It seems innocuous enough, the addition of the word “tavern” to Michael Mina’s Nobhill at MGM Grand. Nobhill, Mina’s homage to San Francisco eateries, has flown under the radar the past couple of years, though Mina and Executive Chef Sven Mede’s food has consistently been stellar. Calling it a “tavern,” it seems, is an attempt to rebrand the restaurant with a more social atmosphere with an emphasis on interesting cocktails that pair with food as well as any of their wines can.

The music is what we first noticed here, and that’s a good thing. Slightly louder than most restaurants (but certainly not at club-like decibels), the songs are an eclectic mix of chill, mellow tunes that made everyone happy, including one of our dining companions whom, after every song started, sighed “I love this song!” Ranging from soul to modern alt rock, the score to the evening seems to come from that perfect jukebox you’d have while throwing a party at your house.

Nobhill Tavern is one of the few venues that carry ginger beer, an important component to Vices2’s favorite cocktail, the Moscow Mule. A combination of the aforementioned ginger beer and cucumber-infused and organic Square One vodka, then finished with a splash of lime, the libation is crisp, slightly citrus and refreshing. Paired with our first course of unbelievably clean-tasting tai sashimi served with American caviar, a whisper of truffle and green apple, complementary flavors emerge from both the cocktail and the dish.

The tasting trio, one of Mina’s signature presentations, showcases ingredients in three different manners. Our first trio of vegetables, highlighted some of the best of the garden that day, including a portion of heirloom tomato, peppery arugula, iberico ham and creamy burrata cheese. Hidden underneath was a juicy piece of watermelon that had been dried in a cryovac. The technique pulls the moisture from the watermelon, leaving behind fruit with a crisp texture but intense watermelon flavor. This and the trio of American Kobe accompanied the Yuzu Drop, their version of the lemon drop made with Hangar One Citron vodka. Yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit resembling a tiny grapefruit, is tart on its own, but when mixed with a bit of rock candy syrup in the yuzu drop, the flavor smoothes out.

The treatment of Kobe includes a rich version of pho, a perfectly seasoned tartare with pita bread, and a gorgeously seared tataki served with matsutaki mushrooms. Earthy but decadent, the lushness of the Kobe is cut nicely with the acid from the yuzu cocktail.

North Beach Cioppino has been a mainstay on the Nobhill menu, offering impossibly fresh seafood in a fragrant, spicy tomato broth. Leblon caipirinhas, made with Leblon cachaça, a sugar cane rum, which is muddled with rock candy and plenty of limes, balance the succulence of the seafood and the aromatic broth. Caipirinhas also worked well with the sea bream, served with herbaceous cilantro rice, clams and bold chorizo broth.

The Cable Car finished off our meal (before we were finished off by the cocktails), but Nobhill Tavern’s signature version added an even sweeter element to our dessert. Rather than a rim dipped in simply cinnamon, as a regular cable car is, this incarnation features both cinnamon and sugar on the rim, brûléed to create a sweet crust around the glass.

We at Vices2 have always liked going to bars and restaurants that don’t feel like they’re on the Strip, but still have a sense of sophistication about them. Nobhill Tavern seeks to carve out a niche for those of us who know that there’s more to a social life than trendy martini bars.

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