Let’s begin with the not so good…

Burger Bar

Located at Mandalay Place in the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Resort, Burger Bar is Chef’s Hubert Keller’s take on the “upscale” burger. You can get burgers made with Ridgefield, Black Angus, American Kobe or even buffalo and they will be cooked to a temperature of your liking. Chef’s burgers range from a classic bacon cheeseburger to the Rossini, a $60USD burger made with Kobe beef, foie gras, truffles and madeira sauce.

So what went wrong? I ordered the Surf & Turf Burger, made with Black Angus, grilled lobster and asparagus. The lobster was overcooked, tough and chewy. The burger itself was done to the correct temperature but completely bland. None of the burger components seemed to have been seasoned in the slightest. I was told when I asked about the lack of seasoning that it was because they wanted to showcase the quality of the beef. I’m sorry, but your beef is bland.

My friend’s had both gotten black pepper corn burgers which they seemed to enjoy, and I would have asked for the black peppercorn sauce on the side. Unfortunately, the lobster was way overdone, so I ended up sending the whole thing back and was done for the night.

I would have liked to link to the official website, but it’s completely in Flash and a mess. Here’s the link the Chef Keller’s main site.

Now onto the good stuff!

StripSteak

Okay, I can’t get myself to capitalize STRIPSTEAK in the heading. STRIPSTEAK is Michael Mina’s steakhouse. It’s located with all the other fine dining establishments at the Mandalay Bay, on the way from the casino to the convention center. I must say that someone could’ve done a better job with that particular section of the hotel as all the restaurants look like they’re in the middle of a food court.

First impressions aside, the food itself was fantastic. We were treated to a trio of french fries, each seasoned differently with accompanying sauces as well as an incredible iron skillet flat bread.

I think we all ordered variations of the sirloin cap steak and I asked for mine black and blue. I have to say that this has to be one of my best steak experiences I’ve ever had. The steak itself was perfectly done, just the right amount of seasoning, completely seared on the outside and a marblely (sic) purple on the inside. Garnishing was simple and elegant, a roasted shallot and a roasted pepper.

The only stumble for that evening was the roasted marrow bones I had ordered. Not enough and it was way too much effort to dig out the marrow. So avoid the marrow bones and order some mac & cheese or creamed spinach instead!

Here’s the menu in PDF format.

I guess this could be called a “Tale of two websites” as well. Mina’s website is much easier to navigate and link to.

After the fold are quick recaps of some of the other restaurants that I had a chance to eat at while I was down in SF. It’s unfortunate that I have no photos to accompany the reviews. That’s what happens when you run over your camera and the crappy ISO800 disposable is only good for taking shots in the day.

Asa Sushi

A mom & pop operation on Chestnut Street that has a large selection of imaginative maki (sushi rolls). I had their Firecracker roll, prawn tempura with spicey sauce on the inside and ahi tuna on the outside, and a couple of pieces of uni (sea urchin roe) nigiri. Delicious albeit pricey when compared to Vancouver.

Izzy’s Steak and Chops

A good ole fashion chop house just off of Chestnut Street in the Marina district. I ordered the filet mignon au poivre with their specialty scallop potatoes and creamed spinach. The meat was not the best eva’, but it was pretty darn good and quite a steal at just $26USD for a 10oz filet and sides. I would go back for the sides alone.

Pacific Catch

Also on Chestnut Street, a popular little establishment that serves West Coast seafood at a budget price. The giant japanese rice bowls and island tacos seem to be the favourites. I was all sushi’d out by the time I finally ate there and chose the fish and yam chips. I should’ve tried the tacos instead.

Plouf

A trendy French seafood bistro on lively the Belden Place alley in the Financial District. I had the sea bass with baby octopus in a lobster broth. Too bad it didn’t taste as good as the menu description. It was pretty bland and pedestrian.

Cousin Jeff had the stuffed trout and his order was true to description; an entire trout, head, tail and all, stuffed with black rice pilaf. I had a bite, actually a sizable chunk of the tail, and it was much tastier than what I had. I really liked the raisin vignaigrette the trout was finished with.

Steps of Rome Caffe

As part of his San Fran by night tour package, cousin Young Kel took me to the Steps of Rome Caffe for dessert. It’s quite the lively place, the waiters were chair dancing with a girl celebrating her birthday when we walked in. Had their famous tiramisu and have no complaints about it.

What I DO have complaints about are:

• The stench coming from their washrooms. Oh god, I wanted to puke when a got a waft of it. We had to move tables to get as far away from the putrid smell as possible.
• Besides the tiramisu, all their other desserts are pre-packaged frozen items.
• The music was way too loud, you basically have to yell to speak to the person across the table. This isn’t a club or dance hall, it’s a cafe and I want to enjoy my coffee and cake instead of having my ears bleed.

Landed yesterday evening and had nothing to do so I went for a walk down Chestnut Street. Remindes me of Yaletown, boutique shopping and every other place is either a bar or restaurant.

Two foods that I’m a sucker for and will almost always order at a new restaurant are Ahi tuna and calamari.

Things were no different last night as I took the bait first at Nakedfish, where I was drawn by their large sake collection behind the bar. Tried out their Aloha sampler, an assortment of sushi with Hawaiian fish. The nigiri was perfect, the fish was sweet, tender and at the perfect temperature, and not placed on a giant wad of rice.

Along with the sushi, I had a glass of Mu daiginjo sake. It was very nice, dry with a hint of pear. Not over poweringly sweet or fruity. Its subtleness was a perfect complement to the food.

Not quite as good was the Hitori Musume nigori sake that I had. I think it may have been an older bottle as it didn’t exhibit any of the sweetness I was expecting from my previous experiences with nigori sake.

Next stop was Mamacita, a mexican joint that had a good crowd there. The spicey calamari with a corn meal batter was beckoning me to try out. I loved the gritty texture to it and am going to have to try that at home sometime.

I noticed a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila on their bar for $18/shot. I have an unopened bottle of it at home and now I’m thinking it’s gotta be a really special occasion before I open it up. $18 bucks! Can you even do a tequila tasting without getting absolutely smashed?

It’s a good thing I live in Vancouver where it’s found in most asian supermarkets as an import item. A bonus that it’s not too expensive compared to other imports like Calpis.

I was about to ask why this was the case but there’s a wikipedia article on the subject of cream soda and all its different variations around the world.

I love Schweppes Cream Soda and I love this interweb thing even more. Can you imagine trying to find out the truth behind cream soda in the pre-web days?