Michael’s Fine Food & Spirits

They have incredible food and a wonderful atmosphere at this Waterville gem. Definitely worth the drive! The menu is inventive and delicious.

Michael’s Fine Food did the catering for my backyard wedding a week ago, but Michael did so much more than just prepare the food. He and his assistant coordinated and set up everything and made me feel totally at ease. He is an absolute professional and excellent at what he does, whether it’s making the most delicious tortellini in vodka sauce (and accommodating our vegetarian needs), or working with the rental company, or meeting with us last-​minute to hear our concerns about how much beer we were getting. We were planning the wedding from out-​of-​state, but Michael was always available by phone when we needed him. Our guests raved about the food, which included a variety of salads, a fresh pasta station, a grill station, and amazing sides (including Michael’s greens, of course.) Dessert was apple crisp, and I saw people eating two and three plates of it. Michael played a huge part in making my wedding wonderful!

My wife and I have been going to Michael’s for a few years now and we can always count on them for a great meal! We take our kids with us often and even though it is fine dining the place is always very kid friendly! The staff, though slow on occasion, are always very friendly and accommodating! I am sure every place has a bad day, as some of these reviews might suggest, but we have never experienced it ourselves.

In New York for a antique show and had dinner here with family. Service was very good. I had the prime rib which was good but not the best. We had a some kind of lobster dip which was great

WHO KNEW?
My boyfriend and I dated long distance for 2 years– he was in Albany, I was in Syracuse and would drive past Michael’s all of the time to visit each other. Now we both live in Albany and spent the weekend with my folks in Syracuse. On Sunday, we spent the entire morning combing through antiques at Bouckville and worked up an appetite. I remembered Michael’s would be on our way home and we stopped.
When we walked in I felt really underdressed (honestly, we were both pretty grimey– having picked through some pretty gnarly stuff all day) but our awesome waitress Alexis said not to worry about it.
The converted house lends itself to a multitude of small dining areas, each with their own intimate feel.
My boyfriend and I are vegetarians which usually means we can find 1 or 2 options on a menu but Michael’s offered a «Leaf Lovers» section with 3 very tempting options in addition to a beet salad that sounded great.
Maybe because we were so freakin hungry, but the salads that arrived before our main courses were delicious! We both asked for bleu cheese crumbles and Italian dressing and were pleasantly surprised by the fresh field greens and amazing homemade dressing, combine that with the perfectly small portion of hearty bread and herbed butter– good things are surely to follow!
Boyfriend ordered the Eggplant Napolean– crispy eggplant stacked high with a deliciously refreshing Marinara that was light and flavorful. I ordered the Sweet Corn Risotto Cakes which were beautifully arranged in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce. Each bite was crispy, gooey, satisfying and so so balanced. We both left feeling satiated but not full to the extent of discomfort.
For someone who is a salt-​craver, I noticed at the end of my meal that I didn’t reach for the shakers once– a sign of a chef who seasons and tastes the food– bravo!
It takes balls to open a place like Michael’s in a place like Sangerfield… and keep it going! But Michael’s is doing just that. We will be back.

Front bar with a few tables, lite bar fare & some sports on the Tv. Keep wanting to go there to enjoy it, but only make it out for meals.
Dining areas in back – eclectic menu, on the whole well-​executed. Better-​than-​most wine list. Porch pie is excellent. Good place for a work dinner or even a fancier family meal (tolerant of kids though no kids menu).

We are from the opposite side of the country and tried Michael’s on a recommendation. We started with a beet salad which our waiter split for us. Entrees of chicken far side and crispy eggplant and shrimp scampi. Everything was delicious! Our waiter Eddie was friendly, courteous and very attentive. The setting in an historic house was very pleasant. Thanks to the stranger for a great tip.

This place was great! It has moved onto Route 20 at the corner of Route 12. Stop here on your way across route 20.

Went Saturday night and had a great meal. Everything was fantastic. Thank you Michael. We will continue to patronize.

We went here to celebrate a birthday, but were a bit disappointed. We were seated quickly at a table for two in a small alcove by the nonworking fireplace. Unfortunately, it was a bitter cold night, and there was a door in the side of the fireplace. You could feel the ice-​cold air coming in through the cracks of the door, right onto our table. There were no free tables to move to so we just sat and ate our dinner. The server was very nice (although could have kept the beverages filled more often). She recommended the Steak and Wild Mushroom Gorgonzola, saying «It is the best thing on the menu» (her opinion, of course) and we both ordered it. We started with the Lobster and Asparagus dip with homemade chips. The chips were delicious, but the dip was mainly a glob of melted cheese. You couldn’t find much in the way of lobster or asparagus. It was tasty, but not as special as we were hoping for. I had asked how much sirloin was in the main course because I had really wanted a steak, but she didn’t know. She guessed that there was «about 8 oz.» I would say the dish was mediocre at best. It wasn’t actually bad, but it didn’t have much flavor. There was nowhere near 8 oz of steak. I would estimate 4 – 5 oz, and what there was didn’t have much flavor. The Gorgonzola sauce was fairly thin, and again wasn’t overly flavorful. We looked over the dessert menu, but nothing really caught our eye so we stopped for dessert on the way home. Overall, for the amount of money paid, I would say you could find places with far superior fare.

