Manresa

Manresa is one of our favorite restaurants and Chef David Kinch is a brilliant chef. We were extremely lucky to have a meal at Manresa on Wed July 2. I have horrible news – Manresa had a fire on Monday July 7.

News here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_26102133/los-gatos-manresa-restaurant-damaged-by-early-morning

Unfortunately we will have to wait for Manresa to reopen to have another incredible experience.

Our Meal:

John decided to start with one of Manresa’s special cocktails – “Dirty Turnip”- dry vermouth. bison grass infused vodka, turnip and pickling solution from the turnip

BYO Wines for the evening:

I will let the photos tell the “story.”

Signature dish of roasted red bell pepper and black olive madeleines

Apricot, chervil croquette – you ate this in one bite and the liquid center was delicious

Olive oil and spring savory ice cream, kale seaweed dried with kombu,

Sea urchin and fermented plum panna cotta, diced green apple, lemon juice, grapeseed oil, sea bean, borage flower

Bread Service – not shown incredible home made butter

Strawberry picada with anchovies, dried crispy capers, sourdough, crunchy vinaigrette. raspberry ice, raw milk curd, basil ( I hope I got this right – I ask a lot of questions and want to know all the ingredients – the wait staff is very patient with me)

Summer clams ( razor and surf from Mass), cape berries, malibar spinach, bachelor button flowers, salt wort, gelee – roasted lemon cucumber with bronze fennel

Morels, Celtuce, nasturtium with levain, puffed buckwheat, ice plant, vichyssoise sauce

Kin Medai (snapper) with eggplant, tomatillo, sesame salt, amaranth

Signature dish – “Into the vegetable garden” – I tried to get what was in this but was only able to get a few – dehydrated parsnip, chicory, potato, radish, turnip  – taking notes at Manresa is a challenge

Black cod with lightly pickled carrots, flowering coriander, coriander emulsion

“Tidal Pool” – abalone, puffed crispy rice, pumpkin seeds and dashi and onion broth to finish

Spring lamb, confit of squash and porcini mushrooms

My photographer was getting weary and me his partner was also weary of taking extensive notes so from the menu presented to us:

Goat’s milk caramel, green curry sorbet…

…yogurt and matcha, cucumber with shiso

Peaches and Cream

Petit fours “strawberry-chocolate”

I only hope that all goes well with the reconstruction of Manresa and that Manresa opens as soon as possible. I wish David Kinch and his staff my best and I know when Manresa reopens it will be better than ever and I will be there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manresa

David Kinch is one of the most innovative and creative chefs in the country.  Combine this with his passion and dedication  plus his extraordinary ability to get the most pristine ingredients and you have a restaurant that is definitely off the charts perfect. Bottom line: there aren’t enough superlatives to capture the excitement of a Manresa meal. My descriptions will be brief as they were jotted down from my illegible notes from a meal in early December. Apologies to Chef Kinch for the inaccuracies. I also am not commenting on each dish as delicious , off the charts, perfect blend of ingredients as they apply to each dish.

BYO Krug to start

Lousy picture – Petit fours – Roast Red Pepper Gelee and Black Olive Madelines – a signature beginning

Chestnut Truffles

Notice the beautiful new presentation plates – each hand-made from exotic wood

Garden Beignet with crispy kale, malt vinegar and aged goat cheddar

Belon Oyster and seaweed ice

BYO Wine

Monterey Bay Abalone, local milk, panna cotta, breakfast radishes garnished with a salad brunette

Pim’s Butter

Brioche and Green Olive Bread

Local Dungeness crab, roasted chicken gelee, persimmon, pomegranate, dusting of fennel pollen

Nantucket bay scallops, autumn veggies – kohlrabi, celery root, brussel sprout petals, tapenade of black trumpet mushrooms, candied black olives

“Into the Garden” – notice the new plate!

“Autumn Tidal Pool” – assorted shellfish clams, mussels, cured sea bream – pine and matsutake mushrooms, pine mushroom broth, lemon peel

Red Wine

Fried Egg with sushi rice, white truffles, parmesan cheese, garden bok choy

Another photo of the above

Japanese tenderloin of rho deer that had been aged 60 days, garden carrots, bordeaux spinach, quince with saffron and licorice

Persimmon

What a meal, what an experience – run don’t walk to Manresa for a true culinary adventure from a gifted chef

Manresa

As always I can’t rave enough about Manresa.  Chef David Kinch handles the freshest of ingredients with the greatest finesse. Nothing is on the plate for show. The skill and thoughtfulness of each dish is so evident and points to the fact that Chef Kinch is a supremely talented chef.

I didn’t get a menu so these are from my own notes! Hopefully I didn’t make too many mistakes. Dana, our wonderful server, answered my many, many questions.

Enough to say that every dish was sensational and I will let the photos tell the story. The key to Chef Kinch’s food is that it does tell a story – it is not a collection of dishes – it is like reading your favorite novel with nuances and an unfolding of an incredible food plot.

