melkor

A four-star meal is about more than the food, it's about being able to enjoy the food as well - I can't serve four-star food in my house, because I lack the staff to clean up the disaster my kitchen would be and I lack the staff to get all the food finished, plated and served fast enough for there not to be a long delay between courses. On a more basic level, I've made what I thought to be very good versions of a large number of dishes from the French Laundry cookbook, then had those same dishes at the restaurant shortly after and realized I'm at best a hack.

From the other reports I've seen on this thread, everyone who orders the tasting menu gets a large number of courses and seems to enjoy the majority of them. Perhaps we were able to enjoy a few special dishes, such as the confit of pork shoulder, that were made just for us. As far as the different meals we were eating goes, the table ended up as 10 people eating the same menu, the Judge eating his own menu, and a menu with a few substitutions for MsMelkor and myself. IR was apparently unannounced, and Tanabutler said earlier she decided against going that night.

One of the things that sets Manresa apart from its peers is the chef’s willingness to take risks: some of the dishes succeed brilliantly, while the occasional dish falls flat on its face. The meal is divided into so many courses that these failures don’t detract from the meal itself. By taking so many risks and serving so many courses, Chef Kinch invites his guests along for the ride as he tries out new preparations, unusual flavor combinations, and interesting textures. Here’s the menu from our meal at Manresa on Saturday: 1] carrot-orange cocktail w/hibiscus 2] parmesan churros 3] sayori w/shiso (deep fried) 4] fennel & orange salad 5] bluefin tuna belly, meyer lemon (served raw) 6] chestnut croquettes (dominated by truffles) 7] prime beef tartare 8] potato leek soup w/egg & cheese 9] foie custard and twice cooked foie & quince on toast crisp 10] fluke & caviar 11] mackerel & steelhead roe 12] saltcod & potatoes 13] more foie gras 14] roast squab w/yams & coconut milk 15] lamb shoulder & garlic puree 16] wagyu beef, spinach, and sauce bordelaise 17] pineapple soup w/lemongrass 18] meyer lemon custard w/ginger -- buttermilk panna cotta w/huckleberries 19] banana cake & pecan ic ecream 20] molasses milkshake 21] chocolate and pear dessert 22] mint sorbet and chocolate gelee If we were only served a subset of the menu then the average quality of the food could have been much higher, but it would have been at the expense of what makes Manresa special. This is not a temple of gastronomy; this is a talented chef and his staff working their collective asses off to put out a huge variety of dishes for a public, which would do well to not eat anything else the day of their visit. Although the menu (personalized, a nice touch) provided by the staff indicates that the churros were served second, they appeared on the table first. Since I was starving, I didn’t spend much time contemplating this item. I really enjoyed the crisp citrus flavor in the cocktail: it got the meal off to a great start. Next we were served a battered and fried fish stick, similar enough to what I was served as a kid from the freezer in the yellow box to bring back a childhood memory, but vastly more enjoyable to eat at this point in my life. The batter was thin but crisp, the fish perfectly cooked and the shiso providing a nice bit of freshness to the dish. This was one of my favorite parts of the meal. This was followed by another orange dish served in a martini glass, which I enjoyed possibly more than the first dish, but I would have been just as happy with only one orange dish served in a martini glass. The next amuse (yes, we were still on amuses) was raw bluefin tuna belly served in a quenelle on a spoon in the same way as the beef tartare was served a few courses later. Of the two I preferred the tuna, though if I were to have both dishes without wine I’d probably prefer the beef, as the tuna was a spectacular match for the wine (Alsatian Riesling, naturally) we had with it. Between the spoons we were served a chestnut croquette; on a previous visit, we had been served a corn version of this, which I preferred – the chestnut in this dish acted more as a container for the creamy center which was dominated by truffle oil. I love the texture of this dish, but I could have done without the truffle oil. Our last amuse came in the form of a poached egg with grated manchego cheese, and potato leek soup poured over the egg tableside. This is a dish with massive potential: texturally it’s spectacular, the cheese is somewhat dry and provides a contrast to the egg and the soup acts more as a sauce than a soup. My only complaint about this dish is the soup was far too subtle for my taste - I would have preferred a little more depth in the soup to bring a bit more richness to the dish as a whole. Next we moved to the main courses, apparently only after eating 8 dishes were we properly hungry for dinner . First up was a pair of foie gras dishes: the Manresa signature foie gras custard, described in more detail in many other writeups of the restaurant, and a slice of foie gras served on a slice of quince paste on a rectangular piece of toast. The foie gras custard, prepared like crème caramel, is a brilliant preparation, but I find the coarsely ground pepper in the dish a bit jarring when I encounter it. The “twice cooked foie gras” is very similar to a standard foie gras terrine served cold. It’s a nice match with the quince paste and the toast. Fluke and caviar was next – another raw dish, good but at this point in the meal I’m about done with raw preparations. The next fish course, mackerel with smoked steelhead roe steeped in sake, was excellent, with great textures (despite skin that could have been slightly crisper) and depth of flavor from the smoked roe. On the heels of the thoroughly enjoyable mackerel dish was the only abject failure of the night: the saltcod had a dry and unpleasant texture and was far fishier than it should be; the potato puree had a gummy/gluey texture. A second foie gras course followed, this time in my favorite form – seared. I’m such a sucker for seared foie gras; as long as it’s reasonably well prepared I love it, although this was better than most, very crisp on the outside and perfectly creamy inside. Poultry came in the form of roast squab with yams and coconut milk – with game birds neither MsMelkor or I ever really find the breast meat compelling, and this again was true for the squab we were presented: the legs were outstanding and the breast was as good as it gets, which when presented next to perfectly cooked legs, couldn't compare. The yam puree provided a nice contrast in textures from the crisp squab skin. The only downside to this dish was the sauce, which was a bit too simple for the dish. Another great success followed in the form of a lamb shoulder which had been cooked sous vide for 36 hours and was plated with nothing more than a dollop of garlic puree. This item is a perfect illustration of why we enjoy dinning at this level during the winter, as slow cooked meats are an absolute favorite of both of ours, and all the better when they are flavorful and delicious as this was. Wagyu beef bavette with a bordelaise sauce followed; I think I would have liked this dish better if it preceded the lamb, since the lamb was a much heartier dish. This was a perfectly acceptable dish, it just had the misfortune of following a better one. This meal ended with six sweet courses - first was a pineapple and lemongrass soup, which was another one of the highlights of the meal: bright and crisp, it provided much-needed refreshment for our palates. The next dessert was a Meyer lemon custard with ginger for me and a buttermilk panna cotta for MsMelkor – we as usual ate half of each and swapped. A disc of caramelized sugar and some Meyer lemon zest were tossed in with the lemon custard. These touches made for a lovely dish, again good textures and bright flavors, though the ginger flavor was a bit lost. The panna cotta was good, but nothing extraordinary. Banana cake with pecan ice cream, another very good dish, tasted as it sounds like it would. The next two desserts weren’t a favorite of either of ours; the molasses milkshake was a one-dimensional dish that was simply a bit of overpowering molasses in drinkable form. The chocolate and pear dessert was presented in two ways: a small chocolate soufflé with pears on the side for MsMelkor and chopped pears sandwiched between meringue discs with a quenelle of whipped chocolate ganache on top for me. The soufflé was good but it started to break (a bit of water at the bottom of the dish). On my plate, the pears seemed out of place with the meringue – the “sandwich” fell apart when cut with a fork and the dish in general seemed a bit disjointed. But this minor misstep was forgiven with an excellent mint sorbet with chocolate gelee to finish up the meal. Last time we ate at Manresa I thought the kitchen produced better sweet dishes than it did savory, but this time the savory dishes excelled as well. I came away from this meal more certain than ever that Chef Kinch isn’t trying to compete with anyone anywhere - he’s doing his own thing in a small town, turning out good food to people who enjoy eating it. I think it is a great disservice to Manresa to compare it to the French Laundry; the only reason it ever gets held to that standard is because Chef Keller is within driving distance. Were Manresa another 150 miles down the coast it would just be what it is without having to live up to an impossible standard. In any event, this write up is far too wordy by now; the gist of it is that if you have the opportunity, you should go to Manresa, you’ll enjoy it, but you shouldn’t expect perfection.

