Manresa - Los GatosUnforgettable experienceStill the most amazing food and service experience ever.6/12/2013 12:00:00 AM4 hour dining experienceWe went there for our 17 year old son's birthday - the only gift he wanted! The gentlemen picked the tasting menu, an amazing feast for the eyes and the taste buds. Some notables: The meal starts and ends with a similar amuse bouche! Loved the sashimi creation, into the garden - where every leaf and bite had a different, earthy flavor, the deer dish which melted on the tongue, the chocolate truffle which exploded in the mouth. And did I mention the breads? Also the service was immaculate - from the manager opening the door to our main waiter and the whole caravan of additional waiters. And when you leave there is more food and attention: chocolate brioches for the next morning and house-made caramels.6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMExperience of a LifetimeThe service was outstanding. The wait staff was friendly and meticulous. The food was imaginative and daring. I have never had a better meal. Also, the menu changes every day! This is worth every penny.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMA must!Phenomenal meal and experience. David is a masterful chef. The service is outstanding. One of the best if not the best meal I've ever experienced. Highly recommended.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMExceeded our (high) expectations.Exceeded our (high) expectations. Service was amazing and each bite more amazing than the last. We had the Prix Fixe menu and felt like we had been treated to a world of flavors.6/7/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing dining experience.Amazing dining experience. Each dish was truly spectacular and very unique. Pricey, but for a very special occasion, extremely worth it and an experience I'll be remembering forever.6/2/2013 12:00:00 AMThe Epitome of Dining ExcellenceThis is hands down the best restaurant we have ever been too (&we have been to others on the "World's Best List"). Words are not enough to describe what a fantastic dining experience Manresa offers. It is not cheap, sure, but worth every cent as you will not get better food &service anywhere. The seasonal tasting menu is a must, each dish with unique flavours & perfect presentation. Wine pairings were sensational and offered for my wife & I a number of the best wines we have tasted. Andy, who looked after us, was brilliant & his service matched the food, perfect - we even had a tour of the kitchen (picture of calm & creativity). The most amazing evening for our 21 year Anniversary. You must eat here at least once in your life!6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMGreatGreat food and incredible service, definitely get the tasting menu, its superb. My only complaint is that is half way through our dinner, a very large group (20 people) arrived and were seated near us. This group was VERY loud which was very annoying at times when you are trying to have a nice dinner for a special occasion with a significant other. The ambience was superb up until this point and its likely this was a one time issue.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing dining experienceMy wife and I have dined numerous times at manresa over the past few years and they have always delivered an amazing, memorable and inspiring dining experience. Most recently we tried the seasonal tasting menu and were thoroughly delighted with the creativity, attention to detail, and quality of ingredients. I am always delighted by their into the vegetable garden plating especially.
We feel very fortunate to have this restaurant and love apple farm right here in the South Bay.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing dining experienceOur table of four diners requested a vegetarian version of the Chef's tasting menu, even though none of us are vegetarian.
The meal was amazing in every detail and the service was consistently exemplary. We were served course after course of imaginatively prepared food that was beautifully plated, and that was in the end a kind of celebration of spring itself. Each course exuded unexpected originality, and the execution of every detail was no less than masterful. It was a magnificent meal, and probably one of the best meals I've ever had anywhere. A truly unique and world-class experience!!!!!5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways a winnerWe arrived half an hour before our guests, so we sat at the bar. What a pleasant surprise! The bartenders were engaging and we loved watching them make their fabulous drinks. What a cool vibe! Our friends arrived from San Francisco. We all enjoyed the chef's tasting menu since this was the first visit for our friends. I absolutely LOVED the abalone panne cotta. Yum! I missed my Normandy butter, but the California butter wasn't bad! Every course was fabulous, including the garden salad. Our East Bay friends dined there last week to celebrate her 60th birthday, her husband's early retirement and their daughter's high school gradulation. My sixth visit will include the outdoor happy hour! Can't wait! See you then, David!5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMExperience of a LifetimeUnbelievably creative and delicious food, friendly and knowledgable service, and simply the dining experience of a lifetime!5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMI would give it 10 stars if I couldThat's right. I can't give this place enough stars. This was our 6th trip to our absolutely favorite restaurant. This is the place we compare all others to. And it didn't disappoint. There were some old favorites, but the seasonal and spontaneous menu was filled with delicious surprises. Unbelievable wine pairings.5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMIt is very good, but the foodIt is very good, but the food lacked a "pop" of flavor you expect at a top place like this. Also, as others have said,portions are small even for a tasting menu(I did leave a little empty). Presentation and service, however, are over the top. Coi, the next night, was much better.5/24/2013 12:00:00 AMwe had an amazing experiencewe had an amazing experience with the chef's menu along with the wine pairing. Truly exceptional5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMAs expected, food and serviceAs expected, food and service were outstanding. The food is very refined, fit for 2 Michelin Stars. Service is very orchestrated, but not unpleasant. I think I could spend hours looking over the wine list. All in all, great experience and can't wait to return to observe the seasonal menu changes.