Manresa Restaurant, Los Gatos

[MaxH]

will be at manresa tomorrow for dinner.  Will post some pictures afterwards.  Any thoughts about sitting on the patio vs the dining room?  We will be a large group.  Thanks.

The patio offers an additional, "casual" menu at quiet times such as early evenings. I think there's info on the Web site or else call. There is also the back room (PDR) if it is not already committed, however the query refers to a Friday night which may already be busy.

[SKinCA]

Robert,

Your early summer menu sounds delicious- I must find a way to get back before we return to Colorado.

Boobs and muscles, LOL.      Los Gatos does have its share of beautiful people.  I think most of the homeowners are 50+, though they tend to be well preserved. 

I only live a few miles away but it might as well be hours away having a toddler and a food-as-fuel husband.  Hmm, I sense a solo dinner coming up. 

←

All jokes aside as I truely thought Los Gatos was a beautiful town. Now on the other hand a few days later I spent July 4th in Pittsburgh watching the fireworks and now were talking about a town with a few burgers under it's belt.

←

When you say Pittsburgh I imagine muscular women and men with boobs....

Glad you enjoyed your Manresa experience. I'm a huge DK fan and reading about what he's got on the menu now makes me want to hop in my car this minute!

[Jason Perlow]

Had a really outstanding meal at Manresa last night. We took quite a few photos and lots of notes, and we may be producing a podcast of the evening. In any case, it may be a few days before we get anything up, so here is the menu:

<center>Petit fours "red pepper-black olive"

Radis au beurre

Strawberries with Hibiscus and Lime

Tomato Soup, barely cooked

Corn Croquettes

Arpege egg

English pea and foie gras royale

Corn and tomato salad new version

Marinated striped jack, local olive oil

Big eye tuna and wild celery bouillion

Crenshaw melon soup, silken almond tofu

Bronzini on the plancha, rock shrimp, sweet and sour

Rouget, anchovy sofrigit with lemon basil

Morille en papilliote, slow egg

Abalone and young shallots meuniere style, pigs trotter

Rabbit and Salt code, mortar sauce of favas and mint

Roast squab, raspberries crushed with hazelnut oil

Prime beef roasted in its own fat, foie gras

Joe's strawberries, 50 year balsamico, mascarpone

Pain perdu, roast pluots and corn ice cream

Chocolate marquis, condensed milk ice cream

Petit fours "chocolate-strawberry"</center>

BTW, there were no wine pairings with this meal. Straight ice water. This did not detract from the experience in my opinion as it kept us focused on the flavors, and it was a very long meal (5 hours)

[Jason Perlow]

I've posted my Manresa album on Imagegullet (click)

Note that these were all taken without flash under low light, with someone else's camera, and are heavily post-processed with Picasa, so they are pretty grainy and really don't do justice to how beautiful the food is.

Edited July 26, 2005 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Verjuice]

I had the pleasure of dining at Manresa on July 20th:

Petit fours "red pepper-black olive"

Radis au beurre

Santa rosa plum with hibiscus and lime

Corn croquettes

Tomato soup, barely cooked, fennel tuile

Arpege egg

Broccoli and foie gras royale

Striped jack, sashimi style, with olive oil... (friend)

... butterfish with wild celery bouillon (myself)

Cool melon soup, silken almond tofu... (friend)

... strawberry gazpacho (myself)

Dirty girl salad

Rouget, dates scented with cumin... (friend)

... japanese bass, anchovy sofrigit and lemon basil (myself)

Local abalone and pig's trotters, meuniere-style

Roast suckling pig, mortar sauce of fava beans and mint

Prime beef roasted in its own fat, foie gras, porcinis

Local strawberries with mascarpone and 50 year old balsamico

Roast apricots, pain perdu, corn ice cream

Chocolate cherry napoleon, condensed milk ice cream

Petit fours "strawberry-chocolate"

With this, we consumed inordinate quantities of sourdough bread despite a regrettable and indigestible lunch at The Stinking Rose in San Francisco.

Unfortunately, it's been long enough since we visited that I cannot remember what we were drinking. We started with cava, and I think we shifted to sauvignon blanc after the foie gras royale, then to pinot noir before the abalone course.

We were at Manresa for five hours. The service was superb and the meal itself was the most memorable I've ever experienced in a restaurant; really a delightful and entertaining evening. Afterwards (past midnight) we walked over a mile through silent downtown Los Gatos to our hotel, pausing every dozen steps to assimilate our santa rosa plum-induced euphoria or reflect on those magical little corn croquettes. We were giddy when we left and remained that way for a couple of days.

