The Experience of Manresa - A Novice Reports

Cynthia's assistant, Christopher Donovan, ate at Manresa Restaurant for the first time last night. Here are his thoughts about the experience.

From the moment a patron enters Manresa s/he is 'held'—like the way a newborn baby is held. The analogy holds, because to enter Manresa is to enter a land where every detail has been designed with the goal of providing an exquisitely soothing atmosphere wherein to enjoy exquisitely crafted food. One enters, as it were, David Kinch-Land, and for every detail of refinement noticed, a hundred or more pass unnoticed, working even more subtly to support the various aspects of his art.

Like the meal itself, entering Manresa involves a series of subtle shifts. Utter absence of pretension describes the door, and you are greeted in a soothing hallway. Your coat is stowed for you in the highly functional wooden paneled cupboards. You enter the dining room proper — though you do not realize it except upon reflection — at the very middle of the room. So there is no awkward moment where the entire assemblage looks up with impatience at an outer door letting in a blast of cold air and a 'new' customer; by the time a patron enters the Manresa dining room, there can be no awkwardness, since her entry point is the very center of the restaurant.

The Chef's Grand Tasting Menu is the choice for those with the leisure to enjoy a selection of dishes Chef Kinch feels like conjuring up on any given night. We were graced with seven amuses – tiny, savory treats that are so tasty you literally cannot help but want more . . . much more! But then that is me wanting to 'super-size' everything. It is antithetical to the agenda, which is more akin to prolonging pleasure than drowning in it.

In considering how I could possibly do justice to the experience of any one dish, or (heaven forbid) the totality of dishes which delighted me, I realize I cannot. How does one describe sex in words? Arpege farm egg (soft boiled, with sherry vinegar, cream, maple syrup and chives). A sunset in braille? Blood orange sangria, with Cointreau and carrot. To the person who has had the experience, the words may evoke a memory, may seem accurate in their own way. But to one who has not eaten Manresa fare, no words can remotely describe the experience. We had, as I said, seven amuses. These were paired with appropriate wines. Then followed eight courses, and four exquisite desserts. Since I cannot describe it in words (and I decline to use the cliches), you simply must eat there.

Manresa is a temple to quality. Not the appearance of quality as described by external features, or quality as it is commonly understood—but quality as functionality: what tastes the best? What smells the best? What has the most life? I know this to be so because I help Cynthia grow the vegetables that supply the restaurant, and I appreciate the wisdom that underlies and overshadows biodynamics. The rest of it that I don't know or understand (which is most of it), I take on faith. Because I know the chef. In the garden, his favorite question is, "how does it taste?" His favorite statement: "Here—taste this!"

We live, for the most part, in a culture fascinated with veneer thin appearances, where quality may be entirely absent so long as a thing looks like the thing it is a simulacrum of. And yet quality has a power that is undeniable. We cannot gainsay it. Witness Manresa; you simply must eat there!

Comments

[Love Apple Farm]

Dee: Manresa is located in Los Gatos, California. It's about halfway between San Francisco and Monterey. It's a two-star Michelin restaurant (there are only five or six such caliber eateries in California). Manresa has also been rated one of the top restaurants in the world by Restaurant Magazine, and has been judged one of the tops in the U.S. by Gourmet Magazine. Sooooo, not inexpensive. It will be, I can just about guarantee, an evening you'll remember for the rest of your life. Here is a link to a pdf file of a sample Manresa menu: http://manresarestaurant.com/menu/Menu.pdf

[Dee Olmsted]

Thanks for the wonderful review of Manresa Resturant. Please give info. on where it is located and average price for dinner. Sounds soooo good.
Thanks, Dee

[Janet]

I loved your word "simulacrum." Thanks for such an enthusiastic account of a dining experience! I hope to go myself someday.

[Ginny]

Wonderful comment on a great eating experience that I was able to imagine, somewhat, from your description. Thanks