manresa - yum

[chuck]

finally got to manresa this weekend - what an experience! this beats most any SF restaurant these days.

got the tasting menu - approx 3 amuse bouches, 5 appetizers, 3 savory, and 4 desserts. my memory is horrible but i'll try to recount:

amuse bouche - red chili jellies, and other stuff i forget (but they were good)

appetizers - poached egg w/ foam, cinnamon, pudding-like consistency (excellent); uni w/ tangerine sauce (excellent); twice cooked foie gras topped w/ caramel, custard-like consistency (excellent); japanese fluke sashimi w/ soy & chives (pretty good, little too much soy); fried chicken wing, perfectly fried, incredibly juicy (excellent)

savory - fried soft shell crab, again, perfectly fried (excellent); pork 3 ways, the pork belly was a little too fatty for my tastes (pretty good); 21 day aged sirloin (excellent)

desserts - pluot frappe (excellent), chocolate souffle (ok, not a fan of these things in general), banana curry ice cream, reminds me of Jean Georges (excellent); buttermilk panna cotta (excellent)

overall, i haven't eaten food this creative since Jean Georges or WD50 in NY. despite the number of dishes, i was perfectly full (not uncomfortable at all.) the chef was talking to a table next to ours and he seems like a very smart guy - i learned a wealth of cooking tips just overhearing their conversation.

i'd put this restaurant in the company of Chez Panisse, French Laundry, and La Folie and *far ahead* of Gary Danko (am i the only person who dislikes this place?)

[Erin]

Manresa is one of my favorites...I'm so happy to see other people discovering it.
Very glad to see he's still doing the egg amuse...it's worth the price of the tasting w/ wine pairing just for that....
Thanks for the report!
Erin

[Audrey]

I'm from L.A., soon to visit by October's end. Can you please provide an address for me? I will be going to The French Laundry for dinner (that will start off our vacation). I was amazed that they just took our reservation as quickly as they did. Which leads me to believe that he will be at his new restaurant in Vegas and NOT "Cheffing" that night. Bummer! Can you make any other restaurant suggestions and include the overrated one's as well. Greatly appreciate it:)

[mdg]

It's at 320 Village Lane in Los Gatos, but you really want to get directions from their web site (see below). It's just a little ways off of 17 in downtown Los Gatos.

We were there this weekend as well and had 3-course meals. Desserts were both great - the pluot frappe with plum jelly doughnuts, and the chocolate souffle with banana curry ice cream. I loved my lamb crepine (combination of chopped shoulder and sliced loin, with endive and chanterelles), but the squab with chick pea frites was mighty fine too. Appetizers set the stage admirably: local albacore with macadamias and fried artichoke, plus a sweet corn and tomato salad. Those were preceded by 3 great amuses!

The food is both wonderful and inventive. It's not quiet, especially if you have a loud party next to you given the pretty close spacing of the tables. The wine list is also a disappointment, and downhill from what I remember from a year ago - predictable selections, vastly overpriced considering the ignorant service. Bring your own or go with the wine pairings, which are much better values than the bottles you would find at similar prices on the list. I guess I'm spoiled by places like Absinthe that do so much better.

For the food itself, though, you won't find better in this style anyplace south of San Francisco. For an overall experience, you might want to consider the Village Pub in Woodside instead. The food is not as inventive, but it has much better decor, atmosphere, wine list, and service.

Link: http://www.manresarestaurant.com/cont...