We met Chef Kinch after the meal and I was feeling rather tipsy at this point and had to restrain myself because I really wanted to give him a huge hug.

[tan319]

This article in the Metro Silicon Valley just hit the stands. It's a free local paper (arts/entertainment/etcetera) serving the San Jose area.

It doesn't show online, but the caption for the cover shot is "Is David Kinch going to be the next celebrity chef?" The answer might be contained in this excerpt:

And Kinch's passion for food, premium-quality ingredients and making people happy permeates the restaurant. Quaint as it might sound, cooking to make people happy is what drives him. That and pleasing himself.

"I do it because I still like to," he says. "I don't want to work in hotels. I don't want three restaurants. I don't want to do 500 covers a night. I don't want to be on TV. None of this interests me. Call me anti-success...but I just want to cook in my restaurant with my crew in my beautiful kitchen and make people happy."

It's a very clear, straightforward piece. There was a definite surge in reservations today as a result.

←

What a story!!!

Inspirational to a cookie(pastry chef, actually) like myself.

I'll go have a drink anytime with cooks who would rather haul cookbooks and argue about catalan cuisine then discuss ....well nevermind.

Fantastic piece, sounds like an amazing chef.

Thanks for posting!

[Catherine Nash]

I dined on August 12 and had something very similar to Jason and Verjuice (though not exactly). I am doing a blow-by-blow with photos on my blog all week long if anyone wants to read something that thorough. The first post (the amuse courses) is up now: http://foodmusings.typepad.com/food_musing...sa_20_or_t.html

Suffice it to say it not only lived up to my last visit but far surpassed it. Since it was my birthday, they sat 2 of us at a table for 4 so we had plenty of room, and there was a signed birthday card waiting for me. It truly was the best meal of my life, and even if they had been rude and snooty -- which they absolutely were not -- the food would have been magnificent enough to make up for it.

I noticed that for an everyday meal they do $30 prix fixe for 3 courses on the outdoor patio. A great way to sample the fare and ambiance for pennies. If anyone's eaten that way I'd love to know how it is.

[hshiau]

I had an 8pm reservation at Manresa last Wednesday. I dined with a friend and his wife, celebrating her birthday. Our menu follows:

Petit fours "red pepper-black olive"

Radis au beurre

Stonefruit with hibiscus and strawberry

Corn Cromesquis

Tomato soup, barely cooked, fennel tuile

Arpege egg

Marcona almonds with rosemary

Corn and tomato salad with basil - new version

English pea and foie gras royale

Striped jack, sashimi style, with local olive oil

Shrimp and watermellon on the plancha, avocado and vanilla

Horse mackerel, warm roe with cucumber

Bronzini, tomato sofrigit, lemon basil

Confit of kid goat, joe's turnips

Squab breast, raspberries crushed with hazelnut oil

Prime beef roasted in suet, trumpeet mushrooms

Cones: assorted sorbets

Raspberry souffle with white chocolate

Chocolate marquis, condensed milk ice cream

Petit fours "strawberry-chocolate"

The hits for me were the red pepper-black olive petite fours, arpege egg, corn and tomato salad with basil, english pea and foie gras royale, and squab breast. It was an amazing meal and service was excellent. My friend kept laughing that I was grinning from ear to ear every time a new course came.

Note: modified because I hit enter too quickly

Edited August 24, 2005 by hshiau (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

In tomorrow's San Francisco Chronicle, Michael Bauer elevates Manresa to the Four Star status, his first addition to that list in over three years. Congratulations to Chef Kinch for a job well done (open only three years!) and all else involved...

The entire list of Seven now reads (in alphabetical order, not order of preference):

Campton Place

Chez Panisse

Dining room at Ritz-Carlton

Fleur de Lys

French Laundry

La Folie

Manresa

Honorable Mentions (but not quite four stars):

Michael Mina

Masa's

Gary Danko

Acquerello

Aqua

Fifth Floor

[Andy Lynes]

Congratulations to David and the Manresa team, that's some serious company the other six restaurants are keeping.

My interview with David Kinch is due to appear in the UK publication Caterer and Hotelkeeper this week and online soon thereafter, I'll post a URL as soon as I have it.

[tan319]

Congratulations to David and the Manresa team, that's some serious company the other six restaurants are keeping.

My interview with David Kinch is due to appear in the UK publication Caterer and Hotelkeeper this week and online soon thereafter, I'll post a URL as soon as I have it.

←

Thanks, looking forward to that!!!

[Carlsbad]

I like the list. I am still wondeering why I'm the only one on here who likes Fleur de Lys though.

