Dinner at Manresa

My sister and her family have been raving about Manresa for years and finally this year I was able to eat there with my family to celebrate my birthday. A few weeks before we were to eat at Manresa, the restaurant was mentioned in Gourmet magazine as one of America's top 50 restaurants this year. And then, just a few days before our dinner, Manresa was given two Michelin stars.

It wasn't easy for us to get a table when my sister called three weeks in advance, so I'm happy that all the excellent reviews came later or else we might not have gotten in at all.

I wish that I had brought my camera to take pictures of each dish and a notebook to write down what we ate from the tasting menu and which wine we drank from the pairing, but I didn't. I do remember quite vividly the mixes of flavors that burst in my mouth.

We were served champagne after we sat down to begin our dinner. We didn't pick anything from the menu and opted for the tasting menu. Wine was served first and then the dishes were presented to us all at the same time. To keep in tune with the service, we all looked around at each other before putting any food in our mouth to make sure we did it at the same time.

After a few seconds, we all nodded our heads and commented on the flavors we were tasting. We took a few sips of our wine and found that it enhanced the flavors even more.

After being served countless appetizers, savory dishes, and desserts, it was sad that it had to come to an end. We had arrived at 9PM for our reservation and were the last ones to leave at 1AM. Because of such wonderful timing and small dishes, we didn't feel too full.

I didn't know that my sister would tell them that it was my birthday dinner and upon my arrival there was a card on the table that was signed by the chef, general manager, and manager. I asked our head waitress, who took such tremendous care of us, to sign my birthday card as well. I felt that she was an integral part to the enjoyment of our meal as the others, and I was pleased when she agreed to sign it.

It was a special birthday that I had with my family at such an amazing restaurant. I hope to go there again the next time I'm in Los Gatos as it was truly exceptional and memorable. And as my last dinner in California, it was a wonderful way to end my trip to the States.

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