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CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO WESTIN ST FRANCIS HOTEL & RESTAURANT MICHAEL MINA
The main building was begun in 1904. Its interior was destroyed in the disastrous fire which swept through San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. The restoration produced public spaces full of marble, gilt, oak and crystal, with a few murals thrown in for good measure. Someone also had the bright idea of installing the Great Magenta Clock, a massive Viennese timepiece, which became a favourite meeting place in the Second World War. Men in uniform would say to their lady friends, quite simply, “Meet me at the clock.” Now it graces the lobby of the Tower, a huge addition to the hotel dating from the 1970s.
Up on the 10 th floor, I went along the corridor, past a portrait of King Henry VIII, to my room. Number 1031 is a ‘Deluxe in the Main Building’ and therefore $339 a night for two, breakfast extra. I was immediately pleased with its space and its traditional décor. Pale blue walls set off the gilt frame of the mirror over the writing table, and a heavy cornice supported the ceiling, from which hung a small chandelier of crystal. In the wardrobe were an iron and an ironing board. In the bathroom – a small chamber of white marble and striped wallpaper – was a retractable clothes line. Such pieces of practical equipment indicate that the establishment cares about the little things, and that is important.
And a hearty breakfast was what I had each morning in the Oak Room. Large and Scottish Baronial in style, this hall of dark panelling and wrought iron chandeliers provided me (for $19.50) with just what I needed to start the day. Orange juice and a large vacuum flask of decent coffee were brought to my table, and then I was left to help myself from the buffet – which I did with gusto. As is my custom on such occasions, I assembled all the constituents before I began to eat: a bowl of cornflakes, a dish of melon and raspberries, a basket of croissants and bread rolls and a plate of sausages and crisp bacon. I can report that all were of good quality. Thus fortified, I was able to sally forth from my doorstep in the heart of the city. There is so much to enjoy during the daylight hours. Yet, on my second day, I was eager for night to fall, for I had a table reserved at the gastronomic jewel in the crown of the St Francis: the Restaurant Michael Mina.
And I was right. Mr Mina loves to present one central ingredient with a trio of accompaniments. This might sound like a pointless gimmick, a culinary conceit to attract attention. But it is not. The quality of the produce used in this kitchen, the skill with which it is handled and the intelligence with which it is combined, make the dishes served in this dining room some of the most exciting I have encountered. And the service, orchestrated by General Manager Bryon Philon, adds to the sense of occasion by being both courteous and proper. $135 buys the six course tasting menu and $88 brings three courses from the carte. My waiter, Paul Buchtel, a knowledgeable fellow from Los Angeles, brought me four courses from the carte. My first dish was so superb that it should be consumed by everyone in the world who thinks that tomatoes are boring. ‘Heirloom tomato and summer melon salad’ does not sound earth-shattering, I grant you, but the subtle splendours which arrived with this title astonished and delighted me. The subtitles of the three offerings perhaps suggest more: Golden Queen, Sharlyn, honey vinegar; Brandywine, watermelon, whole grain; and Green Zebra, Crenshaw, avocado lime. In all this nothing was superfluous. For this glorious harmony, the word ‘masterpiece’ came into my mind.
Choosing wine at this restaurant is a real treat, for the list – the work of the Wine Director, Rajat Parr – is so interesting. Where else would you find a sauvignon blanc from India at $23 offered along with no fewer than 53 of the grandest of white burgundies, Montrachet (the 1979 from Ramonet is $3,650)? And the pulse of those of you with a taste for the finest clarets from the very best vintages will quicken when you contemplate 1945 Latour ($5,995), 1949 Cheval Blanc ($2,995) and 1961 Haut Brion ($3,210). Mr Parr’s real love, I suspect, is Burgundy. 40 of the list’s 93 pages are devoted to it. And both the red and white sections have a page with the title, ‘Back roads of Burgundy’, in which are listed little known wines of real quality, priced from $40 to $225. My own bottles were recommended to me by sommelier Anthony Cha. He brought some tall and elegant glasses, of a design unknown to me. They ‘leaned’, and I worked out that I should smell the wine from the lower level and drink it from the higher level. Into them he poured a Meursault of mineral and toast with a lingering aftertaste (Meix-Chavaux, Dom. Roulot, 2000 - $145), and a red Côte de Beaune with oodles of ripe red fruit and delightful suggestions of an excremental nose (Volnay, Caillerets, Dom. de la Pousse d’Or, 2003 - $182). These wines proved admirable partners for my food. Yes, I am attracted by spotlights. And they shine very brightly indeed on the wonderful Westin St Francis Hotel and its brilliant dining room, the Restaurant Michael Mina.
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ADDRESSES WESTIN ST FRANCIS HOTEL
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© Francis Bown 2003
Switch on a spotlight and I will immediately begin to edge towards its warming beam. Show me a town and I will naturally gravitate towards its heart. It seems that I like to be at the centre of things. In San Francisco this means that I am often to be found in Union Square. The picture shows me in that very location. Behind me you can glimpse the majestic façade of one of my favourite places to stay in the city – the Westin St Francis Hotel. This mighty hostelry appeals to me not only because of its location, but also because it is very grand, very comfortable and very well run. And, as if that were not enough, it possesses – in the Restaurant Michael Mina – one of the California’s most highly rated dining rooms.
An hotel of 1,195 rooms could easily be impersonal and soulless. I have never found the St Francis so. It has an exciting buzz about it, with people rushing hither and thither in the manner of a Hollywood film. As I checked in, I encountered in the staff that mixture of brisk and friendly efficiency which I find quite exhilarating. I expect the hotel’s even more distinguished guests – like Queen Elizabeth II and all the American presidents since 1906 – have experienced the same feeling.
But what pleased me most about my billet was the view: straight down onto the aforementioned Union Square. I liked it best in the early morning, when the joggers made their circuits in the pale sunshine. Other people’s exercise gives me an appetite. Here it made me keen to get down for a hearty breakfast.
Imagine a huge classical temple of fluted columns. Your eyes note its colours of grey-green and beige, cleverly lit by spotlights, and your ears fill with the sound of the animated conversation of happy guests. You now have an idea of the atmosphere into which I strode at eight o’clock. Piano music drifted in from the hotel lobby as I made my way to table 42. (The selection of table is particularly important here, if – like me – you are hard of hearing and need to be next to, rather than opposite your companion, when there is a fair degree of background noise.) I settled myself into the comfortable armchair and noted the white tablecloth, the Royal Doulton porcelain, the black uniforms of the waiters, the Spiegelau glasses and the discreet gauze over the windows onto Union Square. I judged this a sophisticated environment for sophisticated food.
After these heights, it was perhaps inevitable that the rest of my dishes should inhabit a lower plain. But I still extracted huge pleasure from the balanced richness of roasted foie gras (with rhubarb, pineapple and fig) and the careful subtleties of roasted loin of baby lamb (with flageolet beans, cranberry and chickpeas). My rhubarb almond tart came from the section entitled, “Michael’s classic desserts”, and satisfied my desire for a pudding which would not be over-sweet.