He started the Asian restaurant KYU in Miami. Now he has a new spot in Fort Lauderdale
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse is now open in downtown Fort Lauderdale, located on the city's riverfront not far from The Wharf. The menu, much of which relies on a large, wood-fired smoker, was created by a chef/owner well-known to Miami diners: Michael Lewis, the former global executive chef at Zuma in Brickell who opened the famous Asian restaurant KYU in Wynwood in 2016.
Lewis has teamed up with restaurateurs Lizzy Maynes and former KYU general manager Steven Haigh, both with the Scotch & Bacon Group, and Michael Sponaugle from Buya Restaurants for the new restaurant. Lewis and Haigh were bought out at KYU by their original partners in 2020.
The first Ukiah, which opened in North Carolina in 2021, was created as a neighborhood restaurant, Lewis said, which made the choice to open in Fort Lauderdale a natural one.
'After opening in Asheville, it was clear that community was core to our brand, and as much as we love our other stomping grounds of Brickell and Wynwood, there is something about the relaxed riverfront living of Fort Lauderdale that just felt right,' he said. 'I see a ton of potential, a ton of growth and change in this neighborhood.'
There was one other small factor involved: 'Lizzy has lived here for 17 years and would kill me if our next spot wasn't in Fort Lauderdale,' Lewis joked.
The restaurant spreads across 4,000 square feet with indoor and outdoor dining for more than 150 diners, with a central bar and semi-private spaces for events. The menu leans into deep smoky flavors from its signature dishes like brisket and pastrami short rib, served with toasted rye, fire-roasted kimchi and yuzu pickles.
You'll also find a raw bar and street food items on the menu, like yakitori, gyoza and ramen as well as lighter vegetable dishes. Some of the popular items include crispy rock shrimp with chili butter and gorgonzola; hamachi with white ponzu serrano pepper and herbs; beech mushroom tempura with Tokyo ranch and onion ash; pork belly tonkotsu ramen; red snapper with white ponzu, grilled lemon and sea salt; and Japanese sweet potato with miso butter, brown sugar, parmesan and salt.
There's a bar menu, too, which will specialize in sake, shochu and Japanese whisky. You'll also find cocktails like So Fresh and So Green, with gin, shiso, green peas, lemon, ginger syrup and a scallion tincture, and Purple Rain, with purple shiso-ube infused sake, orange Curacao, lemon and egg whites.
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse opens at a time when the Fort Lauderdale culinary culture is gaining attention. With the arrival of the international Michelin Guide rating restaurants in the city, the rise in downtown residential development and the $1.2 billion renovation of the Broward County Convention Center, the city is growing — and so presumably is its restaurant scene.
Lewis, who was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant with KYU, said he felt that the restaurant landscape was 'taking off.'
'There is a growing young professional crowd here, and so much new and business infrastructure coming in that creates a need for evolving palates,' he said. 'This, plus a strong local community that is embracing new talent and flavors from homegrown concepts like Heritage [from Chef Rino Cerbone] and The Katherine [from Chef Timon Balloo] that offer a humbleness that I think people are craving more and more.'
He's not sure if Fort Lauderdale will match the culinary madness of Miami — 'anything is possible,' he admits — but he's happy to have staked a claim in Broward County.
'As high rents push talented new chefs out of the Miami market, Fort Lauderdale is an amazing place to call home,' he said.
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
Where: 221 SW First Ave., Fort Lauderdale
Hours: 4-11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday; 4-midnight Friday; noon-midnight Saturday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday; closed Tuesday
More information: ukiahrestaurant.com
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