Manresa Restaurant, Los Gatos

[Zeemanb]

I'll do a full review later as I mentioned, but thought I'd go ahead and list out last night's menu since so many have already well documented theirs.....

Amuses

Petit fours "red pepper and black olive"

Kir Royale

Wild boar and fennel saucisson sec

Chestnut and foie gras croquettes

Oyster and sea urchin gelee

Arpege egg

Main courses

Foie gras and pickled pig's feet en verrine, long pepper

Striped jack, sashimi style, with local olive oil

Sea urchin and dungeness crab, lightly spiced coconut milk

Shellfish in brown butter, bloomsdale spinach and chanterelles

Mediterranean rouget, milk skin and salmon roe ravioli

Abalone with pig jowl-sous vide and cured...route choucroute

Cepes en papillote, "biodynamic" rice

Ozette potato in two services:

puree with our boudin noir

flourless gnocchi, beef roasted in suet

Desserts

Citrus and jasmine tea jelly

Belgian waffle, caramel pears and maple sugar ice cream

Hot chocolate with marshmallow, tonka bean

Petits fours "strawberry-chocolate"

Since I was driving, I didn't do the full wine pairing, but had several small pours throughout the meal (the sommelier, Jeff, was absolutely the best), a couple of standouts were:

2003 Domaine des Persenades, Vin de Pays, Cotes de Gascogne, Southwestern France

2003 Domaine de Grangeneuve, La Truffiere, Coteaux de Tricastin, S. Rhone, France

[MobyP]

Is anyone planning to be here in the next few days?

Edited December 22, 2005 by MobyP (log)

[loremipsum]

Is anyone planning to be here in the next few days?

←

We went last night. Had the tasting menu and the wine pairing. Delicious!

I hope to write a report soon, but in the meantime, I've posted pictures at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/sets/1636160/

- Andrew

[DTaylor]

I've been following this thread for a little over a year now, and I finally got the cash and crew rallied for the experience. We've got reservations for Thursday, March 9th @ 6 (I figured I'd go a little early - we've got a preggo in the midst, and I didn't think she would be up for a 2 A.M. bedtime).

Anyway, I'm super stoked, and I'll definitely post some pictures and comments here when it's all said and done. Can't wait!

[cdh]

You're going to love it! It is quite an experience. Bring a camera, take pictures, and report back!

[peter_nyc]

I am going to be visiting San Francisco in March and have booked a night at Manresa, but have no idea how to get there! Since I don't want to have to rent a car, does anybody have any idea as to how I can get to Los Gatos and back in a single night?

[samgiovese]

Limo? The problem with the Bay Area is that we have no decent public transit solutions. There is virtually NO WAY to get from San Francisco to Los Gatos via public transit. We do have BART, but it only serves San Francisco, the East Bay (Oakland) and a small part of the Penninsula. CalTrain does go from San Francisco to San Jose, but you'd still have to find a way to get from downtown San Jose out to Los Gatos. Also, if your res is on a weekend, trains are few and far between. I think I'd probably end up with indigestion worrying about getting back to the station on time, and you certaily don't want to do that while dining at Manresa. If you don't want to drive, a limo would probably be your best bet.

Edited February 11, 2006 by samgiovese (log)

[peter_nyc]

Limo?  The problem with the Bay Area is that we have no decent public transit solutions.  There is virtually NO WAY to get from San Francisco to Los Gatos via public transit.  We do have BART, but it only serves San Francisco, the East Bay (Oakland) and a small part of the Penninsula.  CalTrain does go from San Francisco to San Jose, but you'd still have to find a way to get from downtown San Jose out to Los Gatos.  Also, if your res is on a weekend, trains are few and far between.  I think I'd probably end up with indigestion worrying about getting back to the statioin on time, and you certaily don't want to do that while dining at Manresa.  If you don't want to drive, a limo would probably be your best bet.

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Thank you for the advice... you wouldn't happen to know any good limo services would you?

[samgiovese]

Here are a few links. I've used LeGrande Affaire and Cloud Nine before.

Elite Limo

City Limo

SFO Limo

LeGrande Affaire

Cloud Nine

Hope this helps, and hope you enjoy your visit. You will LOVE Manresa!

