Surf Before Turf

The best thing to order at a hot new steakhouse isn't the meat

Bourbon Steak
2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
202-944-2026
www.michaelmina.net

** 1/2 (out of four stars)
Sound Check: 79 decibels (Must speak with raised voice)

"Have you been to Bourbon Steak yet?"

It's the question every food fanatic in Washington has been asking the past few months. The new restaurant in the renovated Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown launched with a Potomac-size splash in December, spurred by a designer label and a novel approach to cooking meat: Michael Mina, the California chef whose starry portfolio includes an eponymous restaurant in San Francisco and three other Bourbon Steaks around the country, swears by beef that is slowly poached in butter before hitting the grill.

To further distinguish itself from the pack, the Washington hot spot lured a general manager from CityZen and a top mixologist from San Francisco, and upped the ante in the amuse-bouche department by serving three flavors of french fries with three distinct dips. If there's a more decadent freebie than those golden bouquets, I have yet to taste it. But the treat is so heavy that it falls into side-dish territory. And it's trailed by a skillet of pull-apart rolls flavored with truffle butter that induces further guilt, considering the ease with which a diner can dispatch them.

Bourbon Steak assumes the acreage that once belonged to the Garden Terrace on the ground floor of the hotel, which comes as a shock to some fans of the old power lounge. "They ruined it!" one of them cries as he walks into the sepia-toned dining room with me. I disagree; toward the end of its run, the plant-forested Terrace had grown tired. But I understand where the naysayer is coming from. For a high-end restaurant, Bourbon Steak is pretty plain, a detail underscored by bare tabletops and wood floors. The few flashes of color come from the bottles of booze at the bar, which are visible from the tables in the center. Some nights, Bourbon Steak pulses with club music. The contrast -- brown room, blasting beat -- is jarring.

Of the estimated $40 million the hotel lavished on its upgrade, the restaurant appears to have gotten shortchanged. But here's the biggest surprise: "It's not about the steak," a gal pal says, echoing my sentiments and the feeling of a lot of carnivores who have tested the turf here. Not exactly the feedback the kitchen wants to hear, but she's on the mark. Although the grass-fed rib-eye is thick, juicy and ignited with black pepper, and the dry-aged New York strip gets a zesty lick of red pepper sauce, neither cut of meat is likely to threaten the competition or send anyone into protein heaven.

(Buttery Wagyu beef from Japan, on the other hand, transports us somewhere magical, but it also sets us back $28 an ounce.)

Still, there are plenty of reasons to save up for a meal here. Many of them are the creation of David Varley. The chef is only 28 years old but has already packed in cooking time at such reputable restaurants as Clio in Boston and the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse, N.J. Mina lured him to Washington from the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Las Vegas.

"Delicious!" a guest of mine actually shouts one night. His exclamation is inspired by nuggets of veal sweetbreads warmed in brown butter and fragrant with curry leaf, mustard seeds and other sensual spices. A garnish of diced green apple cools things down.

"Delicious!" a second dining companion echoes from across the table. I glance over to see that she's making short work of her first course, ricotta cavatelli tossed with lightly breaded chicken oysters (meat from where the leg meets the back of the bird) and an earthy mushroom jus. The pasta is al dente; wisps of green and lemon zest lighten the composition.

"Oh. My. God." You'd moan like the third member of my recent Friday night outing, too, if you had tasted his appetizer. Pink ribbons of raw hamachi interspersed with fresh herbs and strips of tender young coconut make a gorgeous Asian garden that is at once delicate and assertive. Sheer slices of jalapeño pepper detonate in every other bite, and what look like clear jujubes (but are actually coconut jelly and aloe) add a subtle sweet note to the score. When we learn that Varley earlier was a pastry chef, we are not surprised. His food is frequently beautiful.