Manresa Restaurant
- Hours:
Wed-Thu 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 5:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. - Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
220 Reviews for Manresa Restaurant
Never been to a more accommodating place. 10 million stars for the service.
The food is avant guard. I am more traditional. I prefer Gary Danko because of this, but this place ain't second banana to Danko(!).
10 stars! 10 stars!
I have gotten so spoiled by good SF/Bay Area eating, it's hard for restaurants to impress me. But Manresa blew me away. (Blew my boyfriend away too... and he's a tough cookie to impress too!)
I took my boyfriend there for his birthday. We had the tasting menu. It was so interesting because there isn't a set menu - you get what the chef prepares, and it's usually between 12 to 15 courses (we had 15, I think). Okay, I admit, $145 per person is a bit pricey, but it was worth every penny. I have no regrets.
The dishes we were served were unlike anything we ever tasted. It was such simple stuff, like tomatoes in a light creamy soup. Sounds uninteresting, right? It is, until it's in your mouth, then you're like, whoa, what was that?!? The presentation of all the dishes was so elegent. And the staff! Warm and friendly, takes really good care of you, without being overbearing.
It was a great night, I couldn't recommend this place more.
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Manresa is an intimate beautifully enticing warm & romantic spot to share a lovely meal with someone special. It is not however, a place for children, a place for business meetings, or a destination if you are hungry.
All 95 pounds of me were unsated after our three hours of eating. Some of the dishes were outstanding as the chef creates a mini-meal unto each plate he & his team prepare -- sweet, salty, sour, bitter & umami flavors giving the tongue a completely gratifying experience. Middle eastern dishes purport to do this exceptionally well--afterwards, you do not crave the sweet dessert, since you just ate dates or magoes in your savory meat dish. Unfortunately, Manresa, like "The Little Girl" can exclaim only this:
When she was good,
She was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.
Manresa was not always successful in their lofty endeavors.
The Arpeges' Egg was creamy, salty, sweet & delectable---a veritable orgasm for the mouth... ooo la la...sherry, maple, an organic green shelled egg... a prime example of what haute cuisine is & should be.
The heirloom & corn salad was another success story-- who knew veggies could substitute as dessert? This was an appetizer, but was as gratifying as any chocolate decadence... with far fewer calories!
But please do not feed me rubber squab slathered with goo in order to keep the trend alive... the fish --perhaps sturgeon was also disappointing.
So, the dishes are rated either 9.5, nearly perfect or so awful that I foisted them off to my dining partner... practically a 0. No middle ground at this place--love it or hate it.
Next time, I shall have a 4 course tasting with 4 heirloom salads please!
Everything, everything about this place blew me away!!! I even joined Yelp just so I can write a review for it, the experience was that amazing!
My friend and I tried the tasting menu on Aug 8th. Expensive, but totally worth it for anyone who is a foodie at heart! Here is a list of what we had that evening. Many WOW moments, everything was well prepared, well presented, well surprised! :)
Petit fours "red pepper-black olive"
Sweet corn croquettes
Cool melon soup confit, almond tofu
Arpege farm egg
Marinated shellfish in a bonito broth, fragrant green curry oil
Tomatoes, both raw and cooked, smoked roe with roast tuna consommé
Potimarron pumpkin soup, nasturtium ice cream
Into the vegetable garden...
Roast monkfish in a young garlic bouillon, seaweed persillade
Sweetbreads, roasted whole, stewed onions and morels, lemongrass
Roast lamb with eggplant and dates, anis hyssop
Honey bavarois, raspberry sorbet with plums
Black sesame cake and lime sorbet, figs with peanut-sesame praline
Milk chocolate-coffee vacherin with cinnamon and blackberries
Petit fours "strawberry-chocolate"
Wanted a copy of the tasting menu of that night at the end of our dinner. However, they were too busy at the time to prepare one for me, but asked me to leave my email address so they can send it to me that way. On our way out, they even gave me some nice Manresa stationary just so if I want, I can print the tasting menu on their paper. How thoughtful! And guess what, that same evening, I received an email from David Kinch himself!!! Again, warm greeting and menu as an email attachment file :)
I heart Manresa!!! You should try it, too!
kudos: BC, thanks for the treat! :P
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Successfully adventurous food, perfect service, beautiful restaurant, wonderful experience.
***note: this is a rolling review - expanded, full review soon***
Los Gatos is beautiful (aside from the Highway 17 traffic) and Manresa is gorgeous inside and outside.
I will say this: those used to fancy dinners being something like dropping $1,000 on steaks and big bottles of red wine may not like this place - there was no beef to be had on the menu, and the flavors were not your standard seared New York strip with salt and pepper.
Aside from the signature egg amuse bouche (a lightly cooked egg with stuff swirled in it? I tried it, and it scared me...), everything was both unusual and amazing. My wife and I enjoyed the four course dinner. I had mine with the premium wine pairing.