[ulterior epicure]

I'll do a full review later as I mentioned, but thought I'd go ahead and list out last night's menu since so many have already well documented theirs.....

zeemanb.

can't wait to hear your full report!

u.e.

Edited February 11, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[snekse]

Let's play a game of "Name That Dish".

So I'm getting old and my memory is starting to fail me (which is why I started taking pictures of our meals). I waited too long before posting my pictures of Manresa, and now I have no clue what we ate. I hoping some of you have had these dishes or have a close relationship with the Chef that you might be able to help us identify what we're looking at. I've tried my best, but it's mostly a bunch of guesses. If you want to give it a shot, post your guesses in the Flickr comments (if you have a Flickr acct) or PM me with your guess.

Manresa Pics on Flickr by Gastronomic Fight Club

If you're interested in minute details, we also had an Oyster & Uni dish that's not pictured, but has been well documented by others. I'll have a full report eventually. Have too clear out a backlog of posting topics. The summary report would be that it was fantastic. Not the best food of our trip (which goes to The French Laundry), but it was our favorite place.

[peter_nyc]

Here are a few links.  I've used LeGrande Affaire and Cloud Nine before.

Elite Limo

City Limo

SFO Limo

LeGrande Affaire

Cloud Nine

Hope this helps, and hope you enjoy your visit.  You will LOVE Manresa!

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Thanks samgiovese! I ultimately decided to rent a car to use throughout the trip since it will be less expensive than renting a limo/car service.

[samgiovese]

Peter:

Smart move...just be sure to allow yourself enough time to get down to Los Gatos, depending on the day of the week you are going. If you'd like recommended routes and travel times, please PM me, and I will be happy to provide them. I wouldn't trust Mapquest, as oftentimes they take you on routes locals shun like the plague!

[DTaylor]

Two days to go! I'm only 23, and this will be my first time at a restaurant of this caliber, and I've got a few questions so I don't make a rube of myself:

I'm going to be treating my mom, my sister, and a good (pregnant!) friend to the meal; I don't want them worrying about the price. Is there a way to handle the bill (and the ordering of the tasting menu) discreetly?

Do I need to give them any advance warning for the tasting menu?

If I'm allergic to something (see trivia footnote), is it appropriate to mention it to the waiter? I know that waitstaff often get frustrated with bogus allergies (e.g. "I'm allergic to fat, can I get the sauce on the side?"), but is it common to state things you cannot (or should not) eat when ordering a tasting menu?

Would I need a flash to take decent pictures? If so, how have people taken decent pictures in the past without disturbing other diners?

Definitely still stoked; I'll post some pictures (if I can figure out how to take them considerately) and a write-up after the experience on Thursday!

! Trivia Footnote !

As it turns out, mango contains a poison oak analog, and if you've been exposed to a lot of poison oak [i've spent about 25% of the last few years with it], mango can cause the same reaction!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...0&dopt=Citation

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/339/4/235

[ulterior epicure]

I'm going to be treating my mom, my sister, and a good (pregnant!) friend to the meal; I don't want them worrying about the price. Is there a way to handle the bill (and the ordering of the tasting menu) discreetly?

I would say - just call ahead to have the check directed to you discreetly at the end of the meal. I've even gone so far as giving my credit card to the host discreetly on a "bathroom break."

Do I need to give them any advance warning for the tasting menu?

It wouldn't hurt.

If I'm allergic to something (see trivia footnote), is it appropriate to mention it to the waiter? I know that waitstaff often get frustrated with bogus allergies (e.g. "I'm allergic to fat, can I get the sauce on the side?"), but is it common to state things you cannot (or should not) eat when ordering a tasting menu?

I have the same allergy - and I've never had a problem at restaurants of this caliber - in the U.S. Do tell them in advance.

Definitely still stoked; I'll post some pictures (if I can figure out how to take them considerately) and a write-up after the experience on Thursday!

Looking forward to your review - as I'm planning a visit later this Spring.

! Trivia Footnote !