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMA Unique Dining ExperienceOutstanding creative and flavorful cuisine with each course beautifully presented. This may have been my most wonderful dining experience ever. The incredible variety of favors, textures and visual beauty was truly unique. The service was superb as well.5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMAs expected.It's been about 6 years since I was last there, and things have only improved. Job well done, Mr. Kinch and friends.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMManresa Lives Up to its ReputationTook my husband to Manresa for his birthday. Our experience was sublime. We arrived early to sit at the bar and have a cocktail. Great bartender! Not too chatty, but friendly and made a terrific old fashioned. Diningroom is very conducive to a romantic meal, a business dinner, or just friends having fun. Noise level is very low. We chose the prix fixe. It was superb. We ordered two glasses of a French sauvignon blanc for the first two courses. Perfect! Then we ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir for the balance of the dinner. The dinner was perfectly paced. We never felt like we were rushed or that we were waiting for our food. Everything was delicious!! So much flavor! Highly recommend!5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMUnforgettable!Dining at Manresa has been on my husband's bucket list, so we invited close friends to join us there for his 60th birthday. It was a night to remember. This is what I call "HD food" -- the flavors are so vibrant, the food combinations are so creative. The first and last courses echoing one another, with the first savory and the last sweet -- fantastic! The servers were friendly and knowledgeable. Conversation at our table of four was easy because the tables are far enough apart. The only negative of the evening was that once we were seated it took nearly 45 minutes before the first course arrived. But once the meal, created from the list of seasonal ingredients, started, it was simply stunning. Unforgettable!5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMExquisite foodI wanted to take my daughter to a Michelin-starred restaurant for her 16th birthday, and Manresa was the closest. I have been there before, and was thoroughly impressed. This time was equally impressive. I'm sure they're not used to having minors, but they treated her with the same respect they would adult clientele. She wants to own and manage her own restaurant one day, so she had been wanting to visit a Michelin-rated restaurant for awhile. (And compared to French Laundry, this was a bargain!) We opted for the prix fixe menu, thinking that the seasonal tasting menu would be too much. (But we later learned that the seasonal tasting menu is not much more filling.) The dishes were consistently exquisite.5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMTrying too hard!Second experience at Manresa... waited 20 minutes for drinks! Had the tasting menu which was very creative, but the dishes all sort of blended together and weren't fabulous. When we spend $600 for dinner, we expect to be wowed. Didn't happen.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMDeserves that third Michelin star!We have dined at Manresa over a ten year period (including when it was named Sent Sovi). Every year it just gets better. The food was beautifully presented; creative in the combinations of flavors, temperatures, and textures; and --most important-- delicious. We feel fortunate to have such an outstanding restaurant in the South Bay. It ranks even with and often surpassses the three star Michelin restaurants at which we have dined.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMExceptionnel restaurant !Nous sommes venus de France via le Canada spécialement pour découvrir ce restaurant dont la notoriété avait été présenté dans un reportage télé sur Paris .
Beaucoup d attente avant de venir ... Et au miracle ce fut bien au delà de toutes nos attentes .
Plats raffinés , service précis et fabuleusement souriant, cuisine qui fait exploser les saveurs et les papilles ! Merveilleux moments !
Le meilleur souvenir de la Californie .
Sincerely yours,
Florent Poittevin de la Fregonniere5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMA Star Worthy ExperienceAs amateur foodies, we make it a point in our travels to find some superior dining experiences. Manresa rates among the best we have experienced to date. Whether looking for the locavore, molecular or haute cuisine experience, Manresa rises to the challenge. We were more in a cocktail mood, so we bypassed a good wine list to have some bourbon specials. The Manresa Bread Project options were really a treat. Loved the fresh olive oil too. We opted for the prix fixe meal, 2 amuse bouches, 4 mains, a cheese course and 2 desserts. I think the prime ingredients were sourced local and fresh. Exceptions were obviously cheeses from all over the country. If we were passing out Michelin's, there is no doubt that Manresa was star worthy.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding, but...Food and experience was amazing, the caveat is, this place ain't cheap by any stretch of the imagination. 185 before tax and tip for the seasonal tasting menu. For two people plus one wine pairing will easily set you back over 600. Is it worth it? That's up to a diner and what food is really worth to them. Unless you have wads of cash burning a hole in your pocket, this place is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Every dish was wonderfully executed and very cerebral. Everything was top notch although I could have used another protein dish since I'm a glutton. The vegetables were the star of the meal which is a nice change of pace from other tasting menus. Glad I got to experience it!5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMOur experience was outstanding.Our experience was outstanding. The food was simply amazing. Service was impeccable.
