I recently was dragged out into the desert, for a weekend of stuffing myself silly, enjoying an open container policy, and loosing not too much money at the blackjack table.  Las Vegas easy to beat up on – everything feels manufactured, inauthentic, loud and obnoxious. So, when dining at Michael Mina’s San Francisco themed restaurant in the MGM Grand Casino, I wondered if it could possibly be an authentic San Francisco experience, or would the glitz of Vegas win out?

The result was a mashing up of the two sensibilities. The restaurant was priced reasonably for a casino dining option, and the menu was surprising restrained, offing straight forward dishes prepared professionally.  While the food didn’t quite have the wow factor of vegas, or the local depth of SF, it struck a nice balance to create an oasis of calm dining in the madness of the strip.

At our table, the mood was celebratory, and the service and space fit the bill nicely.  One thing that’s great about restaurants in Vegas – they’ll take a reservation for thirteen without batting an eyelid.   There always did seem to be a few too many employees milling around the space, but they came into use when all thirteen plates were delivered nearly simultaneously.

The meal was overall well executed and tasty, just not especially memorable or remarkable. The burger was cooked exactly medium, the fries crispy, and mac n cheese rich, and scallops seared to perfection, with crispy bacon clinging to the sides. There was nothing technically out of place on the plate… it just felt very constructed, and designed, without a lot of personality. The lobster rolls (and east coast standard) were a particular standout.

That said, since I’m holding this SF themed food up the to standard of the real thing, is it really fair?  Walking the “streets” of the New York Casino isn’t much of a stand in for the real thing. Unless the streets of New York are now lined with slot machines?

After dinner, the staff graciously let me poke my head into the kitchen.  In back, it was a well oiled machine, gracefully pushing out dish after dish, with what appeared to be real attention being paid to plating and details.  The chef stood at the pass, dutifully checking each plate as it went out.  There is a lot that is fake when you peer just under the surface in Vegas – here the calm veneer of the restaurant revealed the beating heat of a standard kitchen. White jackets and hushed “behind!” call outs made the space just like any other kitchen, in SF or otherwise.

While it’s no substitute for the real thing, Nob Hill Tavern does an admirable job meeting the goal it sets out for itself: to make a small oasis of San Francisco on the Vegas strip, and do so without loosing the soul of either.

Tags: Las Vegas, Michael Mina

This entry was posted on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 5:59 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.