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Wed-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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One of the best restaurant in the south bay!
Took my bf here for his bday in May. As we were seated, there was a bday card on the table for him, signed by employees of Manresa. What a nice touch!!
We did the full tasting menu with wine pairing. Everything was beautiful to the eye and tasted delicious too. I could really tell the freshness of the vegetables, fruits and edible flowers on our plates.
And I totally admire David Kinch for his concept of from ground to plate.
Their service were impeccable. The wine, food, desserts were all heavenly. Yes it isn't French Laundry & this isn't french food either, but this is definately top of my list for the price and proximity. And, we got to meet and chat with David Kinch, the chef who beat Bobby Flay on TV.
I am torn about writing this review. For a 2 star Michelin restaurant, one would figure that it would deserve no less than 5 yelp stars. Oddly, of all the Michelin rated restaurants, Manresa seems to be lower than average on yelp, which is an average of 4 stars. Thinking that the Michelin stars are more valuable than yelp stars, we sadly erred. And it is true, Yelp really does steer you in the right direction.
After much debate, I give it three stars. This is taking into consideration the portion sizes, the taste of the food and the price. Sadly, I wasn't that "wowed" with most of the courses. If the price had been $100 a person instead of $165, I'd definitely give it 4 stars.
We came last night for my birthday and also checked out the "Tomato Modernista" menu, which is only available Sept 19th and 20th. None of the other menu items were available, thus, you had no other option. The menu itself was $165 for the 6 courses. The premium wines were $160 and the regular wine tasting was $95. Knowing that drinking a glass with each course makes me very sleepy, I just ordered a glass of rose sparking and Riesling, and I am glad I did.
We liked the amuse bouches the most of everything, the "T" punch (lots of alcohol in that), the tuna tartine with sourdough crisps (delicious) and the parmigiano reggiano sable and tomato curd. My next fave dish was the gazpacho andaluz with the horseradish and basil ice cream. This dish WOWed us. After that, it seemed like the dishes were good, but not that great: abalone in the tomato seawater, albacore conserva (surprised they used albacore as the fish), rabbit and mussel spaghetti with cuttlefish bolognese sauce, and porcelet.
For dessert, we had a ginger pain perdu with green tomato jam. That was delicious.
Drinking relatively conservatively we left just under $500 for two. My fiance actually joked that he was still hungry and wanted to find something to eat for the long drive home.
As Jackie M. notes, the menu is limited, and as Sasha C. notes, the place has been buttered up by the "authoritative" reviewers to the point where it would be near impossible to live up to it.
The bread we received was BURNT, and I'm guessing this was by design as the couple on an adjacent table to us also commented on this. I'm sorry, but burning things on purpose is actually worse than burning them by accident. It does not add "flavour" to the meal whatever.
The amuse bouches were grand, probably the best part of the meal. The cheese course was overpriced.
Probably the worst faux pas was that the fish wasn't fresh. I'm sorry, but for the price we're paying, the absolute minimum expectation is that of fresh food.
Final recommendation: go for the atmosphere, not the food. For good food, go 10 minutes north to Palo Alto, eat at Evvia, and enjoy non-burnt bread and fresh fish.
Of all the Michelin starred restaurants I know and have eaten at in the USA, I would say Manresa is tops, #1. The Chef and the service make you feel you are eating something special. All I can say is "wow".
For me, this restaurant far exceeded my expectations. For what I paid I thought the food, wine, atmosphere and service were absolutely stellar. It truly is a unique dining experience - a perfect restaurant to celebrate a special occasion. We also were given a tour of the kitchen which was very generous of the management. An excellent place from top to bottom.
We went to Manresa for our 3 year wedding anniversary. This was our first visit. We had heard rave reviews from friends for years but the expensive price tag had always kept us away. We finally decided to bite the bullet and go. We went all out and had the tasting menu so we didn't have to make any decisions. Our 14 course meal was wonderful. My favorite dish was the flounder with chanterelle mushrooms and beef bone marrow consomme.
Check out a slide show of our entire meal here: http://bayareafoodiebl...
We loved the food and ambiance.
I'm a fan. Excellent overall dining experience, including great service. Amazing amuse bouche (2!). Had an insane bright green vegetable soup that tasted right out of the garden. My companion had a Japanese butterfish sashimi that was out of this world. And be sure to order the cheese course. The gentleman serving the cheese was knowledgeable and warm and the cheeses were delicious.
No fifth star because: 1) my beef wasn't quite as tender as I would have liked (eating less beef so my expectations are higher), and 2) our dessert was a dud. Flavors were just OK, and the pastry part seemed overcooked. Bummer. The cheese saved the day, though.
Servers were wonderful. Water glasses always full. Wine pairings lovely. And delicious sea salt caramels as we left. Nice!
My five stars says it all and includes all: atmosphere, service, and the meal itself. It's very, very expensive, but the value is there.
The subtle delicious sauce flavors and garnishes are largely due to the exquisite and very young vegetables used in their preparation.
The 'amuse bouche' were especially exciting. Who can ever forget that egg cup!!
I particularly loved the first course, the 'salad' or 'garden' course. Mr. Kinch's combination of cooked and raw varietal tomatoes and creamed corn was a spectacular delight to my palate. My husband's "into the garden" was robust and interesting. and he loved it... again, those tiny exquisite vegetables..
