Arcadia, San Jose CA

A fan of chef Mina's cooking and having produced multiple dishes from his cookbook in the past I certainly have a fondness for his concepts and cuisine - a meal at Bourbon Steak in Detroit last May was some of the most gracious service and best food I've ever received in the Midwest. That said, I must admit I feel a tad under qualified to write a true "review" of Michael Mina's ARCADIA, despite dining there on 02/19/09. Located just minutes from the HP Pavilion the goal was to arrive at 5:30, enjoy a great meal, and then see the Kings beat the league leading Sharks - unfortunately the traffic leaving 17-mile drive was much worse than expected and our arrival to Arcadia was delayed significantly....and the Sharks rocked the Kings. :-(

Arriving in San Jose I was surprised at how different it was from LA, San Diego, and San Francisco – California is just cool like that which each city offering its own flavor. With minimal delay the GPS guided us to the front of the Marriott containing Arcadia – or at least the attached parking garage that was at least 0.25 miles from Arcadia’s entrance. While I think it is pretty cool that Chef Mina continues his trend of putting all his establishments in hotels, better signage would have been nice. Traffic, parking, and walking aside we ended up entering the doors of Arcadia at 6:15 – thankfully our table near the window was held for us without question and the servers led by the affable Cheo were ready, willing, and glad to help us meet our time constraints.

Moments after receiving our menus the water glasses were filled and a fresh basket of incredibly hot rolls – the best rolls of the trip outside of Keller’s pain au lait – were brought to the table with a delectable and sweet salted butter. Olive sourdough, Ciabatta, and Whole-wheat Buttermilk all proved fantastic with the Olive sourdough the clear winner to my palate and my mother and aunt drooling over the buttermilk. Having already browsed the menu on the website we placed our orders around 6:30 and the black-clad staff got to work – impressively to say the least.

Finally getting a chance to breathe and enjoy the room while our food was prepared I must admit I was a fan of the stark and minimalist appearance - the dining room reminds me of the “dark” area of Ducasse’s MiX in Las Vegas. Clean lines, highly polished bar, a wide open kitchen – simplistic, elegant, and ‘masculine’ without being “bar-like.” I’ve not been to Michael Mina flagship, but I certainly liked the layout better than Seablue, Bourbon Steak, Nobhill, or Stripsteak that I’d seen. The huge open windows looking out into the SJ streets were very cool, as well.

Around 6:45 our mains began to arrive and each was incredibly fresh in appearance and wonderful in design – I was glad to see that our timing did not detract from the overall appearance and quality of the prep. For my mother, wanting something light lead her to order the Arcadia Salad with Fuji Apples, Candied Walnut, Point Reyes Blue Cheese. Wonderfully fresh and crisp, great in taste and contrast, the ample portion was a great surprise for the price and my mother thought this was as good or better than her salad at Bouchon 2 days earlier – a salad she deemed best salad ever at the time.

For my aunt – another restaurant, another crab cake – this time Michael’s Dungeness Crab Cakes with Tomato reduction and Avocado Jalapeno Aioli. Two small cakes (about the size of a large scallop each) were presented fancily on a mild tomato sauce with a spicy aioli that unfortunately seemed to overwhelm the taste of the crab. While I realize San Jose is not as costal as Monterey or San Francisco, I personally found these cakes quite disappointing and given their price I do believe they were the least impressive crab cake of the trip. Good, sure – but not worth the price, or missing out on other options.

For my selections, I simply couldn’t pass up Mina’s famous Lobster Corn Dogs with Whole Grain Mustard Creme Fraiche, especially since these were not available on my previous visit to Bourbon Steak. While good, the four small bites of lobster in delicate corn bread were once again overpowered by their accompanying sauce and remarkably low on lobster. Like the crab cakes, this selection was tasty but substantially high priced.

