Steakhouse 2.0
Bourbon Steak (Union Square)
RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: Prolific restaurateur Michael Mina has reopened a fancier version of his long-shuttered steakhouse Bourbon Steak at the Westin St. Francis following a multi-million-dollar renovation that brought a bustling new central bar.
The Vibe: After years of doldrums around Union Square, the lavishness and energy you feel walking in off Powell Street into the new, European-inspired bar area is downright shocking. Gone is the hotel’s former entry lobby (hotel guests now enter off Geary Street) and in its place is a square bar in a glittering room newly bedecked with stained-glass and faux antique, spherical crystal chandeliers. Tourists and locals belly up for classic cocktails and fries three ways, while up a few steps to the left is the sumptuously redecorated restaurant space once home to Restaurant Michael Mina (and decades ago, The Compass Rose).
The Food: If you’ve been to a Michael Mina restaurant, you’re familiar with his greatest hits — see the Caviar “Twinkee,” the Crab Cake “Pop Tart” — which make appearances here. The over-the-top mood continues with showy seafood platters, osetra caviar service, and sashimi and tartares galore. You’ll see carts whisk by with salt-baked wagyu tomahawk steaks lit on fire, and Mina’s signature lobster pot pies served in copper sauce pots with puff pastry caps doled out tableside. And the steaks are no joke: luscious wagyu New York strips and ribeyes, served with buttery whipped potatoes, black truffle mac and cheese, creamed spinach, and/or a host of other classic sides and sauces. Ending the meal are beignets, served with proper boozy butterscotch.
The Drink: A list of signature cocktails take their names and inspiration from Mina Group ventures past and present, including the Clock Bar 2018, made with rye, green Chartreuse, ginger, sassafras, and bitters; and the Ornos 2022, made with gin, Kleos Mastiha, ana spice, and lime. The wine selection shares an ethos with the maximalist food menu, with a lengthy list of thousand-dollar bottles or $200 bottles, including Napa Cabernets from Heitz and Stag’s Leap, and a range of Champagne and Bordeaux.
The Verdict: Once again, there’s a reason to go to Union Square for a celebration meal or dressed-up business dinner. After a nine-year absence, the reborn Bourbon Steak takes its former format and dials the theater and glamour up to 11. –Jay Barmann
→ Bourbon Steak (Union Square) • 335 Powell St • Mon-Thu & Sun 5-9p, Fri-Sat 5-10p • Reserve.