For the second course, I had never eaten monk fish but I was truly pleased with this dish. The texture of the fish was firm yet delicate and the sauce melded beautifully without dominating.!
The portions were so ample that by the time my third course arrived I was quite full. My husband had to help me with that. This third course was probably our least favorite. He thought his fillet mignonettes should have been more tender. I enjoyed the young roasted pork and the vegetable sides, but did not like the inclusion of a square of fried fat. It truly detracted.
But the five stars remain!!!!
We paused for a while and sipped out wine, then I was able to enjoy Mr. Kinch's delicious New Orleans dessert! WOW!
Went back here recently and have to say the food continues to impress. I'm always surprised to see so many negative reviews but I guess it just goes to show "to each his/her own." Maybe I'm not that picky or maybe I just like the unique combination of flavors in the food or maybe I'm simply talking out of my ass (wouldn't be the first time!)...but we had yet another exquisite meal and the service was superb. Aside from my very first visit (see original review) I have yet to be disappointed with Manresa. Correction: I was very disappointed during this last visit because we weren't able to sample the tasting menu...we simply didn't have enough time.
My husband and I first went here about three years ago. And while the food was good, we weren't all… Read more »
I loved the food. The portions were small and the preparation, particularly of the seafood was definitely more rare than I'm used to, but even so, I thought it was exceptional. Not the kind of place you take someone who likes traditional simple food.
Until I have the opportunity to go to another 2 star Michelin rated restaurant, this has to be the best food I've ever eaten!!
It wasn't like it was horrible, but given the hype, the long drive and the kazillion other options in the Bay area, I don't think we'll be going back.
Maybe it was too much anticipation. The setting is charming, the service was professional, the wine pairing/lists were fabulous, but the food was a little - eh.
Except for the crispy, buttery, beans that accompanied the fluke. I would've mangled many for more of those beans. And the beignets.
I don't have much to add that hasn't been said in other reviews:
Not a great place for people that have dietary restrictions (my date called, they said they could accommodate me but when we ordered, no one seemed to know anything about that conversation). They could do vegetarian but vegan was out of the question. None of my dishes were what I would call stand-out, innovative vegetarian dishes.- they were more like dishes that tried to make the best out of what veggies that had on hand. There is a difference. At places like Millenium, the preparation highlights the quality ingredients. I felt like here, they tried to make up for lack of innovation by adding a ton of cream to everything and topping it all with that crazy sea foam other reviewers mention.
Service was okay if not a bit overbearing/intrusive at times, making a big spectacle of pouring out the soup, lingering for our reactions, etc. One waitperson first took our order then another came by to make sure the first person got it right which, it turns out, he didn't. That second person, who ended up being our primary 'contact' (since so many different people seemed to come over with one thing or another) was actually great- warm and did her best to accommodate my requests.
The wine like everything here, is overpriced but I have to say, it was one of the best Rieslings I ever had. Likewise, I thought the bread and the beignets I ordered for dessert were also fantastic. Would I come here again? Maybe but probably not on my dime!
David Kinch is a visionary. I used to live in Los Gatos, and worked with David as a winery representative (Bonny Doon) and poured at some events he was also attending. Being in the Food and Wine biz, I had the great luck to eat at Manresa several times. On two occasions, I was with "big wigs" and we took the chefs tasting menu. With more than a dozen courses and almost as many wines, I reveled through tiny tastes of the most decadent and inspiring plates, perfectly paired with a delicious glass of wine. If you can afford it, this is the best way to taste David's genius first hand. It's an expensive, but amazing meal that you will never forget.
The ambiance is very modern, clean, and comfortable. You should make a reservation, because I've been locked out a few times without. You can't go wrong here, just make sure you're prepared to pay for what you get. It's well worth it, as long as you're not taking out a second mortgage on your house. A top choice if you're down in the LG. Cheers.
I was so excited to go here, been saving my pennies for years to splurge on dinner at Manresa. Well, can I tell you how disappointed I am - to sum Manresa up - I'd say overly pretentious, overly expensive, overrated food that wasn't that good. I like a meal that you can figure out what is in it, not have to guess by sticking it in your mouth and want to spit it out but can't as the table next to you would say - oh my. The service was slow, which is sad cuz the wine by the glass prices were crazy, no wine on the list was under $95 - making you wait increases their check total. Portions are small and bathed in butter, so cardiac patients beware! Dessert was good, but again bite sized. For the $95 , I think they are rakin it in! Don't think I will darken their door again. Been to French Laundry - THIS IS NO FRENCH LAUNDRY, don't worry Thomas, you are safe.
Fourth visit to Manresa. It's safe to say that at this point, I'm a fan of David Kinch and co.'s work. There are a lot of dishes which they put out which are simply things which I've never tasted before, both in terms of flavor and texture, and that's kind of exciting. With that said, the only way to do Manresa right is to do the tasting menu, which of course, we did.
While they make a damn good meal (standout courses being the greens/cream soup, auberge egg, the foie gras/mushroom soup and tomato salad), I wasn't fully drunk with food as I have been with prior Manresa tasting menus. Perhaps the portions are smaller or they've knocked out a few courses, but amazingly, after a dozen or so courses, I wasn't even full! For a ~$200/pp meal, you would expect this at a minimum. I'm a skinny guy who doesn't eat a lot - and if I'm not full, I'm imagining some larger customers still would be downright hungry afterwards. So, my advice to Manresa, please up the portion sizes a little bit.
