The very famous Michael Mina

For G's birthday, I took him to the very well known Michael Mina restaurant in the St. Francis Hotel for a grand meal!

Three courses for $105 which consists of appetizer, main entree and dessert.  Each course is prepared in three different ways.

For the first course, I had the Trout and Smoke, three different types of trout each prepared differently.  G had the spring rabbit and foie gras which included a english pea tortellini, loin terrine and foie gras mousse. Both of our appetizers were very unique and tasty.

For the second course, I had the signature lobster pot pie (note $35 supplement, so if you had to calculate the individual price of this it would be about $70).  And no for $70 you do not get 3 different types of lobster prepared in 3 different ways...ha!  But I guess part of that price includes the reassembling of the lobster back to its original form right in front of you. This dish was very tasty (aka creamy) and the crust was very flaky (aka fatty), but $70 can get a lot of other yummy items that would make my tummy just as happy.  So we've been told by several people that if you were to order this sitting at the bar it would only cost $28 but I'm really wondering if that would only get you a mini version cause nothing at this restaurant is a deal!

G had the beef option which included filet mignon, grilled ribeye and braised ox tail.  We didn't find either of the three items of anything really unique.  We actually both love oxtail and much prefer it to be served on it's bone and the grilled ribeye was a bit over cooked in our opinion.

 

 

And for the third course, I had the dessert trio which included a peach crisp, cheesecake and chocolate mousse cake.  Of the three, the peach crisp was our favorite.  G had the signature root beer float with two giant cookies which was very good.  Surprisingly, the dessert may have been our favorite part of the meal!

  

Overall, the service was outstanding and the ambiance was very romantic so it was a great experience.  But for a fine dining restaurant it wasn't one of our favorites when it comes to the quality, quantity and uniqueness of the food.  Gary danko is still on the top of our list!