Our waiter delighted us with perfect service. He knew all about the dishes and their ingredients. He knew all about the wines. He was able to answer all of our questions politely and in a down-to-earth manner. He knew that it was a birthday dinner, and put a tasteful candle on the right dessert. Don't worry: no singing happy birthday torture!
The bill, well, the bill was high. But we pretty much knew that going in. Next time, after winning a lottery, I will go for the full tasting menu and order all the Harlan Estates I can find on the wine list... :-)
My husband and I dined at Manresa for our anniversary. We're both foodies and wine lovers and have eaten at some pretty great restaurants - French Laundry, Tru in Chicago, Picasso in Las Vegas, and several reputed restaurants in Paris - and we're always looking for that next food and wine "high". Despite Manresa's great reviews (and Michelin stars), I was a little hesitant about eating here as two couples we know who had eaten at the restaurant did not like it at all (they both said the food was too weird and that they left hungry).
I am happy to say that our dinner at Manresa was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. The room is a comfortable and calm oasis. The service was perfect - professional in the extreme but not pretentious. And the food....I don't remember everything that I ate but I do remember that everything was fabulous. Exquisite ingredients that are combined in innovative ways and then perfectly cooked - just amazing. We had the full tasting menu along with the wine pairing and I thought the food portions and the wine pours were just right. I love tasting menus but often find myself so full towards the end of the meal that I "give up" - but not here at Manresa. I was so happy that I was able to eat everything as I would have hated to have missed one single bite!
By the way, yes it is expensive, but worth every penny.
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My wife and I went with a couple of friends to Manresa last night. All I have to say is: WOW.
The place is unbelievable - but pricey. Meal was $160/head + $80/head for the standard wine pairing for the tasting menu. Make sure you ask them how they compare to French Laundry - the lack of a three-star Michelin rating gets their spirit fired up to take extra special care of you ;-) They took us all in to meet the entire team including the chef and it was an outstanding experience.
Turned out to be 14 small courses and 10 different wines. Needless to say we stumbled away from the joint. The food was ridiculously good. Here's what we had:
Petit fours "red peper-black olive"
Garden barbajuans
Courgette sorbet, pistachio vinaigrette
Arpege farm egg
Marinated shellfish in a bonito broth, fragrant green curry oil
Tomatoes with smoked roe and roast tune consomme
Pumpkin veloute petit rouge, nasturtium ice cream
Roast Atlantic code in a young garlic bouillon with seaweed persillade
Squab poached and then roasted with braised garden greens and tart morello cherry
Roast lamb with garden vegetable roots with chanterelles and savory butter
Strawberry parfait, sorrel consomme and olive oil ice cream
Young coconut tart with condensed milk and plums
Blackberries and bitter chocolate, caramel popcorn croustillant
Petit fours strawberry-chocolate
And the wine pairings:
2004 Bailly-Lapierre Cremant de Bourgogne
2006 Oreka Txomin, Gipuzkoa Spain
2007 Ca'Del Solo Muscat Monterey County
2006 Eugene Carrel Jacquere Jongieux Savoie
2007 Domaine de Salvard Sauvignon Blanc Cheverny France
2003 Zind-Humbrecht Pino D'Alscae Alsace
2006 Domaine Mastracchi E Prove Blanc Vermentio Corsica
2005 Bodegas Victoria Pardina Tempranillo Carinena
2006 Cheateau Sainte-Marie Bordeaux Superieur
Blandy's 5 Year Old Madeira Malmsey
If anyone is interested I found the Michelin guide for the Bay area online:
http://sfgourmet.blogs...
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This was the the last meal on my USA tour and I had specifically chosen Manresa to be my abiding memory of US cuisine. I've been drawn to more cutting edge cuisine of late and David Kinch's style seemed to have this philosophy.
Despite booking from the UK, the reservation process was painless and all e-mails were promptly replied. Do pay careful attention to their driving instructions which contain some very useful tips for finding the restaurant, which is located on a side street and also for free parking.
It's amazing for such an amazing restaurant to be located in such a non presumptuous setting in Los Gatos. The interior was classy and the service was first-rate, attentive and friendly without being stuffy and overbearing.
My only disappointment with the whole evening was with my hydrosol drink. I was told that there wouldn't be much taste but despite the addition of extra hydrosol drops, there really wasn't much taste.
There was only one way to order - I had to put myself into Chef Kinch's hands with his tasting menu. I listed 17 awesome courses in my notes, all presented with the modern predisposition for edible flowers to adorn and garnish - it still blows my mind to think that all the varied elements on the plate were all individually and deliberately placed there by hand.
1. Red pepper madelaine with black olive gelee. Lovely savoury flavours in what are usually dessert courses.
2. Smoked mackarel ganache in a light puff ball. Very light but full of flavour.
3. Arctic char beggar's purse with gold leaf. Decadent fishy version of an old Chinese restaurant favourite!
4. Glass with foie gras at the bottom, ceps with truffle oil topped with flowering coriander. Yum. Can't go wrong with those ingredients!
