12/15/08

Incredibly crowded and nothing special

by CraigPL

I came here to enjoy an intimate evening with my fiance, but instead, we found ourselves literally inches away from other guests in a very noisy environment. The restaurant was entirely overcrowded. It seems like they care more about how many people they can squeeze in there, rather than the overall ambiance of the restaurant. The 5 course sample was okay at best. The lobster pot-pie was exotic, but honestly, this place only confirms my belief that the best dining in the US is still in New York City. Save yourself the money and skip Michael Mina's.

09/08/08

Great Food, even better service-

by chauncerel

I just ate at Michael Mina's last night, and couldn't wait to wirte my review. I was shocked to see several less than stellar reviews of this resturant! Yes, it is expensive, but the food and service were superb.

The setting is simple, and upscale casual. Very welcoming...not intimidating nor stuffy in the least. Our server was friendly. courteous, prompt and very helpful in suggesting menu items. Before even giving the menu a complete rundown, a complementary sashimi and caviar crostini came out with a matching flute of belvedere vodka... excellent.

After reading the succinct menu, I settled on the Chef's tasting menu with premium wine pairing. 5 courses perfectly paced and matched with wine... incredible. The 2 standouts of the meal were the tuna tartar and lobster potpie... very savory, and perfecly cooked lobster. The one slightly dissapointing spot of the meal ( and this is being VERY picky) was the 4th course... the American Kobe Ribeye with truffle and potato puree. Excellent preparation and presentation, but I think there was a slight holdup at the serving line, because it probably should have been out at the table a few minutes earlier.... still delicious, but could have been a bit warmer.

This was an incredible dining experience. The meal comes with a hefty pricetag, but the experience was far better than most resturants in this price range. I feel that many resturants in Vegas tend to treat people as the one-time customer, but not at Michael Mina's. This was great all around.

• Pros: Service, Food
• Cons: None

03/22/08

Tasting Menus with dishes you actually want to eat!

by damian_esq

Michael Mina was a pleasant surprise in that it actually lived up to the hype and though we spent $300 for two people with NO wine, we actually left feeling that we got value for our money. The tasting menu included generous portions of dish after dish of things we actually wanted to eat (lobster, kobe beef, fish, tasty desserts). Service was a bit spotty and my cocktail was just ok, but otherwise our meal was perfect. What dresscode? The room was a bit loud and the tables are a somewhat tightly packed, but the quality and flavors of the food more than makes up for any other small shortcomings. Creative, yet familiar, delicious dishes presented in a beautiful manner in a lovely setting.

• Pros: GREAT Food, Friendly Service, Awesome Desserts
• Cons: Room feels a little frantic, Quite Expensive

Luxurious, innovative fish creations highlight the menu at this elegant seafood oasis.

by Contributor

In Short
The spacious dining room's large windows overlook the Bellagio Conservatory gardens and floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves filled with decorative pottery and glassware. A striking wine collection is enclosed in a sleek glass case. Romantic couples dine at tightly grouped tables topped with white linen. Miso-glazed Chilean sea bass is complemented by delicate shrimp and scallop tortellini.

01/08/07

Great reputation ... not so great execution

by chownage

Honestly, for the money, this was one large disappointment for me. My small salad was $14, my 4oz steak was $68, they charge you $8/bottle for water and $4 a cup for coffee....of which was never refilled by the server. To sum it up, when you eat a meal that costs well over $100 a person, you expect to get a lot more than reputation and ambiance. I wanted to leave full and satisfied and I couldn't help be disappointed by a lot of unmet expectations. I will admit that this is the most expensive meal I've eaten in my 31 years of life, but I don't know that someone who's used to fine dining, wouldn't have said the same. What I can say is that the service was quality. We were well served and left without complaint.