My second selection, the Foie Gras Sliders with Caramelized Onion Jus and D'anjou pear Chutney were substantially larger than the corn dogs and for myself the saving grace of the food at Arcadia. Fresh foie lobe was perfectly seared and topped with textural greens while the pear chutney provided a wonderful foil to the fatty foie with its sweet and cinnamon spiced essence. Two small brioche buns, loaded with butter, provided a great housing and the Onion Jus was just pungent enough to add another level of depth without overpowering any element – vastly better than the sliders at Bazaar the following day, albeit somewhat more pricey.

Given our time constraints we did not stick around for dessert and I actually paid the bill and walked to the Pavilion to save traffic time. Dessert options for the evening were witnessed on the way out and I do admit I still feel a little remorse about not tasting Mina’s famous root beer float with warm cookies – cookies I’ve made myself and been incredibly impressed by in the past.
As a final option we ordered a side of the famous Duck Fat Fries (served free of charge with a variety of spices and three designer ketchups at Bourbon Steak) and once again they were the best fries I’ve ever tasted – better than Keller’s Bouchon fries, better than Symon’s Lola fries. A smaller portion and only one boring ketchup was a disappointment for myself, but having never tasted those at Bourbon Steak my mother and Aunt were adequately impressed.

As pricey as Michael Mina’s options always are, I can’t say I did not expect the exorbitant prices and small sizes – but that doesn’t mean it is “right.” While some dishes (the foie, fries, bread, and salad) absolutely shined, the crab cakes and the corn dogs were rather unimpressive – especially at their pricepoint. All told, Arcadia was a good meal with fantastically helpful service and a place I wish I’d have visited under more timely circumstances – but probably not a place I would go back to given the simplistic “grill” menu and somewhat average appetizers. Personally, instead of spending so much on the food I’d have preferred to pay less and give a 25-30% tip to the servers.

Bourbon Steak, Detroit Michigan

There are good meals, there are great meals, and there are meals that you talk about 10 years later with stars in your eyes......prior to yesterday I'd had only one or two of those types of meals at a restaurant. Then Michael Mina added another. For me, the best way to show a customer that you really are a step above other "fine dining" experiences is to go above and beyond not only what is expected, but even what isn't.

Calling two weeks ahead, reservations for two were made at Bourbon Steak for 6:00pm on a Saturday night. As the event grew closer, it suddenly became apparent that not only was this trip going to be special for the food and hanging out with my oldest friend for the first time in 6 months, but also for the atmosphere....Wings in the Finals, Pistons in the Semis, and Tigers at Comerica....for once Detroit was THE place to be. In order to confirm our reservations I e-mailed three days prior to the meal and having read glowing reviews of Mina's famous pot pie in the past I inquired if there was any possibility of ordering this item at Bourbon Steak despite it only being on the Saltwater Menu. Within 45 minutes of my mailing, an individual named Zac responded that not only could they make the Lobster Pot Pie, but they would also gladly provide anything from Saltwater's menu to accommodate our dining experience.

As Bourbon Steak and Saltwater are both located within the MGMGrand Detroit Casino, the place was alive, vibrant, and bustling. Having been to Vegas thrice, I must say the MGMGrand Detroit is every bit as "Vegas" as a place outside Nevada can be. Shiny, bright, boisterous, and classy yet accessible.....plus I don't need an aircraft to get there. Arriving at the Mina 'complex' on the casino floor, we were warmly greeted and quickly seated in a private back room in the maze of lattice-worked hardwoods. While it wasn't noted at first, a later look at the restaurant layout showed a large back dining area, open kitchen, and beautiful bar/lounge at the front; everything was dynamic, dramatic, and gleaming while the staff was attentive, well dressed, and smiling at all times. Our server was prompt, knowledgeable of the entire menu (though less-so of Saltwater's menu as she didn't work there,) capable with her suggested wine pairings, and willing to find out anything she didn't know in short order. Additionally the manager, water and bread servers, and even Zac from my e-mail stopped by multiple times to make sure all was perfect.

