One of SF's most awarded chefs opens first hometown restaurant in 4 years

"The steak-and-seafood powerhouse debuted inside Union Square's sprawling Westin St. Francis last week, and it's a showstopper. Boasting opulent tropical interiors and high-level cuisine, the restaurant is a mix of tableside tricks and legacy dishes from one of the West Coast's most prolific chefs. Consider the adjacent bourbon speakeasy that Mina just unveiled with longtime friend and Golden State Warrior Steph Curry and the giant Nintendo Store next door, and there are now several reasons to visit this newly buzzy corner of Powell Street."

""I was crying," Mina told me on the eve of Bourbon Steak's Oct. 10 opening, sitting at a corner table overlooking the plaza. "I just love being here. This was a theater every night for me, because it was the most complex concept I'd ever done in my life and ever done since then. And we want to push the envelope here further than Bourbon's ever been pushed before.""

Bourbon Steak, Michael Mina's first hometown restaurant in four years, debuted inside Union Square's Westin St. Francis. The steak-and-seafood powerhouse features opulent tropical interiors, high-level cuisine, tableside tricks and legacy dishes from one of the West Coast's most prolific chefs. An adjacent bourbon speakeasy co-founded with Steph Curry and a giant Nintendo Store next door add several reasons to visit Powell Street. The location holds personal significance for Mina, who previously operated restaurants in the same space, including the original Bourbon Steak and the Michael Mina restaurant that earned two Michelin stars. Mina began his career at Michelin-starred Aqua at age 23 and felt emotional returning to Union Square.

Read at SFGATE