The Other Critics

Josh Sens Compares Michael Mina to the Spider-Man Musical

Josh Sens sounds a bit more objective, and a bit less laudatory about the new Michael Mina than Bauer was last fall, not long after it opened. Making several comparisons to theater, Sens writes, “Mina specializes in big-budget blowouts, more Spider-Man the musical than Spalding Gray. You get pretty sets and pyrotechnics, not the quirky charms of an off-Broadway production.” Still, he’s not unenthusiastic about what he ate, complimenting chef de cuisine Jeremy Ravetz’s dishes as “crisply executed and whimsically plated.” He calls the Australian wagyu shabu shabu “a beautiful take on the do-it-yourself hot pot,” and he compliments the staff both for all their theatricality (there’s a lot of tableside plating and sauce pouring) and their knowledge of the menu, even if it can be a bit much at moments. As he concludes, “By the time the flurry ended, I was impressed, sated, a little bit exhausted. A meal at Michael Mina is not for everyone or every evening.” He gives it two and a half stars, a full star less than Bauer — perhaps indicating his off-Broadway bias. [SF Mag; see also Reidinger’s earlier tangent-heavy take]

Josh Sens Compares Michael Mina to the Spider-Man Musical