haonusa's Reviews

Quarter Star less than French Laundry

All through this amazing dinner there was an unshakable feeling that this was almost as good as the French Laundry. Which is a high compliment in my book. I think the food, service, wine list, room are all outstanding. The blend of Spanish, French and slight hint of Japnaese is exciting. The procurement of many of the ingredients from Manresa's own private bio-dynmaic garden was also very appealing.

We went with the chef's tasting menu ($120) and the wine pairings ($85). The dinner ended up having four amuse bouches and then about 10 more courses. Standouts included soft poached egg with chives, sherry vinegar creme, and maple syrup; artichoke soup over foie gras mousse; mixed shellfish with garden peas in bonito broth.

We also got a kitchen tour afterwards. It's impressive to see 12 people back there fretting about the tiniest details.

I've posted some pics in my Gusto album but most pics of the food didn't turn out too well.

Highly recommended!

Reviewed on: May 30, 2007