[Andy Lynes]

Just got my copy of this weeks Caterer and am thrilled to my interview with David runs to five pages and looks stunning. There's a great portrait of David, a nice shot of the dining room, an illustrated recipe for strawberry gazpacho, a delicous looking photo of wild mushroom and foie gras cooked en papillote with slow poached egg which also appears in a small lead for the article on the front cover. More importantly from my point of view is that the interview is almost as I submitted it and has not been cut in length. Not on line as yet but should be soon.

[docsconz]

That list is great recognition. I'm surprised about some of the names that areonly on honorable mention. Impressive.

[Andy Lynes]

Just got my copy of this weeks Caterer and am thrilled to my interview with David runs to five pages and looks stunning....  Not on line as yet but should be soon.

←

Caterer article now online.

[greensNbeans]

Just got my copy of this weeks Caterer and am thrilled to my interview with David runs to five pages and looks stunning....  Not on line as yet but should be soon.

←

Caterer article now online.

←

that is a incredible article - I like that he was able to realize he was going down the wrong path! I felt the same way less than three years ago

[jamiemaw]

Terrific piece, Andy. With your feature about Vancouver in Olive this month that certainly bolsters your media credentials as 'World's Most Renowned Food + Wine Journalist from Brighton, England.' That's a strong brand and hasn't just fallen in your lap. That was Tanya, 22, from Bracknell. Well done.

Edited September 13, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Andy Lynes]

That was Tanya, 22, from Bracknell.

←

Christine from Glasgow actually, but that's another story.

Thanks for the kind words. Its always easier to write about truly talented and thoughtful people such as David Kinch. He also has a terrific turn of phrase in conversation which I think comes across in the interview, so it was nice to be able to catch some of that in print.

[tan319]

That was Tanya, 22, from Bracknell.

←

Christine from Glasgow actually, but that's another story.

Thanks for the kind words. Its always easier to write about truly talented and thoughtful people such as David Kinch. He also has a terrific turn of phrase in conversation which I think comes across in the interview, so it was nice to be able to catch some of that in print.

←

Terrific article !!!

Lynes is quickly becoming one of my fave writers, and Kinch is becoming one of my favorite chefs to read about.

I love the idea of the savory churro with parmesan.

Likewise, the sort of reconstructed Margarita.

Anybody who can relate the story of bawling their eyes out over a relevatory meal, has got my attention.

Awesome!

[bong]

We again went to Manresa a few days back (This is our 3rd visit; prior two visits were an year back).

We went on a Wednesday evening, and had the chef's tasting menu. Sadly, this time around, the food was merely good, not great. Many of the courses were overly salty, including the flan dessert!. Which was not even good.

There was a dish served with bluefin tuna which I remember being very good, but all the other dishes were not worth remembering.

I wonder if the restaurant has already started its downhill slide or if it was simply a bad night.

[vmilor]

My wife and I had our third meal at Manresa on September 15th. The first two meals have been very satisfactory and I had thought that David Kinch, whose cooking I am familiar with from the days of Sent Sovi had evolved further and had become one of the best chefs in America. My third meal, however, was by far the best meal David put together and it is not an exaggeration to say that it was as good as the very best meals I have had in the States--as good as when Thomas Keller is in good shape and cooks, as good as when Pepin cooked special meals at Chez Panisse with Waters back in the late 80ss and as good as the very best meal I remember from Gary Kunz at Lespinasse (I had lesser meals there too) and one single all white truffle meal at Boulud for a small group when Daniel was less famous and was giving personal attention.

As far as I can tell, David's greatest strength is also his Achilles heel. That is, he has a profound knowledge and undertanding of different cooking techniques and cuisines so he can draw inspiration from a greater variety of sources than most other great chefs. The flip side of this is that, esp. when he concocts multiple courses the flow of the meal may lack some inner logic and rigour and it becomes hard to detect an overall focus and direction. On the other hand, even then, David never adopts faddish methods or resorts to gimmicks to influence the unsuspected. His cooking is essentially respectful of the terroir and the ingredient. I am impressed by his knowledge of local ingredients in the sense that, unlike many other chefs who either excessively resort to local ingredients or import mediocre quality expensive ingredients, David is able to strike a happy medium. He prefers to work with the best local ingredient but, when they are unavailable, he handpicks the best non local varieties of fish, meat and produce and presents them in pristine or almost pristine form.

