What makes a compelling wine list? A wide range of offerings? The quality of selections by the glass? Obscure labels? All of the above?
In San Francisco, a city obsessed with wine, no one does it better than Rajat Par at RN74, Michael Mina’s nod to Burgundy in SoMa.
The restaurant is named after the main route through the French region best known for Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée, and the space is designed to resemble a train station—complete with a wine board in the style of a flapping, old-fashioned train schedule.
It is this board that has locals, as well as wine lovers the world over who make a pilgrimage to Parr’s incomparable list, a-twitter. Literally. The restaurant tweets the specials of the moment: unusual, often rare bottles with low mark-up, whether the list price starts at $68, in the case of a 2007 Tissot Trousseau Singulier from the Jura or $1525 for a 1953 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild from Pauillac. There are more than 3,000 bottles on the list, so it’s not an exaggeration to say that you’ll also find everything in between.
Mina’s menu isn’t bad, either. Don’t miss the maitake tempura with yuzu salt and green onion mousseline. But this, of course, calls for Champagne. Order a bottle of 2006 Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules Blanc de Noir or a glass of NV Egly-Ouriet Vignes de Vrigny ($25).
RN74, 301 Mission St., 415.543.7474, www.michaelmina.net
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