It’s been my experience that wines from CA tend to have more fruit, more alcohol, and less acid and minerality than their non-CA counterparts. Because I find they often compete with, rather than complement, the flavors in the food, I prefer to drink CA wines by themselves. On a few occasions we’ve had both at home and at restaurants good success pairing one California wine with one dish, I’ve never had a truly excellent food and wine pairing across multiple dishes when the wine is from CA. White Rhones, on the other hand, regularly (and quite successfully) appear across multiple courses as part of the wine pairing at the French Laundry and other restaurants. That being said, our wine cellar is 35% CA, and I’ve enjoyed some Pinots and Rhone-style wines from CA with food. But since the red-wine-friendly courses at Manresa make up a small portion of the menu (or at least have both times I’ve eaten there), and given that the dinner in question is a festive meal, I think a sparkler would be appropriate. Here's the menu from the meal we had at Manresa last night: 1] carrot-orange cocktail w/hibiscus 2] parmesan churros 3] fennel & orange salad 4] sayori w/shiso (deep fried) 5] bluefin tuna belly, meyer lemon (served raw) 6] chestnut croquettes (dominated by truffles) 7] prime beef tartare 8] potato leek soup w/egg & cheese 9] foie custard and twice cooked foie & quince on toast crisp 10] fluke & caviar 11] mackerel & steelhead roe 12] saltcod & potatoes 13] more foie gras 14] roast squab w/yams & coconut milk 15] lamb shoulder & garlic puree 16] wagyu beef, spinach, and sauce bordelaise 17] pineapple soup w/lemongrass 18] meyer lemon custard w/ginger -- buttermilk panna cotta w/huckleberries 19] banana cake & pecan icecream 20] molasses milkshake 21] chocolate and pear dessert (one of the low points of the meal) 22] mint sorbet and chocolate gelee So if it's me, and I am bringing two wines, I'd bring either Billecart Salmon Brut Rose or Paul Bara Brut Rose for 1-8 & 10-12 and a 94 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Heimbourg VT for 9, 13, & 17-19 and buy a glass of Syrah or Grenache for courses 14, 15, and 16.

