The Michelin man roared through the Bay Area last week and proclaimed what many already knew – Ubuntu is a rising star. It is a great honor for the incredible work that has taken place over the past two years.¹ It is one of the country’s most important restaurant as it pushes the boundaries on the meaning of, not vegetarian cuisine, but of ingredients. Alinea may not this country’s El Bulli – it just might be Ubuntu – as it deconstructs vegetables, their constituent parts, and builds a new fine dining language with these, heretofore, neglected building blocks.

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Periodic readers know that Manresa has been instrumental in crafting this blog’s fine dining point of view and voice. Many reviews, particularly lately, reference the ideas, and ideals, that David Kinch strives for. Manresa was my first exposure, first-hand through many meals, to watching a great restaurant, and chef, transform itself from very good to great.¹ My travels have taken me through various quadrants of haute cuisine but I find myself honing in, and enjoying most, restaurants that share similar philosophies to Manresa.²

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