California Official Visitor's Guide 2018 - 36

Chef Niki
Nakayama

N/NAKA

THE CHEF'S
TABLE AT
MANZANITA

Manzanita

L A K E TA HOE
Set within The Ritz-Carlton,
Lake Tahoe in Truckee,
Manzanita embodies relaxed
luxury. After a day carving the slopes or hiking the
trails, guests are welcome to
arrive for dinner still in their
Patagonia gear. Though the
vibe is casual, the food is far
from your typical mountainhut cuisine, and the open
kitchen steals the spotlight
from the restaurant's alpine
views. Score one of the eight
seats at the chef's table for
a rare look behind the line.
You won't just get to watch
the chef de cuisine, Roman
Garcia, expertly hand-roll
cavatelli; you'll also listen to
his gregarious team explain
technique and wax poetic
on their favorite farms and
purveyors.
manzanitalaketahoe.com

36 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

MANRESA
LO S GAT O S
Food pilgrims from all
corners of the globe make
the hour-long drive south of
San Francisco to experience
chef David Kinch's earthy yet
refined cooking style that has
rightfully earned him three
Michelin stars. French, Japanese, and modern Catalan
techniques influence his food,
but Manresa's nightly tasting
menu is like a love letter to
the California Coast. No dish
better speaks to Kinch's
reverence for terroir than his
signature Into the Vegetable
Garden, an ever-changing array of up to 40 freshly plucked
leaves, roots, flowers, and
herbs served with an "edible
dirt" of toasted grains and
roasted parsnip. Diners be
warned: You'll never be able to
look at a humble garden salad
the same way again.
manresarestaurant.com

Chef Niki Nakayama's exquisite kaiseki experience transports
guests from her 26-seat restaurant in West Los Angeles to the
traditional ryokans of Japan, where she honed her masterful
technique. The Zen-like space of wood panels, soft lighting,
and handmade walnut tables sets the tone for a meal rooted
in ancient Buddhist ritual. Kaiseki could be thought of as the
original tasting menu. The 13-course meal, a very deliberate
progression of courses, unfolds like a story, with an emphasis
on ingredients and preparation. Drawing inspiration from local sources is a key tenet of kaiseki, and Nakayama does her
best to feature California ingredients, going as far as sourcing
produce from her own garden. But certain ingredients, such as
akamutsu, a small fatty seaperch that's served as sashimi, are
flown in from Japan. The menu brilliantly juxtaposes decadence
and simplicity. n-naka.com

Manresa

PREVIOUS SPREAD: INSETS, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ERIC WOLFINGER, ANNE WATSON, COURTESY OF GEORGE'S AT THE COVE/BROGEN JESSUP PHOTOGRAPHY, NOÉ MONTES, ZEN SEKIZAWA,
DEBORAH JONES; LAZY BEAR: KASSIE BORRESON. THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF THE RITZ-CARLTON LAKE TAHOE, ZEN SEKIZAWA, ERIC WOLFINGER, SHUTTERSTOCK

LOS ANGELES

http://www.n-naka.com http://www.manzanitalaketahoe.com http://www.manresarestaurant.com http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Official Visitor's Guide 2018