I'd look outside California for wine to match with the food at Manresa. Riesling from Alsace, White Burgundy, Champagne (obviously), something from the Rhone. If he's bringing two bottles, I'd go with a rose Champagne (Paul Bara brut Rose is on sale at Kermit Lynch at the moment for 20% off - ~$40 by the bottle or $34 if you get a case). Keep an eye on what Premier Cru is selling and grab whatever looks good for a red.

The kitchen cooked for us. They cut the menu short when we got full after that beef dish - this was the only meal I've had there off-menu that only had one meat dish. Congrats on the wedding. What percent of the people on any given night at the French Laundry are there to celebrate a special occasion? I'd guess 75

Yeah, for anyone who is interested in making this dish - i think the recipe is 2 parts pasta, a bit of amazing sauce, and 1 part white truffles . A glass of white burgundy was outstanding with it. I've had this dish several times in the past, they serve it with preserved black truffles during the summer and white truffles if you happen to be lucky enough to get a table when they are in season.

I think the best thing about chain restaurants is also the worst thing about chain restaurants. Their goal is to have a consistant product, it's never great, they hope it's never awful - but it should always taste the same. You can't serve the same menu year round with the goal being to have things taste the same and use great fresh ingredients. Local restaurants can be great, they can be awful and sometimes they can be both on the same night. Back to the question at hand. I've been just as irritated getting a crap meal for $20 as I have for $300. Having a bad meal is a huge waste. The ingredients are wasted, your time is wasted, and you lose one of the few chances you get each day to have a great food experience. I think for everyone there is a price at which food becomes too expensive to be "worth it", but it's never easy to figure out what that price point is. If the Gary Danko charged $150 instead of $85 for their full tasting menu - would the place be less full? Is the $85 price point the reason we could get a same day reservation for 4? Would it be just as hard to get a reservation at Danko as it is at the French Laundry if they charged $25? I don't think it would, at some point the hassle involved becomes the limiting factor. On the same note, would it be easy to get a reservation at the French Laundry if the price were $300? $500? $1,000? At some point the money starts to factor into it, but how many more people can afford a $500 dinner for two than can afford a $750 dinner for two?

I've got no idea why people don't go to Campton Place - it's not on my radar. We are part way through our efforts to hit the 3 places I think have the most buzz in the bay area the course of one week. French Laundry last Sunday, Quince tonight, and Manresa tomorrow. Campton never came up in any of the 'where should we eat?' discussions. I'll have to check it out. In the interest of not being clobbered yet again for only eating at high end restaurants, I’m happy to disclose my consumption of a burger from Kelly’s in the mission on Wednesday, In & Out burger yesterday, lunch at the Elephant Bar (yick) on Tuesday, and some less than delicious tapas from Illuna Basque Thursday.

Like jeffj, we had the pleasure of eating at the French Laundry last weekend. We arrived early for our 8:30 reservation so we sat in the garden to wait: Sitting on the bench enjoying the full moon, the breeze, the garden, and of course the company of the wonderful MsMelkor, I asked her to marry me . She clearly is lacking some good sense as she said yes. 8:30 rolled around so we went inside to start our meal. I didn't take notes so I'll just post the pictures of our meal. Each course was served with wine, some good and others excellent. No notes on them either. We did start our meal with glasses of Pierre Gimonnet NV, but after that it was a bit of a blur. Usually when we go to the French Laundry, we focus so much on the components of each dish that we end up losing sight of the overall experience. This time, we were able to enjoy the aspect of TFL that sets it apart from every other restaurant in the area: not only is the food technically excellent, but everything flows together seamlessly to create an utterly perfect evening. (oh, and my pictures suck compared to what jeffj posted above )

I think a case can be made that good food and good wine together make each other taste better. Not that you can't enjoy good food without good wine, that is clearly not true - but I do think the whole experience can be improved (for some) with the right wine.

