Mica’s Restaurant & Pub

Making a fresh start with new ownership

By KAY WEST » Photos by CAROLE SHEPARDSON

Because you never get a second chance to make a first impression, the first thing Mike Quillen did after buying Mica’s Mountain Kitchen in late November 2023 was re-do the entire landscaping around the front entrance of the 40-year-old main building. “The tall pines across the road and circling the property are just magnificent,” Quillen says. “But the grounds around the building were a mess, so we did that first.”

The result is a serene, green and lush welcome to guests as they arrive. Step inside the white oak front door to a warm foyer, the bright yellow walls now covered with rustic wood planks, the awkwardly tall host stand replaced with a vintage, skirted table and benches beneath new artwork.

What will reassure long-time regulars of Mica’s – year-round and seasonal – is the presence of Sherrie Downey at the entrance, where she has been since the restaurant opened in 1985. “I’m seeing the kids of the kids who came in when I was first here,” she says with a smile.

And for those who have expressed concern about ‘new owners’ of their favorite local gathering place, Quillen is not a novice —to the plateau, to Mica’s or to hospitality.

“I came here with my family when I was a kid,” says the Florida native. “Thirty years ago, when our first daughter was born, my wife and I started coming up regularly and more than 20 years ago we bought a house here.  We love everything about this area – the fresh air, the outdoors and the people.”

Even so, rumors swirled as word got out that the owner of the past 15 years had sold. “People heard we were changing Mica’s to a French restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, a steak house,” Quillen recalls. “None of that is true. We only want to improve on what people already loved about Mica’s.”

This venture is not Quillen’s first rodeo—it is actually his 15th restaurant, though his first outside the state of Florida and the first with partners David Verinder and Bob Geyer, both homeowners in Cashiers. Quillen and Mike Gowan, his Florida partner, have 14 sports bars and seafood restaurants in Florida, employing about 800 people.

As his wife pointed out, he managed to avoid doing business on the plateau for 30 years, but Quillen could not resist the opportunity to steward MIcas through new and future generations.

The landscaping, parking lot improvements, deep clean, refurbishments and renovations – most notably the restrooms – began immediately and continued through the slower off-season, though Micas remained open.  The original polished, solid wood tables and curved-back chairs in the two main dining rooms under vaulted ceilings provide seating for parties of two to eight; a free-standing fireplace centers one of those rooms. Another stone-framed fireplace is in the bar/pub area, furnished with high-top tables and multiple wall-mounted screens.

The most requested seating is on the covered deck—with yet another large fireplace—which will soon have its own dedicated bar. Roll-downs and tall propane heaters keep that space cozy through the winter, which is good news for folks swooshing off the slope at Ski Sapphire Valley next door.

The all-day menu is both a nod to long-time favorites and a work in progress, with some new dishes being introduced and tested out as specials.

GM Phelan Bacon says the pizzas lead the ‘don’t mess with success’ category. “The most popular are the Micas and The Meat Eater.” As demonstrated on the restaurant’s Facebook page, the doughy, thick, hand-tossed pies come in three sizes (the medium can be ordered gluten-friendly), all loaded with toppings, nicely browned and bubbly on the rim.

Chicken tenders – buttermilk marinated and hand-breaded – are another comfort food particularly beloved through generations.

A starter of thick-cut bistro chips, served with bleu cheese-ranch fondue, smoked bacon bits and green onion, is also popular as a stand-alone snack for happy hour patrons.

The Greek salad—mixed greens, julienned peppers, cucumber slices, halved grape tomatoes, red onion, olives, pepperoncini, a heap of feta cheese and fresh-snipped herbs—overflows the bowl and is dressed with white balsamic vinaigrette.

Barely seared sesame-crusted ahi tuna, sliced and fanned across a plate with ginger, wasabi, soy and a mound of soba noodles, is light and bright.

Bang shrimp – crispy fried and bite-sized are tossed in a spicy-sweet chili sauce and are another keeper.

The Sunburst Farms trout entrée comes with two filets, seasoned and pan-seared, are new on the current menu and deservedly getting rave reviews. “Given the local history of Sunburst Farms, it is just something that needs to be on the menu,” Quillen explains.  (Sunburst Farms was begun in 1948 as the Cashiers Valley Trout Farm by the Jennings family, whose property is now Lonesome Valley.)

A traditional pub fare favorite, fish and chips, is a standout. Two large cuts of Atlantic cod are beer-battered and deep-fried, and the golden crisp coat encases flakey white fish. A pile of hand-cut chips, ramekin of coleslaw and tangy tarter finish the plate.

Quillen proudly notes that Micas burger is now locally sourced American Wagyu from Providence Farmstead in Otto.  Recent specials that may become permanent menu items – if well-received, are a Trout Po’ Boy and a fried bologna sandwich. “People who know fried bologna sandwiches really loved it, so we’ll see,” Quillen laughs. “We’re still in the very early stages of this, but we’re having lots of fun and getting great response. We have a lot to look forward to.”