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| - "Was it a dream where you were standing in sort of sun-god robes on top of a pyramid, and there were hundreds of naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?" -- Real Genius (1985)
I'm a big fan of Michael Mina - having eaten at his establishments in San Francisco and even when this location was called Knob Hill years ago - so when I found out there was another Michael Mina place to check out - I was all in. I grabbed my girlfriends and quickly made a reservation for us and off we went.
I forgot how maze-like MGM Grand can be and they have made so many changes since I was here last time. Plus, with the Nascar folks in town - it was a zoo. So we were a couple of minutes late for our reservation - but despite our tardiness and how packed they were - they seated us right away in a 6-top booth.
We were starving and immediately opted for cocktails and snacks - ordering the frickles (fried pickle spears) and the pretzels with a gooey beer-cheese dip with a fried (maybe poached) egg in the center. The pretzels were amazing and I will say that the dip was better once someone broke the egg into and swirled it all around - I didn't even realize it was in there until someone else had the guts to break it and mix it all up. The frickles were also delicious - with a snap to them and a sauce that was to die for - I could have put that stuff on everything!
My cocktail was the Soda Popinski. Not being a fan of sweet cocktails - I tend to go for the tart ones or bourbon laced ones. This was Grey Goose, Fresh Lime, and Ginger Beer - so perfectly tart and packed a real punch! Loved it!
For my entree - I was torn. I finally gave in and ordered the Double Dog Dare. This was two bacon-wrapped wagyu hot dogs, topped with guacamole, pico de gallo, and chicharones. So double the pork on top of fancy beef dogs - you cannot go wrong. But damn - this was a LOT of food. I didn't want the fries it came with, so I asked for a substitute of the Mac and cheese. I was warned it would cost extra - yeah, I'm in Vegas - I don't care. So I opted for the smoked gouda mac and cheese with broccoli. Not too shabby, but I've had better.
This is not a hot dog you can eat with your hands - you have to use a knife and fork. Not that I minded - because it was DAMN good. Honestly, I don't think it needed the guac and pico - just all that pork goodness and leave it be...maybe a fancy mustard and walk away. But I was happy - and seriously, could not eat it all (such a shame).
For "dessert," they had boozy milkshakes. How can you NOT get a salted caramel shake packed with bourbon? Especially when they offer to put it in a to-go cup? Exactly. It was my birthday, after all.
Overall, the service was slow and we had to split up the check ourselves. Our waitress said it would take her SO long to do it, so we took care of it on our own. This is from the server who had trouble keeping our water glasses full (we might have ordered extra cocktails from her, but it was taking too long) and my mac and cheese came out late and I had to remind her about it - I still ended up with the fries. So service loses them a star, but the food keeps them at 4 stars (plus honoring of the reservation despite us being late).
Thanks Mr. Mina - you know I will be back again.
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