Also, I've got to say, while the amuse bouche and starter courses were absolutely top notch in every respect, the main courses were definitely a letdown. In particularly, the squab and pork dishes were surprisingly un-satisfying after all these courses leading up to a heavy protein. Also, Manresa simply has trouble cooking pork - of every time I've been here, the pork dishes have been flabby and flavorless.
I'm being harsh though. All in all, this place is one of the best spots in California to eat a meal. Service, ambience , and presentation style are all top of the line. I keep coming back here for a reason, despite the crazy prices and small portions, although they are not immune to criticism.
For a shot of their "peaches" dish - http://www.flickr.com/...
For a shot of the Manresa sign - http://www.flickr.com/...
After reading extensively about this restaurant, I tried it on a special day with the iron chef menu. Of this menu, three of the dishes had cabbage as the main ingredient. When I try a dish that flies, my palate tells me: this is unusually good, and of course as most people we analyze it for the ingredients, and ask themselves, can I do this at home?
What a disappointment. The dishes didn't surprise, I wasn't impressed with the prep and paying $135 for 3 cabbage dishes does not quite make it.
I've tried most of the highly rated restaurants in the Bay area but felt cheated for the price and the quality of the dishes served that day. For this price, I would rather go to Danko, French Laundry or even Oliveto any day.
Almost three years later, even MORE underwhelming, a bit MORE hoighty toighty AND they banned my FLASH. UGH!!! It was too stinkin' dark to make out anything.
I'm not bitter, really, okay, my ego hurt a bit, but really the food was not worthy of it's rating. Glad the Chef stayed away from the gelees. Whoo hoo!
Service has improved enormously, the staff know what they are talking about & they are at our beck and call.
Seating is still tight, our neighbors conversations w/one another were so dull, they felt like they had to listen to ours.
Wine pairings are still generously poured.
Started and finished with the madelines and jellies. The famous maple syrup egg is still being served w/fervor, still not a fan.
I enjoyed the other two compliments of the chef: a strawberry gazpacho w/marcona almonds and then the cheese churro w/baked kale. Both were well balanced and had wonderful textural contrasts. Flavor was subtle but evident.
I thoroughly enjoyed their veggie course, simply titled, 'The Garden'. There were wonderful edible blooms and a cornucopia of beautiful greens. Um, I think the Chef should convert Manresa into a strictly vegetarian resto. That's just my honest opinion. They do RABBIT food better than the actual critter.
Fish & meats: were rubbery and/flavorless. In particular the salmon, squab and the lamb. They now entice the diners with a showy plate of the entire piece of lamb, actually this creates MORE of a letdown, b/c of the buildup. Manresa should invest in sharper knives to take away from the rubbery meat.
Desserts were not memorable.
Three hours later for $200+/hr, were we left satisfied & joyous? It just reconfirmed things & I won't be returning for a LONG time, if ever.
Manresa left me disenchanted for the most part.
I posted the photos to give you a pictorial of my…
Read more »
Okay, so I was so incredibly excited to eat here after learning it received 2 Michelin stars, and after seeing David Kinch on Iron Chef win with flying colors over Bobby Flay...Well, unfortunately, this place was such a huge disappointment for me!
Of course we ordered the tasting menu-"Seaonal and Spontaneous"- in hopes to get a full array of David's cooking abilities. In their defense, the food was very seasonal and very creative, but it just did not taste good at all. I would have to say that the highlight of the night was their "Into the Garden" salad-and salad should NEVER be a highlight of the night, especially when there are a total of 12-15 courses! The meat dishes we had were completely overcooked. Towards the end, I wasn't even looking forward to the next dish that was going to come out-I just wanted it all to end. Later that night, after the meal was over, I couldn't even remember half of the things we ate...and that should definitely say something when I can still tell you every little detail about each one of the courses I had at French Laundry, and that was over 6 months ago.
Other than the food being a complete miss, the service and ambiance are both great...but I probably wouldn't ever come back here again. And for not much more money than what we spent here, I would much rather go to French Laundry.
We were lucky enough to be able to go back to Manresa yesterday on a last minute whim. This time I was exhausted from a busy week at work, but luckily, no headache. Manresa did not disappoint; it lived up to my memory and I enjoyed it much more this time since I wasn't feeling ill. I wish I had written down what we ate, and all the wonderful, perfectly matched wines we had as part of the pairings. Sorry for the lack of detail, but what I can say is that from the first bite of amuse bouches, I had a huge smile on my face and that amazing meal made my week. The service was, as before, impeccable. Truly an amazing dining experience, with a price tag to match.
Ever since I saw Manresa's chef David Kinch's masterpieces on Iron Chef America, I've been looking… Read more »
We recently had some good news to celebrate, and my husband and I decided we'd do it here.
We'd been wanting to try this place for awhile, and after seeing Chef Kinch beat the pants off Bobby Flay in a recent Iron Chef, we REALLY wanted to check it out.
Upon being seated, we found a card at the table that had a lovely congratulatory note inside. (I had mentioned when making the opentable reservation what we were celebrating.)
I knew going in it would be very expensive, and quite possibly one of the best meals if my life.
Luckily, I wasn't disappointed.
All of the dishes were good, but there are a few that stick out in my mind as being truly amazing.
