Bourbon Steak Celebrates Signature Dishes + New Menu Items

Award-winning chef Michael Mina recently visited the D.C. location of his renowned steakhouse, Bourbon Steak, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. To mark the occasion, the celebrated chef, along with Bourbon Steak’s Executive Chef Robert Curtis, presented a six course tasting menu at a special media dinner. A mix of tried and true dishes and a preview of new additions to the fall menu were artfully presented over the course of the evening. Each plate was paired with wines from Bourbon Steak’s head sommelier, Winn Roberton and cocktails from lead bartender Engidawork Alebachew. 

The meal began with the restaurant’s signature complimentary items: warm truffle butter rolls and a trio of duck fat fries with accompanying dipping sauces. From there, a bright and refreshing melon gazpacho — a mix of lemon verbena oil, sungold tomato and king crab — kicked off the coursed section of the culinary experience. A light and effervescent concoction of Alebachew’s, dubbed Athena’s Respite, made with gin, Lillet Blanc, lemon and melon accompanied the course and made for an especially refreshing start to dinner.  

A delicate scallop crudo topped with citrus confit, osetra caviar and compressed cucumber along with Michael’s Ahi Tuna Tartare followed. The former is one of the newer additions to the menu and the latter arrived with its components deconstructed. The ahi tuna, Asian pear, pine nut, Scotch bonnet and sesame were then expertly mixed tableside and served with toast points. These two appetizer plates were paired with a light glass of Jansz Brut Rosé from Tasmania.

The meal continued with casarecce pasta and Sicilian red pesto — a dish recently added to the menu. The red pesto is made with tomatoes from a nearby farm, which Chef Curtis dehydrates to create a stronger, concentrated flavor before combining with toasted almonds and pecorino romano. The pasta was paired with a glass of Moretti Omero “Terre de Giano”’ — a recent discovery of Roberton’s from Park View wine garden and store, St. Vincent Wine. 

The fourth course was dominated by the spoils of the sea. Potato crusted halibut with melted leeks and lobster “nantua” sauce was served alongside a tried and true Michael Mina dish: an immaculate lobster pot pie. Consisting of a whole lobster and market vegetables enveloped in a brandied lobster cream sauce, it is a classic dish of Mina’s, which has come to be recognized as one of his signatures. The tableside service saw the pot pie’s pastry covering expertly sliced off and placed on a serving plate with the full lobster reconstructed on top and market vegetables and sauce ladled around it. The course was complemented by a glass of Medici Vineyards Chardonnay, an aged chardonnay from the Willamette Valley with notes of butterscotch.

As one would expect from a restaurant named Bourbon Steak, the star of the meal was a duo of rib cap and eye of rib presented during the fifth course. The well-marbled and unctuous rib cap was nicely balanced with the lean yet tender eye of rib cut. The steak was accompanied with seasonal sides including sofrito braised squash, creamed corn and sauteed broccolini along with a glass of Craggy Range “Te Kahu” from New Zealand.

The decadent meal was capped off with an equally decadent dessert: 24k chocolate molten cake sundae with layers of whipped cream, milk chocolate, gold leaf and crunch pearls. For a nightcap, Alebachew presented his Buna Flip — a play on the classic flip cocktail and espresso martini made with Hennessy VSOP, madeira, espresso and an egg. 

The exquisite mix of courses presented by Chefs Mina and Curtis, as well as the impeccable service from the staff, exemplify the quality and reputation from which Bourbon Steak has built its brand on. A celebration of classic dishes and inventive new additions, the current menu at Bourbon Steak is not to be missed. 

Note: Bourbon Steak is open for dinner and weekend garden brunch. 

Bourbon Steak at The Four Seasons Hotel: 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC; fourseasons.com // @bourbonsteakdc

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