For starters my buddy opted for a glass of cabernet which he was allowed to sample prior to purchase and we were served the trio of Duck fat fries - Smoked Paprika and Mustard, Saffron and Garlic, and Rosemary and Onion with trio of sauce - Smoked Paprika and Mustard Crme Frache, Saffron and Garlic Aoli, and Onion Ketchup. The fries were perfectly executed with subtle flavors vastly enhanced by the three sauces and crispy on the outside with a baked potato texture within. Our second starter was an absolutely glorious cornbread served in a small iron skillet. The corn was pureed and undetectable aside from the wonderful flavor and we finished the pan before our service team delivered the salted maple butter...thankfully our server was more than willing to bring a second pan, as good as the first, and complimented beautifully by the creamy butter.

For our mains, after much debate (There were 11 options that sounded appealing,) I selected the Lobster Pot Pie from Saltwater's menu while my friend chose the 18oz dry age bone-in Ribeye, King Crab, and Truffled Mac n' Cheese. As the Pot Pie requires half an hour cooking time, we chatted and my friend enjoyed another glass of wine.

Much to my delight, the Pot Pie arrived with a show as the manager from Saltwater came over, chatted with us, and proceeded to cut the top off the pie and rearrange the lobster anatomically on the crust, then ladling the incredible mixture over the crustacean. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video should suffice nicely: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38ms5mCL_fY To call the flavor glorious would be a vast understatement as the perfectly butter poached lobster literally melted in the mouth while the scallions, fingerling potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, green beans, truffles, butter, wine, and crme fraiche formed a complex yet smooth medley on the buttery crisp crust. As the dish is charged at market price based on lobster weight (2.5lbs) the price was the most I've ever spent for a meal, but I can honestly say every aspect of it was worth the cost.

While I was beyond pleased with my selection, my friend noted that his steak was merely okay and wished that he had splurged for the Kobe (which I'd originally suggested anyhow.) He did note that the King Crab was amazing and was gracious enough to allow me to taste the Mac n' Cheese which was absolutely sublime with its mixture of cheeses, al dente pasta, and crispy truffled topping. Portion sizes for all items were larger than expected for fine dining and even before dessert both of us were quite full.

Noting the quality of the meal and the specialness of the day, dessert was not to be missed, no matter how full. Once again, our wonderful server gave us the menus for both Saltwater and Bourbon Steak and my buddy chose Saltwater's Chocolate Molten Cake with Cream Cheese Mousse and Cinnamon Ice cream (devoured quickly and noted as "just enough,") while I chose the Beignets from Bourbon Steak. As the beignets normally come with one of 3 dipping sauces, I inquired which was best and after hearing an explanation still could not decide. It was then that our waitress suggested she could simply bring out all 3 and let me decide. While this invariably led to me eating far too much, I once again have no regrets. While the beignets were soft on the inside and perfectly crisp and sugary on the outside, the show was definitely stolen by the accompaniments - Madagascar Vanilla Creme Brulle, Chocolate Pot De Creme, and Macallan 12yr butterscotch pudding.

The Brulle was good enough to be served on its own and easily the best vanilla version I've ever tasted. The Pot De Crme was incredibly rich with a thick top layer that had cooled slightly and an underlying dark chocolate cream that exploded on the tongue with hints of cinnamon and spice the texture of brownie batter. While those two were stellar, the butterscotch was mindblowing with a thin skin on top of a rich, full, and creamy vanilla butterscotch with tones of bourbon and perhaps honey. Dessert was taken with a stellar Italian coffee service with a thick body, minimal acidity, and rich flowery undertone.

All told, the meal took approximately 2:15 and a hefty hit on the credit card, but every aspect of it was worth the time and expense. The check was delivered with two hand crafted bourbon caramels that melted in the mouth and provided one last exclamation point on a flawless meal. In my opinion, time with friends or family and time with great food and great service is always time worth spending and I am grateful that Bourbon Steak provided such a wonderful experience. Michael Mina is a very established restaurateur and his menu speaks for itself, yet clearly this fame has not led to complacency as the meticulous staff still continues to bend over backwards to make your experience wonderful. I would strongly recommend this restaurant to anyone as the very best restaurant experience I've had in the Midwest, and possibly ever.