ForkAndPen is back! Dinner Club is back!
The brave new dinner club ventured into the San Francisco night to dine at Michael Mina. We all chose two expensive places (over $35 dollars per person before alcohol and tip) and two cheap and put them in a bowl. The first dinner was to be expensive and Michael Mina (probbaly the most expensive) was picked.
We all met at the Clock Bar across from the restuarant and had a few pre-dinner drinks (and an awesome soft pretzel). Nice bar - large drink selection. The drinks tended towards a bit sweet but I liked mine--it has a huge name and starts with an H--but mostly I was just excited for dinner.
I have wanted to go to Mina for a long time, it just hadn't worked out until now. We had a 9pm reservation for six. We walked up the stairs and were shown to our table pretty fast. The room is beautiful, but to me it borders on austere and disconnected. But surrounded by friends and the prospect of good food - we were all really excited.
We brought our own wine to save a bit of money and to add a bit of ourselves to the meal. We started with a Medlock Ames Chardonnay 2007 Reserve (which basically just means their favorite of the '07 in a signed bottle). It was tasty, rich, full of fruity flavor, and went well with the amuse that we all started with.
A trio of seafood was brought to us. A perfectly fried salt cod bite, bacon crusted shrimp on top of a asparagus sauce, and lobster bisque with coral powder on it (a new one for me) made up the amuse. To me the shrimp was fine but not as interesting as the other two. The lobster bisque was full of flavor and the salt cod was salty, fried, and amazing.
First Course:
Ahi Tuna Tartare - this is one of Michael Mina's signature dishes. Mostly a disappointment for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a good tartare. Fresh tuna - lots of flavors. It was overpowered by sesame oil, but that isn't even my biggest gripe. It just, well, felt like any other tuna tartare. I kinda wish I had ordered the oyster first course.
Wolfe Ranch Quail - Corn and Truffle. A trio of quail dishes: seared breast with polenta and a quail egg, sweet corn soup with confit leg and red bliss potato, and finally a foie gras terrine, with black winter truffles, and corn bread crumble. Jasmine ordered this and liked the foie gras the best. It was buttery without being too rich. She also loved the corn soup. My favorite was the quail breast - it was a cohesive small dish that I would love to have again and again.
Marinated Japanese Fish - Seaweed - Another great trio. We tried a few pieces off Sam's plate. Each one was gentle, but with lots of fireworks. My favorite was one that was grilled or roasted a small amount, just enough to give it some carmelization, but to still be soft and give a raw fish texture.
Second Course:
We pulled out our other wine for the next course. It was a Benziger Tribute - 2005 (I think). A great big jammy wine. We were bummed that the hostess had forgotten to tell our waitress that it was our wine--they hadn't decanted it. It really needed it. Oh well, it was still great.
California Squab - "Peking" and Pluots - I was looking forward to this course after reading about it on the web, and overall I liked it. There was a smoked breast with dinosaur pluots and pea leaves. The smoked breast was well executed and a good bite. The consomme and shitake dumplings were ok, but nothing that memorable. And finally the foie with steamed bun and tokyo turnips was a nice complete flavor package. The foie was just as good as the one in the first course - they must have some good foie sources - or possibly just the way they prepare it. It coud stand up as a dish on its own.
Brandt Farm Beef - Bone Marrow. The steak was ridiculous--excellent beef cooked well and presented with a bunch of tasty sides. But for at least two of us at the table it was mostly cold. Besides that it was a solid trio. Filet Mignon with brussel sprouts and chanterelle mushrooms was soft and rich but not that innovative. The rib eye surprised me with its flavor - full and perfectly seasoned, and its sides were exciting. The celeria puree was good at cutting through the rib eye, and the bone marrow flan was good at doing the opposite - spread on the rib eye it transformed it to a sinful dish. Jasmine really really liked the flan. I think she is going to ask me to make it one of these days.