5. The Manresa signature eggshell filled with egg, maple syrup and whipped cream. Eats much better than it reads! It must be the signature dish for a reason!
6. Assortment of shellfish wih green peas. I spotted abalone and octopus amongst the mix and first appearance of those edible flowers. Perfectly cooked seafood.
7. Aji mackarel served cold with an amazing sweet, slightly tart sauce. Wow! My favourite dish and a wonderful way to serve this fish.
8. Into the garden - an assortment of fresh veg in amazing presentation.
9. Wonderfully mushroomy porcini soup decanted from teapot over turnip.
10. Monterey Bay Tidal Pool. Poached foie gras with abalone. Another wow dish. I especially liked the new taste of poached foie gras - I've usually had it seared.
11. Cocoha, white bean foam and elephant garlic chips.
12. Roast rabbit, served with apple sauce and asparagus. COuld maybe have done with a touch more seasoning.
13. Milk fed spring lamb, beautifully poached and given some zing with Indian spices.
14. Yogurt sorbet, apricot granita. Excellent flavoursome palate cleanser.
15. Strawberries & cream. Excellent blend of fresh strawberry, crumbly shortbread, strawberry foam, yogurt and Meyer lemon sugar.
16. Coffee mousse, raspberry sorbet & Graham crackers.
17. Spoiler alert!! To finish off the meal, chocolate medlaine and berry gelee looking exactly like the first amuse but sweet!
The whole experience was top notch. Cutlery was changed between every course and my napkin was refolded on my one visit to the bathroom.
I had the privilege to drop into the kitchen to thank Chef Kinch and his brigade for a wonderful evening. Nothing but the highest praise.
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Manresa was one of the restaurants named in the Michelin Guide (a popular food guide), so I decided to try it. To sum it up, I was so impressed by the attentive staff (knowledgeable, friendly, and since this was my first time in the restaurant , they made me feel welcomed and comfortable and I was even given a tour of the kitchen - nice touch), the food (presentation and flavors were really amazing), and the ambiance (beautiful decor and appropriate mood lighting). This is a special place to bring your significant other to celebrate valentines day, anniversary, birthday etc!
I have a good story for you.
It's about how my boyfriend (at the time) planned this wonderful meal at Manresa. He read the Yelp reviews, he knew about the 2 Star Michelin rating, he looked at the menu online...
Well, his car broke down that day... but he insisted we still go. So we got a rental, running a bit late rushed to Los Gatos for what we hoped to be an incredible meal.
They neglected to tell us that there was no rush, that the whole restaurant was empty.. So we rushed to get there and were about 20 minutes late, max. It was the earliest reservation of the night.
The menu sounded incredible! But, well, long story short we just weren't that impressed. We are self-proclaimed foodies but more than one dish featuring foam just does not impress us much ... at all.
We felt the food was over salted and had too much cream.
Worst of all (and I was famished) I barely touched most of my courses and no one seemed to care. No, how is everything, they never really asked or if they did didn't seem to notice we weren't that into it. That one gets me especially.
The bill arrived, it was expensive, as expected, but just not worth it.
Will say the wine was good and some courses were decent, but all together "Meh. I've experienced better." I want to give them a higher rating for the wine and half decent courses but all in all I have to go w/the 1 since I will never recommend Manresa to anyone.
I could tell you the longer version but the short one is, he made a game time decision to wait a few more days and cooked his own amazing meal for me. We're happily engaged now... Just a few days later than we would have had the meal been just a bit more palatable!
Makes a good story at least. Maybe you'll like Manresa, but it wasn't our thing.
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I understand why they have 2 stars. The food is inventive, unique, and thought out. The service is impeccable. In all, it's an extreme pleasure to dine at Manresa. You can spend 4.5 hours at this restaurant and not want it to end.
But perhaps I didn't want it to end because I was waiting for the "wow!" moment (and sitting one table over from Harry Shearer and his wife doesn't count!).
I will not list the many, many dishes served. Our tasting menu matched many of the reviews below. I will agree with some of the comments. The food is too salty. I like salt, but it was just a bit too much. In some places, too much cream or butter was used. It can be off-putting when one is used to more delicate flavors. I understand that these aspects may be part of the chef's perspective, but many people at the table had the same complaint.
Other times, the dish missed the mark. The egg, the signature dish, soft boiled, with creme and chives, was remarkably like an egg with cream cheese and chives. The monkfish with abalone was tough. The monkfish wasn't cooked through, which I trust was intentional, but it was not to my liking. The lamb chop was beautifully cooked -- the best I've had it -- but it barely resembled lamb in flavor. In the blackberry dessert, there was a frozen component that simply shouldn't have been served; it was icy and crystallized.
There were many positives. The several amuse bouches were lovely. The olive cookie could have just as easily been in the dessert section. The salad ("into the garden") was an amazing combination of greens you'll likely never otherwise encounter. Despite too much butter, the squash with foie soup was very agreeable. The veal sweetbreads with morel was divine. Like meaty foie gras on top of meaty mushroom. And the cherry served with it was a master touch.
