Only a handful of New York restaurants become habitats for local power brokers; fewer still are able to maintain that vaunted status. Yet the mystique of the Brooklyn red-sauce joint Michael’s has endured. aaronshortstory reports
Appetizers moving through the dining room of Michael’s in southern Brooklyn. Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet On a frigid Friday evening in early March, Mayor Eric Adams trekked to southern Brooklyn to join a birthday celebration that was already well underway.
Michael Cacace, an owner of Michael’s, on a recent Friday night. Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet Seddio has been eating at Michael’s for more than two decades; he has taken nearly every major figure in the state’s Democratic Party there to partake in “pasta diplomacy.” Before Kathy Hochul was governor, she dined with Seddio and Carone . Attorney General Letitia James, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand have all noshed at Seddio’s invitation.
Yet the mystique of Michael’s has endured. “There are three main reasons politicians like Michael’s,” explains Democratic operative and Michael’s regular Michael Tobman. “One, it’s a warm, inviting environment, conducive to intimate conversations. Two, the food is really good. And three, it’s still there.
From left: John Cacace, Michael Cacace, and Fred Cacace. Photo: Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet Brooklyn’s political and judicial class continued to patronize red-sauce restaurants despite the shifting trends. Democratic bosses like Meade Esposito held court at Abbracciamento’s on the Canarsie Pier, Queen and Foffe in Brooklyn Heights, and Gargiulio’s in Coney Island.
“Everybody who has come into power” understands that Michael’s is the place to go to cut deals, says Andrew Holt, former publisher of City & State and a spokesperson for the political action committee A Better New York for All. “For every meeting of significance, the suggestion is always Michael’s and nobody ever says no. You have to say yes.
“The people who work there know how to treat politicians. They know how to serve us. They know our world, and they take care of us,” Bichotte Hermelyn tells me. “Outside of the food, there’s a level of comfort and privacy. They respect the fact that people come in to talk about business and enjoy a four-course meal.”
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