From San Francisco to London, dining critics are singing the praises of Los Gatos' Manresa restaurant, and diners are calling from as far away England and Spain to book tables. (You can make a reservation simply by clicking here.)
Manresa is the showcase for the inventive cuisine of Executive Chef David Kinch. Influenced by French and modern Spanish Catalan cooking, Chef Kinch draws inspiration from European traditions and refinement, American ingenuity and California's vast bounty. From the nearby Santa Cruz mountains and Monterey Bay, artisan suppliers provide Manresa's kitchen with an abundance of fresh ingredients.
The restaurant's name, Manresa, comes from the medieval town in the Catalonia region of northern Spain, as well as from a beautiful stretch of beach south of Santa Cruz, which the Jesuits of early California named Manresa.
Manresa restaurant's ambience is relaxed, contemporary and elegant. The service is impeccable. And the dining experience... well, let's let others have the last words:
"Of all the restaurant meals I ate last year it was the one I enjoyed 5,500 miles away from home which most clearly points the way forward for gastronomy in Britain for 2005. It was those 26 courses prepared for me by chef David Kinch at Manresa in California: the seemingly never-ending platelets of ingredients, sensitively prepared to their best benefit. ... Small dishes demand that chefs simplify and focus on the key ingredients, rather than just turn out fiddly miniatures of the big dishes."
-- Jay Rayner, January 2, 2005, The Observer (London), "20 Big Ideas in 2005."
"I’d go miles out of my way to eat whatever Kinch wants to cook. At a time when most Bay Area restaurants have settled for boring sameness, it’s gratifying to know that an hour’s drive south of San Francisco one chef is taking risks."
-- Caroline Bates, Gourmet, February 2003
"Kinch has created an innovative menu that could best be described as French Laundry South."
-- Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, September 15, 2002
"Let me tell you why I like Manresa so much. The entire restaurant inhabits the space, the terroir –to borrow a wine term- of the Santa Cruz mountains perfectly. Most of the exemplary produce is supplied by local farmers with whom Manresa has cultivated relationships. David Kinch is using the best ingredients that he could source, within the bounds of the price range of his menu. The service has a warmth and cheerfulness that is distinctly Californian."
-- Chez Pim
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Manresa Restaurant |
| "An international destination for fine dining" |
320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, California; Tel. 1.888.583.0064
Click here to book a table at Manresa Restaurant
Manresa serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Fireplace Room seats 10-26 guests for private dining and special events. Outdoor dining patio available during warm weather months.
Photographs courtesy Tana Butler.
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