Five stars all the way around.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing from start to finish.Amazing from start to finish. Not just a dinner but a true experience.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMWaiter Alan (?) was awesome.Waiter Alan (?) was awesome. He laughed at our jokes and was genuinely thrilled when we got excited about our food. He made even more recommendations about wine than the sommelier! Food was exquisite. They even hussled as we were tired and intimidated by the 3 hour tour. Yum!4/24/2013 12:00:00 AMSuperb, an exquisitely memorableSuperb, an exquisitely memorable evening. All we talked about for nearly four hours was the food -- one surprise after another.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMChef Kinch does amazing thingsChef Kinch does amazing things with ingredients that have unbelievable flavor and taste, and creativity is top notch! Service is excellent and atmosphere serene and cozy. Well worth it being listed among the Top 100 food pilgrimages in Food & Wine Magazine.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMIt's been over three yearsIt's been over three years since last eating at Manresa. The remodel with new courtyard landscaping is lovely. What I really like about this restaurant, besides impeccable food, is that a party of four can have a conversation and, 1) hear each other and 2) not disturb other diners... such a rarity in most restaurants. There was the same ambiance at Sent Sovi when the chef started that restaurant. I think he has this aspect of fine dining just right and I, for one, fully appreciate it. Well worth the price and the visit for any special occasion.4/17/2013 12:00:00 AM3 star treatment!What can you say about Manresa? It was recommended to us by a 3 Michelin star chef in Tokyo. The food was creative and delicious. The meal was very pricey, but well worth it. The chef was extremely gracious, though this may have been because of a note from the chef in Tokyo. He came to our table several times. He answered questions about a particularly unusual tool that he used to make one dish, and at the end of the meal talked with us about the Aesthetic theory of cooking. They even gave us a tour of the kitchen. What an incredible experience.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent - must try.WOW - we are big foodies and this did not disappoint. Fantastic service, fantastic wine, fantastic food. It was excellent.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMManresa lived up to my expectationsManresa lived up to my expectations and more. I went here for a birthday dinner but the fact it has two Michelin stars definitely helped ;] From excellent service to friendly and engaging staff, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The food was magnificent and any questions or requests we may have had during the night (additional bread, etc) were accommodated. I would definitely recommend Manresa to anybody who wants their dinner to be an experience while they lavish in exquisite food.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was one of the most enjoyableThis was one of the most enjoyable evenings I have ever spent. We recently found out about the existence of Manresa and decided to spend our two wedding anniversaries there (our 36th and our daughter & son-in-law's 4th). The tasting menu is the way to go-surprises at every turn of the meal. The wine pairings were notable with selections from around the world. Our glasses were never empty. I cannot say enough about the wait staff who were well trained in the finer points of service. We look forward to a return soon.4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent fixed price menu,Excellent fixed price menu, go when you are hungry, lots of food served, all Dishes are very special.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMAdventure is the secret ingredientAdventure is the secret ingredient at Manresa. The food is pleasing to all the senses. The plates are unique, satisfying and exploratory. Expect the unexpected. And the chef took great care of the vegetarian at our table.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstanding dinner for 2 couplesOutstanding dinner for 2 couples over 3.5 hours. We especially enjoyed these dishes: spring mix salad (spectacular!), oyster/citrus, calimari/mole sauce, runner beans/smoked avocado/brussel sprout, wagyu beef. Premium wine pairings were all well done. Two improvement points:
- Compared to other Michelin-level restaurants where we have eaten, the amount of wine seemed too much, too fast to be comfortable.
- The pace of service at the end before the final two courses slowed notably, at one point leaving one guest wondering "if we were done" (we were not)
One special point: the bartender took care to try to create a Jack Rose out of alternate ingredients - we appreciated the effort!
