Manresa: Los Gatos, CA

Manresa

http://www.manresarestaurant.com 

Petit Fours: "Red Pepper - Black Olive"

Not a big fan of jellies and gelatin, but it was definitely an varied textured bite which was fun. 

Granola Crisp

As it's called, nice and crisp with different seeds and nuts. I liked the thinness of the bite. 

Steamed Bun: Corn and Smoked Egg

I love me some corn, so this was a nice taste, again with a nice balance of textures from the soft egg inside with the bun and the juicy fresh corn on top.

Caviar Beignet

Nice, not overly salty and oniony bite.

Summer Clam and Cornihon, Tomato Jelly

I found the clear gelatin on the top slightly salty, but I find most everything salty. Each ingredient here had their own distinguished taste. 

Mocktail. 

I forget what this was made of, but it was a bit too tangy for me. 

"Into the Garden, Green and Bitter..."

A small and crisp salad which just whetted the vegetable appetite. How can one go wrong with fried greens :)

Courgette 'Stir Fry' Squid with Basil

I really liked the squid here, and as this was a stir fry, it was a comforting mix of greens on the bottom which I thoroughly enjoyed, 

Same replaced with rice cakes and garlic instead of squid ink

The rice cakes looked almost identical to the squid...

Abalone, Tapioca with Radish and Parmeasan

I found the Abalone to be slightly too salty on it's crust, but I liked the crisp topping as well as the tapioca on the bottom, which mellowed out the salt.

Striped Bass in Barigoule and Saffron

This was the star of the night in my opinion. Wonderfully soft fish, good sauce, with some sweetness from the strawberry, and the fried strip of root vegetable. Get a bit of everything in one bite and you can't ask for more. 

Strawberry Gazpacho

I don't really like cold soups, and this was a bit sweet and savory, which sometimes is a hit-or-miss for me, but strawberries I believe were in season so they took a prominent position in that night's menu. 

Poularde, Stuffed Morels, Anchovy

Chicken had a wonderful skin and was cooked well. The morels were great, especially with the little bit of foie gras in it, which I normally don't like because it's too rich for me. The leek could've had more flavor, but it was a good silky texture. 

Spring Lamb, Nectarine, Espelette

Every part of the lamb on the plate tasted great, which was just enough for a sampling of everything. Nectarine was a nice intermediate palate cleanser between sites. The eggplant with the rice crisps, however, had too much Korean like sweet sauce, although I liked the texture of it, especially with the rice crisps on top. 

Strawberries, Green Tea Meringue, Lime

Onto desserts! Like I said, strawberries came into play again. I wasn't quite a fan of the green tea tops, but it was an overall, very light dessert. 

Chocolate cheesecake

This little slice of chocolate cheesecake was delicious. I wish we had more, but it was in celebration of an anniversary, so it was one slice for all. Incredibly rich though, but worth it.

Chocolate with Summer Herbs

I wished this dish was slightly more chocolately with less herbs, but this was also a light dessert which I appreciated. Regardless of taste, presentation came through. 

Pickled Apricot, Ricotta Custard, Noyaux

Sort of like a cheesecake within the gelled caramel like round, but the textures were interesting. I REALLY like the actual blue/gold plate itself. Couldn't stop touching it...

Macarons: Neapolitan, Chocolate, Earl Grey Tea

I'm not a big fan of macarons, so I won't say much, but I appreciate the variety in flavors. 

Truffle and Chocolate

Nice chocolate bites at the end of the meal. Not sweet at all, which is great for those who aren't big fans of sugary sweets. Definitely get the cocoa flavor instead. 

Parallel Petit Fours: "Strawberry-Chocolate"

And to round it out, the same configuration as the opening treat, but sweet!

Gift: Strawberry Granola

Like Eleven Madison Park, we got some granola to take home :) There was also caramels at the door, but I forgot to eat mine :(

Overall, a very balanced meal with good service that I would definitely come back to, as it fits my comfort level and palate. Not too avant grade but everything was done well, and that's what I like best. 

Twenty Five Lusk: San Francisco, CA

Twenty Five Lusk

http://www.25lusk.com

ROSEMARY FOCACCIA BREAD

"Would you like some bread?"

"Darn tootin' I would!"

AMUSE BOUCHE: Mushroom Blini bite

I'm not sure if this is like a blini, but almost like a cut of a thick pancake which was really flavorful. 

 GRILLED OCTOPUS: Caramelized fennel, arugula, hazelnut streusel, blood orange emulsion

Recommended by the kind waiter, this was a highlight. The octopus was grilled well and the hazelnut worked well in tandem. Personally, I didn't like the emulsion because it was a kind of gooey that doesn't seem natural to me, but it added a level of sweetness and slight acidity to the bite. 

