Image
  • Writing
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • About my Novels & Writing
    • All Writing Posts
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Scrivener – Writer’s Word Processor
    • iPad for Writers
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Books
    • Book Review Index
    • Favorite Fantasy Novels
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Short Story: Harvard Divinity
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • About the Book
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Games
    • My Video Game Career
    • Post Archive by Series
    • All Games Posts Inline
    • Making Crash Bandicoot
    • Crash 15th Anniversary Memories
    • World of Warcraft Endgames
    • Getting a Job Designing Video Games
    • Getting a Job Programming Video Games
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Movies
    • Movie Review Index
  • Television
    • TV Review Index
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • A Game of Thrones
  • Food
    • Food Review Index
    • Foodie Club
    • Hedonists
    • LA Sushi Index
    • Chinese Food Index
    • LA Peking Duck Guide
    • Eating Italy
    • Eating France
    • Eating Spain
    • Eating Croatia
    • Eating Vietnam
    • Eating Australia
    • Eating Israel
    • Ultimate Pizza
    • ThanksGavin
    • Margarita Mix
    • Foodie Photography
    • Burgundy Vintage Chart
  • Other
    • All Posts, Magazine Style
    • Archive of all Posts
    • Fiction
    • Technology
    • History
    • Anything Else
  • Gallery
  • Bio
  • About
    • About me
    • About my Writing
    • About my Video Games
    • Ask Me Anything
  • Contact

Major Manzke

Oct28

Restaurant: Manzke

Location: 9575 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035. (424) 500-9575

Date: April 1, 2022

Cuisine: Modern American French

Rating: Really good

_

There is no question that Walter Manzke is one of LA’s most influential chefs of the last decade or so. His Republique is iconic and I’ve eaten dozens of meals there.

DSC05922
Manzke is his new “tasting menu only” spot located in the former Picca space above Water’s Bicyclette. Manzke is sort of a full restaurant version of the kind of special Walter tasting menu meal I’ve been getting for years at special events in the Republique private room.
1A4A4889-Pano
DSC05927
DSC06011
DSC06012
The build out is lavish, two leveled, and features a big open kitchen.
DSC05929
There is a full bar of course.
DSC05931
One of us got an Old Fashioned.

DSC05950
The four of us had one of the larger tables upstairs on the balcony — which is the place to be — and they are made of lovely wood. The whole restaurant isn’t that loud (unlike Republique which is super loud) but the balcony is nice and calm.
1A4A4908
Our menu for the night.
1A4A4903
Jacques Selosse Initial. 93 points. A lovely drop. This smelt a bit fresher, less oxidative than usual – perhaps because it was fairly newly disgorged, with a very chalky, stony mineral tones to the nose, along with some stone fruit – think yellow peach – apples, and a touch of kumquat, all ringed with a little bit of spice. A really entrancing nose. The palate too felt really fresh and linear, with a spine of lemon acidity and beautiful stony mineral strecthing its way through bright expressions of green apples and limes. As always, there was plenty of power and depth to the chapmpagnem but this was wed to lovely freshness and purity. Together with a nicely fine mousse, the wine presented itself both with a delicious open, generous fullness, as well as having at the same time a really nice sense of cut and definition, with that deep mineral structure to it. Absolutely lovely – it dissapeared from the bottle very quickly.
1A4A4914-Edit
1A4A4910
Potato Chips with smoked Trout Roe & Tzatziki. Lovely tangy quality to the yogurt. A bit of a take on Taramasalata.
1A4A4918
Baja Tuna Tostada. Yummy, if tiny.
DSC05967
Served along side it was the “Salsa Fresca” which was a “extract” clear liquid version of the salsa which was pretty awesome and tasted exactly like said salsa.
1A4A4924
Japanese Hamachi, Kaluga Caviar, NV, Bolieu, Fleur de Craie, Champagne. Really awesome tiny bite. Could have eaten 6.
1A4A4904
2011 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Narvaux. 92 points. Open-knit aromatics show pretty lemon, mixed flowers, and crushed stone. As with my last bottle, I’m surprised to see this shows a bit more weight than the usual lithe Roulot, given the lighter vintage. Very good.

