The Fontainebleau has announced that the savory pop-up, Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina, that took over the Michael Mina 74 spot this summer, will stick around for good. While everyone loved the gourmet concept that was Michael Mina 74, it seems you just can’t beat pizza and burgers in terms of popularity. They’re even better when given the full Michael Mina treatment.
The idea behind the causal concept was the celebrity chef’s own backyard kitchen where he cooks delicious comfort food for his own family. In this spirit, tables are adorned with games and the restaurant has a lively atmosphere and upbeat music, making guests feel like they are at a casual backyard bash with a menu to match that vibe.
Newly appointed Chef de Cuisine, Timothy Elmore brings a fresh approach to Pizza & Burger’s kitchen. Coming from Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at Turnberry Isle Resort, the chef brings passion and a decade of experience to a menu featuring made from scratch, farm-fresh, multi-ingredient pizzas, burgers and large plates.
Pizzas run the gamut from classic pies elevated with the best ingredients to multi-ingredient masterpieces. Take, for example, The Surf, a pizza made with butter poached lobster, chanterelle, charred cauliflower and summer truffle and, The Farm, a pizza topped with bacon, egg, Yukon gold potatoes, Bermuda onion, Crimini mushroom and smoked mozzarella. Grandma Style Pizzas are popular too. These are extra-large pies – like the Grandma the Butcher – a pie made with a focaccia crust, soppressata, pepperoni, bacon, hot coppa and peppadew peppers.
Then there are the burgers. Extremely creative, the menu offers items like the MM74, a dry-aged burger with double-smoked bacon, American cheese sauce, lettuce and secret sauce. Others are more specialty like The Cuban Frita – beef, chorizo, smoked paprika aioli and crispy potato.
There will be other mains too including very hearty large plates like Beer Battered Fish & Chips served with malt vinegar fries and Slow Cooked Bone-in Shortrib.
If that sounds heavy, (and we didn’t even mention the Lobster Corn Dog or Nacho starters) there are lots of salads to the rescue. Those who want to get their greens have a variety of salads both big and small, made with exciting ingredients. Colorful salads like The South Beach contain baby kale, radicchio, arugula, grapefruit, avocado and basil dressing. Guests can design their own salads and choose from an array of delicious Mina-worthy proteins to go on top like Gulf prawns, King salmon, grilled steak and free-range chicken.
Pizza & Burger continues the space’s tradition of being a fun spot too. They have a great happy hour with “Social Hour’ specials offered daily from 5pm – 7pm. Imbibers can indulge in buy one get one for $1 cocktails, half-priced beers and $5 wine specials. One fun fact is that they’ve got all local beers on tap, as everything on tap is from local breweries. Bottles and cans are mostly brewed in Florida too.
