A Mission Street Stylish Restaurant

RN74 Wine Bar 

A word that people don't tend to use when describing Mission
Street is "classy".  That is not to say that Mission doesn't have
its fare share of nice places to drink and dine.  But, it's no
match for parts of Market, Powell and so many other famous San
Francisco streets.

RN74 appears to be setting a different pace for the MIssion and
Front Street area however.  Last Friday, Marvelena and I got a
cab and went down to try out this newest creation of Michael
Mina's and team.  No sooner had the cab come to the curb in front
of the restaurant than a doorman was opening the taxi doors and
welcoming us to the restaurant.  We were surprised to say the
least.  Once inside, the attentiveness of the staff continued
unabated the entire evening. 

Eating at a Michael Mina restaurant is going to be a treat; that
pretty much goes without saying.  RN74 is no exception.  Their
menu has plenty of great seafood, meat and vegetarian selections.

I began dinner with the Grilled Monterey Bay Sardines, $14,
served with pieces of cauliflower, capers, cellery and balsamic
vinegar.  The serving size was huge, 8 whole sardines with heads
and tails, and quite frankly, it was a little much for me.  The
quality was phenomenal, but it was just more sardine than I'd
expected.  Any real sardine lover would be happy.

Marvelena began with the Sauteed Pork Belly and Stuffed Squash
Blossom, $16, served with heirloom tomatoes, bacon, basil, and
lemongrass.  She spared me one bite, and I'll have this if it's
available on our next visit.  The flavors blended beautifully and
the meat was cooked just right.

Then, we shared a final apetizer, the grilled quail, $15.  It
came with mission figs, cipollini onions, and a light sauce.  I
didn't particularly notice the accompaniments, but this is
probably because the quail was so delicious that they either
didn't matter or worked so well that it all just fit together.

For our main courses, Marvelena had the mushroom risotto and I
had the Liberty Farm duck breast.  The dishes were completely
different from one another, but both were excellent. 

There's lots more that could be said about the menu and the
service.  However, I'm hoping that some others will chime in
here.  It was all excellent and an experience I highly recommend
and intend to repeat.  Finally, they appear to have a Sunday Prix
Fix menu and the one posted on their website right now sure looks
tempting.

RN74
301 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: 415.543.7474

Comments

[Hayley]

Chris,

I think I'd categorize RN74 as more in SOMA than identifiable with the Mission - or the less favorable parts further down Mission Street. The new Milenium building that houses RN74 is quite spectacular and seems to have "classed" up the whole area.

And agreed, RN74's food is fantastic!

-Hayley