A Peek Inside Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at the Americana at Brand

There’s new game in town thanks to Michael Mina, who opened his award-winning steakhouse Bourbon Steak at the Americana at Brand on Wednesday.

The James Beard winning chef and founder of the MINA Group partnered with Rick Caruso‘s real estate development company, Caruso Affiliated, to give the eatery life. The Glendale-located restaurant is the fifth national location of its kind and the first in Southern California.

What you should expect to see on the lunch and dinner menus is modern American fare with a focus on seasonal ingredients. Selections of all natural, organic, grass-fed and hormone-free cuts of Black Angus, as well as Japanese and American Wagyu beef, are wood-grilled over live fire. Reimagining the classic American steakhouse, Bourbon Steak places an emphasis on playful menu offerings such as lobster corn dogs, truffle donuts, and a house-made root beer float. Ahi tuna tartare and Michael Mina’s famous lobster pot pie are prepared tableside with an eye-catching presentation. Seafood platters will also be offered, allowing guests to choose from a selection of fresh shellfish including West Coast oysters, Maine lobster, Dungeness crab and caviar served with warm blini. For dessert, guests have the opportunity to choose selections from the treat trolley, offering an array of dazzling cakes, cookies and confections, right from their seat. Guests can also expect Michael Mina’s signature items, like the Ribeye, and the trio of feted duck fat fries.

Eggplant and Avocado Dip and Duck Spring Rolls are among a selection of lighter appetizers to start lunch. Bourbon Steak’s award-winning burger program features the Bacon Cheese Burger, Michael’s Mother’s Falafel Burger, and Turkey Burger, as well as mouth-watering sandwiches like the House-Cured Pastrami. A unique lunch option, guests can create their own entrée by first selecting from a variety of skewers, steaks or seafood, and then choosing a seasonal vegetable dish to accompany the protein. The vegetables can be ordered as an entrée portion as well.

The beverage program carefully balances old world glamour with new world charm, offering playful rifts on classic cocktails like the Sazerac, Old-Fashioned and Remember the Maine. Using only the highest quality ingredients, including fresh-squeezed juices, premium small batch spirits, and house-made bitters, tinctures and syrups, cocktails will utilize modern techniques like barrel aging, carbonating and bottling. The bar will also feature a Japanese Whisky program as well as an extensive bourbon selection including a Bourbon Cart with tableside flights.

Curated by Mina Group’s corporate Wine Director, Rajat Parr, Bourbon Steak Los Angeles will offer more than 450 different wines, with an emphasis on California and Bordeaux, and unique, hard to find varietals and producers, including Grand Cru Burgundies and First Growth Bordeaux. Over 20 wines will be offered by the glass, preserved in a state-of-the-art WineEmotion™ wine-dispensing machine.

Created by award-winning design firm, AvroKO, the 7,000 square-foot, 182 seat restaurant mixes glamorous elegance and old-world charm, composed of dark, luxurious leathers and natural rosewood and marble tabletops.  Brushed brass, antique mirrors, handblown pendant lighting fixtures and vintage décor accents allude to the Golden Age of Travel. Tables and chairs surrounded by Hollywood banquettes make up the main dining room, which transitions seamlessly from lunch to dinner to late-night setting. The adjacent private dining room offers seating for up to 18 guests. A u-shaped bar with lounge area, offering nightly live music, connects the dining room to a patisserie offering pastries, coffee and tea service from LAMILL, with wall of windows looking out onto an outdoor terrace.

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