But they always dreamed of opening their own place, somewhere they could produce the terrific fare they knew they were capable of, in a casual, friendly setting. A year and a half ago, they relocated to Tampa's Carrollwood neighborhood and opened Michael's Grill.
I heard about this amazing little eatery from my hairdresser. It took me three turnarounds to find it, tucked off busy Dale Mabry Highway in the Main Street Plaza between Fowler and Fletcher avenues on the west side of the street. The search was well worth the effort. It's everything the Reillys hoped for — and more, a tiny neighborhood gem with excellent fare in a setting so casual and relaxed you feel as if you're dining at someone's home.
The menu may not represent the culinary cutting edge; but I found its range of fresh, New American standards and classic French, Italian and American dishes completely satisfying. The couple's years of experience in the business have clearly taught them the basics that make a successful restaurant.
With only 11 inside tables and a few more outside on a patio, the efficient staff provides friendly, prompt service. Chef Michael comes out of the kitchen in his whites to chat. And on weekends, when every table is jammed with customers, people eat cozily at the bar, overlooking the cramped kitchen, as if they're sitting comfortably at the neighbors' home, and the buzzing crowd is family that dropped in on the spur of the moment.
There's even an arrangement to handle the overflow. If you arrive, as we did, on a busy Friday night without a reservation, you can wait for your table next door, at the Grand Cru Wine Cellar weekly wine tasting. When your table at Michael's is ready, the hostess walks next door to fetch you.
Thus, we were already jolly and warm with wine when we sat down to dine. Andrea Reilly's expert, handmade Italian bread blew me away from the beginning. It was light, crusty and pungent, and it arrived with a cup of Michael's homemade garlic butter.
I was still savoring the bread when the waitress brought a cup of the special soup of the day, seafood chowder ($2.99 for a cup, $3.99 for a bowl at both lunch and dinner). It was hot, creamy, heavy with seafood, and chunky with rectangles of potatoes. Fabulous. It was apparent that whoever was presiding over the kitchen knew what they were doing.
The restaurant made one minor service error: We had ordered appetizers, but somehow, our entrees turned up first. The mixup sent Andrea into a flurry of activity. The entrees were quickly whisked away, apologies made, and appetizers brought out, to resume the correct order of fare. The waitress assured us our entrees would not simply be set aside in a warming tray but would be completely remade, so we would get truly fresh food.
On a second visit, the service was flawless.
An outstanding appetizer was "bubble bread" ($4.99), French bread toasted with garlic butter and three cheeses, and served with Michael's homemade marinara dipping sauce. The bread, cut in finger-size pieces, was buttery and crunchy and layered with hot, gooey cheese. We inhaled it.
Another day, I ordered baked French escargot ($8.99), shelled snails tucked daintily inside mushroom caps and baked in seasoned garlic butter; capped with a fluffy, four-inch piece of Andrea's buttery pastry, expertly done but awkward to cut and eat. The dish would have been perfect with its pastry split into smaller pieces or wrapped around each mushroom individually.
In our enthusiasm, we knew we were overeating, but it just got worse when the verdant "Tommy House" salad arrived ($4.50 small, $7.99 large, but free with an entree). It was gorgeous with crunchy romaine and iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomatoes and Parmesan, tossed in a rich bleu cheese dressing.
We rallied to snarf a big dish of penne Bolognese ($8.99, lunch; $16.99, dinner), delicate pasta lavished with a hearty tomato meat sauce, ricotta, and big chunks of Italian sausage. Another day, we ordered a delectable version of Chicken Little ($6.99, lunch, $14.99, dinner), moist grilled chicken breast tossed with linguini, roasted mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and spices, and lathered with a tasty, white wine and cream sauce.
The dinner entrees were equally exemplary. Steak Oscar ($23.99) entailed twin medallions of filet mignon grilled perfectly to medium rare, topped with a generous pile of crab meat, mushrooms and forest green asparagus spears. The meat was inundated with a buttery cascade of perfect Bearnaise sauce, and crowned with a browned, twice-baked potato and colorful crisp vegetables.
Then there was chicken Marengo ($14.99), as legend has it, a dish created by the chef of French Emperor Napoleon, following the 1800 Battle of Marengo. It featured a boneless breast of chicken, sauteed and simmered in white wine, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, tarragon and onion. Again, everything about the dish, from the freshest, juiciest chicken, to the complex sauce, to the accompanying wild rice and steamed veggies, was perfect.
I tried three very good desserts. The best was a tender apple cake ($5.99), its two layers spliced with a smooth custard, the whole cake then drenched with a thick layer of caramel, sprinkled with whole pecans, and served with two tiny balls of cold vanilla ice cream.
It was memorably delicious.
I can recommend the restaurant heartily. And for those of you out there who wonder if you should pursue a longtime dream: I guess Michael and Andrea Reilly might represent one potent argument to go for it.
Contact Sara Kennedy at sara.kennedy@weeklyplanet.com or call 813-248-8888, ext. 116.
This article appears in Jun 12-18, 2002.