Despite all this, I left thinking I wasn't floored. My eyes were not suddenly forced open in revelation. I expect this to happen at a restaurant of such caliber, but I left wanting.
*************
I meant to visit Manresa for quite sometimes, but never got into it until recently with my Mom. My parents love fine food as much as I do or should say I become a foodie because of my parents ;-) Either way, we got to come here with the expectation of a 2 Michelin Stars from chef David Kinch, a rare 2 stars for the South Bay besides Chez TJ in Mountain View.
Beautiful restaurant with rustic copper sign, gorgeous little garden outside reminded me of a French cottage. From the moment we got in till the end of our meal, the service was perfect - attentive without being overbearing.
Each entree was presented and taken away at the perfect time in between. All dishes were very fresh, with clean flavors, simple presentation, and executed quite well.
So here is what a 'Seasonal Tasting Menu" 15 courses from Manresa:
Amuse Bouche #1: Black Olive Madeleines and Red Pepper Gelée. Absolutely a delish dish!
Amuse Bouche #2: A splendid spoonful of Bluefin Toro Tartare. It was this lovely tiny melt-in-your-mouth cube of Chestnut and Foie Gras Croquette presented on a tray by our waiter. OH LA LA!
Amuse Bouche #3: Oyster and Uni in its own Gelée. Stunning presentation, delectable taste.
Amuse Bouche #4: Arpege Egg with Maple Syrup, Sherry Vinegar, and Whipped Cream! Sweet, sour, and a bit of everything in between.
Main Course #1: Pistachio and Foie Gras Royale. Me + Foie Gras = inseparable!
Main Course #2: Striped Jack Sashimi topped with Shiro Dashi and Nori. Surprisingly she doesn't care much for sashimi normally, but my mom loves this dish.
Main Course #3: a Scallop Stew with Tripe, served in its own shell.
Main Course #4: Black Cod from the Plancha Topped with Vanilla Foam. Tasty, cooked to perfection!
Main course #5 Roasted veal sweetbreads with sliced Granny Smith apples and softened scallions. The server pours onion consomme around the sweetbreads at the table. Reminded me a dish that I tried at Per Se before.
Main Course #6: Poussin accompanied by a Hazelnut Sauce.
Main Course #7: Dry Aged Beef, Escargot Ravioli, and Spinach. My mom finished this dish in a heart bit!
Dessert #1: Caramelized Banana with Banana Ice Cream. My mom is a sucker for ice cream, gelato you name it - this was so refreshingly yummy for her.
Dessert #2: Rice Pudding with Cherries and Pistachio Ice Cream.
Dessert #3: Bittersweet Chocolate Souffle with Kumquat accompanied by White Coffee Ice Cream atop a Chocolate Crisp. The only dish I tried because of White Coffee!
Dessert #4: Chocolate Madeleines and Strawberry Gelée.
For between $145-$165 per person depends on the ingridients at Manresa, reasonable compare to Michael Mina or Cyrus for a 2 Michelin Stars, & you will surely have a memorable meal with your mom!
Note: They have the coolest decanter & corkage fee is only $35!
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Very disappointing. First visited with my (foodie) brother when I was still living on the East Coast. On the same trip we visited the highly recommendable Boulevard (SF) and L'Auberge du Soleil (Napa Valley), and the very decent Chez Panisse (Berkeley) and Range (SF). Manresa was the only true disappointment, and that despite it being the only restaurant on our visit having two Michelin stars (the other ones I mentioned all have only one).
First of all, the location is awful. I feel like I'm eating at some dive in an alleyway (which, don't get me wrong, is very enjoyable, but doesn't cost hundreds of dollars). I'm not a big fan of the interior, but can't say that there are any objective objections one could have against it. Here's where I really disliked Manresa though: the menu is snobby - they really enjoy using culinary terms that require a lot of questions from the diner. As a matter of fact, I don't want to sound snobby myself, but I've been to a fair share of nice restaurants in my life and have never had to ask as many questions about the menu as I have here. At this point, I was still optimistic though, eager to get to taste new things (I just blamed not understanding a lot of the menu on being tragically unhip).
My first course finished my appetite though. The abalone I had was the saltiest thing I've ever eaten; I could still taste the salt as we were ordering dessert, a few courses later. The sauce on my meat dish was also particularly unimpressive (as in, bland). All the other dishes were unmemorable either way (not bad at all, but not -well- memorably good either).
The dining room was also empty by the time we started our first course, which is rather disappointing. Partly because of this, the service was very overbearing. At any point in time, three members of the waitstaff would be watching us, making sure to be there a mere second after finishing a course. I also thought service was unnecessarily formal (I like formal service, but not 19th-century formal, particularly the monotone haughty tone it comes with).
I'm sorry, Manresa, there are restaurants where I wouldn't mind spending half my yearly salary once in a while, but you ain't one of them.
