Michael Mina Restaurant Revamps With New Executive Chef and Lead Sommelier

Michael Mina may be better known for Bourbon Steak or RN74, but his eponymous restaurant Michael Mina is also his flagship, and some changes are afoot at the top spot. Longtime executive chef Ron Siegel will be leaving the restaurant at the end of the month to plan a North Bay project, and chef Raj Dixit is stepping up to take his place.

Dixit joins from the Mina Group’s Stonehill Tavern restaurant in Orange County, and he said the move has been a long time coming. "Michael kind of put a bug in my ear and I considered it, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make that jump into SF at that time, and then he brought it up again, and the timing was right for me personally," Dixit told Eater. Dixit plans to take it slow, using the first few weeks to learn the vendors and team. He describes his palate as "feminine" and "delicate," while will eventually infuse itself into the menu. "I like to cook bold, but with restraint. I like to make things when you taste them really, really deep and bring out really, really strong flavors from the ingredients," he said. Dixit will officially take over the kitchen in early February.

On the drinks side, new lead sommelier Martin Sheehan-Stross (Wayfare Tavern, Gary Danko, Spruce) is taking over wine operations. Former lead sommelier Rajat Parr is now the Mina Group’s corporate wine director, and while he’ll still be working on the program, Sheehan-Stross is now the man in charge. He’ll be especially focusing on growing the the burgundy, bordeaux and champagne selections, and he’s already starting a burgundy dinner series. On Tuesday, January 26, Wednesday, February 17 and Tuesday, March 1, three different winemakers will pour to match a four-course meal for $295. Email for a reservation.