The first was the squash risotto, with no rice. Sounds weird huh? Risotto with no rice?
Our server explained to us that it is cooked risotto style, and the rice is removed.
Honestly, after hearing the time and effort that goes into alot of the dishes(not just this one), it's even more incredible.
I had abalone that was so good it almost defies description.
It didn't taste like fish , and the onions in in the dish didn't taste like onions. I don't really know what to compare it to. I just know I was impressed.
We also received a few free things. The first being a shot glass of strawberry gazpacho. It was tasty, I probably wouldn't order it on a menu, but I was glad I got to try it.
We were also fortunate to receive one of the chef's signature dishes. It's an egg that is layered with maple syrup, (i think vinegar and sea salt too.)
It was a surprisingly delectable dish. I couldn't believe how much I liked it.
I rarely eat bread at restaurants, but for this meal I made an exception. The levain they serve is some of the best bread I've ever had.
Just when we thought it couldn't get any better....
The desserts were brought out.
OMG!OMG!OMG!
I ordered the "Taste of New Orleans." It consisted of a few things I've never had before.
Beignets that were absolute perfection...I've never had a beignet before, and after this I'm sure there could never be one that measures up
On a separate plate there was a candied pecan delight, a caramelized slice of banana, and a canelle of butter pecan (i think) ice cream.
I don't even like pecans, but I seriously could have licked my plate.
We also had some great wine, and the server even printed out on a cute little card the names of what we drank.
This place does take a long time for dinner, and we didn't even do the tasting menu, and were still there for almost 3 hours.
Service was close to impeccable, and our waitress was very knowledgeable, and friendly.
Nothing about the place felt as stuffy as I imagine it could have, (given the prices they charge.)
At the end of the night, the manager offered to give us a tour of the kitchen, and then had us hang out long enough to meet the chef.
For some reason, I felt totally tongue tied, (i guess I was a bit star struck, I felt like a chef groupie.)
Chef David Kinch was so nice, and incredibly humble. I was once again blown away. Especially given his enormous talent.
The food here is truly an experience, not just a meal. All of the food served is so well thought out, so creative, interesting and above all else, phenomenally delicious.
We went to this place about a month ago. The food was good, some dishes were a hit, some were complete miss..For example, I had a lamb with a custard sauce which didn't seem to go together. The combination seemed a bit off.
The ambience is a bit stuffy and a bit intimidating.
A good restaurant should use good Coffee, however, this place chose Illy which i thought was a bit prosaic. They should serve blue bottle instead.
Is the food good? For the most part good.
Is it worth the money? I think your money is best spent else where.
If you like your food pretty, imaginative, well presented with fresh ingredients then you'll like Manresa. If you're either an athlete or a fat bugger that likes a decent portion then maybe not so much.
Went there with the Missus, dropped $500 and was a tad hungry still.
Awesome food, just not much of it
Unique dining experience. My company team and I came here to celebrate the end of our project. The service is impeccable, we walked in on a cold winder day and we were welcomed by mood lighting a host of staff who checked-in our jackets and had our table ready to go.
Our group did the four course meal paired with wine. With a group of 8 people we were able to cover most of the menu items. Our main server was patient with us and explained all question we had about the multitude of dishes.
All 10 of our servers for the night were just the right amount of attentive. Glasses were always filled, and the way they served the food was almost like a dance, synchronized to be presented at the same time.
The food itself was an art form. Beautiful presentation, the evening started out with and amuse-bouche. A teaser to the main courses. The timing between each course was just enough to keep you satisfied but not full to the brim and by the end of the night, we not only enjoyed the teaser, appetizer, and main dishes but had just enough room for dessert.
I would recommend this place for special occasions and also if you want to have not only the dining experience but the service which is timed to let you enjoy the company of your party. We arrived at Manresa around 7 p.m. and left close to 11:30 p.m.
Overall a memorable experience. I can't imagine how much the bill must have cost, but it was all on the company and a great way to celebrate the end of a successful project.
In celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary, my wife and I got together with a coworker and his wife, who happened to celebrating their 33rd anniversary.
We made reservations, and it happened to be one of the hottest days of the year. Fortunately, the restaurant was air conditioned, and the lighting was dimmed enough for a nice, cool ambiance.
Our friends were already waiting at the front, and when we arrived, all of us were immediately seated at a round table. At the center of this table, we found a couple of envelopes with our names on front. Inside were cards wishing us a happy anniversary.
We studied the menus, and trying to decide what to order. Although the restaurant requests the entire table order the 9-course tasting menu, they accommodated us with our request with 2 ordering the tasting menu, and two ordering a 3 course. The men ordered the tasting menu with wine pairing the and wives ordered the 3 course.
All of us started with 4 amuse bouche:
-Black olive and caramel madelines, and red bell pepper gelee: interesting combination of savory and sweet. Red bell pepper Gelee was sweet, with a very distinct bell pepper taste.
-Parsley (not sure) breadstick with lardo (cured pig fat).
-Mustard green granite and carrot foam: Refreshing mustard green taste in the granite and the carrot foam, and very colorful.
-Arpege egg: This is one of the restaurants signature preparations. It's a egg with the top cut off, soft steamed with sherry vinegar and maple syrup, then topped with cream. Sounds like an odd combination, but it all worked very well together. Sweet, slightly tart, and smooth all together.