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Beautiful food - beautifully presented... lovely decor - feels like home... service is excellent - polite and friendly.
Anyone who appreciates bold, unique flavors will love this place. Every ingredient has a reason to be on the plate. The garden salad plate was like fireworks in my mouth, every bite was different and exciting and oh so good. I also love the fact that they grow all of their own vegetables. The rabbit I didn't care too much for but the lamb was excellent. Oh, not to mention the dessert so sweet, so decadent I want more more more.
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Spanish basque? This is more like Spanish basque of crap!
Small portions of finger food, some uncooked, some over cooked!
This is more like a learning center for cooking under the influence.
or H.O.P.E, the new American cuisine!
Need I say more? We wasted our money here twice!
I know... trick us once, shame on you! Trick us twice, shame on us!
Should of bought Jimmy Choos!
What a disappointment!
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One of the perks of having parents that are foodies and live several states away is that anytime you get together it is a big deal and usually and occasion for dinner some place really good. This time we decided on Manresa.
My parents had been before and done the tasting menu. Even though they advertise it as like a nine course menu, it ended up being 17 courses after the amuse bouche and dessert. They ended up uncomfortably stuffed and decided that this time around we'd do the 4 course menu instead of the tasting. We orchestrated our selections so that we ended up getting all of the dishes on the menu save for 2 and then shared everything. I think everyone was a little freaked out when they saw our table get a dish, take 2 or 3 bites and then pass it to the next person, but whatever.
The food was incredible. I decided to take a break from my jack ass food blogger self and just enjoy the meal, so i took no pictures and left without a menu. I also can't remember 1/2 of the stuff we other than to say it was incredible.
We had 'The Egg', which comes with maple syrup on the bottom and is the perfect sweet/salty combo. As weird as it sounds, i could have done with a little less of this dish. I loved it, but after 4 or 5 bites, i was ready to fill myself with something else.
The veal sweetbreads with morels was incredible. My mom and GF didn't like the texture of the sweetbreads, but thats more an issue of taste rather than execution by the chef. I thought the dish was great, probably by favorite of the night.
We also got a squash blossom dish that had some caramelized sugar on the bottom of the plate and was served with ice cream, and then a warm sauce poured over the top. It was one of those great dishes that mixes contrasting flavors, temperatures, and textures. I would never have thought of that flavor combination. Luckily, i was the first person to get this dish, by the time it made its way to the last person the contrasts were obviously less pronounced.
We had a dish that was just carrots and carrot puree that was incredible, and it was just carrots. Amazing.
There was also a guinea hen dish that had a great sauce paired with guinea hen that had been perfectly cooked and was nice and juicy.
All of the fish dishes were fantastic as well. The john dory was my favorite though.
All of the desserts were also really great, and not your typical creme broulee, flourless chocolate cake, gelato or sorbet with fruit, etc.
I could go on and on trying to remember these dishes but i won't.
The service was fantastic. Professional and thoughtful, but not annoying. The waiters poured our wine, which i normally have a problem with, but they worked it out perfectly so that we finished the white with the fish courses and began the red wine with the meat courses. Two bottles for 4 people over four hours is stretching the wine much more than i anticipated.
Our waitress was attentive, but not overly so. The talked enough to be personal but not enough that it was annoying.
I really liked the mellow and casual atmosphere of the whole place. Some people have complained about it feeling stuffy, but i didn't get that feeling at all. The staff was really great, and the maitre d even offered to take us on a tour of the kitchen (which was really neat).
Overall it was a really cool experience. While not all of the food created a strong emotional reaction of 'Holy sh!t! This is incredible', it was much more of an intellectual reaction of "i've never tasted anything like this before, i would have never thought of this flavor combination, how did he do this?" I can see how someone who isn't a big foodie could come here and not be wowed, thinking that it was just weird. But if you are someone that picks up on nuance and like whimsical dishes, you're pretty sure to enjoy this place.
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Our bill came to $900 for a party of four. Ouch! Food was wonderful, but the service was really mediocre and the yuppity vibe was a bit too much to handle. I would only suggest this place if you're extremely well off and have money to burn.
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The food was surely exciting, but was sooo expensive! My parents took me here for graduation and I felt so guilty to take 2 meat and potatoes fans to this restaurant. My dad passed over the raw egg with foam and maple syrup.
Go with people who love food and love to spend money on food. But, I don't think it was worth the money.
So I had really high expectations for Manresa, and I think it was one of the few restaurants that I left feeling sad that I had spent so much money for something so "A-OK."
Let me preface by saying that this was a 600+ meal for two people. We had the tasting menu, with paired wines. Everything was VERY VERY unique, and while some dishes were very good (but not out of this world) there were some dishes that just didn't taste right. BTW all of the amuse bouche's are grrrreaaat.