As it turns out, mango contains a poison oak analog, and if you've been exposed to a lot of poison oak [i've spent about 25% of the last few years with it], mango can cause the same reaction!

Unfortunately, been there done that... are you also allergic to any other tropical fruits?

[snekse]

Would I need a flash to take decent pictures? If so, how have people taken decent pictures in the past without disturbing other diners?

←

You might want to ask for a well lit table when making the reservation and sit in seat that has the most light. Depending on your camera and/or your photoshop skills, you may not need a flash.

I turned off my flash and I don't think my images came out too bad. They would look a lot better if I knew how to use photoshop, but I'm too lazy for that.

Manresa Photos (via Flickr)

[samgiovese]

Do I need to give them any advance warning for the tasting menu?

No, you do not. Manresa features their tasting menu, and it is available whenever they are serving. The allergy issue can be addressed when you order, although if you'd be more comfortable, you could certainly phone.

is there a way to handle the bill (and the ordering of the tasting menu) discreetly?

Phone the restaurant and ask for either General Manager Michael Keane or Dining Room Manager Esteban Garabay. Explain the situation and give them your credit card number over the phone. If you feel comfortable, have them add in the gratuity as well (suggested minimum - 15%...20% or more probably more appropriate with this fine of a restaurant). You then can discreetly settle up either on your way out, or, as was suggested, on a bathroom break.

Hope you REALLY enjoy yourselves.

BTW...if you all do tasting menu and pair wines, be prepared for a bill around $1000.00 +/-

[eje]

! Trivia Footnote !

As it turns out, mango contains a poison oak analog, and if you've been exposed to a lot of poison oak [i've spent about 25% of the last few years with it], mango can cause the same reaction!

←

Other related plants (Anacardiaceae) include cashews, pistachio and sumac.

[alanamoana]

if your friend is not noticeably pregnant (or even if she is), it might be wise to also let the restaurant know this ahead of time. often restaurants like manresa serve raw or barely cooked fish (or other ingredients) which your friend might be avoiding. if you do this ahead of time, it makes it easier (just like with allergies) for the kitchen to make substitutions. last minute stuff is definitely frowned upon by restaurant professionals (behind the scenes, of course).

[DTaylor]

Unfortunately, been there done that... are you also allergic to any other tropical fruits?

I don't think so; I've gotten down on rambutans, mangosteens, and papayas to no ill effect.

You might want to ask for a well lit table when making the reservation and sit in seat that has the most light. Depending on your camera and/or your photoshop skills, you may not need a flash.

Thanks - I'll give that a shot. Your pictures are gorgeous, so hopefully it will work out as well for me.

BTW...if you all do tasting menu and pair wines, be prepared for a bill around $1000.00 +/-

I'm as prepared as I can be . Dropping a paycheck on a meal is going to sting no matter how I slice it, but it's for people I love, and word on the street is that it's a remarkable experience on the whole. I'm not a "fine diner" by any stretch of the imagination - I'd be more likely to spend $100 on a tandem skydive than a great meal, but that's part of my motivation for going to Manresa. I just want to check out the experience.

if your friend is not noticeably pregnant (or even if she is), it might be wise to also let the restaurant know this ahead of time. often restaurants like manresa serve raw or barely cooked fish (or other ingredients) which your friend might be avoiding. if you do this ahead of time, it makes it easier (just like with allergies) for the kitchen to make substitutions. last minute stuff is definitely frowned upon by restaurant professionals (behind the scenes, of course).

Thanks for the suggestion; I'll give the restaurant a call this evening. I suppose 24 hour's notice is better than none.

[lizard]

FYI,

Many restaurants of this caliber can print a menu for you without prices --they do this often for special celebrations and events. Since they don't print the sheets until the day of service, you may still have time to do this. Just give them a call and ask.

You can discreetly slip them your credit card at the beginning of service when you

check in, as they will still need an imprint from your card, even if you give them your number ahead of time.

Have a great time, and take some great pictures for us!

Edited March 9, 2006 by lizard (log)

[robert40]

jeffj has photos up on his site from the Ludovic Lefebvre guest chef dinner at Manresa.

http://www.finediningphotos.com/meal.php?mid=32

[DTaylor]

I'm missing pictures of the first and last courses: the black olive madelines and red pepper gumdrops & chocolate madelines and strawberry gumdrops.