These said, our last meal proved that David is developing an overall style and that he can put together a meal which can have a crescendo effect rather than random progression. His is a personal and pluralistic style, clearly influenced by his Catalunian training but he is an unmistakeable Northern California chef in terms of his sensitivites. That is, his cuisine reflects an ongoing dialogue with all cultures which make their presence felt in California but David is able to create an original synthesis from these influences.

There was not a single dish (of the 6 tapas and 6 mains) that was merely good in our last meal and it was the overall balance/harmony and progression which was most memorable. His mi-cuit foie gras and pickled pg's trotters was so bad that the two of us had to gulp down the whole jar to prevent other diners from undergoing a similar shock. His own brand of Gazpacho and corn croqettes which followed it should be named as the entry from California to the world's best appetizers contest. The qualty of all the 5 seafood we tasted had been super and his Japanese seabass (sofrigit) is now inscribed in my memory as one of the best fish dishes I have had in the States. The sweetbread which followed it and the home made choucroute left similar impressions. The beef bavette which ended the meal was also very good--perhaps half notch below sweetbreads in terms of the quality.

There is also an intangible element which is hard to explain. That is, one feels that these dishes are put on the plate by a chef who likes what he is doing as is passionate and happy. This is what I meant by the term "personal". I can see that these dishes can be reproduced "technically" but they will not taste the same when David is not present in the kitchen. Fortunately he was there when I dined!

[noambenami]

I ate at Manresa a week ago with a friend of mine, having driven about eight hundred miles from Portland to get to Los Gatos.

First off, how lucky are the people in Los Gatos? They are right off of some of the most beautiful beaches and forests I have seen in a long time, and I'd forgotten just how charming and lovely the bay area can be, and how breathtaking the golden gate bridge looks on a clear day with a cloud cascading over it and spilling into the bay.

So, we ordered the chef's tasting menu and were summarily treated to well over twenty courses over the course of several hours. We also split a wine match, being total lightweights.

Overall, the meal was enjoyable and the staff friendly, if a bit hurried - the restaurant was very full with a large party of VIPs in the private dining room. Manresa is an intense machine, with dishes coming out at you fairly quickly, as they must when you are being served every type of food in existence. The place works with an almost military precision.

I won't go over all the courses, but I will note that many of them made me think of New York's Gramercy Tavern, the two restaurants operating on similar levels of execution and using some similar presentation/plating techniques.

My main comment is about the overall value of the meal, which I'd rate higher than any other that I have ever had. Perhaps only at Regis Marcon have I been treated to so many lovely plates for so little money. Abalone and pork trotters were followed by wonderful sweetbreads, by squab, and when we thought there couldn't possibly be anything more coming, by beef with foie. And those were served after salmon, turbotin, mackerel and squid, oysters and clam...and a word or praise for David's wonderful cippolini onion and foie gras royale.

Preperations ranged from sous vide to sashimi and sushi, with a large amount of roasting being done. It says something, I think, that David's sushi is better than any sushi I've had at dedicated sushi restaurants.

Delivering this for $98 just seems unreal. This is cuisine that is clearly done out of love of the craft.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Mercury News, San Jose

Get ready to redial. Reservations at Manresa in Los Gatos may soon be harder to come by, now that the 3-year-old restaurant has been named one of the Bay Area's top three restaurants for food by the popular Zagat Survey.

Gary Danko in San Francisco was first and the French Laundry in Yountville second.

In November 2004 it got a rave review in the London Observer. In April it was named one of the world's 50 best restaurants by the influential London-based Restaurant magazine, ... "That was huge for our business,'' Executive Chef David Kinch says. The 68-seat restaurant saw a big increase in European and East Coast customers. "We've become the classic 'worth a detour' restaurant,'' Kinch says.

From the meal I had at Manresa, I can tell you that David Kinch is well worth the trip to Los Gatos (outside San Jose)!

[Zeemanb]

Well, I already had a reservation for the evening of Nov. 9th, and just to error on the side of safety went ahead and just booked another one for the 18th, the night before I come back home to KC. My logic being.....this place sounds absolutely outstanding (AND my hotel will be about 10 minutes away!).

[Zeemanb]

Just got back to my hotel after a four hour extravaganza at Manresa. I'll post pictures when I get back home to KC and have the time to engineer a thread highlighting my bay area adventures (a couple meals down, several to go...). From the warm welcome, the friendly service and thoughtful wine pairings, to the types of courses that obviously come from such a deep love of food and the journey to find its greatest potential, I'd have to say I just enjoyed one of the most memorable meals of my life. I'm really floored, it was wonderful. Those clams and chanterelles with spinach in brown butter are going to be in my dreams for the next couple of nights.