We were most disappointed by the dessert. There were three main desserts, and after ~14 or so savory dishes, all we wanted was something sweet. But every single one was salty. Even the chocolate dessert was savory. Even the caramels given out at the end were salty. (sea salt)
That being said, the service here is the most professional I've ever had. There isn't even a close 2nd. There are places where the service is very FRIENDLY, but here you feel like royalty. The only thing slightly offputting was that towards the end, the pacing of the dishes got really slow. And since we were not feeling the desserts so much, it was like slow torture, hoping the next dessert would be better but no, and then again, but SIKKE.
Anyways, I'm glad I've been here once (esp b/c of the service), because if I hadn't I'd always wonder, but I'm not planning to return until the menu changes up a little more. I'd be best spending money going to chez tj twice, or 231 ellsworth three times.
well, it definitely ain't cheap for damn sure but the place is beautiful all around. The setting is wonder full, and the food is superbly executed. Most of the produce comes from it's own farm that uses some cutting edge practice that I forget the name of at the moment. Bio-something or other. The meats are all cooked to perfection. all as it should be.
I had an abalone and fois gras dish that was phenomenal. The the non tasting menu items come with amuses, but I have to say for the prices they are charging they damn well better! The first amuse we had was a soft cooked egg with a maple/chive sauce.....it was illuminating.
The Wine list is also very well put together and the someiller really knows his stuff.
I wish I had pictures of the food I had here because every dish was so beautiful you could frame it. ... I refer to this place as the southern french laundry and if you ever go there you will find out why.
When: Sat, May 31, 2008
Time: 9 pm
Occassion: Birthday
Very disappointing. Food was either too simplistic or too creative. The only thing that saved the day was wine pairing worked well. Service was below par - our waitress never checked our pulse. It was like - I don't have to kiss up to you, because you should feel privileged to have the opportunity to eat here. We had to ask for bread, and when the bread came, they neglected to serve one of us.
We had the tasting menu:
3 amuse bouche
- olive madeleine
- siumai
- half boiled egg
7 courses
- fish shell with peas
- mackerel with celery ice shave
- into the garden
- cod
- foies gras and uni soup
- chicken with green apple sauce
- lamb with indian seasoning
3 desserts
- sorbet
- strawberry with whipped cream
- white chocolate and dark chocolate (highlight of the meal)
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I went here for the 1st time a few weeks ago with the hubby to celebrate our anniversary. I wouldn't have wanted to spend the night eating anywhere else. AMAZING
The 3.5 hour parade of food seems overwhelming in hind sight, but they do it all just right here. It was all fresh, delicious, seasonal and perfectly cooked. I cook a lot, and I can honestly say, I do not think I could have made anything that was on the menu myself (that makes paying so much for a meal seem much more justified). The service was fantastic, as was the ambiance. I have not stopped thinking about my meal since we went there.
I only wish I could afford to eat here every month...
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1 yr wedding anniversary dinner...chef's special tasting menu with premium wine tasting - 4 hour taste of heavenly flavors...total bill almost $600 bux...the experience - priceless
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So many different folks have raved about Manresa and their Michelin star rating. I was expecting this great meal but I never got it. Our table wasn't ready so we must milled around a little in front of the restaurant. Once you sit down, the atmosphere is very nice. There were 6 of us and we were seated at this nice big round table.
None of the dishes were memorable, except the dessert. I ordered the souffle and I distinctly remember it tasting eggy! YUCK! Looks like someone may have forgotten to put in the souffle order earlier in the night. Throughout the meal, we were waiting for the next course. We would sit there with our empty plates or with no plates. Maybe it was b/c I was with a large group. All I know was the dinner took over 4 hours, but felt like 8.
Maybe our waitress was new b/c she was a HOT MESS! She looked distracted and overwhelmed.
I really wanted to enjoy this restaurant, especially after seeing the bill. I wouldn't waste my $ on Manresa.
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All I can say is WOW! Your meal is definitely an event there and is pure theater. We went for a late dinner with 6 in our party. They warned us that the full tasting would be at least 3.5 hours so we opted for the 4 course dinner. We picked a white wine and the friends we were with brought a special bottle of cabarnet. If you must bring a bottle of wine, I suggest you buy a bottle there too to offset the $25+ corkage. They comp it for the first bottle of wine you buy.
Back to the food...they started us off with 3 amuse bouches. 2 more than I was expecting but enjoyed all of it.
The first amuse was a strawberry gazpacho. It was not as sweet as I thought it would be so it was a great first. The second was a fried beet ravioli with beets from their garden. While delicious, it did not compare with the 3rd amuse...a soft boiled egg with maple syrup and some other spices. Yes...I know what you're thinking...maple syrup. We were a little skeptical but once it was in your mouth, you could not wonder anymore.
Now on to the main event...there was a lot of seafood in the menu. I can only focus on what I ordered:
First Course - a sashimi dish I was not expecting to be on the menu before I became more familiar with the restaurant but after reading some sfgate articles recently, I had to try it.
Second Course - an abalone dish that was much better than an abalone dish I've had in the North Beach years ago. This was a $10 up charge.
Third Course - I had a lamb dish that was very good. I wish I could describe it more since it really was good.