Overall, the meal was mostly interesting. There were a few dishes that were less than earth-shattering, and there were a few that were out-and-out fantastic.

Citrus-medjool date cocktail

A slightly underwhelming mess of foam. Champagne was the predominant flavor, and deep down inside, it mostly reminded me of that sparkling white grape Jell-o.

Chestnut croquette...salt cod bonyols with romesco

A crispy chestnut croquette with a warm liquid foie gras center. As other people have said, this is amazing. I didn't get a chance to taste the cod.

Oyster and sea urchin gelee

I don't know if I'll ever eat another bite of food that will taste so heavily of the sea. It turns out I don't much like oysters, and I prefer sea urchin in sushi, but it was definitely an interesting and visually arresting dish.

The egg...jasmine tea gelee

The egg was every bit as delicious as advertised. Layered with sherry vinegar, cream, chives, and maple syrup, each spoonful pulled up a bit of yolk with all of the other ingredients.

The jasmine tea gelee was a light citrus salad with only a hint of jasmine. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad, either. I think it suffered from comparison to the egg.

Mesquite grilled foie gras, calamondin caramel

Aside from the chestnut croquette earlier in the meal, this was the first time I'd eaten foie gras. I went into it with a considerable amount of skepticism; I'm not big on offal or organ meats. Overall, it was positive. It was like the richest, most concentrated bacon I had ever tasted, with a smooth, almost disturbingly creamy, texture. It was almost too rich to eat on its own, and I was thankful for the pieces of apple, the light dusting of salt, and the caramel that all served to cut the richness.

Sweet onion-brioche soup with slow-cooked egg, machego

Fantastic velvety onion soup. A slow-cooked egg sat at the bottom of the bowl, waiting to be pierced, waiting to release a trickle of tasty yolk into the soup. A good trick.

Big fin squid, giant clam, and butterfish, dried sardine broth

Tasted like something I might find on an omakase menu in Japan. Very tender slices of sashimi in a light fish broth. The butterfish was smooth and velvety, but overall, the dish had a little bit too much (seemingly?) uncooked mollusc at one time for me; the squid and clam were tender, relative to others of their kind, but chewy mollusc is chewy mollusc.

Warm salad of assorted broccoli, arugula rabe

Tasty, tasty, tasty. This dish reminded me of some of the greens I've eaten in the South. The rabe had a rich, bacony flavor.

Escabeche of mackerel with grapefruit, pear vinegar

Mackerel is a tough fish to love. When I got the combination of the slightly sweet pear vinegar, the sweet and tart grapefruit, and the oily mackerel, it was tasty. When I was eating the mackerel straight, it was like eating straight mackerel, however well prepared.

As a result, even though this may have been a great preparation of mackerel, I didn't love it.

Lobster with aromatic indian spice, lentils

Lobster, on the other hand, is easy to love, and we all loved this dish. Brown(?) butter, cumin (+ friends), lentils, lobster. Impossibly rich. Looking at the sea of butter around the lentils and meat, I was skeptical that I could handle all the rich fat, but by the end, I was asking my dining companions for pieces of their bread to mop it up.

Brown butter is my new second love.

Black cod on the plancha, fennel, sellfish emulsion

The shellfish emulsion, visible as the brown foam, was like seafood distilled into its purest form. The cod had a nice bit of crispy skin on it, and a perfect flake. I'd order this again.

Abalone with braised pig trotters, avocado

More firsts. I had never eaten pigs trotters. In fact, I had them confused with pickled pigs feet, which it turns out are a totally different kettle of fish. For those not in the know, it turns out pigs trotters can have some fantastic meat on them, with the texture of incredibly-finely pulled pork. The abalone was remarkably tender, given that every other time I have encountered abalone, it has required frying or considerable pounding to make it edible. On the whole, a delicious, if extremely rich, dish.

Oddly enough, I found myself using the avocado mousse to cut the richness down a notch. If you think about how buttery and rich an avocado is, that gives you some idea of the flavors that the trotters were bringing to the party.

