Michael Schwartz Opens Ninth Miami Restaurant as His Empire Goes National

We can hardly keep up with Michael Schwartz. The James Beard Award-winning chef, who is gearing up to open his first concept in the Midwest later this spring, will debut a new restaurant in South Florida next month, Traymore by Michael Schwartz in Miami Beach.

Opening inside the COMO Metropolitan Miami Beach Hotel sometime in March, Traymore by Michael Schwartz marks the chef’s ninth South Florida restaurant, joining his eponymous restaurant Michael’s Genuine in the Miami Design District, as well as multiple Schwartz-owned pizzerias scattered across Florida. He’s also planning a bohemian-inspired, wood-fired kitchen concept in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood, and a pizzeria in Miami Beach, all before year’s end.

In the meantime, when Traymore opens, Schwartz will serve a straightforward menu of Florida produce and seafood, with items like steamed whole fish with ginger and wok-charred wild salmon. Most of the dishes feature pan-Asian influences, which speak to COMO’s roots, with hotels and restaurants in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia.

“People love whole fish and we love to cook it,” he says. “Here, it made sense to steam. It’s a way to cook food that we rarely use, and quite frankly, it’s overlooked by cooks for more flashy or fancy heat sources. Steaming lets the true flavor and freshness of an ingredient come through. That’s why the broth in this particular dish is so clean, bright, and fragrant with the ginger.”

Complete with a raw bar and a market table, the menu includes Beef Carpaccio with hearts of palm, kohlrabi, peanuts, and burnt lime vinaigrette, Wok-Charred Wild Salmon with toasted pumpkin seeds and soy lime vinaigrette, and Black Sesame Pound Cake with coconut cream, marinated papaya, and toasted sesame seeds.

Set up inside an original Art Deco structure from the 1930s, the restaurant features a large main dining room, terrace, and garden area leading toward the beach. Once open, it will serve lunch, dinner, brunch, and late-night drinks. Schwartz will also take over all food and beverage operations at the hotel, including in-room and poolside dining, as well as the bar, which features a cocktail list by mixologist Maria Pottage.

“It's great to be back on Miami Beach, and on Mid-Beach specifically for the first time,” he says. “It's still a largely unexplored stretch. We’re also trying to tap into Miami Beach as the original getaway destination and make it more accessible to locals.”

Traymore by Michael Schwartz. 2445 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-695-3600.