For dessert, I had an apricot ice cream that was nice and light...although after seeing the chocolate desserts on the table, I started to have second thoughts. So I was pleasantly surprised with they brought out chocolate truffles to send us home and salted caramels on the way out.
All in all, it's not a place I would go to regularly but it was really worth the time and money. The wait staff and sommelier were very friendly and attentive but not stuffy.
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Simply the best finest cuisine in the area. I feel fortunate that it is in my backyard. My boyfriend and I go here on special occasions. I have visited three times now. The main thing I noticed was the environment. For such an upscale experience, it doesnt feel stuffy. The service has always been wonderful. I love getting the seasonal menus emailed to me. While I cannot afford to go every month, I like to see what they are serving on the menu. The chef is a true artist and I will return as often as my pocket book allows me!!!
We were recently here for 15th wedding anniversary. It is maybe the 6th or 7th time we've been to Manresa. Every time has been very good, but there was something about this chef's tasting that stood out. In particular the "Into the vegetable Garden" salad. To call it a salad doesn't do the dish justice. Each bite of it was different than the last. It was incredible. The wood pigeon was also a stand out. One thing I've noticed about Manresa is that each food item's taste is like the epitome of what that item is. The beets are the beetiest, the strawbs are the strawberriest, etc. David Kinch is gifted.
I think that this place is very good but the fish courses just missed the mark. The appetizers were more interesting than good. The entrees were terrific. Usually, in top restaurants, the appetizers and fish courses are the show stoppers and the entrees are more ordinary. Go figure.
I'm not sure that is one of the top 10 restaurants in the US. Before the entrees, I was underwhelmed.
Amuse Buche
Ginger lemongrass tissane - in shot glass
sweet pea filled croquette - very good
soft boiled egg with maple syrup - this was good but a copy of Alain Passard's original
Appetizers
asparagus, truffle puree, black trumpets and duck egg - elegant
veloutee of garden greens, fois gras and pickled wild onions - very good
steelhead salmon confit, horseradish custard, preserved plum and sorrel - also had ice lettuce, which I have not seen in years
Fish
Black Cod with sesame vinagrette, kohlrabi in seaweed brown butter and foam - ok
Roast monkfish on the bone with nasturtium creme fraiche and chopped boudin noir monkfish was just ok
Monterey bay abalone with cabbage, guanciale, mustard and mesquite - I prefer to cook abalone sliced thing for a minute - this was just ok
Entrees
Poularde poached in buttermilk, then roasted, crushed peas, hedgehog mushroome and raddish in butter lettuce - this was a show stopper -some of the best non-squab fowl I have ever eaten - almost custardy - terrific
Bavette, morels, fried favas, au jus - terrific
Roast squab with artichoke and garden roots - very meaty and good
Cheese course - very good - from a cart
Desserts
Carrot pudding cake with fromage blanc fritters - this was a deconstructed carrot cake that just did not work for us as a dessert
Cubed rhubarb and geranium parfait with young coconut sorbet and sparkling rhubarb and pink peppercorn jelly - this was the stuff of genius. The rhubarb was crunchy but not nasty and very tart - a world class dessert
Dark chocolate creme with wild mint leaves and lime chocolate sorbet ad chocolate mikados - one of the best chocolate desserts I have ever eaten. The uber fresh chopped mint was a killer foil to the deadly rich chocolate. Anothe world class dish.
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I don't eat at Manresa often because of the cost, and because it's tiring, but all my 4 visits in 5 years have been perfect. The food is perfect, the service is perfect. David Kinch is the Beethoven of modern cuisine. Each dish is a unique composition of taste, sight, and mouth-feel that you won't find anywhere else.
The produce all comes from their farm in Bonny Doon, the meats are selected from small operations with the highest quality, or particular characteristics, the seafood is seasonal and Kinch has his own buyer in Japan. Quality of ingredients is the #1 requirement for Kinch.
What Manresa is not:
- Quick. You will spend a minimum of 3 hrs at the table. Tasting menu could take longer. Be sure to go with someone you like.
- Cheap. Four courses costs $95, wine pairing another $58. Cheese cart is an extra $10. For me, this is the cheapest possible meal there.
- Traditional. If you expect typical 'good-restaurant' portions of typical good-restaurant food, you will be disappointed. This is super hoity-toity art food, although not pretentious, and not the smallest portions I've encountered. Also, he never stacks food, that's so passe ;-).
Depending on your appetite, you may not be full when you leave. It's not about stretching your belly, it's about stretching your palette.
- Vegetarian. I think even the salad is served in the juices of dead animal. I exaggerate, but you get the point.
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We celebrated our 6th anniversary there after it was ranked as 38th in the world. People's taste might be different, however the impression would be the same. Funny thing is I don't recall any good experience from dining there. Not even a single item that I can recall what we ate nor the atmosphere from my memory. I guess it's a forgettable experience.