BYO Champagne

Savory Black Olive Madeline and Roasted Red pepper Petit fore

Garden Beignets filled with aged goat cheese covered with crispy kale

Local Milk (Dainty, Dottie and Nutmeg – Manresa’s cows – yes I ask a lot of questions!) Panna Cotta, Monterey Bay Abalone, Breakfast Radishes, Gelee made from braising liquid of the abalone, sake, soy – the panna cotta was the bottom layer and when mixed with the other ingredients was a sublime combination.

Bread Service (Levain, Olive, Baguette) and Butter churned from Dainty, Dottie and Nutmeg

BYO White Wine

Amberjack sashimi style, Radish (finely julienned), Vinaigrette of Shirodashi

Surf Clams, Meyer Lemon, Seaweed Granite, Savory Granola, Toasted Nuts, Sea Beans, Unripe Green Tomato

“Into the Vegetable Garden” – Shaved turnips, Nasturtium flowers, strawberries, radish, watercress, sorrel, beets, green beans, dehydrated potatoes and chicory root dirt

Soup presented before broth was added

Mediterranean Style Fish Soup, Sorrel, Squash Blossom, Lobster, Quenelle of Saffron Cream, Seafood and saffron broth was then added

BYO Red Wine

Wild King Salmon cured in herbs then warmed with tomatillos, fennel, cultured cream (crème fraiche, buttermilk, goat’s milk whey)

Local Chicken from Fog Line Farms in Santa Cruz, slow egg, morel mushrooms, green shallot leaves, chicken dashi broth.

Napa Valley Lamb (tongue, tenderloin, saddle), compressed cucumber with vinegar, blueberries, dehydrated black olive, juniper dust, smear of yogurt, blueberry jus

Garden Tea – assorted mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, anise hyssop, chamomile leaves

Tea in the cup

BYO Dessert Wine

Verjus Sorbet, Anise hyssop, assorted berries, kefir yogurt, pink peppercorn mousse, , golden raspberry, cape gooseberry, macaroon sticks

Apricots with puffed rice, apricot sorbet, apricot fudge fried moshi ball

“Celebration” Cake

It just doesn’t get better than this – rush not walk to Manresa for an incredible experience.

Manresa

Chef David Kinch is just getting better and better. His tasting menu labeled  “The Winter Garden” was masterful. This is not a haphazard selection of carelessly chosen courses. In fact it is the exact opposite. Chef Kinch’s tasting menu is carefully orchestrated that has an internal harmony that tells a wonderful story. Execution is perfect plus the ingredients are of extraordinary quality. Much of the ingredients are supplied by Love Apple Farms.

From the Love Apple Farms web site:

“We originally became known for growing 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes each year. The farm is now the exclusive kitchen garden for world-renowned Manresa Restaurant (Los Gatos, California).”

“Cynthia Sandberg, owner and farmer, uses biodynamic and organic techniques to grow over 300 different cultivars of fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers for the restaurant.”

“The farm and restaurant are a mere fifteen minutes apart, nestled half way between San Francisco and Monterey. No restaurant can become one of the finest in the land without an incredible amount of struggle and hard work. So too, struggles the farm, striving to grow the best produce possible.”

We can’t duplicate what Cynthia Sandberg or David Kinch does but we did bring home six varieties of heirloom tomato plants so at least we will have a small taste of Manresa this summer.

Tomato plants ready to be planted.

THE WINTER GARDEN MEAL AT MANRESA

BYO Krug to start – MV- 1990 direct from Krug via Soutirage

Petit fours – Roast Red Pepper Gelee and Black Olive Madelines – a signature beginning and as good as always

Garden Beignets, vinegar powder, aged goat cheese with baked kale – a one bite wonder

Smoked Avocado Ceviche – another winner with the underlying “smoke” a great flavor enhancer

Monterey Bay abalone in its own gelee, local milk (perhaps from Nutmeg the cow) panna cotta – what a glorious combination of tastes and textures

Roasted Fava Beans on the plancha – just eat the whole thing pod and all – this is when if an ingredient isn’t pristine this wouldn’t have worked – obviously it did!

BYO White Wine – Delarche Corton ’95

Black Radish, turnips, savory granola, arugula, milk curd – the granola added just the right texture component and the combination of flavors was superb – I know I sound like a broken record but this is where Chef Kinch excels.

Spot prawn with buckwheat-nettle dumplings, asparagus and nasturtium gazpacho – the spot prawns were pristine and the dumplings a surprise ingredient that was perfect. The gazpacho sang “freshness.”

