills. I reminded her that one of our friends wasn’t drinking and she walked away in a huff. Strike 3 for the server.
Overall, our experience at Cena wasn’t stellar. However, there were some solid points like the appetizers and the bread pudding. So, I do think i’d give Cena another chance (particularly on fried chicken night).

I think the best thing I can say about this place is that it is just as good as, and not a radical departure from, it’s predecessor. The space has gotten a facelift and the menu has been revamped, but the quality of food, execution, and innovation remains the same. That is high praise from me because I felt like Michys was one of the few truly great restaurants in Miami. I feel the same way about this place. With both places, the food is definitely the most important part of your dining experience. So many other places in Miami, that’s not the case. You are paying big bucks for mediocre food because of the «see and be seen» aspect that pervades this city. I’m convinced there is a group of people down here who would eat cat food at a restaurant if it was the «cool» place to be that month (I’m talking to you bright yellow Lamborghini guy & girlfriend with ridiculous plastic surgery). Anyway, this place isn’t like that. It is a place for people who really love food and enjoy having it prepared in a masterful and artistic way. Highly recommend.

I can’t wait to come back again, and again, and again!
The frozen «Last Word» cocktail is so tasty! This drink is so refreshing and flavorful. I hope they never take it off the list!
All the dishes my group tried were spectacular! I’m not usually one to order a veggie dish, but thankfully some of my friends ordered some really different and tasty veggies. We tried the
beet sorghum risotto which is roasted beets with horseradish crème fraiche. I loved this dish. The creamy polenta has crunchy brussels sprouts and a slow poached egg on top. You already know, anything with some crunch, and an egg on it is perfect!
The sweetbread tacos were out of this world tasty! They come with salsa verde, cream, and a pickled cabbage that go perfectly together. For dessert I tried the bread pudding. OMG. Perfect consistency, and the chocolate chips inside were soft and nearly melted. I also had a bite of the fried apple pie and it was great as well. It tasted like an extremely superior and tastier version of the McDonald’s apple pies :)

3.5
Torn between a 3 and a 4. Rounding down because the entrees were mostly lackluster.
Went to Cena, five days into opening week, on a whim.
Awnings for Michy are still up, parking, and entrance are all exactly as before. The restaurant, however, is not the same. The new décor looks great! Moving the bar towards the back was a wonderful idea. Everything looks bright and airy while the light fixtures keep it casually elegant. Event though it was a Wednesday night, it was completely full. There seemed to be a lot of locals and industry diners on this particular night.
Service was very good. Not surprised given our waiter (who seemed familiar right off the bat) previously worked at Shikany’s.
THE FOOD
Creamy Polenta: crunchy brussel sprouts, and l’ekama oil slow poached egg. This was delicious and exploding with flavor. It was soupier than I would have preferred, and naturally settled better the longer it sat. But overall, great!
Harissa Lamb Spare Ribs a la parrila: loved these! They were, in fact, a little fatty as someone else mentioned in another review. I still couldn’t stop eating them! They also had a great kick! Mmmmmm
Seared Octopus: I don’t know what’s with this new not bringing bread to the table trend, but it needs to stop. Especially because I would have wiped this plate clean with the accompanying spicy romesco sauce. It was that good. Other than that, I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be hot, room temperature, or cold. The octopus was warm, but the sauce I loved was a little colder than room temperature. That was odd.
Fettuccine Carbonara: this is where I was let down a bit. The jamon serrano was perfectly bold enough for a carbonara, and the egg was also just right. I think there was just not enough of the St. Andre cheese to contrast the other flavors. Then again, I can be intense with my cheese obsession. I usually prefer more than most people. I don’t know. If I compare this to my favorite carbonara (at MC Kitchen), it is not as memorable.
Green Gnocchi: this one was just a NO-​never-​again-​dish. I forget what was on top, but it photographed like worms. I sadly tried it after already eating mine. The kale pesto wasn’t loud enough for me and it was also not as hot as I would have liked. It’s one of those situations where you can send it back, but then you sit there waiting or it comes back overcooked. Tough call.
Bread Pudding: the same signature bread pudding from Michy’s. It was brought out less than two minutes from ordering it with the dish scorching hot and topped with the cold ice cream. I remember it being thicker maybe? Maybe not? This one tasted more like a crème brûlée. Either way, it was good and not too filling. Dainty and sweet.
Overall, to me, the menu is not too much a departure from the former Michy’s menu. Cena is basically Michy’s with new interiors and new staff. There are even some of items on the menu from the old one. Will I return? Absolutely. I am a Bernstein fan. I want to try the burger, the cavatelli, the steak frite and some of the other appetizers. I will wait a couple of months and return.
The burning question is… will fried chicken Wednesdays return?

I’ve been waiting for Michelle Bernstein’s restaurant to open and I have to say it was worth the wait! We had the tuna tartar which was absolutely delicious the tuna was so fresh and seasoned perfectly. We also had the braised short ribs witch were so tender and tasty. Oh I forgot to mention the artichoke purée that is served under the short ribs:) so delicious and creamy:) we also had the sweetbread tacos they were very interesting the cabbage and the fried sweetbreads:) what more could you ask for?
For desert we ordered the bread pudding and the fennel panna cotta with a compote both were delicious:))) The service was impeccable! Our servers name was Emily and she was very knowledgable about the food on the menu, and very attentive!

Food was solid, best dishes were octopus, gnocchi, short ribs, and the duck confit.
Dish that needed work, beet sorghum risotto, as it was rather salty.
Bread pudding was good. A solid 4 star.
I agree with the other review that it can get a little noisy, but it’s not meant to be super intimate.