On this particular rainy evening, Manresa was only about half full when I arrived at 8pm, and it stayed that way the rest of the evening. This is not wholly unexpected; once the three-digit barrier for a single meal is crossed and covers a three hour time frame, the restaurant is relegated from being a casual dining location to a fine dining experience, and that cuts down the number of patrons who can afford the time or money to eat at 8pm on a school night. Manresa had a server to patron ratio of about 1:2 that evening, in contrast to my night at Chez TJ, where the ratio was approximately 1:5.
Having recently eaten at Chez TJ and being overwhelmed by food, I opted for the five course ($115) menu rather than the full tasting menu, and still ended up being quite full. While placing my order, the server asked whether there was anything I didn't like or wouldn't eat; while I have no dietary restrictions, I was impressed that they took the time to ask.
There are three amuse-bouches to begin with; followed by four of the five courses, a cheese plate ($20 more), a dessert plate (course 5), tea ($additional $8.50) and mignardises.
The course began with the amuse-bouches, which are little single serving appetizers that show off the creativity of the chef, and preview the meal to come.
Amuse-bouche #1: Baked brioche resting underneath a fried and perfectly seasoned kale leaf. I was told by the server it was easiest to eat this particular amuse-bouche with my hands, due to the fragility of the kale leaf. The brioche was fresh from the oven, and was extremely fluffy.
Amuse-bouche #2: oyster, served in a shell, with thyme soup and ocean jelly. This particular dish seemed so simple, and yet was spectacularly flavorful.
Amuse-bouche #3: Monterey Bay abalone served atop panna cotta. This salty and savory amuse-bouche was wonderful; the creamy panna cotta was a perfect complement to the saltiness of the abalone jelly and the thinly sliced pieces of abalone.
Their selection of breads consisted of a sesame bread, brioche, a black olive and olive oil bread, and a grain bread; all the breads are freshly made and baked at Manresa. The breads are served with butter from Normandy cows in Watsonville. Their brioche was croissant-like in texture, and my favorite; if I had been wiser, I would have asked if I could purchase some to take home with me.
Course #1: Amberjack, served sashimi style with radicchio, seaweed, sesame and olive oil. This was interesting, especially since I had a similar dish served at Chez TJ a few weeks ago; In both cases, the fish was extremely fresh, however I was surprised that Chef Kinch chose such an Asian presentation of the dish, while Chef Nishiyama's presentation was more Californian.
Course #2: Pan seared Nantucket bay scallops, served with a ceviche of black truffle and grapefruit, fennel. This dish was extremely good; while I'm not a big fan of foam, its use as ceviche was good in this particular dish. The black truffles were extremely meaty, and complemented the richness of the scallops well.
Course #3: Winter Tidal Pool. This dish is served in a large rimmed bowl with lots of edge, the bowl itself evokes the feeling of a tide pool on the coast, capturing random edible elements. Inside the tide pool has captured deliciousness: sea urchin, abalone, enoki mushrooms, seaweed, green onions. The foie gras broth is both sweet and savory, a sort of ponzu with vinegar.
Course #4: Wagyu beef with black truffle mushrooms, winter vegetables, in a bonito and black tea broth. This dish is initially presented dry, before the server pours the broth over the dish. The mixture of flavors is interesting, but the broth to me was largely unmemorable; I would have preferred this dish be done without the broth, so that I could experience the Wagyu before being mixed with the broth.
Cheese plate. Manresa wheels out a cheese cart with 8 cheeses, and I was given a choice of 4 cheeses; the cheeses were arranged in order of pungency, and the rinds were all edible. Along with the cheeses, they included several pieces of lavash flatbread and cranberry-raisin toast. Served with roasted almonds and a piece of hazelnut chocolate ganache, the $20 extra for this plate is well worth it.
Intermezzo: tangelo sorbet, mint ice cream, verbana jelly; this is a palate cleanser to prepare for the next course: dessert; this was remarkably similar to the palate cleanser I had at Chez TJs, but I preferred this one due to the crumble that was included.
Course #5: Dessert: I opted for the citrus dessert, which was a tangerine sorbet panna cotta. Creamy, sour, tangy and sweet, it was very good.
Mignardises: Truffle, pistachio Roca and Ganache. Of the three, I liked the crispy pistachio roca the most; it was a wonderful way to finish the evening.
While Manresa isn't an everyday restaurant, it is quite suitable for special occasions; the service is excellent, and the food is good.
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