The Nine Course Tasting menu (due to text limitations, I can only review the testing menu):
-Aji (mackerel) in pea shell bouillon and fava beans: this was served in a martini glass, and garnished with edible flowers. Very clean tasting. Bouillon was clear, with a pleasant, hint of a fava bean taste. The aji was cooked perfectly with the aji moist and flaky.
-Asparagus with bonito butter and toasted sesame seeds: The bonito butter was prepared as a foam, which delicately coated the sliced asparagus. Sesame seeds added a nice contrasting texture to the asparagus.
-"Into the vegetable garden": this salad is one of David Kinch's signature dishes. Very clever presentation of lettuce, edible flowers, parsnips, potatoes, beets, arranged to appear like a little garden. The "dirt" was a mixture of ground chicory and hazelnuts. A vinaigrette foam was arranged on top of this garden, which served as a dressing for this salad.
-"Spring tidal pool": This combination of shitake mushrooms, abalone, sea urchin, octopus, dried nori and slices of foie gras in a dashi broth in a white bowl does look like what you would see in a tide pool. Everything was cooked perfectly.
-Smoked salmon with parsley cream, topped with a beef bone marrow broth: When this course was served, the server poured the beef bone marrow broth around the parsley cream and salmon. The cream mixed with broth, and nice complemented the salmon.
-Roast Squab with beets. At this point of the dinner, with the number courses with wine pairings thus far, my memory getting a bit fuzzy. But I do remember the nicely roasted skin of the squab, the delicate, yet not gamy taste of the meat, complemented by the tartness of the beets.
-Spring lamb w/ green garlic and pea puree: Before this course was served, one of the waitstaff came out with a platter of the whole roasted leg of the lamb to show us what will be our next course. When it was served, there were also 3 little fried balls of mashed chickpeas, reminiscent of falafel balls, only less coarse. The lamb was very juicy, and nicely spiced.
-Citrus compote w/ olive oil-arugula ice cream: this was an interesting intermezzo. Lots of fennel was used with course. An unusual combination of ingredients, but really worked well together. Very refreshing, with the cool mellowness of the olive oil ice cream, and the sweetness from the mandarins.
-"A trip to New Orleans" - Ah, my favorite part of the dinner, dessert! This dessert consisted of a caramelized banana, pralines, and praline ice cream. Also a separate plate of beignets was served. In celebration of our anniversaries, candles were place on each of our plates.
After our dinner, we were taken back to the kitchen to meet David Kinch.
I was very pleased with this dining experience. I was also impressed with the creativity of David Kinch's use of seemingly incompatible ingredients into dishes that meshed and tasted so well together. The service was excellent, as well as the appropriate choices for wine.
The excellent preparations of each course, the company of our dining companions, made our dinner here a pleasant and memorable experience. (photos courtesy of HH).
From the outside Manresa might be a not too upscale ranch style house converted to a restaurant. Inside the place reveals itself to indeed be upscale and swank. The servers are a bit ponderous, even mildly pretentious, withholding information about the composition of some plates until asked. However, they get the job done and if complimented will even break a smile and loosen up a bit.
I go with a four course $95 dinner. A nice thing is that you may choose any four items on the menu for your meal. I went with two appetizers, a fish and a meat course. The meal began with three amuses two of which were memorable: the strawberry gazpacho and the signature egg.
Into the garden, a first appetizer, is a melange of absolutely fresh greens and other vegetables served over what seemed like vegetable purees in lieu of dressing. On the side of the plate was "dirt", an earthy, dark composition of spices. All in all novelty that reminds you where this lovely food comes from.
A second appetizer is maine lobster with fresh peaches, basil, I think, and peach granita. Wonderful and again a novel pairing of foods that contrast on another in tastes, textures and temperature. I wasn't sure about the ten dollar surcharge for this plate, but the tastes were memorable.
A fish course of remarkably seasoned cod was perfection from the sea. The accompanying vegetable was interesting and added a different texture to the plate.
Finally, beef bavette roasted in its own fat was tender and tasty. It was accompanied by quinoa and arugula. It must have been a great meal if the least plate of food I sampled was only very very good.
I thought that the meal ended abruptly without a sweet amuse of chocolate or jellied candy from the chef. The caramel I was offered as I was at the door seemed a poor afterthought.
Somewhat surprising was that, with vegetables so often being highlighted here, there were few vegetarian plates.
Manresa offers memorable food and I will certainly visit again.
I guess I'll start by saying that anyone's entitled to their opinion, but comparing Manresa to Sino in Santana Row is like comparing Abita Amber Ale to Budweiser. Our meal was spectacular and the attention to our table was unlike anything we've ever before experienced. The only hiccup on the night was the discovery of a couple small bones in the amazingly delicate fluke served as one of our second courses.
The beef served on the night we visited was the most amazing I've ever tasted, and the soft-shell crab was so good it should be illegal.
We attended Manresa with our two young teenage children and apart from them not really liking the two amuse bouche offerings, they thought everything else was fabulous.
Manresa is unfortunately not a place we can come once a week, but it a was a spectacular choice for a special occasion.
This is our second time at Manresa.
The first time we went, we ordered either 3 or 4 courses, selecting from a variety of dishes/courses. This is a good introduction to Manresa, especially if you do not have the 3-4 hours to spend on the tasting menu!
