(continued)

Kenny:
So, any plan for another restaurant that is for meat eater?

Michael Mina:
We already have Charles Nob Hill on the corner of Clay and Jones (formerly Le Club). It has about 50 seats, a beautiful restaurant. A French-influenced California restaurant. The great chef, Ron Segal, was previously a sous-chef at French Laundary, and he worked with me at Aqua. Charles Nob Hill has been open for 2 1/2 years.

FrederickCooke: How would you characterize the differences between the New York and the Bay Area restaurant scenes?

Michael Mina:
As for restaurant scenes, I think the biggest differecne that you will find is in service. California is much less formal, as far as service is concerned. People are a bit more relaxed in SF. There are so many more people in NY, so you have many more high end restaurants in NY. SF has great ethnic restaurants and very fresh West Coast fish. There's great restaurants in both places. There's a lot to see in either city. The ny clientele, I think, is definitely more demanding.

FrederickCooke:
It seems like all star chefs end up being cookbook writers, do you have any plan to write a cookbook?

Michael Mina:
It's very time consuming to write a cookbook. I plan on getting started within the year, and it will probably take another year to get it published. It's definitely something that I really want to do.

gg:
How did you feel winning the James Beard Rising Star award? Has it had any effect on your career or your restaurant?

Michael Mina:
Absolutely. I felt great about the award. The immediate effect was a lot of business to the restaurant. The long term effect has been consistent business. I think that award helped give me credibility. People feel they'll have a great dining experience from beginning to end. Now it's our place to meet up to those expectations.

Kenny:
When I cook a delicate fish like cod, I cook it very plainly. What can I do to enhanced the flavor of the fish without overwhelming it?

Michael Mina: There's a lot of things you can do. Marinating is the best way -- make sure to use equal parts oil and other (herbs, shallots, etc.) with cod, 6 hours would be good. Then decide if you want it baked, grilled, sauteed...If you don't want to put a crust or anything like that on it, then enhance the flavor with a sauce. Cod is very flexible -- you can cook it almost anyway (bake, sautee, etc.).

FrederickCooke:
Are there any cookbooks that you would recommend to someone who is just starting to cook seafood at home?

Michael Mina:
Alfred Portale's new cookbook (Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook) is great for home use, as is David Burke's (Cooking with David Burke) and Jean-George's Simple Cuisine. Todd English also just put out a cookbook for Olives (The Olives Table). These all have a lot of seafood in them and are definitely good for home use.

gg:
How often do you change your menu? Do you find it hard to develop daily specials, since you never really know what's going to be especially exciting each day at the fish market?

Michael Mina:
Daily specials. We try to limit it to one appetizer and one entree. I keep about 30% of my menu in place, but I change the rest of the menu 4 to 5 times a year with the seasons for lunch and dinner both. Sometimes I also change a random dish here or there.

FrederickCooke:
Thank you Michael for chatting with us.

Michael Mina:
Thanks for coming everyone!