Michael Mina-Union Square San Francisco

While in San Francisco recently, on the day of the historic election 2008, my wife Lisa and I had dinner at Michael Mina. http://www.michaelmina.net/mm/ It was rated as two stars in the Michelin Guide which was the highest rated restaurant in downtown San Francisco.

I wanted to go to the French Laundry based on a story I read from Tony Bourdain. Bourdain is one of my favorite writers and personalities with his world-wide food show now on the travel channel. I have read just about all of his books and remember where he once stated that the “French Laundry was the best restaurant in the world”, this sincerely impressed me, since it is so rare to hear that about an American restaurant. Unfortunately, it was some way out of town in the northern wine country, and of course, I also heard it took “three months” to get reservations from some affected dude at William Sonoma on Union Square.

So in looking around and finding Michael Mina only two blocks away it was the logical choice!

We had the seasonal Prix Fixe menu: I had the bacon wrapped scallops, the Brant Farm beef, and the Quince Fall spices for dessert, Lisa went with the Dungeness crab, Elysian Fields Lamb and the Chocolate Florals. In addition, there were two other courses which were “compliments of the chef”. The first was the starter and included a lobster salad and the last was a type of hand-made ice cream pops that was most delicious. http://www.michaelmina.net/mm/pdf/Prix%20Fixe%20Menu.pdf

I was very impressed with the plates and dishes which seemed to have been custom made just for that particular restaurant and their menu. The service was excellent. One distraction was the constant picture taking with goo-goo patrons trying to capture their moments in the sublime; the other was the pro-Obama rally gathering outside with their compliment of police escorts, their chanting to rhyme.

The bill ran $322 for two, with no booze. The most impressive thing to me was the collection of tastes designed in a certain progression. In other words, for the scallop plate the three bay scallops were all in different presentations and were to be eaten in a certain order from left to right, and I did in fact think each was better than the last. An excellent meal, in a highly recommended restaurant, that befit a perfectly caught historical moment in times of good living....