Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/253609
february 2014 / the tasting panel / 33 Fred Dame: Well, gentlemen, here we are in beautiful Union Square at the legendary Hotel St. Francis in Bourbon Steak. This is a beautiful room; does being located in a prestigious hotel help the restaurant? Noah Dranow: It's deinitely a plus and great place for a steakhouse. Let's be honest, steakhouses for the international and domestic traveler are a favored destination. They love a great American steak and great bottle of wine. At Bourbon Steak, we offer a modern twist of those steakhouse classics. When the hotel is busy, we're busy. Fred: What about locals? There are lots of dining opportuni- ties in San Francisco. Noah: We have a very loyal local clientele. This is a Michael Mina restaurant after all. Fred: I brought two wines to taste today. I've taken some heat from some of the readers for repeating my varietal selec- tions, so today I brought Coppola Director's Cut Zinfandel 2011 Dry Creek Valley and a lovely Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Mulderbosch in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Aaron Patrick: This Zinfandel is deinitely a crowd pleaser. It's a great combination of ripe red and dark fruits that would certainly make our steak lovers happy. Noah: I like it quite a bit. Zinfandel has had an identity crisis the past few decades with the many styles that it has been produced in. It's been made ripe, jammy, light—virtu- ally every way possible—but wines like this match well with cuisine. Fred: Can you choke out the words "White Zinfandel?" Noah: No. But this wine is brambly, balanced, roasted herbal notes. This would really stand up nicely to a well- marbled cut like a rib eye. Fred: I brought this Late Harvest Wine because if you love a big steak you love dessert. Aaron: This is concentrated; it's honeyed, almost candied fruit. It's quite dessert-like! Fred: Well, that's welcome news! Noah: I've never tasted this wine. It has a lot of viscos- ity and intensity. There's a lot of sweetness, but I feel the Sauvignon Blanc is still there. I really like the long inish. Fred: On a busy night how many covers does Bourbon Steak do? Aaron: One-hundred eighty. That's just the dining room. We also have 30 seats at the bar that serve the menu and are constantly in use. Fred: What percentage of guests here are staying in the hotel? Aaron: I would estimate that 70 percent are hotel guests. Of course this depends on the convention/group booking schedule and the season. Noah: I would say that's accurate; we have 30 percent that are local or from other hotels in the area. On the weekend I would say that the locals and outside guest percentage increases. Fred: So, what are they drinking? Cabernet Sauvignon? Pinot Noir? Noah: If you look at the previous year and average it all out, we sell more California Cabernet than anything. That's what most people coming in want—and expect—to drink. But if you ask Aaron and me what we like to sell, given the opportunity, we sell Rhône wines. Fred: French Rhône wines or Syrah in general? Aaron: I love Syrah with steak; for me it's a no brainer. There are a lot of great values in the Northern Rhône. I think some of the most exciting wines being produced in the U.S. today are the Syrahs from California and Washington. And they're not wildly expensive. Fred: Okay, so what's the price point? We know that for Cabernet, $100 is no problem. Aaron: There is great Syrah on our list between $50 and $75—New World and Old World. Fred: But let's be hon- est, this is a hand-sell. It's something that both of you promote. Noah: For the most part true. Customers don't walk in the door asking for Syrah. Fred: Raj Parr is Wine Director for Michael Mina Group. Does he get involved here? Noah: Michael and Raj are very good at selecting the sommelier team and letting them manage the business. Raj does have input, and we are in close contact with him. Every month he gets a copy of the list. Fred: Staff Training? Weekly, monthly, daily? Aaron: We do a sit down staff training every two weeks. We hand out packets of information and go over a speciic region. A number of our staff are involved in the Court of Master Sommelier Programs. We're always tasting the wines by the glass at lineup. Noah: When Aaron and I are on the loor, we expect to do the majority of sales for the waitstaff. Fred: To conclude as I always end, what would you like to change about the world of wine? You can do it individually or as a team. Aaron: I wouldn't change anything; I'd like a time machine to go back 30 years when you could buy the world's greatest wines at those amazing prices. Noah: I would really like to change the numeric scoring of wines. I just can't wrap my mind around it. I suppose I understand that, for the general public, it's easy to use. But I think it oversimpliies what wine appreciation should be. A late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Mulderbosch in Stellenbosch, South Africa.