| rev:text
| - Despite the hype, more often than not celebrity chef restaurants tend to disappoint, so I was prepared to add Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak to the list of big-name letdowns, particularly since this is just one of four Bourbon Steak locations (San Francisco, Miami, and Detroit being the other cities). Instead, I am giving an enthusiastic five stars and including it on my personal favorites list.
Located in the lobby of the Fairmont Princess, the dark (I mean really dark) and sleek interior looks like it was lifted straight out of the Aria Las Vegas, which coincidentally is also home to another Michael Mina outpost, American Fish. On display as you enter is an extensive and impressive collection of wine, much of it from small boutique wineries, all of it high quality, much of it very difficult to find.
The dining room is quite elegant, with a soaring ceiling, softly lit. This room is the definition of modern chic. For whatever reason, a lot of these newer places have dispensed with tablecloths in favor of bare tables, which looks cheap to me, but overall it is a stunning, luxurious room.
Having reviewed the wine list that afternoon, and after a nice chat with the sommelier, we had selected a couple of bottles for the evening. As requested, a bottle of '07 Altamurra cabernet had been decanted prior to our arrival and was waiting table side. This is a stunning wine, and proved to be the perfect complement to our experience. Sadly, our second bottle, a 2002 Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella, was both expensive and disappointing.
The house favorite duck fat fries were served as an appetizer. While not the best fries I've ever had (for me, that distinction still goes to Danny's BBQ in Cary, NC), they were still quite tasty. In addition, we also ordered the ahi sashimi, as well as a good (but not great) carpaccio. I would skip the carpaccio next time, but the ahi was superb.
Dinner for me was the wagyu beef trio, which comes with three, 4oz cuts: a NY strip, filet and flatiron. It also includes a side of horseradish whipped potatoes and creamed spinach. All three cuts were a perfect medium rare. Of the three, surprisingly the flatiron was my favorite, incredibly flavorful and dense. I will be dreaming about this steak for quite some time.
By the time dessert rolled around, there was not too much room left, but I pressed on and ordered the beignets with Macallan 18 butterscotch pudding. Whoa, these was some incredibly amazing, totally empty calories. They serve three beignets, but unless you want to risk a sugar coma, you may want to limit yourself to just one.
Service was stellar, from start to finish. Friendly, attentive, and totally unobtrusive, they made the meal a nearly perfect experience.
So, while I am still skeptical with regards to restaurants that have a marquee name over the door, in the instance Bourbon Steak proved worthy of the name Michael Mina.
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