Merry Christmas, Michael Mina

By JULIETTE ROSSANT You know it's been worth the struggle when, after a city-wide strike, one of your restaurant reopens with a flourish, while another makes end-of-year mention in a nation-wide magazine like TIME. This is how much of the year has gone for chef Michael Mina. After he opened the new Restaurant Michael Mina (see previous article, "The Rise of Restaurant Michael Mina") in San Francisco, backed by tennis god Andre Agassi and survived the strike, he reopened Aqua Las Vegas (after retaining all the Las Vegas properties following his fall-out with partner Charles Condy) as Michael Mina Bellagio, thanks to pal Gamal Aziz, long-time admirer -- and president of the MGM Grand. TIME wrote: In Las Vegas, Aqua restaurant is being reworked as Michael Mina Bellagio, with chef Mina infusing the menu with the distinctive flavor combinations from his signature restaurant in San Francisco. Perhaps the surest bet in a city that loves to gamble: the new Michael Mina Bellagio will be worth checking out. Nice! Merry Christmas, Michael. Merry Christmas, everyone. Previous articles: Restaurant Michael Mina Resurfaces World AIDS Day I: Michael Mina Michael Mina Meets SF Unions Maturely Agassi's Star Palate: Michael Mina The Rise of Restaurant Michael Mina