Brightest Young Things

all words: Michelle Nguyen
all photos: Liz Shen

BOURBON STEAK, of Michael Mina fame, generously offered myself and photographer Liz Shen the opportunity to partake in their Bourbon and Blues event last Thursday night. Now, given that it was Thursday night, I was naturally torn between delicious foods and The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but being a San Francisco native, I couldn't, in good conscience, turn down the chance to bask in a Michael Mina restaurant.

Located in the Four Seasons, we attended for the first-ever Bourbon and Blues, meaning live jazz music at the restaurant for the first time. It helped to set the tone for the night: mellow and casual, while still maintaining a classy feel. Needless to say, I left my jorts and stunna shades at home and put on my best pair of fake pearls. I do really love those jorts though.

By the time we sat at the bar lounge seats, I was giving my full attention to the serious honeys at the table, and by honeys, I mean delectable creations from Executive Chef David Varley. A little tidbit: Varley, who works closely with founder Michael Mina, recently planted a garden on the grounds of the Four Seasons that takes up 500 square feet and boasts 62 different varieties of vegetables and herbs.

The food and drink were marvelous. The San Franciscan in me led me to the Kerouac Cocktail, but I was also amused by the Corpse Reviver No. 2, because "four of these in straight succession will unrevive the corpse again." Probably almost as good as the tabasco-hot sauce concoction served up to Doc Brown by Marty McFly in BTTF3. Liz Shen's Summer Melon was also fantastic. Everything was great -- notables include lobster corn dogs, thai crispy corn and basil salad, and the lobster fritters -- but I'd like to spotlight a few stars of the night:

Bourbon Bar Burgers. Available as full burgers or as sliders, it was clear that these burgers were loved and cared for, from their creation to their delicious finish. We tried the Oak-Fired Prime Steak Burger, Vegetarian Falafel Burger, and Heritage Turkey Burger (all in slider form). I asked Executive Chef David Varley if he puts crack in the burgers - indeed, he does not. He did say with pride though, that the Prime Steak Burger uses beef of the same quality as the fine steaks served for Dinner. Translation: T-A-S-T-E-Y.

Trio of Duck Fat Fries. Three sets of fries await you, all unified under the common theme of duck fat: (1) fries coated and cooked with white cheddar, (2) fries seasoned with parsley and rosemary, and (3) fries coated and cooked with truffle oil (Note: Varley commented to me that the truffle fries are being replaced with delicious sour cream and onion fries and that they whomp the truffle fries' ass, if they had asses). They were all delicious, but I'm going to give special props to the White Cheddar fries, delicately crispy and yet managing to maintain the bite of the white cheddar.

Black Truffle Buttered Popcorn. Pretty self-explanatory. The popcorn is popped with melted black truffle butter and fine herbs, using a traditional hot air popper. YUM.

The next logical question, eager BYT readers, is how the hell do we afford this? Well, with many of the snacks priced at $5-$10 and burgers priced from $13-$16, and with a menu well-suited to sharing, it's a great mellow destination with lovely company. Or, this is a perfect first stop before a night of bar-hopping, meaning this is your one chance to feel classy before having an otherwise PBR-filled evening. Delightful.