Manresa
Possibly the best dinner yet. Perhaps inferior to my maiden voyage into the world of tasting menus (Charlie Trotter's, Las Vegas), but, as my recollection of that meal has become rosy and hazy, I'm considering retiring it as a fair basis for comparison.
Almost all of the courses were exclusive to the tasting menu. Only one course (the cake-n-pear) bore any descriptive similarity to a standard-menu item.
Two minor complaints: first, everything was sweet (Garrett Choi would have approved). Second, the dinner was too precious; I would have liked another substantial course or for the existing substantial courses to be substantialer. Final verdict: worth the $94 tag if you want a mad-scientist-artist experience; if you want to be fed, support your local taqueria or divey noodle joint.
All ratings are based on the Pudaite scale (-10 to +10).
Black Olive Madelines
with Salty Mango Smoothie | | +5 |
Startling and startlingly perfect madelines. A thinner, lassi-like consistency of smoothie would've made for a more suitable chaser.
Lychee Granita
with Condensed Milk Foam | | +7 |
Seemed a little early for dessert/sorbet. Not that I would turn this away at any time, ever.
The cramesque, we were told, is a cousin of the croquette: crispy cube of panko'd molten fat.
Soft-Boiled Egg
with Cherry Vinegar and Maple Syrup | | +10 |
Flavors and textures of egg, chives, cherry, maple, and toasted meringue, calibrated with virtuosic alchemy. Fanfuckingtastic.
Corn Pudding and Tomato Gelee
with Basil Oil, Micro Basil, Cherry Tomato | | +8 |
Skinless tomato suspended in loose aspic and dense custard. Served in a martini glass, topped off with the toxic glow of basil oil . Micro basil a highlight in multiple senses of the word.
Big Eye Tuna Tartare
with White Soy Cucumber Salad and Ginger Gel | | +7 |
Tartare was overly but deliciously dressed. All components both held their own and played well with others.
| Foie Gras and Cumin Creme Caramel | | +5 |
The first bite tasted like a dessert in which the pastry chef mistook salt for sugar. Subsequent bites, having more foie flavor than the first, won me over.
Horse Mackerel
with Trumpet Mushrooms and Celery Root Puree | | +7 |
Crispy, meaty fish. Understated, but supportive, sides.
Nut-crusted Squab
with Root Vegetables | | +8 |
Squab is my favorite meat, and I've been putting nuts on everything recently, so I had no choice but to inhale this course. The assorted cute vegetables went unspared by the vortex.
Lamb
with Dates and Ginger | | +5 |
Seasoned and accompanied nicely, but the lamb's flavor fell short of the top notch.
| Candied and Curried Macadamia Nuts | | +5 |
Caramel and curry complement each other perfectly. Confirming once again that Asians have no excuse for their sucky desserts.
| Spice Cake, Creme Brulee, Saffron Poached Pear | | +5 |
Poached pears are towards the bottom of my list of happy-making foods. As are spice cakes, except that they are cakes. Of note: the firmness of the poached pear. Knife needed, not provided.
Manresa and Gary Danko tie for best creme brulee. Were I to subdivide: brulee +10, cake +4, pear 0.
Chocolate Canele
with Port Reduction and Figs | | +7 |
The only course where something didn't make sense: the figs. Nothing wrong with the figs themselves. It's just that fresh, uncooked fruit belongs with The First Dessert Course or The Cheese Course, not The Grand Finale Chocolate Ass-Pounding Course.
Poirier sez: "It was like eating in someone's living room. In a good way. As opposed to Rivoli, which is like eating in someone's living room in a bad way."
Servers and bussers very efficient. The head waiter disseminated ingesta-related trivia in appropriate amounts, stepping over the line but once, with "...and garnished with an organic spearmint leaf."
It was really good, they gave us extra, and I got drunk.
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