Diane’s Bloody Mary Bar from Michael Mina’s Tailgate inspires Bloodys, Bagels & Blues brunch pop-up on Greenwich Street in San Francisco
founder, Chef Michael Mina) will showcase her signature Bloody Marys served alongside Chef Adam Sobel’s brunch menu. Brunch service will begin with Sunday service from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with plans to open on Saturdays in the near future. Diane’s Bloody Mary Brunch will run concurrently with The Company, the dinner-only Indian pop-up from Rajat Parr and visiting Chef Vikrant Bhasin, which began service on March 1.
Diane’s Bloody Mary Bar, a very popular feature at Michael Mina’s Tailgate in Levi’s Stadium, inspired Diane’s Bloody Mary Brunch at The MINA Test Kitchen. Each handcrafted cocktail begins with hand-milled heirloom garden tomatoes, blended with a light dashi broth, then infused with herbaceous lovage. The tomato juice, combined with her own special elixir blend, creates the base upon which each Bloody Mary is built. Premium spirits are then added with fresh lemon juice, ripe olives, Tabasco and Worcestershire, along with a variety of garnishes, to create the perfect beverage. In addition to Diane’s Classic, with
Tito’s Vodka and garnished with Spanish Queen Olives, Peppadew piquant pepper, beef jerky, lemon, lime and a Tajin & Peppadew rim, Bloody Mary options include theMarina Gold with Breckenridge Distillery Bourbon Whiskey, garnished with a bacon-wrapped date, Tajin-spiced pineapple, orange, and a Tajin & Peppadew rim, and The Dirty Diane, with Del Maguey Mezcal and tomato juice blended with jalapeño puree and fresh lime juice, and garnished with thick cut bacon and a sea salt & chili powder rim. For the beer lover, Diane’s Michelada hits the spot, and is made with Pacifico beer, fresh tomato juice, fresh lime juice, Tajin, Maggi and Valentina (Mexican seasonings), and Peppadew dry spice. Mina also offers “The G.B.U. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” featuring three shots (tequila, sangrita, and beer) inspired by a hangover cure she was taught while traveling in Mexico.
Other cocktails on the menu at the pop-up include Ramos Gin Fizz, Mezcal-Rita, Champagne Cocktail, Bellini, Grapefruit Cooler, Bacon and Maple-Infused Bourbon Old Fashioned, Mimosas with three different flavors (blood orange, passionfruit, pomegranate), Brass Monkey, and an Aperol Style Negroni.
To accompany Diane’s Bloody Marys, Chef Sobel has created an enticing a la carte brunch menu that features delectable, shareable items such as Chicken Liver Pate on Challah with pickled ramps and preserved apricots; Jelly Donuts; and House Made Granola,with orange blossom labneh, market berries and peppermint. Other menu items include bagel breakfast sandwiches such as the Sobel Bros. Pastrami, Fried Egg, Hash Brown, Onion Bagel; Strawberry Challah French Toast with vanilla cream, strawberry jam and toasted pistachio; Local Asparagus Scramble with black truffle Camembert and polenta croutons; and the “MTK” Double Cheeseburger with caramelized onions, pickle, and mustard griddled bun.
Diane Mina has fond childhood
memories of spending time with her family on warm summer afternoons and watching the adults sip Bloody Marys. Years later, fascinated by the spicy concoction, she started creating her own recipe. With a love for her garden, which she now calls “Bella Mina Gardens,” Mina began growing forgotten herbs like lovage and created a one-of-a kind “Tomato Vineyard” with Russian Heirlooms. After 25 years of experimenting with garden-fresh ingredients and making Bloody Mary drinks, she crafted her own special Bloody Mary mix. Today Mina is widely recognized as a Bloody Mary connoisseur, and has served as a judge at the 2014 Drunken Tomato’s First Bloody Mary Festival in Brooklyn. During football season, you can find her serving up her delicious blend to 49ers fans at Diane’s Bloody Bar located at Michael Mina’s Tailgate inside Levi’s Stadium.
Reservations can be made at minatestkitchen.com or through RESY, and walk-ins are welcome. The MINA Test Kitchen is located at 2120 Greenwich Street, at Fillmore Street, in San Francisco. MINA Group took ownership of the 1,600-square-foot, cozy, inviting and fun space in 2015, which is the group’s first venture in the Cow Hollow neighborhood. The first pop-up to launch in The MINA Test Kitchen was Middle’terranea, which ran from July through October 2015, followed by Little Italy in the fall of 2015, and then The Company, which began March 1 and will run for several months.
Tickets to The MINA Test Kitchen pop-ups are available by visitingminatestkitchen.com. For information about booking a private event, please email events@minagroup.net or call 415-310-8371. For more information about The MINA Test Kitchen, please visit www.minatestkitchen.com. Follow The MINA Test Kitchen on Twitter and Instagram at @MInaTestKitchen. To learn more about Diane Mina, her garden, and Bloody Marys visit http://www.dianesbloodymary.com.
ABOUT MINA GROUP
Mina Group is a San Francisco-based restaurant management company specializing in creating and operating upscale, innovative restaurant concepts. Mina Group is led by Chef/Owner Michael Mina whose accolades include James Beard Foundation “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage” inductee in 2013, Bon Appétit Chef of the Year,Food Arts Silver Spoon Award Winner, San Francisco Magazine Chef of the Year, and International Food and Beverage Forum’s Restaurateur of the Year. Operating since 2002, Mina Group currently manages 28 concepts including MICHAEL MINA in San Francisco (Esquire Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year 2011); BOURBON STEAK and CLOCK BAR at The Westin St. Francis on Union Square in San Francisco; RN74 at Millennium Tower in San Francisco and RN74 at the Joshua Green Building in Seattle; PABU and THE RAMEN BAR at 101 California in San Francisco; BOURBON STEAK, BOURBON PUB and Michael Mina’s Tailgate at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara; STRIPSTEAK at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas; MICHAEL MINA Bellagio at Bellagio in Las Vegas; BARDOT BRASSERIE at Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas; MICHAEL MINA 74 and STRIPSTEAK at Fontainebleau Miami Beach; Locale Market and FarmTable Kitchen at Sundial St. Petersburg in Florida; and THE HANDLE BAR in Jackson Hole. For a complete list of restaurants please visit http://michaelmina.net.
Follow Michael Mina on Facebook at Michael Mina, twitter @ChefMichaelMina and Instagram at @ChefMichaelMina.