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Manresa is a very well-reviewed restaurant tucked into downtown Los Gatos. We've had a friend say that he has had the best meal he's ever had here, so my wife and I had been looking forward to a chance to try it out. The style of food is kinda nouveau-American.
Location: Downtown Los Gatos just off the main drag. There is tons of parking in a city lot behind the restaurant.
Look and feel: Very nice, classy, subdued decor. Interesting middle eastern rugs adorned the floor. Mellow lighting. Even with other people sitting next to us for part of our meal, it felt rather private, which was nice for a quiet, romantic dinner.
Menu: A prix fixe menu of a dozen or so dishes. They have an extensive wine list, including a recommended pairing for the menu. I'm not that big a drinker, and my wife is allergic to sulfites, so I was satisfied with a single glass that I nursed throughout the meal.
The food:
It's been about a month, so my hastily cribbed notes are going to have to suffice, but this is a summary of what was served.
Amuse Bouches:
Red pepper jujubee, and a black olive madeleine - This was a really creative start. The savory flavors coming from the gumball and the cookie were quite good.
Strawberry gazpacho with minced cucumber - Served in a double shot glass, this was what it sounds like. It tasted cool and fresh. Very different.
Croquette with molten pealeaf and lettuce center - This was a small potato cube about the size of a normal 6-sided die. The filling was like a creamy green soup. I could have easily eaten a dozen of these.
Egg with maple syrup, sherry vinegar, and salt - Served in the eggshell, this was basically a warm raw egg with some other flavors. It was more odd than anything else.
Fois gras soup with zucchini flower - My wife had this instead of the egg dish since she was pregnant and could not eat the raw egg. She made out like a bandit, because this was most excellent.
Appetizers:
Spring peas with assorted shellfish - The peas were young, fresh, and tasty. The shellfish was too salty and fishy. We were not particularly fond of this one.
Cured mackerel and seaweed ice - The mackerel was okay, the seaweed ice was fascinating if not wonderful to eat.
The vegetable garden - This was a gorgeous creation. Assorted vegetables, in assorted preparations, made out to look like a small garden. It was very flavorful, although the handful of foams in this dish really made us wonder what the deal is with foams in today's restaurants. It's pretty for the presentation, but really, the texture is rather awful.
Soft shell crab - Nothing particularly special or noteworthy about this dish. It was a fine representation.
Main dishes:
Hake in algae emulsion with sorrell - Nice preparation. We really liked the sorrell.
Roasted squab breast, vanilla apple sauce - Delicious squab. The vanilla apple sauce was an excellent accompaniment.
Spring lamb, cauliflower puree - A rather basic preparation, but quite good.
Desserts:
Fig ice cream with an apricot sauce and milk foam
Strawberries & cream with chamomile ice cream - We really enjoyed the chamomile ice cream
White chocolate/coffee/graham cracker with cherries and chocolate ice cream - All of the flavors blended well.
Strawberry jujubee and a chocolate madeleine - These looked exactly the same as the first amuse bouche, but these were sweet rather than savory. Even though these were tasty, and certainly the more expected flavors, we found that we liked the savory versions better.
Service: The service was excellent. No water glass ever got close to empty, and the food was served and explained exquisitely.
Value: The bill for the two of us, with only one glass of wine to accompany the two meals, was $392 after tip. I wasn't expecting this to be a cheap meal, but I also wasn't quite expecting it to be quite that much. Having said that, I've eaten at the French Laundry before, so this wasn't a unique experience for me. On the other hand, the French Laundry was by far the best meal we've ever had, such that we actually felt justified by the experience, and hope to go again someday. This wasn't nearly up to that level of quality. The food was good, but not great, and I'm afraid that for this kind of an expense I really do expect something extraordinary. I feel that it didn't live up to those expectations.
Will I go back? Very unlikely. There are a ton of great restaurants in the bay area that we haven't tried yet, and several we have that we liked much better than this. Maybe we hit them on an off night, but for a $400 meal, you only get one chance with me.
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My partner and I took a client here for dinner and after 6 hours of eating the tiniest portions known to man from their tasting menu and spending $700 for 3 people, we came out starving and looking for a drive-thru. Our dishes included a soft boiled egg, candy for appetizer, salad with a lot of foam on it and a piece of Fillet Mignon the size of my small finger. I was just about ready for a camera crew to run out and yell "you've been punked". The best part of the dinner was the fillet and dessert, but there was so little of it that it wasn't worth $250/person.
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There are two words that bring me to fancy restaurants: Cheese Cart.
For the $145 tasting menu, I would expect to be offered said cheese cart. Nope. I would have been happy to pay a supplement to have the cheese cart (which looked like a cordless rolling humidor). No, that wasn't offered either.
The service was really good, but the food was not all that appetizing. The best thing was a soft boiled egg we got as an amuse bouche, but it definitely wasn't worth $145.
And, to add insult to injury, everyone at the tables surrounding us each got a delicious looking chocolate truffle with their bill. We just got a massive tab. :( I won't be back.
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