LLANO SECO PORK CHOP: Cencioni pasta, manila clams, crispy curried fava leaves

The pasta, which are little flat oval pieces with some spice, was not what I was expecting, and was a little too much on the al dente side for myself, but I can definitely see others liking this, I was given a spoon for broth, but there wasn't much of any, hence the pasta came off a bit dry. The pork chop was a little dry at places, but that's unavoidable really, but it wasn't as juicy as I'd like it to be. The curried leaves definitely added good flavor to the pork, although you needed to eat it together. I wish the pork had some curry flavor on top of it, like a thin crust would be nice.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS 

Much too sour and too many veggies had such intense burnt grill marks, we didn't finish this dish. 

AHI TUNA: SHRIMP, KUMQUATS, MIX OF GRILLED VEGGIES

I usually don't like to eat ahi tuna, but this worked well together, as well did the shrimp. I liked this dish a lot more than the pork! Not overpowering in any flavor, but nice, light, and fresh. 

CHOCOLATE BERRY MOUSSE: SNICKERDOODLE, LEMONY ICE CREAM, MINT MERINGUE

I completely forgot what kind of berry they used or what the ice cream was (although the ice cream was good and tart). The mousse was very sweet, but having everything in one bite is a good composition and the dish has almost all the textures and flavors to please anyone. The mint meringues: good texture and flavor there

CHEF COMPLIMENTS: SALTED BROWNIE BITES

This was surprisingly very good. Good size as well to get a good ratio of the brownie to complement the salt. Sometimes I get irked when there's too much salt...

I think I would stick to getting seafood here, versus other proteins, but I can see the concepts come through!

Service: The front of the house who seated us gave us a bit of a cold and detached attitude, but our server was great. We told him we had be out in an hour or so, so he continuously checked on us, advising us on timing for desserts etc. Thanks dude! 

Southie - Berkeley, CA

Southie

http://southieoakland.com

Sister restaurant to its neighbor Wood Tavern. Southie serves up the more casual sandwich fare of that of Wood Tavern.

Terrible picture of the front from across the street...sorry ya'll

 Busy interior with a small amount of table seating. There is, however, window and bar seating which is just as welcoming. 

MUSHROOM SOUP

Very thick mushroom soup with some creme fraiche drizzled. You like mushroom? You should get this.  

LAMB ROULADE: Pickled Persian cucumbers, arugula, piquillo peppers, tzatziki, Acme deli roll 

I wanted to get this because I felt I need some more protein and I love me some tzatziki. I've never had lamb in such a form but it was decent. Not too heavily spiced but a little dry. The bread was a little hard to get through as time went on but I ate what I could because I really like Acme Bread in general :) 

PAN FRIED MORTADELLA: Fontina, romaine lettuce, green olives, pepperoncinis, pickled red onion, mustard aioli, Acme deli roll

Mortadella tastes like a smoother, high end bologna, which means it's still salty. It was a bit too much for me, but my dining partner was satisfied. 

Both sandwiches came with a side of Cape Cod Kettle Chips. 

Eleven Madison Park - New York, New York

Eleven Madison Park

http://www.elevenmadisonpark.com

Definitely one of the most interactive higher end restaurants I've been to, which I really appreciate. 

 Bright, clean interior with hints of yellow and hexagonal accents throughout the room.

BLACK AND WHITE: SAVORY COOKIE WITH APPLE AND CHEDDAR

 Amuse bouche already waiting at the table in a small white box

Display of hors d'oeuvres on a fun honeycomb presentation. We couldn't help but play, lift, and  dismantle the wooden blocks....

MOREL WITH RYE CRISP

I'm not the biggest fan of the congealed/creamy gelatin texture, but I liked the small crunch and flavor from the outside wafers.

WHITEFISH SALAD

I have to say, I really liked the little whitefish crisps (the little grains in the picture). We were provided one sugar snap pea and radish each, which we dipped into both containers. The combination of the veggies with the dips was definitely a highlight. By itself, I thought each vessel was too salty (but I'm generally more sensitive to salt), but the veggies definitely muted the taste and made for a refreshing bite. I wish they provided more of the veggies but we still spooned out all the food (regardless of the saltiness factor).

FAVA BEAN CROQUETTE

 If you like fava beans, this would be nice. Lightly fried. 

WELLFLEET OYSTER WITH CAVIAR

 I'm hoping the touched yogurt on my oyster was due to a chef tasting it, versus someone's finger mistakingly making contact with the food... Not fishy at all, just a fresh smooth bite. And I don't even really like oysters!

