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Only a hour flight away from Las Vegas we visit frequently, sometimes once a month. I'll be sharing our trip reports, tips on making the most of your stay in Vegas, reviews of restaurants and shows we have seen, along with my thoughts related to our favorite place to get away from it all.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Michael Mina Restaurant Review

This was my third time dining at Michael Mina's restaurant at Bellagio which is located behind the Conservatory and next to Cafe Bellagio. All my dining experiences have been consistently good here so it's time this wonderful restaurant had its own post. 
By my request we were seated in the intimate dining room in the back of the restaurant. Joining me for dinner tonight was my Mother, friend Boots, Teresa and Gwen! Boots is the one taking our photo!
Menu ala carte:
Gwen's favorite the Vegetarian Tasting Menu. The tasting notes and photos from this menu are by Gwen!
My first course was a cold asparagus gazpacho.  It was delicious.  Like lick the bottom of the bowl delicious.  It was topped with a few different herbs and it was very creamy.
 The second course was the beet salad.  The pistachio really stood out, and complemented the beets perfectly.  I never would have thought to pair them but it was genius.
 The third course was the english pea soup.  It was also delicious, but I actually thought the cold asparagus soup was even better.  Which is strange since I usually don't enjoy a cold soup.  But the english pea soup was delicious as well.
The fourth course was pasta - artichoke tortellini.  The mushroom taste overshadowed the artichoke taste but it was still delicious.  The trumpet mushrooms were just really flavorful, in a good way.  
 The fifth course was a repeat of the fifth course the last time I ate at Michael Mina - it's delicious but the tofu just doesn't do it for me.  Like last time, I took a polite bite of that and ate the vegetables around it.  I'm glad that Michael Mina doesn't really rely on fake meat in their vegetarian tasting.  I would much prefer actual vegetables, and that's what makes this meal so special.  They really do highlight the flavors of vegetables.
 Last course was desert - a tasting of the clafoutis that Diana and her Mom had along with a cookie, lemon sorbet, and the rootbeer float.  I can't really eat ice cream but I took a big swig of that float and the rootbeer was so flavorful.  Yum.  Plus I had two glasses of the best wine in the world. 
Gwen's desserts:
Signature Tasting Menu that Teresa enjoyed. The photos of this tasting menu are all by Teresa, thanks T!
The first course was domestic caviar parfait with a crispy potato pancake on the bottom, smoked salmon, creme fraiche and topped with the caviar. 
The second course was a tartare of ahi tuna with Asian pear, Pine nuts, and Scotch bonnet infused Sesame oil. Chopped ahi tuna is molded into a cylindrical shape with a raw egg yolk sitting on top. Server breaks the yolk, then mixes all of the ingredients together. I believe Teresa has had this every time we have eaten at Mina's so I know she loved it.
Third course was miso-glazed Chilean sea bass in a dashi-based broth with Bok Choy!
The fourth course was the famous Mina Lobster Pot Pie. This looks very rich so I'm sure that Teresa was glad it was the tasting version of this yummy entree.
American wagyu beef, three slices of tender beef cooked medium rare, with foie gras and a pinot noir reduction.  
Teresa had a assortment of sweets for dessert. Chocolate whiskey cake as well as a root beer float with a chocolate straw in sassafras ice cream, along with a warm chocolate chip cookie!
Boots, Mom and I ordered from the Sunset Menu:
We also had the wine tasting with our dinner and the first wine was Gwen's favorite Riesling!
Our pea soup was a bit different then Gwen's with a bacon wrapped lobster fritter! I loved this pea soup, when it's on Mina's menu be sure to try it!
I enjoyed the wine pairing it was well matched in my opinion to our dishes.
Every time I eat at Michael Mina's, I have loved the Miso Glazed Sea Bass with bok choy, dashi broth, shrimp tortellini and mushrooms, and this time was no different. The broth is so full of flavor and my sea bass was buttery and melted in my mouth!
I've had this dessert wine before with its honey sweetness and light fruit taste and for me it has just the right amount of sweetness.  
The three of us ordered the same dessert. Blackberry Huckleberry Clafoutis with creme fraiche blackberries of course and a refreshing buttermilk sherbet. It was wonderful, I would love to have this again!
Service was great, food was delicious, all of us said it was one of the best dining experiences we have had in Las Vegas.  We enjoyed the food, ambiance and service so much, that some of us already have a dinner reservation at Michael Mina for Thanksgiving!


8 comments:

  1. Hi Diana,

    Wow, all that food looks fantastic. I'd never really considered dining here as it seems almost stuck away in the back and unless you know it's there you could easily forget about it if you know what I mean!

    I'm not a massive seafood fan but it all looks great and the prices aren't too steep either for this level of cusine.

    Trying to come up with somewhere to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary when we visit next June - any suggestions? I was thinking of Picasso, have you ever eaten there?

    Hope you have a fab time at G2E :)

    Mark
    xx

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  2. Hi Mark, it's a good restaurant and I'll be back there with family and friends during the American Thanksgiving so we like it that much. :)

    I haven't eaten at Picasso yet if you end up there please let me know how you like it.

    The restaurants I would recommend for you to take a look at for your anniversary would be:

    SW Steakhouse at Wynn
    Cut at Palazzo
    Michael Mina at Bellagio
    Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand
    Prime at Bellagio

    Thanks for the good wishes, I'm really looking forward to G2e. Should be a riot with SDguy, Brent, Rex and others.

    hugs to you and Andrea!
    Diana

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  3. Thanks for the recommendations - I'll check them out!

    Getting severe withdrawal symptoms :( We've just watched Last Vegas (very funny film, check it out if you haven't seen it) and that's not helped any!

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    1. I saw that movie when it first came out, very funny!

      I wish you didn't have so long to wait until your next Vegas trip, it's rough to visit much when one is overseas. :)

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  4. everything looks so good,Diana was this restaurant expensive?

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  5. Its' on the pricey side. It's hard to read the prices on my photos of the menu, but if you go to this link on the Bellagio website you can click on menu at the top of the page and see the current pricing. :)

    http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/michael-mina.aspx

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  6. I haven't tried this restaurant yet. Everything looks so terrific--perhaps on my next visit!

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    1. Hi Michael, we liked Mina so much I just ate there again this past week and my family and a few friends are returning to it for Thanksgiving dinner. Hope you get a chance to try it on your next visit and enjoy it as much as we do.

      Cheers!

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