FLORIDA
Chef Michael Lewis Is Back in South Florida, and He’s Bringing Brisket and Yakitori with Him
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By Eric Barton | March 19, 2025
For years, Michael Lewis was the guy who made Miami’s food scene better. He ran the kitchens at Zuma, turned KYU into one of the city’s best restaurants, and got himself a James Beard nod in the process. Then, he packed up and left for Asheville, where he opened Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse. Now, like a prodigal chef with a very expensive smoker, he’s back.
This spring, Ukiah lands in downtown Fort Lauderdale, right on the Las Olas Riverfront. The menu is a mashup of Japanese street food and American barbecue—because apparently, Lewis looked at Tokyo and Texas and thought, “You two should meet.” At the center of the operation is a massive wood-fired smoker, which turns out things like pastrami short rib with yuzu pickles and house-smoked brisket, the kind of dishes that make you want to cancel whatever plans you had and settle in for the night.
The raw bar will serve oysters with sparkling sake mignonette, and the fried things include beech mushroom tempura with Tokyo ranch and onion ash (because just calling it ranch would be too simple). My favorite Ukiah dish from Asheville will make the journey, a rich, pork-belly-laced ramen with black garlic oil and a soft-boiled egg—the kind of thing that cures hangovers and existential crises.
The Ukiah bar menu reads like a science experiment where someone decided gin and scallion tincture should hang out. There’s the So Fresh and So Green, a cocktail made with shiso and green peas, and the Purple Rain, which combines purple shiso-ube infused sake with citrus and egg whites. Plus, sake, shōchū, and Japanese whisky, because this place clearly understands its audience.
The 4,000-square-foot space will have indoor and outdoor seating, a central bar, and, on Sundays, a brunch with bottomless sake cocktails. Plus, the restaurant’s giving2sips program will donate proceeds from specialty cocktails to local charities.
“Fort Lauderdale has been home for over 15 years,” says co-owner Lizzy Maynes. Which is a nice sentiment. But really, the important part is that Ukiah is coming, Lewis is returning to South Florida, and soon, we’ll all be back at his table.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who spits his time between Asheville and Miami. He’s on a constant hunt for the best pizza, best places to bike, and for his next new favorite destination. Email him here.