“A Winter Tidal Pool” – Monterey Bay Abalone, Scallops, Foie Gras, Seaweed, Dashi Broth – the abalone and scallops never had it so good as this tidal pool they found themselves in

“Into the Vegetable Garden” – this is a signature dish of Chef Kinch that features the vegetables and flowers from Love Apple Farm – the key to the dish is the edible dirt made from dehydrated potato, almond and chicory and the foam from the garden vegetable broth

BYO Red Wine – 1969 Volnay

Brussel sprouts roasted with chanterelles, oyster and oyster vinegar, oyster emulsion, mandarin orange, rutabaga puree – the combination of ingredients was extraordinary

Japanese Sea Bream, Braised Artichokes, vegetable and bone marrow bouillon (the bouillon had been thickened with bone marrow), truffle – a perfectly cooked fish witth a rich and luxurious broth

Duck, (Sonoma County aged 21 days) slowly roasted in hay and salt crust, faro and parsnips, shallot jus, sauce was made with homemade green walnut wine – this was unbelievably off the charts A+++

Grilled Beef rib (Flannery beef dry-aged 48 days), alliums, ocean persillade, baby shallots, green onions, green garlic vinaigrette – in any other standard tasting menu I would be stuffed at this point. Not with Chef Kinch’s cuisine as it is not meant to overwhelm. It is so light and thoughtful – I would add that it is very cerebral cuisine – you don’t just shovel food in your mouth – you look at a dish, study the components, taste thoughtfully and marvel at the intricate and delicate nature of each and every dish.

Cheese cart

Close-up of the Cheese

BYO Riesling – Gunderloch

Garden Tisane – a digestive

Passion fruit sherbet, coconut and salted peanut crumble

Pine nut pudding with maple gelatin, candy cap ice cream, sunchoke, chocolate

Chocolate Birthday cake –

Old-fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

This was a fantastic meal from beginning to end. It just doesn’t get better than this. My biggest complaint with the young chefs is their theory of more is more – they need an editor! With Chef Kinch nothing is put on the plate for show, each quality ingredient is handled with finesse and executed with mastery.

Manresa – Los Gatos

How many ways can I say fabulous and wonderful? There are so many chefs who talk about farm to table cuisine, but Chef David Kinch actually delivers on this promise. You feel an affinity to the land and the sea after a meal at Manresa. Chef Kinch is of the school that less is more and he lets the ingredients speak for themselves. They not only speak, they sing!

I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos. John took the pictures without flash and some are very blurry and just don’t do justice to the food. I almost didn’t post the photos as they are very “iffy.”

BYO Krug Champagne

Petit Fours “red pepper-black olive”

Lavender Lemonade, Mint Granita – light refreshing and perfect for a summer evening

Garden Beignets (beignet filled with vegetables), Baked Kale, Ground Cherries – terrible photo but a delicious bite

Foie Gras in Cumin Seed Caramel, Ice Plant – this was just an OH MY dish – luscious, extravagant, luxurious with a perfect “mouth feel”

Sweet corn cromesquis – insert cromesquis in your mouth and in one bite the liquid summer corn is an explosion of sweet corn essence.

BYO White wine: Dageneau ’03 Pur Sang

More absolutely lousy photos with perfect cuisine – huge apologies to the chef

Fig leaf and Coriander Ice, Marcona Almond – I didn’t get a full description of this dish so I know I am missing a lot of elements.

Strawberry Gazpacho is then poured on top – the strawberry gazpacho was absolutely as fresh as a summer’s day

This is no longer the Arpege egg – it is now the Manresa egg with plum and miso, spices and  a low temperature cooked runny egg yolk. I want this recipe – I want to make it now!

Pim’s butter or better known as “mixed cow” butter from Daisy Cow and Geselle Cow from Watsonville – John loved it so much, he had a second serving.

Manresa’s Rolls – all made-in-house

Monterey Bay Abalone in its own bouillon, Cucumber noodles, Squash Shoots, Octopus a la plancha, Tempura Squash blossom, Bonito Butter- the Bonito butter is just a perfect foil for the tender abalone and the octopus.

Into the Vegetable Garden – Squash, New Potatoes, Radish, Sorrel Leaves, Courgettes, Cucumber, Bronze Fennel, Tomato, Ficoide Glaciale, Green Shallots, Pansy, Green Beans, Mizuna, Arugula,  “edible dirt” – this really is like walking through the garden; I really can imagine myself wandering through Cynthia’s Sandberg’s Love Apple Farm in the Santa Cruz mountains, stooping to nibble on all the “goodies.”

BYO Red Wine

John Dory a la plancha, Crispy Mussels, Tomatillos, Vichy of Seabeans, Watercress – Chefs should take lessons from Chef Kinch on how to cook fish and the mussels reminded me of the crispy oysters from New Orleans

Roast Porcelet, Boudin Noir, Anchovy Puree, Toasted Barley Emulsion – I am a huge fan of boudin noir and most chefs tend to treat it like a tough sausage – this was melt in your mouth goodness plus the porecelet was bursting with flavor and tenderness.

Rack of Napa Valley Lamb, Nasturtium Leaves Pesto, Shallots, Pinenut Pudding – I didn’t do justice to this dish as I was getting very full.

BYO Dessert Wine

Summer Berries, House-made Granola, Fromage Blanc Soup – another dish of summer goodness.

Petit fours “strawberry-chocolate”

Manresa is the perfect restaurant for me – everything I feel about cuisine is exemplified by Chef Kinch’s cooking – seemingly simple, anything but.  Execution is exquisite and ingredient quality off the charts perfect.