My husband and I have been wanting to return to try the tasting menu, and we got that opportunity recently for our wedding anniversary. A few highlights and notes to share - I won't go into all of the dishes since most other recent reviewers have done that well so no need to repeat.
1. We had 5:30pm reservations. In ordering the tasting menu, the meal took about 4 hours!
2. My husband had the premium wine pairing and I had some sips of that. There were 9 wines total throughout the meal. Each of the wines which accompanied the dishes were suitable and enhanced the food taste. I highly suggest the premium wine pairing!
3. The staff asked if there were any food allergies to be aware of in preparation of the tasting menu. The chef will work around your allergies. My husband only had one allergy which we got a different dish (from the other tables when we would look around). We got a "broccoli with smoked salmon roe, chicken bouillon" which was excellent with the salty flavor of the roe combined with the broccoli chicken bouillon.
4. It's hard to remember all of the names of the entrees and the wines so we asked for a printout of what we ate and drank. The waiter gladly accomodated us. It's helpful to ask for his at the beginning of the meal since it seems to take about 20 minutes for them to prepare the printouts on the Manresa letterhead.
5. At the end of the meal, the waiter asked if we wanted a tour of the kitchen. Yes! The maître d took us into the kitchen and chatted with us about the various happenings in the kitchen. We saw the chefs make the desserts. We saw David Kinch busily plating the dishes. The whole experience made me feel like I was on Top Chef! Certainly an unexpected highlight to end the meal.
6. We were told that the tasting menu can differ from table to table on the same night - all depends on what the chef feels like making and what is available. Even as we were in the kitchen on the "tour," we were given a taste of a dessert pastry that wasn't part of the tasting menu we had.
7. We wanted to take a few photos of our entrees because they were prepared so beautifully. I was worried I'd be the only person in the restaurant taking photos of each course. Was I wrong! Everyone had their cameras out. One table had two cameras, snapping away at everything. We were not that extreme and just took a few photos with the camera phone since I didn't bring my camera! I wish I had and will do so next time!
A wonderful dining experience - I'd love to go back soon (hint, hint)!
Went back to Manresa and forgot that they were serving the Iron Chef Battle Cabbage menus on Sundays... DOH! Should've rescheduled after knowing that... I'm NOT a big veggie person and that should've been a warning to me... sigh..
With that said, the food was still very good. But because of my tendency to not eat vegetables... Most of the time I was sitting around wondering to myself... "where's the meat?"
Here's the menu that we had:
- Amuses: Pastrami and eggs
- Delicate salad of sea bream and geoduck clam with toasted sesame and mushroom
- Red cabbage and pear borscht with stone ground mustard, pear and cabbage choucroute
- Cabbage patch: stems, leaves, flowers with country ham
- Stuff cabbage with forgotten vegetables with exotic spice and natural vegetable juices
- Farro grain cooked like a risotto, roasted breast of duck with napa cabbage, both stems and leaves, fried brussel sprout, meat juices (My favorite dish of the night since it had some MEAT!)
- Strawberry consomee, goat's milk formage blanc sorbet
I was smarter this time.. split the wine pairing menu with one of the people we went with... Last time I tried that on my own, I ended up totally trashed and it was not a pretty sight for an expensive restaurant... (no it wasn't at Manresa.)
The cool thing was that we all took home an autographed menu, met the chef, and toured the kitchen! That was awesome! :) I wouldn't recommend the cabbage battle meal for people who don't like vegetables... it was $135/pp and I was left wanting more meat... :P Manresa still gets 5 stars for this time since they gave us extra attention and the food was still very inventive and excellent... just missing my favorite part of the meal... MEAT!
If Yelp had more stars, Manresa would definitely get 10 stars. :) I absolutely love this restaurant!… Read more »
I just noticed I've dined at quite a few Michelin star-rated restaurants, and this one was just okay. It was fancy and fun, but the food tasted like it as trying too hard to be something so unique and inventive that it kind of failed my taste buds.
The only really stand out dish was the amuse-bouche which was served in a little egg-shell. It was so freaking delicious. But the soup had a parsley puree that tasted like wheat-grass. Maybe it wasn't parsley, I forget because I ate there maybe 2 years ago. Then the pork dish had too many components that were too separate. The flavors didn't quite match. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to eat a little bit of everything at once, which would have been the whole plate, or each thing at a time.
Either way, I had been expecting a mind-blowing experience, and it wasn't. But it wasn't awful either.
I really enjoyed my experience at this restaurant. The waiter was curtious and very helpful. The food was excellent. Some of the tasters that came out were so creative and delicous.I can't wait to go back.
Full review in blog: This is actually a 4.5 out of 5, but I'll round up because only the service was lacking. It isn't as good as The French Laundry, Providence, or La Folie - but it is damned good.
The next dish, a Kinch signature, was "Into the Vegetable Garden," and - well, this dish is to salad what Patek Philippe is to watches - the standard by which all others should be judged. As beautiful on the palate as to the eye, the most striking aspect of this dish to myself was the fact that it had almost no smell aside from the of flowers, yet each bite unraveled and entirely different taste, texture, and -dare I say- 'emotional' experience. From the chicory "dirt" to the boiled fingerling to the spinach, raddish, and buttery foam - this dish alone warrants a visit to Manresa.
