Rochelle Koff

rkoff@MiamiHerald.com

When Michael Schwartz decided to open his own place in the Design District, he wasn't aiming for South Beach fabulousness. Nothing too edgy or exotic, either. His goal: Keep it real.

For Schwartz (Nemo, Zemi, afterglo), that means doing what he does best: cooking fresh, well-sourced, straightforward food with an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients. It also means excellent service, a welcoming atmosphere and, most of all, a chef with heart.

Schwartz sees Michael's Genuine Food & Drink filling a niche as a "great neighborhood restaurant, " but in three months, it's also become a hot dining destination. He's already expanding, with plans to use friend and designer Carl Myers' next-door showroom for overflow crowds and private parties. The extra space will be a rainy-season lifesaver, as more than half of Schwartz's 95 seats are in an outdoor courtyard.

Inside, Michael's is upscale but unpretentious, with tiny globe lights, polished concrete floors and rich woods. Designer Myers created the red cube lanterns suspended from the 20-foot-high ceiling and the contemporary wall mosaic made of Guatemalan coins (yours for $7,500).

At one end, there's a handsome bar where the munchies are whole radishes with sea salt. At the other end, the open kitchen is anchored by a wood-burning oven where you can watch Schwartz cook. His wife, Tamara, greets diners at the door.

The motto on the restaurant logo is "fresh simple pure, " and it's no bandwagon boast. The earnest chef has forged strong bonds with local producers and purveyors, most prominently as co-founder of a winter dining series at Homestead grower Gabriele Marewski's organic Paradise Farms.

Schwartz's New American menu is organized by plate size, from snacks to extra-large entrees. Best approach is to go family style, sharing an assortment. Prices are reasonable enough that you can experiment -- and come back often.

We start with snacks ($5), irresistible happy-hour grub that's also fun to nibble while studying the thoughtful, moderately priced wine list (about 100 labels, 15 by the glass). Crisp hominy nuggets are like gourmet corn nuts. The large kernels are cooked with carrots, onions, bay leaves, thyme and other spices, dipped in the deep fryer and dusted with chipotle powder and other seasonings for kick.

Falafel is another tasty nosh -- crunchy fried balls of ground chickpeas mixed with cilantro, parsley and mint, served with tahini sauce and slivers of pink pickled onions.

Among small plates, yellowfin tuna tartare is a cool escape on a summer's night. Grapefruit juice and cilantro add zip to the stack of bracing raw tuna, topped with a thick layer of buttery avocado and a couple crisp house-made potato chips.

A humble artichoke stuffed with bread crumbs and ultra-creamy cambazola (a German import that's like a cross between brie and blue cheese) comes out of the wood oven smoky, silky and crunchy all at the same time.

Schwartz revises the menu daily, but there are staples like slow-roasted pork shoulder -- a bit fatty for me, but I liked the hint of cinnamon in the spice rub. Thick, rich cheese grits come alongside.

Chicken can be boring, but Schwartz uses poulet rouge, a flavorful, thin-skinned heritage breed raised in North Carolina that is perfectly roasted to a golden brown and plated with garlicky mashed potatoes and sautéed Swiss chard.

Michael's offers wild Copper River salmon and giant prawns, but the snapper rules. Caught locally, it's roasted whole with lemon and fennel, letting the fresh-from-the-sea flavor shine.

Among desserts, we most liked the lush strawberry shortcake and a chocolate cremoso that Schwartz created at afterglo. It's an ultra-rich blend of chocolate and super-thick crème anglaise, shaped like an egg, sprinkled with sea salt (think of chocolate pretzels), set atop candied hazelnuts and served with sourdough crostini and espresso parfait.

One of the best treats: the pampering by skilled servers that makes every diner, fabulous or not, feel like a VIP.