His New York restaurant earned two Michelin stars. Now this chef is opening a spot in Coral Gables

One of New York’s most acclaimed chefs is opening a new Italian restaurant in Coral Gables.

Chef Michael White, the creator and founding chef of the celebrated Mediterranean restaurant Marea on Central Park, which earned two Michelin stars under his watch, is opening Mika at The Plaza Coral Gables.

The restaurant will be focused on Italian coastal cuisine, with an eye toward featuring Florida seafood and some of the pasta for which he has become famous.

“There’s a bounty of fish in Florida,” said White, 53, who also earned a James Beard Award for best new restaurant with Marea in 2010. “It can be easy to just use fish that’s easy to order and not fish that’s local, but in Florida we have amazing pompano and hogfish and snook. You don’t see those fish on the menu as much.”

White is best known for his work at such restaurants as Spiaggia in Chicago and Fiamma Osteria, Alto, Convivio, Ai Fiore and Osteria Morini in New York. He’s also worked in the Miami area before, in the kitchen at Lido Restaurant at The Surf Club restaurant in Surfside and Mirabella Coastal Italian by Michael White at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

This time, however, White, who has teamed up with partners Alex Pirez and Matt Safchik to open Mika, is focusing on creating more of a neighborhood spot than fine dining establishment. The restaurant is expected to open later this year.

“I really want this to be a Coral Gables restaurant,” he said. “Mika is not necessarily a special occasion restaurant. You can order crudo and pasta and eat simply and be in and out in an hour, or you could go more than once a week. It’s not just for special occasions.”

White, who spent almost a decade living and cooking in Italy, will include some of his most famous dishes on the Mika menu, however. Langoustine carpaccio. Fusilli with octopus and bone marrow. Rosemary sea salt bistecca alla Fiorentina. You can also expect simply prepared dishes using Florida’s royal red shrimp, grouper and wahoo.

“They lend themselves to simple preparation,” he said. “The older I get, the more I focus on the product. Everybody says that, but I like keeping it really easy with two or three ingredients.”

And despite the influx of new restaurants from New York and other cities, White believes there’s a place for Mika at The Plaza Coral Gables, which is also home to the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao, Cuban sandwich shop Sanguich , a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the Loews Hotel.

“Coral Gables is still under serviced,” he said, adding that he’s looking forward to spending half of his time in the Miami area. “I can barely eat at The Plaza — it’s always packed. I don’t take this lightly. I’m really excited to be part of Coral Gables.”

Mika

Where: 3007 Ponce de Leon Ave., Coral Gables

Opening: Late 2024