When I visited: May 2015

Location: Miami, in the Fontainebleau Hotel

Team: Michael Mina (Chef Patron), Derrick Roberts (Chef de Cuisine)

Rating in the Michelin Guide: Not rated

Dining Owl Hoot rating: 3/5

What to wear: Men – jeans or nice trousers and a shirt; women – jeans and a smart top or a smart dress

Ambience: Fun, sports TV on but also some more secluded tables

Course of the meal: Steak

If I could change one thing: Smaller portion options

Review:

The Fontainebleau hotel in Miami offers many places to eat and drink, including the cool pictured ‘Bleau Bar’. If you fancy a steak you should head to Michael Mina’s Stripsteak.

I have noticed, in my many years as an epicurean Owl, that American waiting staff do tend to provide better service than in Europe. This may be because of the tipping culture in America but regardless, they do often make a great effort to look after you and this was true in Stripsteak. In addition, the atmosphere was fun – despite being one of the more upmarket restaurants in the already upmarket Fontainebleau hotel (where you have to make a reservation), they show sports TV in the background and some people were dressed pretty casually.

As in lots of steak restaurants, very large portions are served so it’s safe to share with whoever you’re with. I did this with my partner Owl and they did automatically serve the male diner with a lot more … but we redistributed the steak so we each had an equal share. The red wine and accompaniments were solid, with the truffle fries in particular worth a try.