1A4A4905
2005 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. VM 98+. Wonderfully ripe, deep aromas of lime, minerals and crushed stone. An incredible mouthful of stones and minerals, with uncanny intensity, juiciness and lift. At this point in my marathon tasting with Boillot, my handwriting was degenerating and I was using exclamation marks rather than adjectives. Flat-out great white Burgundy. Incidentally, Boillot changed his supplier of Corton-Charlemagne as of this vintage; he now works with vines in Aloxe-Corton that face full south.
1A4A4931
Mantou. Santa Barbara Uni. A bit too much bread to the uni. I was hoping for one of those delicate Western Chinese soup dumplings.
1A4A4933
This little base has soup poured into it.
1A4A4935
Dungeness Crab. Green Thai Curry. Delicious with a quite authentic curry flavor. Little bits of crab shell though.
1A4A4941
Laminated Brioche. Rodolphe le meunier butter. Insanely good croissant-like bread. Butter took it up to 11.
1A4A4938
The awesome Normandy butter.
1A4A4939
DSC06017
Table-side grilled prawns.
1A4A4943
Santa Barbara Prawn, brown butter, meyer lemon (and roe). Very tender.
1A4A4947
1A4A4952
European White Asparagus, Kaluga Caviar, Roasted Almond Beurre Blanc. Very much (the start of) the season for White Asparagus. The Beurre Blanc (and Caviar) are the perfect classic accompaniment.
1A4A4954
House-baked baguette.
DSC06065
More butter.
1A4A4957
1A4A4962
Maine Sea Scallop, Abalone, Maine Lobster, Black Truffle, Cauliflower Royale. Awesome dish. Very rich, like a Lobster Newburg or something, but incredible. Had to get more bread to wipe up the sauce.
1A4A4906
1998 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. VM 96. The 1998 La Mission Haut-Brion is the standout of the Nineties. It shows more purity and exuberance than the 1996, featuring sumptuous scents of black cherries, black olive, freshly rolled tobacco and hints of gravel, all wonderfully defined and quite precocious. The palate is likewise sweet and ripe, offering pliant tannins and layers of blackberry, blood orange, blueberry and tobacco. It tightens up toward the finish, as if to say, I’m in for the long haul. Give it a couple of hours’ decanting, or cellar it for longer if you wish. Tasted at dinner at Chez Bruce. (Drink between 2021-2042)
DSC06085
DSC06100
Dover Sole with Morel Mushroom and “smoked bacon reduction”. The smokey (tasted like bacon without having bacon) sauce really made this a red wine friendly dish — and a delicious one.
DSC06108
DSC06111-Edit
Japanese and American Wagyu Beef, potato mousseline, sauce bordelaise. Really some awesome beef. Melt in the mouth smooth. Sauce was potent but great (I love Bordelaise sauce).
IMG_4939
1986 Château Raymond-Lafon. 92 points. Golden colored in the glass, in the bottle in appears a decade+ lighter than the vintage would suggest. Honey dipped peaches and orange on the palate with moderate sweetness and enough acidity to keep things lively. No botrytis. Drinks much younger than 34 years — it would not surprise me if this could go another 34.

DSC06125
DSC06154
Mango, Passion Fruit, Kaffir Lime Panna Cotta, and Macadamia Nuts. Great dessert. Very refreshing. Interesting textures. The kaffir lime leaf infusion in the panna cotta gave it a refreshing bitterness.
DSC06162
Hojicha Madeleines.
DSC06168
Hazelnut Hot Chocolate. Super delicious and rich.
IMG_4945
Cassis and Kumquat Chocolates and Chocolate Chewy Cookie.
DSC06158
Mint Infusion. Refreshing.
1A4A4902
Manzke is a great addition to LA’s anemic tasting menu scene. Overall the food was extremely good, very “butter forward” in that he cooks with a lot of butter. As I mentioned before it’s somewhat similar to custom dinners Walter has cooked at Republique. I’ll be very curious to see how often the menu changes. The space itself is lovely and they even have a nice (quiet) private room with a gorgeous large table. Plus the location is good. So I look forward to returning.

It should also be noted that service was spectacular. Walter really knows how to run a very good crew. I’m sure it would be an awesome place for a very high end birthday party or similar too. We even ran into one of our good friends hosting a (wine related) work dinner.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Major Coche to the Dome-O
  2. Is Majordomo a Major Deal?
  3. Republique 2017
  4. Third Republique
  5. Republique of Jadot
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Foodie Club, Manzke, Pico, Walter Manzke
Watch the Trailer or

Buy it Online!

Buy it Online!

Find Andy at:

Follow Me on Pinterest

Subscribe by email:

More posts on:



Complete Archives

Categories

  • Contests (7)
  • Fiction (404)
    • Books (113)
    • Movies (77)
    • Television (123)
    • Writing (115)
      • Darkening Dream (62)
      • Untimed (37)
  • Food (1,484)
  • Games (100)
  • History (13)
  • Technology (21)
  • Uncategorized (16)

Recent Posts

  • Mes Ami - C'est Mort
  • Robo Eats - Szechuan Place
  • Providence Chef's Table 2022
  • OOToro Double
  • Robo Eats - Anarbagh
  • Fred loves N/Naka
  • Major Major Major
  • Far East - Beijing Tasty House
  • Home Sweet Spicy Home
  • Quick Eats - Bafang
  • Quick Eats - Peking Restaurant
  • Quick Eats - MK BBQ
  • Wolfing it Down
  • Big Night at Capital
  • Coche In at Brothers Santa Monica
  • Dirty Dozen semi Grand
  • Date Night at Addison
  • Date Night at AR Valentien
  • Camphor Cool
  • Not all Dim Sum are Created Equal