Milk fed poularde, poached then roasted, foraged mushrooms

The first real disappointment of the night. The mushrooms tasted like good mushrooms. The chicken tasted like decent chicken. In short, the overall effect was of chicken and mushrooms, albeit decent chicken and good mushrooms.

Beef roasted in its fat, sweetbreads roasted whole, asparagus

Another minor disappointment in the meat department. The beef was tender and beefy, but not remarkable, and not something I would think about later.

It was also my first time with sweetbreads. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to eat them, as I've got a pretty big personal aversion to BSE, but it felt like a huge waste, and I had to give them a shot.

They were pretty bland, and the texture wasn't at all offensive They definitely didn't taste like brains.

Pineapple consomme

The worst dish of the night. I would go so far as it to call it bad. Three out of four of us couldn't finish it. It tasted like simple syrup with small pineapple chunks in it. I'm not really sure what this was about. It wasn't tart enough to function as an effective palate cleanser, and it just seemed like a liquid sugar bomb. We all wished it were summer so we could put some soda water in it and sit on the patio.

Strawberry souffle, lemon cream

Delicious. The souffle was light and airy and tasted perfectly of fresh strawberries. The lemon curd and the creme chantille provided perfect cool counterpoints to the warm souffle.

Chocolate marquis, banana, coconut ice cream

Fantastic. The top layer was coconut ice cream, as good as any I've had in Thailand. The middle layer was a crispy hazelnut wafer cookie, and the bottom layer was rich, dark, chocolate.

The truth is, the food wasn't necessarily a numinous experience; I might have been just as happy with a carnitas taco and a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of hot Nutella.

That said, there were a lot of fantastic dishes (the lobster and the egg in particular stood out), the service was great, and the atmosphere was fantastic.

My sister commented that one would have to be gourmand in order to truly enjoy the meal and get the full value out of it. To some extent, I think that sentiment was motivated by the array of slightly "weird" dishes (e.g. abalone and pigs' trotters / pineapple 'consomme' / sweetbreads), and to some extent I think it was simply motivated by the fact that it's an awful lot of food.

I'm not sure she didn't mean gourmet, but I think I would say that you need to be an epicure to truly enjoy the meal and get the full value out of it. As someone relatively unfamiliar with this kind of dining, I found that a lot of the dishes were just too sweet, rich, gummy, sea-water-y, etc., while a small few (like the egg) managed to be creative and interesting and delicious.

The format of tasting innumerable small dishes, more than the food, made the evening for me. That being said, I think it was an excellent value. Given that a ticket to see the San Jose Sharks can run you $80, I fully believe you're better off going and having this experience.

Personally, I'd love to see someone open up a restaurant that serves tasting menus for philistines who don't especially dig on brains, organs meats, or raw squid. Open with an onion ring with meyer lemon aioli, move on to the potato croquette with a liquid ketchup center, serve a mini-wagyu-burger on a freshly-baked artisanal bun with black sesame seeds, and close with a shot of a vanilla bean milkshake. No one's with me on this?

[ulterior epicure]

okay - this meal sounds amazing, and as soon as manresa opens its reservation calendar for later this spring, i'll be calling for reservations.

thanks dtaylor for the posts and pics!

u.e.

[alanamoana]

Personally, I'd love to see someone open up a restaurant that serves tasting menus for philistines who don't especially dig on brains, organs meats, or raw squid. Open with an onion ring with meyer lemon aioli, move on to the potato croquette with a liquid ketchup center, serve a mini-wagyu-burger on a freshly-baked artisanal bun with black sesame seeds, and close with a shot of a vanilla bean milkshake. No one's with me on this?

←

i'm definitely with you on this. as a matter of fact, that's a great idea. sometimes i feel that the whole "tasting menu" thing has just gotten out of control...imagine if you had gotten wine pairings with each course?! would you even be able to differentiate flavors by the end of the meal?

oh...besides your sister, how did your mom and your pregnant friend enjoy the meal? how was the service overall? the ambience?

thanks for the post and photos!

Edited March 16, 2006 by alanamoana (log)