The next choice, "Spring Tidal Pool with Abalone, Octopus, Uni," is another Manresa seasonal dish and another absolute winner in taste, texture, and sensation. Served warm, but with cool and nearly raw fishes, the shabu shabu style broth lent a buttery (almost foie gras-esque) yet earthy tone to the incredible fresh and succulent fish. While individual flavors of enoki, cabbage, and wonderful seafood all peaked through in resounding form, the overall effect of the dish was truly like the essence of the ocean.
All told I went into Manresa with very high expectations - why wouldn't I since many have stated it is better than The French Laundry? While Kinch's incredible skills wowed me time and time again, I must admit that the overall experience just lacked that "feel" of a truly superb restaurant. The multiple servers made things feel discontinuous and the single dessert with only two mignardises, while good, seemed out of place when compared to other 2-3 starred restaurants. While the food alone is absolutely worth the trip and the price, the service could use a pointer or two from The French Laundry, Providence, La Folie, Danko, The Dining Room - you get the picture.
One of the best restaurants in the US--were I a multi-millionaire, I would be to Manresa what Norm was to Cheers, but alas, I still have to work for a living, and as such, I only get in once or twice a year if I'm lucky. I've never had a bad experience--the theme menus are especially good opportunities to sample Kinch's work, and the wine menu is one of the best I've seen. Definitely worth a visit.
Blown away once again. I'm so happy Manresa still is exceeding expectations. Did a 4 course meal this time with friends, and loved each dish and wine pairing. I almost cried when they served the soft egg with maple syrup as an amuse bouche.
Impeccable service (unlike the disastrous Cyrus). Very low key and attentive, not intrusive. Tables are nicely spaced apart, so you dont have to listen-in on your neighbor's conversation. Although the couple next to us was laughable, and we started to intentionally listen to them. A chick in a horrendous 80's inspired purple mini-dress that made her ass look puffy and mini-boots whined on about how she wanted a nanny to "do the dirty work" for the children she expects to have some day. With the way her date was reacting, me thinks she'll be waiting a little longer for those rug-rats, er, I mean travertine-rats.
Anyway, the food was fantastic. I started out with sea bream that was sliced thinly like carpaccio. The garden veggie soup was light, yet creamy, and the presentation was lovely, with the soup being poured out of an iron pot at the table. The cod was served with a crispy skin, peas that popped, radishes, morels and crispy buckwheat crackers. What wonderful textures. For dessert, biegnets and olive oil ice cream. Yummy!
My friend had the best dish of the evening, though. Abalone that was grilled perfectly and served with a tangy sauce. I wish I had ordered 4 courses of abalone.
Again, cant wait to come back!
I want to give this restaurant 10 stars because, hyperbole aside, I reached climax during the meal.… Read more »
10 courses later... I write for you this review. How much did it cost? I cannot say.
I came here on my birthday and had a 10 course dinner with wine pairing and ended with 4 desserts. What I can say about the dinner is that from the time the waiter brought out each dish and explained what and how it was prepared, I had forgotten about half of the description when I finished it. Every little detail about this place is meticulously designed so that you can relax big time in your dressy attire. The dinner; I guarantee you cannot find something in the same ballpark of its style and grace. The methods used and ingredients came together to create something I cannot describe as food but as an art exhibit. To take in its beauty, you take a deep breath, relax, and spend time appreciating the craftsmanship put into the experience. The bottom line about its uniqueness is that one of my courses involved edible dirt.
Manresa is intensely charming from the walk through the downtown Los Gatos nook, by the employees' class and throughout the restaurants warm decor. Just remember to take out a second mortgage before you decide to come for a sample.
This place is a destination restaurant, and not for the adventurous. For the cost (about $225 per person after tax for the tasting menu), you get about 12 different dishes that are carefully thought out, well presented, and very precise in terms of flavor and presentation. There was a clear progression in the tasting menu, and every following dish played on the previous dish before it. The service was low key, but excellent (they didn't hover), and the chef was friendly when we asked for a menu. He had to literally go back to his computer, type it out, and print it! All in all, we had an excellent experience here, and will be back for another special event. As compared to Gary Danko, I'd say that the food here is more thought out and interesting, while Gary Danko appeals to the masses. I'd give it 4.5 stars.
Manresa Chef defeats Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America - Battle Cabbage
Yes, cabbage... and it was spectacular. For a few Sundays in May and June they are serving the dishes that Chef Kinch created on Iron Chef and my husband and I went last weekend.
What a fun experience. The flavors and textures made my taste buds intrigued and satisfied. The presentations were delightful and creative, and not ostentatious.
I wrote up a pretty detailed account of my experience, dish by dish on my blog (along with photos), so if you're interested check it out here:
http://nourishingadven...
This is my 4th time eating at Manresa and I have never been disappointed. Highly recommend!
Forgive me if I get the dishes out of order, but we received no written copy of our menu for reference.
After a few minutes, the doo-wop haired sommelier with oversized glasses poured our opening glasses of bubbly but gave us no information about it. "Hmm..." I thought to myself. "At all the other Michelin star restaurants the sommelier usually gives us a full dissertation about the wine pairing". Oh well, perhaps it was an oversight for this course. Moments later the amuse came out. It was a playful take petit fours, as these were savory. A nifty concept, and very well executed I thought. The excitment was starting to set in.
Next was broccoli royale (soup) with steelhead roe. It was salty but pleasant. One guest remarked it tasted like Campbells Cream of Broccoli. Until she said that, I never made the connection...but after she said it, I have to say I really agreed. The big differentiator was the steelhead roe. I tolerate roe, but I don't go out of my way to eat it. Everyone liked the dish, but no one loved it.