Nobody at the table ordered the famous Maine Lobster Pot Pie. We did see it go to a few tabels and it did look pretty amazing. The smell was pretty great coming from those tables. I think Mina is really skilled at seafood. I am a bit sad we didn't get the wild fish course--it was probably exciting.
Third Course - Dessert:
"My brown butter flan was the best - I thought". Jasmine still remembers it. It was part of the Bill Corbett's Dessert Trio. There was also a German Chocolate coconut cake, and a strawberry pavlova. The flan was pretty amazing - great texture. We also got the Root Beer Floats and warm chocolate cookies. I was very happy at the time. Thinking about it now I am critical of it (IBC root beer - really?) but hey - there could be a lot of worse ways to end a meal. I paired it with a Hungarian Tokaji 2005 - that was a bit too sweet for all these sweet desserts. It still was a great wine - lots of orange blossom.
A note about the service - overall pretty good. Our waitress was very attentive and all the dishes were explained well. There was a bit of an off vibe I got once in a while. Not sure what that was - possibly because it was late and we were one of the last tables. It also might be the space. It wasn't as intimate a place as I was expecting (thought it is raised a good bit from the hotel lobby)
So - a good meal, definitely. A great meal - not exactly. Maybe I am nit picking - but something that has been there with me at other four star restuarants just wasn't there with Michael Mina. But the food still stood up and makes me want to try his food again. We found out that you can order pretty much anything off the menu (including the lobster pot pie) at the bar and order a bottle of wine off the hidden gems menu (Tuesday - Thursday). I would like to do that soon.
The best part of the evening for me - the friends that are with me in starting dinner club. Food is important to me, always has been, and it's great to share it with others. Here's hoping for many joyous dinners to come!
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So many things to try - I got a very sad score of 22:
The Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
1. Roast chicken and bread salad at Zuni
2. Coffee-rubbed pork shoulder at Range
3. Carnitas taco at La Taqueria
4. Spicy crab and grits at the Front Porch
5. Chasu ramen at Katana-Ya
6. Burger with fries at Slow Club
7. Shaking beef at the Slanted Door
8. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery
9. Tofu soup with kimchi at My Tofu House
10. Baja-style fish tacos at Nick’s Crispy Tacos
11. Pork sugo with pappardelle at Delfina
12. Salt-and-pepper squid at Yuet Lee
13. Soup dumplings at Shanghai House
14. Beef brisket at Memphis Minnie’s
15. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot
16. Katsu curry from Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill
17. Tea-leaf salad at Burma Superstar
18. Salumi misti plate at Perbacco
19. Tuna tartare at Michael Mina
20. Chicken pot pie at Liberty Café
21. Pizza margherita at Pizzeria Delfina
22. Vietnamese roasted pork sandwich at Saigon Sandwich
23. Beer sausage with sauerkraut and grilled onions at Rosamunde Sausage Grill
24. Blue Bell Bitter from the cask at Magnolia Pub
25. Loaf of bread straight out of the oven at Tartine (bonus: sliced while still warm and slathered with Brillat- Savarin cheese from Bi-Rite, down the block)
26. A classic gin martini at Bourbon & Branch
27. Papaya salad with salty crab at Sai Jai Thai
28. A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Café
29. Spaetzle at Suppenküche
30. Laughing Buddha cocktail at Cantina
31. Pan con chocolate with sea salt and olive oil at Laïola
32. Pupusas at Balompie Café #3
33. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib
