Mike finally gets his due!

The article from the Del Mar Village Voice is finally available online! Please go here to read rave reviews about Menus by Mike

June 18 Del Mar Village Voice

50th Birthday Bash huge success!

Letter of Appreciation to Menus by Mike
"Dear Mike,
Just wanted to thank you and your staff for providing fantastic food and great service to over 80 people who attended my 50th birthday party.

The venue had some limitations (no kitchen or prep area) which you overcame beautifully! The halibut ceviche was a smashing success as were all of the grilled items. The two desserts (ricotta cheese cake with raspberry glaze & hazelnut chocolate torte) were such a success that I don't think there was one crumb left over!!!

Your staff was courteous and professional and you all did an outstanding job in making my half-century bash a most memorable and perfect evening.

Thank you!"

Nita G., Carlsbad

Spiced Rib Recipe
6 Servings
1 tsp. Caraway Seeds
2 Tbl. Sweet, Smoked (Spanish) Paprika
1 Tbl. Cumin Seed
1 tsp. garlic Powder
1 Tbl kosher Salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
½ C Apricot Preserves
1 Tbl. Dijon Mustard
3 racks (approx 3lbs) Baby Back Ribs

Preheat oven to 300

1. Grind Caraway and Cumin seeds in spice grinder (or coffee grinder). Add pimento, garlic powder, salt and pepper and pulse until well blended.
2. Transfer 2 Tbl. of spice mix to small saucepan and stir in apricot preserves and mustard.
3. Pull off any membrane from backside of ribs. Place ribs in a large roasting pan (side by side) and rub both sides with spice mix. Cover tightly with foil and roast for

1 ½ hrs.
4. Pour pan juices into apricot mixture. Recover ribs and cook another 45 minutes. Pour any juices into preserves.
5. Preheat broiler. Bring pan juices and apricot preserves to boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes—until slightly thickened.
6. Brush underside of ribs with glaze and broil 8 minutes. Turn and glaze top side. Broil 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and cut into ribs. Brush with

remaining glaze.

Mike's Latest Events

Menus by Mike launched with incredible success with several catered events, four Perfect pairings and seven private dinners. I’m excited that things are going so well and that a lot of you seem to like what Menus by Mike is doing. Keep contacting me!!!

One of things that I’m really enjoying is creating new recipes based on YOUR requests. “A little spicier,” “something with fennel,” are requests that make me think, test and come up with something new. Bring on the challenges!


Looking forward to the Racing Season in Del Mar with special menus for several private dinners with owners and trainers celebrating trips to the winner’s circle.

Feta Mayonnaise

Mike's Recipe of the Week

Feta Mayonnaise

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 C mayonnaise
2 Tbls minced green onion tops
2 Tbls olive oil
½ tsp grated lemon zest
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Blend all ingredients and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve with lamb burgers, hamburgers or grilled fish.

Welcome to MenusbyMike- Food/Wine Pairing for your enjoyment

Menus by Mike is the culmination of years of thinking about how to follow my passion—good food, casual atmosphere and nice wines. My serious cooking started in college when I went through my “vegetarian stage”. To make soy burgers edible I had to figure out how to use spices and herbs. Preparing “all vege” dinners for me and my roommates forced me to understand how foods melded together and the interaction of hot, sweet, sour and salty.

After graduating from Law School I moved to the Bay Area in northern California. That was it!!!!! The food scene was unlike any I had experienced. And I was exposed to good (i.e. not Blue Nun or Mateuse) wines!!! I immediately grasped the interplay between good wines and fresh ingredient focused food. Now, with a good salary to support my new habits, I was ready to really start cooking!!!

The stores in the Bay Area offered a delicious array of fresh fruits and vegetables, top quality meats (having long since abandoned my vegetarian days), seafood and cheeses beyond my experience. Buoyed by such a cornucopia of foods, a salary to make them affordable and subscriptions to 3 cooking magazines (plus the food section of the San Francisco Chronicle) I was trying all kinds of dishes—inviting anyone who was willing to be a guinea pig to dinner.

29 years later, I still love good foods, in a comfortable, unpretentious atmosphere and good wines. I’ve cooked meals for numerous friends and family members over those 29 years and have been asked the question “when are you going to open your restaurant?” several thousand times. I’ve asked it of myself at least as many. Given the challenges of a restaurant I was probably lucky in pursuing my legal career and the follow up business ventures. But it gnawed at me every year—sometimes for weeks—sometimes for months. “What about a restaurant?” I have a folder probably 3” thick with diagrams of the kitchen—the bar –the restaurant I wanted to build. I have hundreds of hand scrawled menus I wanted to serve up.

So finally, at age 57 Menus by Mike is my way of pursuing my passion. It will allow me to do the things I like, i.e. coming up with food and wine pairings, designing the menu and preparing the 6-10 course dinners—without the daily hassles of running a full service restaurant. I hope you enjoy all facets of Menus by Mike—Dining In, Catering and Perfect Pairings.

The Journey Continues!!!!!!!!!!!