Here’s the lobby of the Westin St. Francis. Up those stairs, amidst those towering white columns, resides Michael Mina. The restaurant. And sometimes, the person.
I hate to start espousing about how even the bread was better than at other Bay Area restaurants, but it was. They served a warm, soft sourdough roll with a standard pat of butter.
The tasty three-component amuse bouche revolved around Maine lobster. Clockwise from the top are a lobster medallion with microgreens, pureed avocado, and tomato jelly; Michael’s signature lobster corn dog with Dijon vinaigrette; and a crispy sushi rice cake topped with finely chopped lobster and hamachi, sriracha aioli and mushroom vinaigrette.
Michael Mina’s three courses each offer six tastes.
Allison’s COURSE ONE centered on seared diver scallops (bottom) and chilled Nantucket bay scallops (top). The pairings are as follows, left to right: Meyer lemon and Osetra caviar; butternut squash and black truffle; and scarlet beet with Maine lobster. The bay scallops are served in their respective shells.
My COURSE ONE showcased crispy skin quail mostarda and sausage sancerre, slivers of sausage made from quail thigh. Each quail breast (at bottom) is paired with a potato and a berry. The pairings are as follows, from left to right: Garnet yam and cranberry; Yukon gold and quince; and purple Peruvian with huckleberry. Each sausage sancerre (at top) is paired with a different mustard. From left to right, the mustards: whole grain, Dijon, and violet.
Allison’s COURSE TWO featured Kurobuta pork: loin and belly (at bottom) and cheek with peppercorn spaetzle (at top). From left to right, the pork is paired with Maui Gold pineapple, Brussels sprouts and star anise; Fuji apple, red cabbage, and cinnamon; and passion fruit with Savoy cabbage and nutmeg.
My COURSE TWO required a $20 supplement, but it was worth it since it enabled me to eat six portions of impeccable Kobe beef rib roast. Each of the top three tastes are Kobe beef “zabaton,” pillow in Japanese. The pairings are, from left to right: artichoke, roasted garlic, black trumpet mushrooms, and mushroom jus; wasabi turnip, radish, and teriyaki; and horseradish fingerling with caramelized onions and Worcestershire.
For their CITRUS Dessert “Trio,” grapefruit ginger pie paired with a glass of ginger ice cream. Meyer lemon cheesecake was paired with Meyer lemon sherbet. And a Key lime Napoleon was paired with saffron ice cream.
I wouldn’t normally order a CHOCOLATE Dessert “Trio” so decadent, but peanut butter is one of my favorite ingredients, and it was a key component,. Chocolate peanut butter pudding cake was paired with a peanut butter shake. Chocolate banana bread pudding was paired with a chocolate banana pot de creme. Devil’s food cake was paired with a caramel sundae. Of course there were many more components, but you get the idea. Everything was sensational.
With our check, we were given bon bons on sticks. The white ones feature “Oreo” ice cream surrounded by white chocolate. The dark ones feature toffee bit-crusted dark chocolate wrapped around mocha ice cream.
Michael Mina provided a grand experience that bordered on overwhelming, but was so satisfying.
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