RN74

Last week, the HLP took me to RN74 for a little belated birthday dinner.  I know; life is good.  I had been excited to check out this joint since I had read it was a Michael Mina creation.   Fashioned as a wine bar, RN74 shows commitment in the name itself (apparently, RN74 is the name of a highway running through the Burgundy wine region of France).  But it's a bit more formal than the average wine bar and features the traditional 3-course menu versus small plates for sharing, for example.

The shape of the restaurant is also quite interesting: a long dining room with an arched ceiling, coming together like an elegant dining car on a train, highlighted by a train board at the far end of the room.  But instead of train stops, the destinations listed are special bottles of wine.  The letters flip just like a regular train board but instead of schedule updates, you see new wines listed as the previous bottles get consumed.  It's cool.

And the food: it's Michael Mina, y'all, so it was tight.  I had the hamachi sashimi with Hawaiian hearts of palm, asian pear, and toasted pine nuts as an appetizer and it was delicious, all the flavors came together as greater than the sum of their parts.  Todd went with the the Italian yellow cornmeal and mascarpone agnolotti with Chantrelle mushrooms and Castelmagno cheese and from the taste I had, it seemed a solid choice. 

RN74

For my entree, I had the sauteed Maine sea scallops with buternut squash, caramelized endive, pumpkin seeds, and truffle vinaigrette.  The scallops were amazing, so tender and succulent and their generous size made me question if these scallops had been "juiced".  Todd finished with the duck cassoulet with barley, shitake mushrooms, sweet carrots and spinach.  I have to acknowledge I am not a huge duck fan but regardless, this dish was a bit underwhelming.  The duck was a little dry and there was no savoriness to the cassoulet, the ingredients didn't really blend well together.

Service was professional and attentive, never overbearing.  Solid.

All in all, I highly recommend RN74 for wine buffs or otherwise, it's a great new restaurant.  Michael Mina has not broken stride yet.

Overall: ****
Food: ****
Service: ****
Vibe: ****
Price: $$$

Comments

[O.D.S.T.]

[this is good] motherfrackin yuppies.

translation (I am jealous and hungry)