very disappointing. went here for an anniversary dinner. had heard it was expensive but worth it, but sadly, it was just expensive, and we left the restaurant hungrier than when we came!

it was the classically bad fine dining experience – the food was a little too intellectual with miserly portions. we were hungry throughout the meal and nothing really delivered. we had gotten the wine pairings with our meal as well, and they were really, really stingy with the pours as well (maybe 2 oz of liquid at best). would recommend bringing your own bottle and eating the corkage fee ($30), although i have to say they had a wide variety of unusual wines from different regions around the world. so if that’s your thing, you’ll get that, at least. i was hoping for the opportunity to actually see how the wine pairs with the dish instead of worrying about drinking it all with the first mouthful.

if i had to sum up the experience i would say that the food was artfully crafted and well-presented, but was a little too experimental for me, and the portions were really not sufficient at all. it’s probably a place to go when you’ve eaten everywhere else already and are tired of the same old thing. but still, i can’t imagine myself eating this stuff over and over – if i went again, i have no idea what i’d order differently. it’s a fun place to try, but be prepared to drop some serious cash for that privilege.

we had ordered the 4 course meal with regular wine pairings, and gotten 1 app, 2 savories and a dessert. in retrospect, i should have ordered 3 or maybe even 4 savories.

i had: garden greens veloute with foie gras bone in roast monkfish dry age been strip jasmine flower custard

my gf had: garden greens veloute black cod farm poularde spring carrot pudding

in addition to this they also bring out: oyster w/some caviar farm egg

the oyster was great – well balanced, not too fishy. farm egg was very good – masterfully cooked and presented.

garden greens veloute was nice and velvety, but it had a sourness to it that just made my mouth pucker. it was an interesting presentation but something in the veloute just killed it for me. couldn’t really taste the richness of the foie gras either, which is what i was craving.

the monkfish was decent, not very memorable. my gf’s black cod was much the same. i probably don’t remember it because i only had literally 5 bites of it and it was all gone.

the beef strip was good, but i could tell that the restaurant’s strengths lay in other dishes. i was definitely eyeing my gf’s poularde – a very interesting presentation of chicken, sweetbreads and other things rolled up. again, though, there was a max of 6 bites and that was it.

my dessert was good as well, and my gf enjoyed hers but there was something odd about it as well – these weird crispy bits that really stood out and didn’t complement anything.

now that i’m writing this i’m realizing that i actually did like the majority of my dishes, but it’s more of an intellectual enjoyment rather than a more visceral physical enjoyment. my first reaction is more like, oh, that dish was interesting because of x,y,z instead of damn, that was tasty.

Glad to find a rated top 40 restaurant in USA by gayot in South Bay.

Though it’s on the pricey side, every penny spent is worth it!

Very very expensive restaurant, but it is an experience. Food was delicious (except for the foie gras, but that is a personal thing) and service is a notch above most other restaurants.

I just remember one palette cleansing dish with a soft boiled egg. Two words (Hella good) It is great for a very special event. Think anniversary, graduation from grad school, 30th birthday, or some other special event. This is a pretty swanky place and might be good to dress up for the dinner. The food is great, probably one of the best restaurants in America.

A restaurant of the caliber and reputation of Manresa can only be appropriately compared with its peers. That being said, while Manresa was a great (and very expensive and long – 3.5 hours) experience, it didn’t quite live up to its billing.

We had the tasting menu at Manresa: 4 amuses, 7 courses, 4 desserts. Overall, everything was very well done – David Kinch uses lots of interesting salts and sweet/savory combinations to give you unique tastes. I had a few “wow this is good” moments – the slow cooked sherry egg, salmon in its own roe, abalone – along with a few “this is weird” moments, but I appreciate the creativity of the chef. My girlfriend particularly enjoyed a Japanese snapper dish and a lamb dish. However, we were disappointed in the foie gras (felt undercooked) and the ox-tail ravioli (I’ve been spoiled by pasta). Overall though, mostly “hits” and only a few “misses.”

I had hoped we’d see some more items fresh from their garden, given the prime season for many veggies – but none were featured on a course. The ones that were accompaniments were very good, though.

While Manresa generally executed very well on all its dishes, I was not overall wowed to the extent that many others seem to have been (and perhaps I feel like I should have been). The service was good, but didn’t feel quite to the level of other top tier restaurants. Still though, if you have a special occasion and want to try some innovative cuisine, Manresa is worth a trip.

Another Californian restaurant where ingredients reign supreme. Manresa has a garden from which many of the centerpiece ingredients are plucked. Service is awesome—formal without being stuffy, friendly without being obnoxious. Seriously love the wait staff.

This time around, I was here for a special one night only “Citrus Modernista” menu which featured in every dish various citrus fruits from a local orchard. Some dishes were spot on (like the lobster) and others seemed a bit forced, as if the citrus was toned down to be barely even a sideshow.

Overall, a great experience, but I much preferred the a la carte route I took the first time I was here. I missed the egg amuse bouche as well.

A fantastic place for a special occaision. The first thing you notice is the exceptional service, which is professional and refined, but not pretentious. The second thing you notice is that this restaurant is not for those on a budget. The prices for the prix fixe meal can be found on the website and range from $85 to over $200 per person. While expensive, the money is not wasted on those who appreciate good food and artistic presentation. When planning an evening at Manresa, you should be prepared for a 2-3 hour dining experience that allows you to savor each course. This restaurant is truly worthy of its Four Mobil Stars and Two Michelin Stars.

http://www.manresarestaurant.com/