Minibar offers only a tasting menu which is presented around an open kitchen. It appeared that the menu is done in shifts for groups of 6 people. The multiple staff assemble your 25+ courses while you watch and are happy to interact and answer questions. Pairings are offered in three levels of pricing or you can order your own bottles of wine. Cocktails are also available through the next door barmini, which is physically connected to minibar. The food is modern and beautiful and often not what the eye thinks it is. There were no choices to make or supplements to contemplate. At the end of the meal they do give you a menu and staff list, but descriptions are not a part of the menu. At the end I’ve included a photo of our menu that evening but it changes regularly. All the staff are super friendly, helpful and pacing moves along at a nice pace but do expect to be there at least 2-3 hours.
When we arrived we waited briefly in room and then someone came out and ushered us into the strikingly decorated waiting area with stuffed furniture and low tables. It wasn’t long before someone brought out snacks of a very crisp and light “Pizza Margherita” and a small bag of fun puffed wild rice along with a glass of Gramona Cava. Next was a Lemon and Verbena Slushie which was refreshingly delightful.
Before we finished the cava it was time to move into the dining area which was a “L” shaped counter of which our group had one side and another group had the other piece. Another drink was first on the agenda, “Wax and Wane” which was made from Caledonia Spirits Wax and drizzled with honey. It was different and not my favorite. It was served with “Butterfly” which was a crisp made from beets and stuffed with yogurt underneath. They were very tasty. A Pineapple Shortbread was dusted with olive tapenade and was not strongly flavored. The real star was the Coca Dolce and Burgundy Truffle which had a lovely hint of anise and a sweetness. It was crisp with a strong aroma of truffle and was delicious.
Watermelon Margarita was watermelon infused with mescal garlic. It was served on a salt block which you were to rub it in before eating it. It was nice.
Fresh wasabi was grated on a shark skin grater and then placed on Hokkaido Uni that was served on a droplet of Iberico ham. It was warm and to be eaten in one bite. This is absolutely the best uni and doesn’t have the funky taste many do, so it was lovely and the slight hint of wasabi was the perfect enhancement.
Spoons made from Parmesan were topped with caviar and a bit of balsamic vinegar. You used these edible spoons to enjoy a bowl of parmesan cheese and basil air. It was a very good combination. Afterward gin & tonic handtowels were given to clean your hands but not to be eaten.
Liquid nitrogen was poured into a bowl and then a metal tart mold was dipped in pumpkin seed oil and dipped in the freezing liquid. The tart shell is then gently removed and dotted with mandarin and sea salt gel. It is fed to you as it is so quick to dissolve. It was tasty.
Langoustines were flown in from Norway and served with a skewer of their claw meat. They were opened and accented with a dollop of parsley and garlic foam. These were yummy fresh, perfectly cooked langoustines and the foam was a great accompaniment.
Lummi Island Dungeness Crab was served with broccoli and cheddar gnocchi in a beurre moutarde sauce. The gnocchi were amazingly tender and light and blended perfectly with the fresh and wonderful crab. It was rich and delicious.
Skate wing was grilled with a brown butter sauce and served with faux yolks that were droplets of lemon. The fish was cooked perfectly and either the butter in the sauce or the ‘yolks’ really enhanced the dish. It was further enriched with dots of black garlic that held some grilled onion pieces. Sous Chef Luke Feltz then gave an explanation and demonstration of how the delicate ‘yolks’ were made.
The next dish was called Snail Caviar: Fast and Slow and it was served with no further explanation so we could guess what it was. The eggs were from snails and the sauce was from rabbit. The ‘snail’ in the middle was made of Iberico ham gel. This dish was full of amazing flavors and they all blended perfectly. A little anise taste in the flowers made it even better.
Squab Salmis was a squab breast covered with slices of hearts of palm and enhanced with Marcona almonds. It was cooked a nice rare but it was a tad tough however the flavors were intense and good, so it didn’t matter.
Corn in Sequence was 4 different preparations of corn. They included crispy chicken skin with barbecue sauce and corn, corn chowder, ‘fried chicken’ which was corn meringue filled with smoked corn juice, and corn on the cob ice cream. The ice cream was very creamy and all had wonderful variations of corn flavor and textures. Visually interesting and tasty – a rare and great combo.
Mojito Supreme was like a jello shot served in a lime skin. You just ate the ‘fruit’ portion for an intense shot of flavor.
Gorgonzola Dolce with apple was freeze dried apple in a creamy format. You ate it off a paper. Nice.
Honey and lavender were components of Beeswax ice cream served with inedible wax spoons. The ice cream was enhanced with bits of salt and was very good.
Little Piggy was bacon ice cream covered in chocolate from a pig head mold. It tasted almost like ham – very smokey.
This ended the time at the minibar and the group was then moved to barmini to finish the meal. Dragon’s Breath were to be eaten while breathing through your nose. They were filled with a gas that made it appear that you were the smoke breathing dragon.
Next a small assortment of goodies was served. It included passion fruit meringues, Key lime pie bon bons, white chocolate shiso leaves, and chocolate empanada with coriander. They were all fine and I especially liked the white chocolate shiso leaf.
Next was pina colada cotton candy. We had 2 birthday celebrations in our group so they each got theirs in the shape of a cake with a candle where ours was a more traditional oval on a stick. It was tasty and fun.
Last was the Golden Egg which was a plastic gold egg covered in chocolate and wrapped in gold foil. Inside was the bill and a small toy chef that needed to be assembled. It was time to relax and play.