CAVIAR: BENEDICT WITH SPRING ONION AND HAM

Like I said before, I appreciate the interactiveness in making my own mini eggs benedict (although it was too salty and I informed the waitstaff to please lessen the salt on my future dishes).

One nice attention to detail would be perhaps to have a hand towel after this dish to clean our hands like at the beginning of the meal. I just haphazardly wiped my buttery fingers on my napkin...

BREADDDDDDDD

I took a few bites of this buttery croissant-like bread, but I was decently carbed out from the tiny english muffins of the eggs benedict just prior. My dining partner really enjoyed the bread though, and a waiter also brought another batch following the first two. The American cheese on top of the butter was also quite salty. There was also some salt on top of the bread. I hope people don't add more sea salt to the butter and bread... it'll be much too salty! 

FLUKE: MARINATED WITH PEAS AND GRAPEFRUIT

Peas congealed in a gelatin textured mix. The fluke (the thin clear skin you see), was much too salty for me again, but if you grabbed everything in one bite, especially the microgreens on top, everything balanced out. I usually like to taste things individually before going for a collective, but I was coming to terms that I need to have everything together at this restaurant.

SMOKED DAIKON SALAD

I didn't try this, but it was interesting how the daikon was so smoked that it came out looking like some kind of shellfish!

LOBSTER: BUTTER-POACHED WITH MORELS AD PEAS

I liked the mashed potato round. I also realize that I prefer my lobster boiled, white all the way so it can be bit through it in one go.  Slightly soft lobster (which I believe may be the recommended way to eat it), isn't the most appetizing in personal opinion.

FISH (Sorry I don't have the name to this one. Not part of my menu)

I preferred the fish to the lobster because I liked the fish consistency more than the lobster's, although it wasn't a show stopper. But I liked the fried potato round. Fried food...

ASPARAGUS: BRAISED WITH POTATO AND BLACK TRUFFLE

This came out in an interesting set up. The asparagus was cooked in a pig's bladder, as it supposedly is able to retain the moisture and flavor of the asparagus versus other methods. I had asked if the bladder imparts any pork flavor, but she informed me it didn't (although I think it'd be sort of cool...).

This was meant to be sipped like a tea. It was the broth of the dish to come, so for myself, a duck broth (the other, lamb).

DUCK: HONEY AND LAVENDER GLAZED WITH SPRING ONION AND RHUBARB, AND BROTH

 I liked the exterior of the duck, which is coated with the different spices, although the spices were a bit hard and physically sharp on the tongue.

LAMB THREE WAYS

This was done well. I enjoyed the romaine as well, and I rarely like it cooked!

NEW POTATOES: VARIATIONS WITH FLOWERS

This was one of the sides to share that came with the entrees. Potato everything! I unfortunately was a little too full to fully enjoy and eat it though...

MOREL: CUSTARD WITH SPRING GARLIC

More morrel mushrooms. The custard/creme/gelatin below was WAY too tangy and salty. I couldn't make it though this side.

BAKED ALASKA: STRAWBERRY, LEMON, AND VANILLA ICE CREAM

 Now for dessert, we had three choices. Two individual choices, such as poached strawberries and a sorbet I believe, but the third option of a baked alaska was meant for two. It was nice presentation of the alcohol torching of the exterior, as well as a nice explanation of how the baked alaska came about.

 The baked alaska was removed and two scoops each was presented. Definitely had the alcohol taste with the exterior. I enjoyed the strawberry ice cream below. My dining partner warned me to not eat all the cream...

CHOCOLATE: "NAME THAT MILK"

This was fun to try and decipher which chocolate was made from which animal milk! I was adamant we get this correct, which we did haha~ We were both very surprised how much the lamb chocolate had the lamb meat flavor.

PRETZEL WITH SEA SALT

And finally, some nice salted chocolate pretzels. These were surprisingly really good, and when I asked for a box to take one home, they gave me two fresh ones in a container! I brought all these back home and they're still pretty good almost two weeks later.

I love the goodies they provided us to take home and snack on the next day/week(s) haha~ Granola with lots of different seeds and various raisons (a bit sweet), a container which includes the menu of only the things I ate, and a box of salt water caramel/chocolate (sort of like a high end salted Twix) to commemorate our anniversary celebration (inside had a slip that said "Happy Anniversary"). 

Service was pleasant, with good conversations and check-ins with the manager (I forget her name -_-). The only qualm we had was we had a great location and view of the area, just smack dab in the center of the restaurant and elevated, but there was an incredible draft from the main door so we were constantly breezed upon and had to keep our jackets on the entire time. 

This memory definitely came at a cost, but I definitely won't forget it anytime soon!