In any case, we will certainly will return!3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMWithout question Manresa isWithout question Manresa is one of the finest restaurants in the US, if not the western world. We've eaten in probably 20 or so Michelin three star restaurants in Europe and the US over the years and can only remember a couple of meals that would rival our dinner last Thursday night. Everything about the experience was three star, so we are baffled by Michelin only giving Manresa two. The French Laundry with three isn't any better.
We had the chefs tasting menu. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable and accommodated various food allergies and preferences. Four or five of the dishes were made slightly different for my wife and me to avoid any issues. Our four hour dinner was terrific.3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMPleasant surpriseAbsolutely fabulous. we had the tasting menu for March. Had to laugh at the salad, looked like it did come straight out of the garden! Many surprises await anyone who dines at Manresa!3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a fantastic eveningWe had a fantastic evening at Manresa! The food was delicious och the service superb. We'll definitely be back!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMYes, it's all that. And some.Manresa is simply one of the great US restaurants. Of course, it's not for everyone. If you look at Yelp reviews, folks complain about pretentiousness and being hungry when the meal is done. Valid in some quarters. And dinner for two with wine cost more than a good HD TV, sure. But if you're the sort who really cares about the art of food. The possibilities of food. The depth of flavor food can produce. Well, then this is one of about 20 places in the US that can blow your mind. Among my 8 courses from the $175 tasting menu -- they give you a lot more than just those 8, by the way -- none were disappointing. The service was pitch-perfect. Kinch is a special guy, and this restaurant should be on your bucket list.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMGo. It's special. From theGo. It's special. From the bookend madeleines and gumdrops to every little item in between, it's very special. Inventive. Local. Organic. Appealing. Fun.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMTheir tasting menu is highlyTheir tasting menu is highly recommended for people who enjoy being surprised by creative and delicious dishes. The menu changes monthly and the individual dishes reflect the season and the are tasty and imaginative. Service is absolutely outstanding. It is fun to just watch the choreography of the wait staff as they efficiently serve the tables and explain the offerings. The wine list is first rate and the cocktails feature many natural and refreshing choices. This isn't an inexpensive dining experience. It is a great place to go for a special occasion or to simply experience something special.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWe cannot but add to the hyperbole,We cannot but add to the hyperbole, except to say that hyperbole sounds pejorative, something like "hyped." This restaurant--its warm and engaging staff from the hostesses to the young bartender and the choreographed servers--they all pay homage to the chef's beautifully plated courses, each composed of seasonal ingredients matched in novel ways. Everything was simply complicated or complicatedly simple. Whatever, it afforded us a leisurely, yet challenging, evening with no pressure on us to "turn the table." Manresa makes food to be sure, but it really makes memories!3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous ExperienceService was fantastic! The Maitre'd and servers were more than welcoming when I had arrived to the restaurant. The food was superb if you're looking for quality ingredidents in each dish. Nothing was overly-seasoned, and each ingredient was it's own highligt in each bite. Everyone was very knowledgeable and quick to answer when I had questions regarding the dish. When I had mentioned that I worked in the kitchen, the maitre'd even set-up a tour of the kitchen for me when I had thought that it couldn't even get any better! My first Michelin restaurant experience, and every second/penny was worth it!My date and I had the tasting menu, and would definitely come back in the near future to try the prefixed and tasting menus to come =]3/13/2013 12:00:00 AMThe entire Manresa experienceThe entire Manresa experience was unimpeachable, we had a wonderful time and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a special experience.3/9/2013 12:00:00 AMNot as great as previous visitsThey've updated the interior quite a bit since last time I was here, but the food is not quite as great. a few misteps on components of a course or two and desserts not great; but usually not thrilled with dessert here or at most places for that matter. overly sweet white chocolate based one and date cake one in which date cake was great but must other componants did not work together.
Service continues to improve and wine suggestions were great - I didn't have the pairing just a very good cocktail, and a white, a red and a sweet to go with tasting menu.
With all the newer great options at this level in SF think I'll stay closer to home in the future; thinking Alteir Crenn, for example.2/28/2013 12:00:00 AMWe liked the atmosphere andWe liked the atmosphere and the particular attention to detail for the service. The bread service was addictive! We had the tasting menu for February, our favourite dish was the 'in the garden' salad. We also tried the garden egg with cauliflower and black truffle as an extra option which was very good. Our only disappointment was the two last dishes of meat- duck and waygu which were somewhat salty for me (just my tastebuds and maybe because I am meat lover) and less enjoyable as the earlier vegetarian and seafood options.2/23/2013 12:00:00 AM