Favorite Food Posts

  • Food Home
  • Food Index
  • Foodie Club
  • Hedonists
  • LA Sushi Index
  • Chinese Food
  • LA Peking Duck
  • Eating Italy
  • Eating France
  • Eating Spain
  • Eating Croatia
  • Eating Vietnam
  • Eating Australia
  • Eating Israel
  • Ultimate Pizza
  • Margarita Mix
  • ThanksGavin
  • Foodie Photography
  • Burgundy Vintages

Tags

Andy Gavin Arts beef Book Review books Burgundy BYOG California Champagne Chinese cuisine Chinese Food Cooking Crash Bandicoot Dessert eating-italy Fantasy Fiction Food Foodie Club Game of Thrones Gelato George R. R. Martin HBO hedonists Italian cuisine Italy Japanese cuisine Los Angeles Naughty Dog pasta Pizza Restaurant Restaurant Review reviews Santa Monica Santa Monica California SGV side dishes Sushi Television ThanksGavin The Darkening Dream vegetarian Wine World of A Song of Ice and Fire

Archives

  • March 2023 (12)
  • February 2023 (11)
  • January 2023 (14)
  • December 2022 (11)
  • November 2022 (13)
  • October 2022 (14)
  • September 2022 (14)
  • August 2022 (12)
  • July 2022 (9)
  • June 2022 (6)
  • May 2022 (8)
  • April 2022 (5)
  • March 2022 (4)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • January 2022 (8)
  • December 2021 (6)
  • November 2021 (6)
  • October 2021 (8)
  • September 2021 (4)
  • August 2021 (5)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • January 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (11)
  • March 2020 (15)
  • February 2020 (13)
  • January 2020 (14)
  • December 2019 (13)
  • November 2019 (12)
  • October 2019 (14)
  • September 2019 (14)
  • August 2019 (13)
  • July 2019 (13)
  • June 2019 (14)
  • May 2019 (13)
  • April 2019 (10)
  • March 2019 (10)
  • February 2019 (11)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (14)
  • November 2018 (11)
  • October 2018 (15)
  • September 2018 (15)
  • August 2018 (15)
  • July 2018 (11)
  • June 2018 (14)
  • May 2018 (13)
  • April 2018 (13)
  • March 2018 (17)
  • February 2018 (12)
  • January 2018 (15)
  • December 2017 (15)
  • November 2017 (13)
  • October 2017 (16)
  • September 2017 (16)
  • August 2017 (16)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (13)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • March 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (7)
  • December 2016 (14)
  • November 2016 (11)
  • October 2016 (11)
  • September 2016 (12)
  • August 2016 (15)
  • July 2016 (13)
  • June 2016 (13)
  • May 2016 (13)
  • April 2016 (12)
  • March 2016 (13)
  • February 2016 (12)
  • January 2016 (13)
  • December 2015 (14)
  • November 2015 (14)
  • October 2015 (13)
  • September 2015 (13)
  • August 2015 (18)
  • July 2015 (16)
  • June 2015 (13)
  • May 2015 (13)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (15)
  • February 2015 (13)
  • January 2015 (13)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (13)
  • September 2014 (12)
  • August 2014 (15)
  • July 2014 (13)
  • June 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (14)
  • April 2014 (14)
  • March 2014 (10)
  • February 2014 (11)
  • January 2014 (13)
  • December 2013 (14)
  • November 2013 (13)
  • October 2013 (14)
  • September 2013 (12)
  • August 2013 (14)
  • July 2013 (10)
  • June 2013 (14)
  • May 2013 (14)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (15)
  • February 2013 (14)
  • January 2013 (13)
  • December 2012 (14)
  • November 2012 (16)
  • October 2012 (13)
  • September 2012 (14)
  • August 2012 (16)
  • July 2012 (12)
  • June 2012 (16)
  • May 2012 (21)
  • April 2012 (18)
  • March 2012 (20)
  • February 2012 (23)
  • January 2012 (31)
  • December 2011 (35)
  • November 2011 (33)
  • October 2011 (32)
  • September 2011 (29)
  • August 2011 (35)
  • July 2011 (33)
  • June 2011 (25)
  • May 2011 (31)
  • April 2011 (30)
  • March 2011 (34)
  • February 2011 (31)
  • January 2011 (33)
  • December 2010 (33)
  • November 2010 (39)
  • October 2010 (26)
All Things Andy Gavin
Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved
Programmed by Andy Gavin