Michael’s on Naples storms the island

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

At first, the servers at Michael’s on Naples seem stuck together, waiting in the back of the place in a single khaki clump. It’s not until the night wears on that the staff is pulled apart, each member running routes with baskets of bread and quartinos of wine. At the restaurant’s busiest, some of the servers can even appear overwhelmed, catching only mile-a-minute glimpses of the dining room. It’s a problem that the restaurant usually sorts out, but one that’s also telling of the success of Michael’s—it packs in constant crowds.

Fluttering up from the tables of those with regular reservations is talk of tennis games and dinner parties, conversations that feel fit for some of the more staid tastes of, say, Newport Harbor. But Michael’s sits naturally in Naples, a modern Italian restaurant docked in one of the most moneyed sections of town.

While some of the restaurant’s success may seem practically preordained, then, it ultimately comes down to the fact that Michael’s is a comfortable restaurant. Inside, lamps light up in a cool bloom, tangled fixtures that look like ripples of pasta strung from the ceiling. The booths are stuffed firm and the tablecloths are pressed free of any creases. And up the staircase just behind the bar is a rooftop deck where dishes get kissed by a sweet marina breeze.

It’s by further design that most of the plates at Michael’s are fit for splitting. The appetizers mainly eat with an antipasti edge, like the classic mozzarella e pomodoro, slices of buffalo mozzarella staggered between heirloom tomatoes and leaves of basil. But the fritto misto is best for shared appetites, a mix of market-fresh seafood given a quick fry and paired with a cucumber aioli and spicy tomato sauce. Although the dish is a battered one, it’s all remarkably light, the seafood sent out even airier than some of the most weightless tempura.

The second step in any meal at Michael’s is a plate of pasta. There are only five options here, sewn up mostly by staples like gnocchi with asparagus, brown butter and sage. The most adventurous option is the ravioli d’astice neri. The dish is a dark one, blackened by a helping of squid ink ravioli that’s stuffed with Maine lobster and eggplant then bathed in a lobster broth with pesto. The ravioli themselves are excellent, but the pesto marks one too many ingredients, clogging up an otherwise great dish.

Entrées aren’t many at Michael’s, but that provides a fine focus that the restaurant usually puts to good use. A clear example is the branzino con zucchine al vino bianco (sautéed Mediterranean sea bass with zucchini, fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes, Gaeta olives and white wine). The fish is cooked perfectly, completely tender to even the tiniest tap of the fork and touched with a certain citrus that balances the briny Gaeta olives.

On the meatier end of the menu is the costoletta di maiale alla Milanese, a breaded Kurobuta pork chop fried up and served with braised baby artichokes and a potato cake. The pork chop could use some more pounding to match its Milanese name, but it’s a good dish regardless, the potatoes (stacked up in thin slices like a fine layer cake) providing a slightly salty complement to the heavy pork.

Even in its desserts, Michael’s doesn’t hit every mark. (The uneven bonnet Piemontese falls flat as a “chocolate flan.”) But the restaurant doesn’t need to, either, because when it’s at its best, Michael’s can really feel effortless. And it’s then, when servers ship out dishes in precise intervals and in those perfect portions, that the place overshadows any missteps, a restaurant fully fit for the namesake of Naples.

MICHAEL’S ON NAPLES 5620 E SECOND ST | LONG BEACH 90803 | 562.439.7080 | MICHAELSONNAPLES.COM | OPEN WED-THURS, SUN & TUES 5:30-10:30PM | FRI-SAT 5:30-11PM | DINNER FOR TWO $60-100 | BEER, WINE

Tags: Food, italian, longbeach, michael's, Naples, Restaurants, second street