Saturday, September 23, 2006
Dinner at Michael Mina Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
About a year and a half ago we had the best meal of our lives at Michael Mina, it was a 9 course truffle tasting menu and every bit of it was divine. We went back tonight and this time had the 6 course tasting menu ($135/person) and Giao had the wine pairing (an additional $85) and shared it because Alexis didn't think she'd be able to drink that much. Tonight's meal was good, but not as amazing as we had remembered. Giao put it best when he said "how did this place go from being the best meal I've ever had to the best meal I've had this month?".
Poached Quail Egg in Creme Fraiche with Sweet Corn Foam and Caviar
The foam was very good, but the egg was a bit too rubbery. There really wasn't much going on with this dish.
Fried Shallots and Crab with Water Melon in a Yellow Watermelon Soup
This was truly amazing. The total flavor was very complex and it tasted rich, yet refreshing.
The following three were on a single plate, a trio of sashimi:
Trout with Radish and Avocado
Although this looked like salmon, it was not and the flavor was much more subtle, in a good way.
Fluke with a Line Jalapeno Vingrette
The star of the trio, the bright flavors of the vinagrette matched the fluke incredibly.
Thai Snapper with Star Anise Crust with Shrimp Ravioli, Beets and Lemon Zest
This was good, but without the citrus of the zest would have been fairly uninteresting. The beets, while pretty, were kind of bland.
Trio of Duck Breast and Seared Foie Gras
Each of the three preperations were wonderful. The duck was succulent and the fruity flavors and rich grains melted in your mouth. From left to right: with saffron cous cous and carmelized peach, with barley risotto and cranberry jus, and with quinoa and huckleberry sauce.
Rack of Lamb with Various Beans, a Lamb Meatball and Parsley Remoulade
Very tender, if a bit salty. The parsley sauce was bright and flavorful.
PICTURE MISSING
Trio of Waygu Beef (Kobe style American beef)
Somehow we forgot to take a picture of this dish, but it was by far the worst of the night. Instead of using a good cut of Waygu for the very small pieces, they used a stew cut and braised it. It was a bit stringy in texture and had very little flavor. The sides served with each preparation were also lackluster. The mushroom glazed cut was served with artichoke and garlic, two great flavors that just missed the mark here. The teriyaki glazed pice was served with wasabi garbanzo bean paste was try as we might we could not taste a lick of wasabi. The cut braised in steak sauce was served with horseradish mashed potatos that were so uninteresting and barely tasted of horesradish. It was quite sad to end the savory part of the meal on this note. If the chef had tasted this dish, surely it would not still be on the menu.
Trio of Paired Desserts
Left: Peach Ladyfinger compote with Lemon Verbena Ice Cream
The ice cream was delicious, the peach thing was kinda gross and tasted of canned peaches.
Center: Strawberry Tart with Chocolate and Strawberry Ice Cream
Again, the ice creams were delicious but the dessert was not very good.
Right: Molten Chocolate with Malted Milk Shake
The cake was very good, if uninspired and the shake was completely melted by the time it got to me.
Cheese Plate
A goat, a sheep and a brie. All were of good quality, but not particularly pungent.
Dark Chocolate BonBon with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream--Yum, Yum, Yum
Milk Chocolate and Toffee BonBon with Rasberry Sorbet--The outside was good, the inside was "eh".
Ratings:
Food: 2
Decor: 2
Service: 2
Website
Can't Find Health Code Violations
Poached Quail Egg in Creme Fraiche with Sweet Corn Foam and Caviar
The foam was very good, but the egg was a bit too rubbery. There really wasn't much going on with this dish.
Fried Shallots and Crab with Water Melon in a Yellow Watermelon Soup
This was truly amazing. The total flavor was very complex and it tasted rich, yet refreshing.
The following three were on a single plate, a trio of sashimi:
Trout with Radish and Avocado
Although this looked like salmon, it was not and the flavor was much more subtle, in a good way.
Hamachi with Yuzu Ginger Vinagrette
Very tasty. It's hard to improve on the buttery flavor of fresh hamachi, but the additional ingredients enhanced the flavor.
Very tasty. It's hard to improve on the buttery flavor of fresh hamachi, but the additional ingredients enhanced the flavor.
Fluke with a Line Jalapeno Vingrette
The star of the trio, the bright flavors of the vinagrette matched the fluke incredibly.
Thai Snapper with Star Anise Crust with Shrimp Ravioli, Beets and Lemon Zest
This was good, but without the citrus of the zest would have been fairly uninteresting. The beets, while pretty, were kind of bland.
Trio of Duck Breast and Seared Foie Gras
Each of the three preperations were wonderful. The duck was succulent and the fruity flavors and rich grains melted in your mouth. From left to right: with saffron cous cous and carmelized peach, with barley risotto and cranberry jus, and with quinoa and huckleberry sauce.
Rack of Lamb with Various Beans, a Lamb Meatball and Parsley Remoulade
Very tender, if a bit salty. The parsley sauce was bright and flavorful.
PICTURE MISSING
Trio of Waygu Beef (Kobe style American beef)
Somehow we forgot to take a picture of this dish, but it was by far the worst of the night. Instead of using a good cut of Waygu for the very small pieces, they used a stew cut and braised it. It was a bit stringy in texture and had very little flavor. The sides served with each preparation were also lackluster. The mushroom glazed cut was served with artichoke and garlic, two great flavors that just missed the mark here. The teriyaki glazed pice was served with wasabi garbanzo bean paste was try as we might we could not taste a lick of wasabi. The cut braised in steak sauce was served with horseradish mashed potatos that were so uninteresting and barely tasted of horesradish. It was quite sad to end the savory part of the meal on this note. If the chef had tasted this dish, surely it would not still be on the menu.
Trio of Paired Desserts
Left: Peach Ladyfinger compote with Lemon Verbena Ice Cream
The ice cream was delicious, the peach thing was kinda gross and tasted of canned peaches.
Center: Strawberry Tart with Chocolate and Strawberry Ice Cream
Again, the ice creams were delicious but the dessert was not very good.
Right: Molten Chocolate with Malted Milk Shake
The cake was very good, if uninspired and the shake was completely melted by the time it got to me.
Cheese Plate
A goat, a sheep and a brie. All were of good quality, but not particularly pungent.
Dark Chocolate BonBon with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream--Yum, Yum, Yum
Milk Chocolate and Toffee BonBon with Rasberry Sorbet--The outside was good, the inside was "eh".
Food: 2
Decor: 2
Service: 2
Website
Can't Find Health Code Violations
# posted by Giao and Alexis @ 8:38 PM 
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