Noma - it feels like this year’s Etxebarri or El Poblet - the must-try place for the fooderati.
Noma has been documented extensively by Very Good Food (are capitals permitted?) From her many photos and descriptions, it appears Rene Redzepi’s cuisine has an intimate connection to the Earth. While the food looks different, it looks more introspective and natural, along the lines of a Pierre Gagnaire instead of an El Bulli. That would be an apt description of Manresa’s cuisine too.

How would Redzepi’s cuisine translate to the Bay Area, and Manresa? Would the Redzepi dishes be facsimiles of his restaurant’s dishes? Or would there be changes to account for the Bay Area bounty? Would new ideas, and ingredients, be integrated into older dishes?

How would the collaboration between chefs play out during the meal? The last collaborative dinner I attended, the Passard / L’Arpege dinner, was not so successful. The menu jerked back and forth, between the two styles, and neither of the chef’s immense talents surfaced - an average instead of a product.

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It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a proper Manresa review and one will have to wait. Here’s a meal I enjoyed a month ago with a few friends and a decent amount of wine; camera, not pen, in hand. The beginning dishes were served on the patio during a beautiful Los Gatos evening and then our party of six adjourned to the dining room for the remaining dishes. The meal was a six hour journey over sixteen courses or so. It is worth nothing that the desserts were equal to the meal - the highest praise is deserved. The progression of the meal continued its flow - the desserts started slightly savory and ended slightly sweet.

Most, but not all, of the dishes are shown below. The next Manresa meal is the Manresa/Noma (yes, that Noma) collaboration dinner in July - pen and camera will be ready.

Kisu and pancetta, perilla

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In the past, I’ve called The French Laundry soulless - haute cuisine by the numbers. The food is technically perfect; sometimes, so well done, it feels machine-like and cold, a Stepford meal. The quotes, dominating the menu, denoting a postmodern sense of ironic humor, try to downplay the seriousness of the affair and give it some humanity. The restaurant is a necessary reference point for anyone interested in food but the lofty expectations, and the need for culinary fireworks, often lead many, including myself, to question the greatness of the meal. Food for the Thoughtless perfectly captures these conflicted emotions of the French Laundry virgin. Of course, the meal’s expense ($240/pp +) also leave it wide open to criticisms of value. ¹

English Cucumber Sorbet
“Umeboshi” puree, Perilla Shoots and Compressed Cucumber

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Here are some random, quick reviews of misc places that won’t make it into a proper review. I have been eating at a number of places throughout the Bay Area and, while I’ve discovered some gems, I’m still largely unimpressed with many of the offerings. Great casual eating city? Probably. World-class dining? In some cases.

Aqua (SF) - I had intended for this to be a proper review but it really doesn’t warrant it. 2 Michelin stars? Expensive food for the business crowd that’s ok if someone else is paying. The quality of fish, for a seafood-focused restaurant, is average. A hamachi sashimi was completely overwhelmed by grapefruit slices. Abalone served with pork belly was muddled.

Boulevard (SF) - A good meal in a convivial atmosphere that can be enjoyed with friends - but nowhere near great. It is over-priced for the quality of the food and over-rated within this city. We sat in the wine cave and it provided a nice bit of anonyminity and seclusion. For a mostly ingredient-first cuisine, I found the ingredients fairly average.

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Cal Stamenov’s Marinus at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley (CA) has always come highly recommend by food enthusiasts, including his fellow chefs. There is no reasonable excuse for its omission from this blog; the restaurant is a desolate highway and 20 miles of curvy mountain roads away. My birthday dinner was due, a certain favorite restaurant was closed for a few days, so what better excuse to try Marinus? Take a day trip down to Carmel, stop in Watsonville for Mexican food, cruise the 17 mile drive, and finish the day with a great meal.

At its best, the restaurant is undoubtedly a delicious expression of the local lands. In the San Francisco Chefs profile, the article state that Cal’s kitchen has an open-door policy for local foragers who want to bring their ingredients to the restaurant. Cal also maintains a personal garden/farm with many types of forgotten vegetables and fruit. You can’t get more local than that. The cooking is meticulous and careful - addition by subtraction - reeling back everything until the only necessary ingredients are left. It is a highly articulated expression of that now common cliche - “California cuisine.”

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