Inaugural Dining: Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak DC

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Power lunching is an art in Washington, DC. Knowing the right place, the right time, and the right menu can make or break a deal. Inauguration week is even more intense. Super Chef dined at the latest hot spot to open in the capital, Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. By 1:00 PM, the subdued brown-hued dining room, designed by David Rockwell, can be packed with politicos, lunching wives, and beautiful couples staying at the hotel. All come for great food, tables far enough apart for discreet conversations, and private banquets. In fact, the brown, padded chairs are extremely comfortable. Tables are leather topped, with crisp linen napkins replaced each time you get up. What Michael Mina loves, though, is butter, and that is a good thing. It starts with truffle butter "sticky" buns tucked into a cast iron pot. Served hot, they unravel like a sticky bun but aren't sweet. Tuck into one of these while waiting for another blast of truffles in the form of Black Truffle Tortellini with Chanterelles and Iberico ham. Salty - earthy - and rich with umami flavor. It comes with a tiny pitcher of mushroom broth to pour over the tender pasta. It's the only pasta dish on the lunch menu, and well worth trying. Super Chef also sampled the warm Cape Cod Grilled Squid in a light salad of snow peas, baby leeks, mint and lobster vinaigrette. The squid is toothsome and flavorful. This is a steak joint, and the steaks are excellent. New York Strip Steak was meaty and buttery at the same time, with a well-charred exterior sprinkled with thyme. Served on a white porcelain tray, steak comes with three side dishes in their own bowls. On the day Super Chef visited, the chef sent out buttery whipped potatoes, reputation-defying (i.e., tasty) Brussels sprouts, and spaghetti squash. Super Chef tried the Tai Snapper, served with the same three side dishes in small serving bowls. It’s a light, delicate fish, great for a light lunch, expertly prepared at Bourbon Steak DC. Super Chef also tried a lunch salad of quail was a mound of spinach and greens, with three tiny quail eggs, a moist boneless quail, and a small pitcher of salad dressing. The salad came with a silver cup full of toasted walnut bread and sweet maple butter. Finish the salad and then eat the bread for a light dessert. Be sure to order espresso at lunch -- so fine it hardly needs sugar. A lunch at Bourbon Steak leaves the political cogs well oiled and working smoothly. If you're in town for the Inauguration, Super Chef recommends you try Bourbon Steak DC. Previous articles: New York Lunch: Bar Breton Christmas in New York: Bar Boulud Inauguration Dining: Four Sisters Michael Mina: The Cookbook Melissa Perello: Boss Before 30 Restaurant Michael Mina Resurfaces World AIDS Day I: Michael Mina Michael Mina Meets SF Unions Maturely Agassi's Star Palate: Michael Mina The Rise of Restaurant Michael Mina [Chefs & Politics - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks, cookbook reviews, Michael Mina, Inauguration, Inaugural --> back to Super Chef