34. Yellowtail collar at Oyaji
35. Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery
36. Dry-fried chicken wings at San Tung
37. Rotisserie chicken at Limón Rotisserie
38. French fries at Hayes Street Grill
39. Pierna Enchilada torta at La Torta Gorda
40. Cheeseburger at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher
41. Pho ga at Turtle Tower
42. Fried-shrimp po’boy at Brenda’s French Soul Food
43. Mint julep at Alembic
44. Cannelé at Boulangerie Bay Bread
45. Galapagos cocktail at Absinthe
46. Chips and salsa at Papalote
47. Ceviche at La Mar Cebichería Peruana
48. Angels on horseback at Anchor & Hope
49. Ginger snaps at Miette
50. Giant pretzel with mustard at The Monk’s Kettle
51. Maccaronara with ricotta salata at A16
52. Fried brussels sprouts at SPQR
53. Garlic soup at Piperade
54. Spiced-chocolate doughnut at Dynamo Donut with a Four Barrel coffee
55. Milk-roasted pork at L’Osteria del Forno
56. Caponatina with burrata at Beretta
57. Goat stew at Kokkari Estiatorio
58. Absinthe daiquiri at Jardinière
59. Huarache with cactus salad at El Huarache Loco
60. The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza
61. Crab soufflé at Café Jacqueline
62. Shrimp-and-chive dumplings at Ton Kiang
63. Meatballs with grapes at Aziza
64. Paper masala dosa at Dosa
65. Crispy eggplant at Jai Yun
66. Pig parts at Incanto
67. Sand dabs at Tadich Grill
68. Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe
69. Licorice parfait at South
70. Omakase menu at Sebo
71. A Fernet at R Bar
72. Arancini at Ducca
73. Popovers with strawberry butterat the Rotunda
74. Corned-beef sandwich with Gruyère at the Sentinel
75. Fried green beans at Coco500
76. Chicken hash at Ella’s
77. Eggs benedict on the back patio at Zazie
78. Chilaquiles with a fried egg at Pastores
79. Onion strings at Alfred’s Steakhouse
80. Apple fritter at Bob’s Donuts
81. Chicken curry at Punjab Kabab House
82. Fried chickpeas at Piqueo’s
83. Sweet-potato fries with banana catsup at Poleng Lounge
84. A margarita at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant
85. Pulled-pork sandwich at Roadside BBQ
86. A cheese slice at Arinell Pizza
87. Fresh spring rolls at Out the Door
88. Buckwheat crepe and a French cider at Ti Couz
89. Lamb schawerma at Truly Mediterranean
90. Slow-cooked egg at Coi
91. Albondigas soup at Mijita
92. Bacon-wrapped hot dog from a cart in the Mission (preferably when you’re drunk)
93. Seven courses of beef at Pagolac
94. Mango with chile, lemon and salt at Doña Tere’s cart
95. 3 a.m. bowl of caldo verde soup at Grubstake
96. Baby-coconut ice cream from Mitchell’s
97. Sesame balls at Yank Sing
98. Basil gimlet at Rye
99. Clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Co.
100. Cheese course at Gary Danko
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So Bad Ass!
Mission Street Food - 12/18/08
* * MENU * *
PALERMO vs. TOKYO (Ian)
Nigiri: Marinated Monterey Bay Sardine on Arancini with Romesco. $5
MARIN vs. MONTREAL (Carlo)
Poutine: Marin Sun Beef and Marrow Gravy, Cowgirl Creamery Cheese, Fried Kennebec. $7
The MISSION vs. PHILLY (MSF)
Cheesesteak: Aged Angus Ribeye with Pasillas, Onion, and Cheese on a fresh homemade Flatbread. $6.50
DUCK vs. TOFU (MSF)
--MSF Rice: Smoky Rice fried in Duck Fat with Liberty Duck Confit, Duck Cracklins, Shitake, and Cauliflower. $7
--VSF Rice: Smoky Rice fried in olive oil with Shitake, Cauliflower and Tofu Tempura. $6
DESSERT vs. DESSERT (Amy)
--Grilled Pumpkin-Bread with Mascarpone Cream and Maple-Glazed Pepitas. $7
--Meyer Lemon Sherbet with Pomegranate-Cranberry sauce, Thyme Shortbread and White Chocolate. $6
http://missionstreetfood.blogspot.com/2008/12/december-18th-mash-up-night.html
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