Steak. Crabcakes. Quesadillas. Endless options at this ‘fancy-but-casual’ Macon restaurant

When you walk into Michael’s on Mulberry you can sense a pair of unique vibes. One is that of a fancy restaurant with high-end items, the other is a causal laidback atmosphere where you can grab a quick, inexpensive lunch.

Both of these things are true.

In October 2018, Tim Obelgoner and Mark Coley took over the restaurant and have spent the last year-plus changing the decor, food items and various other aspects of the Macon favorite. They are also a sister restaurant with Texas Border Grill on Houston Road, said Scarlett Syme the general manager of Michael’s.

“At Border Grill, we were ready to expand and take over something new and try our hand downtown.” Syme said. “People are really impressed when they come … it has been fun updating and putting the bar in.”

One of the things that they pride themselves in is fresh ingredients that leads to quality dishes coming out of the kitchen. The steaks are hand cut just like at Texas Border Grill Nothing comes from a can or is frozen, and things like soups are prepared fresh daily.

They have also tried to lean more into the healthy side of things with dishes that incorporate more veggies and pride themselves on options like the same that can fit in well with particular diets. They plan to incorporate some new things into a new menu they hope to have out by Valentine’s Day.

“If we can’t make it in house then we don’t make it,” Syme said. “We are going to bring a red snapper on. We are going to add a spinach-stuffed chicken breast in a cream sauce that is really tasty. We do serve breakfast as well. We will be adding stuff to our breakfast (menu) as well.”

The ability to have a casual dinner out on the town or an anniversary dinner date allows this restaurant to bring something to the table for everybody. Syme said that they have a wide selection of wine and plan to have a special set menu for occasions like Valentine’s Day. As a whole, they hope that they can provide a good experience for each customer who comes through the door.

“We want you to remember the food and taste how fresh it is,” Syme said. “We strive to make sure you enjoy everything.”

This week we put our pinkies up at this fancy-but-casual restaurant for #FoodieFriday from Positively 478 and The Telegraph.

Appetizers

Michael’s offers a wide variety of appetizers but each seems to fit perfectly in their menu. They have things such as crabcakes, scallops, fried mushrooms and quesadillas. Our waitress, Linsey, told us that a lot of people order appetizers for dinner instead of a full meal and that one of the most popular is their jalapeno and queso dip.

We decided on the dip, which had chunks of jalapeno in the dip with chips that are topped with seasoning. It was a change of pace from the typical queso dip as it had a bit of a kick. The size of the dish and the number of chips were perfect.

They also brought us out their bread, which is served during dinner hours. The bread tasted fresh and homebaked. It was perfect for transporting the chimichurri sauce that accompanied the plate. The bread alone might be worth coming for and if you’re not careful you could fill up on it quickly.

Entrees

The selection is once again wide but feels very intentional in the tone they are trying to set with the menu. It has a very casual lunch menu with options like their Wok this Way, a stir fry dish, as well as salads, sandwiches and burgers. While their dinner options feel a bit more high-end dining with steak options like filets and ribeyes as well as a pasta, chicken and seafood options like crabcakes, shrimp and salmon.

I went for the New York strip steak, which is served with one side and a salad. It is the least-expensive steak on the menu but the quality is top-notch. It almost melts in your mouth, very tender and juicy. I ordered the steak cooked medium and most times at a restaurant it comes out rare or well-done. But at Michael’s, it was cooked to my specification. It was well-seasoned and had a nice crust on it.

I order green beans to go with my steak. They were fresh and had a nice crunch to them. I didn’t even think to salt or pepper them because they tasted good without it. The salad was a nice surprise as it was a good entry into the meal with ranch dressing. The greens were fresh and crisp. Overall, it was an impressive meal from start to finish, one of the best I’ve had in a long time.

Dessert

We asked for suggestions on this part of the meal and there were plenty of options. They have different types of cheesecakes, a brownie and more. The brownie was tempting but I ultimately opted for their most popular dish — the strawberry cheesecake.

It was light and the strawberries with raspberry drizzle added an additional level of flavor that set it apart from a normal cheesecake.

Jenna’s suggestions:

I ordered the “Wok this Way” for reasons other than its amazing name. The dish has steamed vegetables with your choice of steak, shrimp or chicken on a bed of rice. I chose to go with chicken.

If you want a meal that is balanced and filling, this dish is perfect for you. I loved the way it made me feel full, but it didn’t make me feel weighted down. It was definitely a dish that will give you the energy you need to finish your workday.

Plus, it tasted amazing! The seasonings on the chicken, vegetables and the rice blended perfectly together. I have never had a dish where the dish tasted great with or without soy sauce. If you like soy sauce, this dish tastes perfect with it, but if you don’t, no worries. It still tastes great.

The wok is the perfect dish for a nice lunch because it’s healthy, light, filling and tasty.

Cost:

New York strip steak meal: $22

Wok this Way: $10

Jalapeno queso with chips: $6.99

Michael’s on Mulberry

Location: 588 Mulberry St, Macon

Hours: Monday 7 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Price range: $7-$30