• Pros: Service, tasty food, ambiance was enjoyable
• Cons: prices, prices, prices

11/02/06

Very Dissapointed...

by casey_reed84

I was very excited to come to Michael Mina because I love seafood and where better to have a great meal then the Bellagio. When we first walked in we were very underwhelmed. The restaraunt was very small and compact. We ordered a shrimp and scallop appetizer. The scallops were above average and the shrimp was like something you would get at Olive Garden. :( We both had the Surf and Turf for $85 a piece. The lobster was mushy and flavorless not to mention the size of a large shrimp. And the filet mignon was dry and blande. We were both very sad by dinner since we were looking forward to it for so long. Not to mention the server was very nice but we only saw her three times the whole two hours we were there. And she made no attempt to correct our dislikes. Overall, I've had better meals at Denny's. If you're looking for a place to see and be seen then this is your place but if your looking to spend quality deniro on a five star meal then go elsewhere. We expected much more from one of the best hotels in the world. We'll just keep going to Nobu.

• Pros: Seated quickly with reservations.
• Cons: Food, Ambience, Service

10/09/06

Really delicious tasting menu

by holidayjunkie

I am shocked to see how many people think Mina's is overrated or not delicious! My husband and I ate there last week and absolutely loved it from start to finish: the food, the atmosphere, the service. We consider ourselves somewhat-foodies, live in NYC, and we thought Mina's was a good deal for what you get. We both had the traditional tasting menu and were incredibly full and satisfied for the $105 per person charge. We did not do the additional $85 wine pairing because we don't like to be so drunk as to not taste our food by the fifth course. We opted for just a bottle but the wine list is amazing and includes all price ranges. The tuna tartar appetizer with garlic and quail egg yoke was prepared at the table and delicious. The lobster pie is so rich and out of this world I can still taste it. The miso fish was a little salty, but it too was delicious. The tuna steak over potato was like eating a filet. I was so full my husband had to finish. The dessert included mini rootbeer floats, coconut flan, cookies, and warm chocolate cake--a ridiculous amount of food but worth every bite (and every calorie). The service was swift but never so much that we felt rushed. The atmosphere is very casual, not stuffy, and that's a nice change from some fine dining establishments in Vegas. If you like seafood, and you want to be super satisfied with your meal for the price, try Mina's, and end the night with a stroll through the Bellagio conservatory.

• Pros: Delicious food, excellent service, casual atmosphere
• Cons: A little pricey

07/15/06

Overrated and disappointed

by myka888

We were staying at Bellagio and decided to have something different from the buffet. Picasso, Shintaro, and the other steak house at Bellagio was full but we were able to get reservation at Michael Mina's. We had the tasting menu with the wine pairing. The wine was great, the appetizer was great, but after that, every course was unspectacular. The chilean sea bass with miso was too salty and my tuna was supposed to be rare, but it came out medium well. We tried to talk to the staff but they were only available when they were taking away our plates or serving our next course. The plate decoration was good, but the food taste was not. The dessert was good. I will not recommend this restaurant due to the fact that the quality of food was not that great, especially for the price, even if you win money at Vegas.

• Cons: food, service

10/04/05

Disappointing

by mjyum1

This place is overrated to say the least. We had the tasting menu which is suppose to be the best the chef has to offer. Other than the complimentary corn chowder and the dessert, all the other dishes were mediocre & unimaginative. One of the dishes was actually salmon & cream cheese! On top of that, with our drinks and tip, the meal cost us $300.00. My husband & I both felt it was the most disappointing (not to mention most expensive) meals we've ever had. We have no idea what the fuss is about.

• Pros: service, ambience
• Cons: overrated, mediocre, overpriced

09/27/05

DONT DISAPPOINT YOURSELF

by kandyroxy

As a someone who views food as a religion, I feel I was totally objective through my experience here. We dined based on reputation and on a night in Sept 2005 when Michael Mina himself was on the line. We had the tasting menu with wine selections- the waiter would not let us order an appetizer without our entire meal order, which is fine but when we did get our $500 for 2 meal, it was unimaginative, lackluster, and at times plain yuck! The execution and technique of cooking was suberb. If only the flavor could have been there... The wines were wonderful and perfect for each course. If you eat here you risk losing, as I have, the excitement of visiting a highly regarded place and maybe even your meal. The lights are too bright and nothing is worth your time or the cost here.

• Pros: cooking execution, great wines
• Cons: taste!, too bright