If you have a Le Creuset outlet near you, give them a call - they are likely to just let you come in and swap the piece for one that isn't cracked.

Not to get too far off track here, but I've been happy at GB for the same reasons I find myself happy at In & Out burger. When I'm traveling and from time to time when I'm in town I crave a simple greasy meal, there is nothing more to my suggestion than that. GB and countless other places provide that. The burger I had at Kelly's Burger in the mission tonight would serve the same purpose - though with a completely different view for people watching and far fewer beverage options.

Gary Danko would be a good choice.

I'm glad I already bought all my 01 Sauternes...

Town Hall would likely be your best bet. Another good option would be Blue Plate in the mission.

I've managed to successfully avoid the olive garden/tgi fridays/etc for years without offending my friends or causing them any financial strain - If Gordon Biersch were offensive to me I'd go to the 21st Amendment across town. There are always alternatives. I however have never been to the GB in San Jose that Tana referred to earlier, so I can't comment on the quality of the food there compared to the SF location. Besides, from the list of places I made, I'd only pick GB if I were craving brewpub food - it only made my list by being right in the area Hest88 pointed out and different from the others on the list. I think the Pyramid in Berkeley is slightly better than GB, as is the Black Diamond in Walnut Creek.

I had one of the better meals of my life at Farallon, which included perfect service, perfect food, and an introduction to the Gruner Veltliner wine when requesting "something different." And oh, is it a beautiful room.However, I disagree completely about Gordon Biersch being anything to recommend to anyone who enjoys food like we seem to here on this forum. GB is like an Olive Garden with darker décor: there is nothing impressive or memorable there at all. When I say this, it's because I believe I taste industrial restaurant supplies like "vegetable oil in 55-gallon drums from Cisco (or Ledyard, who whoever the supplier is)." It is the opposite of food that tastes like it has been touched by people who truly care about the food. I think anyone who has sullied their hands in a hack joint like TGIF, as I did for four years, would be able to identify industrial compound foods by taste or smell. I'm pretty sure of that. I was at the GB in downtown San Jose twice (one day, one night, months apart). It was exactly what I would expect from One of the Better Chains. But a chain, no less. Don't stoop: go for something unique to this area. (Suggestions above.) ← Gordon Biersch is an SF institution - its clearly not haute cuisine, but it is far better than your the countless restaurants that simply defrost whatever the sysco truck drops off. If you found the place so fundamentally flawed how did you end up there more than once?

Bocadillo's (this would absolutely be my first pick) Town Hall Boulevard (I'm not a fan, but other people like it) Farallon Michael Mina (again, I'm not a fan) Acme Chop House (a bit of a walk, the steaks are less than stellar, but the braised dishes are good) Gordon Biersch (Brew Pub, loud, decent burgers & fries)

Given that you've got the whole night to spend I think you'd do better going into the city. I'd recommend L'Osteria del Forno in North Beach for a great casual dinner.

Those really are spectacular photos. Thanks for sharing them

It tasted much less like turkey than the rest of the birds did, but it wasn't as ducky as the duck confit I had with dinner 2 nights before thanksgiving. The meat was reheated after it was pulled off the bone, so the skin never crisped up. $40 for the bucket-o-fat, it should last forever in the freezer. Unfortunately we've only got a quart of duck fat at home the bucket is in the freezer at MsMelkor's dads place 2,500 miles away. Somehow I figured the people on the flight home might not like it if we brought it with us as carry-on.

We made turkey confit for thanksgiving this year also. I forgot to take a picture of the parts before they went in the oven. We used the legs and wings from two birds, and the thighs from one bird - the limbless turkey got roasted, the one with its thighs still attached got fried. We coated the parts with a salt & herb mixture and left it in the fridge overnight before cooking like this: procure an absurd amount of duck fat: melt fat and drown turkey parts in said fat - stick in 190*F oven for 10 hours. (this is how much fat was left in the bucket) Out of the oven, a little more fat on top and ready to go in the fridge The next day it looks like this Here's the final product: The meat was significantly better after resting in the fridge overnight and being reheated. The wings were better than the legs, which in turn were better than the thighs - if we for some reason are making turkey confit with parts we buy at the store, I think we'd use all wings. Ultimately we strained the fat back into the bucket, nearly all of it came back.

You can sharpen it as you would any normal knife. The indents are on the side of the blade not the sharp edge.

D'Artagnan has white truffles for $175/oz. Hardly cheap, but even with shipping a fair bit better than the ferry building.