I went to Las Vegas for business and was not nearly excited about the trip as my coworkers were- I am not a gambler so that the thought of going to overly crowded tacky Las Vegas was not high on my list of places I wanted to visit. After I got over pouting about having to go to Las Vegas I realized that there are a lot of great restaurants there and to make the trip more fun I would treat myself to dinner at one of them. After reviewing many menus and because of my SF Bay Are roots I decided on Michale Mina.\n\nI had a 6:30 reservation for one and was seated right away when I walked in. (I have absolutely no problems eating alone at nice restaurants; I had a good books to read and I like to people watch while I savor my food.) I was seated at a table near the kitchen's expediting area but this was not a bad thing for me because I like watching the kitten's activity. This area is open anyway for the guests to see.\n\nThe waiter was over right away and had I a Hanger One (good call on the Bay Area Vodka Chef Mina!) dirty martini with blue cheese olives (there were also garlic and jalapeno olives to choose from) I also got a bottle of Fuji water- I did not really realized I had ordered something other than tap water but when it came I did not complain. (although it was $8!) \n\nI always ask servers in restaurants fro their recommendations or favorites on the menu. I came here expecting to order the 5 Course Cook Book Menu but once I looked at the a la cart options I weighed my decisions with the waiter. He seemed very impressed with my a la cart selections and recommended that I go with them. He also offered to have the kitchen do a half order of the mussel souffle (which was not an option on the menu). \n\nThe kitchen sent over a taste of fois gras with some sort of glee on top. I was already in heaven savoring the rich taste. The bread choices were great and I selected something different each time the bread server came around. I had the trio of scallops to start, the (half order) mussel souffle and the seared Ahi Tuna for my main course. Presentation was beautiful for everything and the flavor and freshness of each was also amazing. One bit of my greens with the tuna were gritty - which was a disappointment, but probably the only one of the night. I had coffee and the trio of cakes for dessert. At this points I was so full that I did not eat very much. There was also a mini dessert sent out from the kitchen at the end- I can't remember exactly but it was some kind of frozen chocolate lollipop. \n\nI also watched the tables around me and what they ordered- the table side presentation of the tuna tartar was great to watch. I also noticed that the staff was very considerate in substituting items from the a la carte menu to the tasting and cook book menu which was a considerate suprise.\n\nService was probably the best that I have ever had. I never once filled up my water from the bottle sitting on my table, there was always someone there to do it. The assistants to the waiter and the waiter were always around to get me anything I needed. I worked in a restaurant for a while so I tend to be critical of staff, especially in a place like this because I expect a lot, and I was not disappointed. Additionally a lot of the expediters were very young and I was impressed with their promptness and professionalism.\n\nThis was a great experience. I do not know if I will ever be back to Las Vegas but if I am this will be top of my list.
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