Mina Goes Pop-Up

Middle’terranea is culinary superstar Michael Mina’s modest and temporary endeavor in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow district, where he and Adam Sobel- the chef at Mina’s RN74– are mashing up Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors. At this point in his successful career- 26 restaurants to date- Mina could easily step away from the stove, but you will likely see him at this new experimental pop-up, which he called the MINA Test Kitchen. Having taken over a shuttered restaurant, and before coming up with a permanent plan, he decided to explore several future concepts, one at a time.

Chefs Adam Sobel and Michael Mina

The first temporary restaurant, Middle’terranea, opened July 23 and will continue four nights a week through Fall 2015. Diners can go online and buy tickets for the family-style dining experience: it’s $45 per person with an additional $30 for beverage pairings- highly recommended. MINA Test Kitchen serves up fresh flavors, where the standout item on the six-course menu is a flatbread that Mina revealed was the inspiration for the entire menu. Served with yogurt and layers of za-atar-cured salmon, shaved red onions, beets, and crispy fried zucchini chips, the Mediterranean taco required Mina to purchase a special oven that heats to 700 degrees and cooks this in about 10 seconds. I wouldn’t mind one of those in my kitchen, along with the James Beard Award-winning chef, of course. www.minatestkitchen.com