Then came Kinch's famous soft-poached egg. I am usually not a big fan of eggs, but if they are well prepared I like 'em. Unfortunately, the soft-poached nature of this egg was disgusting to me both in concept and in execution. I disliked...no, I HATED the runny consistency of the yolk and perhaps the only thing keeping me from puking it up right at the table was the pleasant flavor of the maple syrup and sherry vinegar foam. Two people at our table loved the dish, and two people hated it. The pregnant person did not eat it.
This meal is going downhill fast. The sommelier continues to pour wines, stopping just long enough to quickly spit out the winery and grape varietal, then darts away as quickly as possible as if we have the plague. We are still not receiving any explanation whatsoever about why the wines were chosen, flavors, tasting notes, nothing...
After the egg we get a taste of Horse Mackerel topped with baby calamari tentacles and a bone marrow sauce. I have learned to appreciate the often overpowering fishiness of mackerel, but this dish is among the least appealing mackerel preparations I have tried. No one hated it, but no one really liked it that much.
At this point I believe the bread is served. This is truly the first spectacular part of the meal. The bread is AMAZING and perhaps only second to the bread served at Alinea. I'm almost thinking Manresa should close down and become a bread shop!
Next we're treated to another one of Kinch's favorites: Into the Vegetable Garden. It's a seasonally inspired dish that's ever changing, yet a mainstay on the tasting menu. This was bright, colorful, and a real delight. The flavors were very subtle and understated, but the freshness and beautiful presentation more than made up for the lack of bold flavors.
Out comes a lightly poached salmon with parsley cream. You could tell the quality of the fish was exceptional...there was just no flavor whatsoever.
Now we steadily progress to bigger, richer flavors. This course is a mushroom foamy thingyy. It was not explained to us in great detail, but it was good nonetheless.
Finally, we get some meat! The first meat course is a roasted squab, again with some sides I don't really remember. It's all of our first times having squab and it's a nice preparation. I think we all agreed that, while we enjoyed trying it, we would never go out of our way to order it as an entree.
The second meat course is a bavette of beef (I believe this is a top skirt). It's roasted in its own fat and served with a couple nondescript sides. By far the best part of the meal so far, but it's a shockingly far cry from the amazing A5-12 I had on the Alinea tasting menu. This cut and preparation is hardly what I would have expected from a 2-Michelin star chef.
The first of two desserts is a strawberry thing with a goats milk sorbet. Unique, and not terribly sweet. This is a good dessert, but it leaves me wanting more. Luckily this is followed by some chocolate goodness that I can't describe.
Noticeably absent was the cheese course. A michelin star tasting menu in a restaurant featuring world-class cheeses and they FORGET TO OFFER THE CHEESE COURSE? Seriously? Unforgivable.
The meal is finished in petit fours that mimic the shape and color of the amuse, but these are sweet.
Service is near perfect from a technical execution standpoint, but it's entirely lacking in charisma and personalization. Yes, our napkins are folded everytime we get up, our silverware is changed for every course, our glasses never go empty, and we're always served in unison from the left side. But that's it. No smiles, no in-depth explanation about the food or inspiration, no discussion of how unique the ingredient is or what farm it came from.We got absolutely nothing unique, fun, or interesting out of our stoic waiter.
I actually have a lot more details to post, but Yelp says I'm at my character limit!
I chose this restaurant based on the Michelin review. There were 4 of us celebrating my birthday. None of us were impressed with this $500+ meal. The presentation was beautiful but the taste was mediocre. Unfortunately because of the price, we would not give it a second chance. It was a major disappointment.
My new thing for 2008 was - always order the chef's tasting menu. I mean, if you're going to spend the big bucks anyways, might as well go for the gold right? And that's definitely the way to go at Manresa.
I went last August, so I can't remember everything, but here are some of my memorable moments. The eggshell amuse bouche is to die for! I would go back again just for that. All of our appetizer and entree courses were very good. The salad was really unique with all different types of greens that we had never even had before. The portions are actually quite large considering how many courses you get. My most favorite part of the evening was the desserts. And yes, plural! 3 different desserts. It's like a dream come true! All were fabulously delicious.
Yes, I would go back to Manresa again. Yes, the service is excellent and don't forget to take a handful of those yummy seasalt caramels as you leave. Yes, the food is excellent. Yes, it is pricey, but that's pretty much expected. Why not 5 stars? Not all of the dishes blew me away, and I do expect the very best from a 2 star Michelin restaurant. I also liked the slightly casual, not too stuffy, not too fancy atmosphere that you often get with the upscale restaurants in SF.
Lovely, lovely, but oh, so very, very expensive.
Certainly the best top-shelf restaurant in the south bay.
The food is inventive and interesting. Not everything is a hit, but everything is either utterly delicious or something you've never had before.
The service is perfect, the wine list is very high end.
If you're going to go here, get the full on zillion course tasting menu, with matching wine - you go to a place like this to put yourself in a master chef's hands, not to just pick and sample at what you might think is nice.
Overall, I think this place comes in second to Gary Danko in the overall Bay Area (third if you count French Laundry, as if you could ever get a reservation there).
They have special menus at certain times, and those are also worth trying - again, you want to come here to try new things.
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