First time going very nice restuarnt. Excellent food great service and a very welcoming atmosphere. Food is phenomenal!

Visited from NJ to see local colleges-​look no further for incredible food and service. My oldest daughter graduated in culinary/​nutrition and I’ve eaten at many fine restaurants, Michael’s is 2^nd to none. The calamari is off the hook, butternut squash ravioli melts in your mouth, nice salad with dinner, chicken parm must have weighed 10oz, scallops with little neck clams, brussel sprouts with a side of broccoli rabe OMG!!! The signature chocolate pie with ice cream we shared to top of a wonderful quality time evening. Our waitress Shelby, a nursing student was pleasant and timely. Very friendly environment, the Owner Michael came to see all the patrons to make a one on one special connection. The pricing was also perfect and this place is highly recommended.

This was the absolute worst «fine dining» experience that I’ve ever had. I came with a party of 10 for my best friend’s bachelorette dinner and we waited at least 30 minutes between each course. It was over 2 hours before we received our entrees, which came out cold, incomplete, and not prepared as requested. The bride’s mother’s entrée came out ice cold and it was another 45 minutes until they brought out the re-​prepared dish (which was handed to us on the way out). When issues about the dining experience were discussed with Mike, the owner, he was condescending and ignorant. He did take some things off of the bill and provide the bride with a gift card, but that doesn’t make up for ruining the end of one of the most memorable nights in my best friend’s life. Thumbs down.

We frequent Michael’s regularly and generally have a great experience. I called ahead to confirm there would be gluten free options for our friend. I was told that the server being assigned to us would be notified of our need for gluten free and that they had many options on their menu. We arrived and were seated promptly at our reservation time. That’s where the promptness ended. Yes it was busy-​it was a Thursday night before July 4^th-​and there may have been a large event upstairs. If you can’t handle the crowd don’t accept the reservation. Tell us you are booked-​much better to know that ahead of time then to have such poor service. Our server took our drink order and said she’d ask what was gluten free-​she didn’t understand what gluten free is. We then wait 20 minutes for a drink and to find out what was available gluten free. Gluten free isn’t an option for our friend, she has celiac’s disease. Dinner was finally put in front of us at 9pm.
As I said, we frequent Michael’s and generally really enjoy our experience. Perhaps it was just a really off night and some staff didn’t show up.
We’ll go again and hope for a better experience.

Unexpectedly fantastic food and atmosphere. Everything was delicious, freshly prepared and nicely put together. Worth driving out of your way in Central New York to try.

excellent food and service!

We’re lost in upstate NY and hungry. Driving around, the one of us with a raging cold smells good food, we see a sign for fine dining and spirits, and decide to stop in for lunch. We shared a lovely Tomato S’mores appetizer (think haute grilled cheese minis) and each of us ordered a pasta dish. They ranged from delicious (orecchiette with basil pesto), to passable (mushroom stew), to «meh» (hats and peas in rather tasteless sauce). Friendly service, lovely building and décor, a bit of a slow kitchen. Generous to a fault portions and reasonable pricing. All in all a great little gem.

I like a restaurant when I see that the owner/​cook truly cares about ingredients and is supporting local farmers and artisans. The food they serve ranges from a wonderful selection of comfort food to tasty Appetizers, that special Sandwich you may crave, a wicked Friday Fish Fry and that elegant Filet or Ahi Tuna Steak with a complementing bottle (or glass) of wine. Can’t decide yet — well have a seat at their cozy bar, watch TV, talk to the bar tender about any specials and quietly read the regular menu options while having a drink. Your table will be ready in a moment!

Michael’s is now in Sangerfield, at the intersection of Routes 20 and 12, just a few miles outside of Waterville.
This is my favorite restaurant on the planet. I’ve been to lots of fancy restaurants, but this is the best (and comparatively very inexpensive). The food is absolutely incredible. The steak Gorgonzola is amazing — so is the salad with the Gorgonzola sauce. The scallops are amazing. Fantastic calamari. Make sure you don’t miss out on the greens!
I’ve never had a dish here that disappointed me. The desserts are also fantastic, and the service is generally excellent. I’m so glad that the Utica area has such a phenomenal restaurant.

We went there for our 25^th anniversary dinner, and the food and service was excellent. We had the greens, spiced veal capresi, provencal rack of lamb, a nice bottle of Wolf Blass red wine, and bread pudding for dessert… all delicious!