I think $75 is fine for the level of service and stemware they provide at Manzke. It’s definitely top shelf wine service.
Unless the issue is the one btl limit - that I understand.
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Had an outstanding dinner at manzke last night. Haven’t had a lot of tasting menus since Covid but this one was top notch and couldn’t think of one that we enjoyed more in LA.
Highlights were the american waygu and a5 Japanese waygu, the scallop with cauliflower and truffle, grilled spot prawn, lobster curry, laminated brioche, the morel mushroom , and the caviar white asparagus.
Courses went from light to heavy. I would say the first few courses were more global/Asian influenced and our group enjoyed those less even though they were well executed. The best courses were the meals more French influenced courses which were all in the middle. Brought a bottle of wine that ended up going well with the meal.
Service was some of the best we had in LA personal and unobtrusive but attentive and professional . The pacing of the meal was great 3.5 hrs plus flew by. If you have the opportunity to go to manzke be sure to do so. I regret never going to hayato early on and now I can’t get reservations. So try it out before it gets impossible to get in.
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thanks for the report, how was that mango passion fruit dessert 
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It had tarragon in it super delicious and refreshing great palate cleanser after the meal. Also to note I left full I know this has been a complaint at other tasting menus around town.
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Damn that white asparagus dish looks top notch
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It was super tender and vegetal and the buerre blanc with caviar took it over the top
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TL:DR: A good tasting menu that played it pretty safe but has great potential. On the other hand, pacing was lacking. The entire dinner took 4 hours to finish. There was significant downtime between each course…even when it came to the 4 canapes.
I’m going to start using @rlw’s power scale. Mine tops out at 
.
apple cider
a lovely start to the evening. this cider is made by a famous cider maker that utilizes apples from 300 year old apple trees that are over 70 feet in height.
potato chips, smoked trout roe, tzatziki
perfectly crispy chips and a eggy cucumber yogurt dip. excellent stuff.
baja tuna tostada | salsa fresca
not too much going on here in terms of complexity or flavor. needs a touch more seasoning. you’re instructed to down that nice mild, limey, and serrano tasting chaser after you’re done with the tosta though!
japanese hamachi | kaluga caviar
crunchy crust, fatty tartare, umami laden caviar, minty-ish perilla. a very nice bite.
mantou | santa barbara uni
uni flavored bread? SOLD! the uni essentially acted as a uni that moistened the fried mantou.
dungeness crab | green thai curry
delicious and bold curry but overpowered the delicate crab. loved the use of tapioca for texture variation though.
santa barbara spot prawn | brown butter, meyer lemon
can’t go wrong with simply prepped spot prawns when they’re in season. sweet and succulent. a hint of pleasant smokiness permeated its flesh.
brioche | rodolphe le menunier butter
extraordinarily buttery and flakey. every bit as good as the brioche at the venerable TFL.
european white asparagus | kaluga caviar, roasted almond beurre blanc
what more can you say about these meaty and incredibly juicy asparagus? not a single hint of fibrous bite. the mix of unctuous beurre blanc, sweet pea puree, and the powerful garlic blossoms complemented these mild asparagus really well.
maine sea scallop | maine lobster, black truffle, cauliflower royale
perfectly cooked scallop and lobster sits atop an impossibly smooth and creamy cauliflower custard and swimming in a rich truffle sauce americaine. the minor quibble here’s the use of chopped truffle rather than grated that feels a bit gritty in the midst of all the soft and creamy textures. wonderful dish overall.
dover sole | morel mushroom
perfectly cooked fish but only lukewarm. it’s paired with a trio of intensely shroomy sauce, porcini puree, and a mushroom duxelles stuffed morel.
japanese and american wagyu beef | potato mousseline, sauce bordelaise
the american wagyu tenderloin (or rib cap? i don’t remember) is nicely meaty and marbled but the a5 short rib eats like a piece of fat. no bueno. i much prefer a5 striploin which has a much nicer meaty mouthfeel and flavor.
harry’s berries mara de bois | markrut lime
sweet and bright strawberries and strawberry sorbet sitting atop a lime panna cotta. just perfect.
mint infusion
petit fours
hazelnut hot chocolate
absolutely divine.
black sesame madeleines
cassis and kumquat chocolates
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price??? 
where’s the baguette, extra brioche and onion tart? bang bang necessary?
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So many of your favorite components!
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I love it
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Are five piles of poo better than one? Is one pile of poo worth one confused face?
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I asked if I can add on food from Bicyclette but they said no. As far as bang bang goes, not necessary…I was nicely satiated.
They figured out my ethnicity and targeted accordingly with the trifecta. 
The bigger the pile, the better. Exchange rate between 
and is 1 to 1.
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The Manzkes are thirsty for stars. After a long and surprisingly filling meal, I walked away thinking more about the ingredients they threw at me than the individual dishes—caviar on lots of stuff, A5 Wagyu, truffles, etc.
But let’s get into it.
Potato Chips - Smoked Trout Roe, Tzatziki
Baja Tuna Tostada - Salsa Fresca
Mt. Beurre
Japanese Hamachi - Kaluga Caviar (from China)
Mantou - Santa Barbara Uni
Dungeness Crab - Green Thai Curry
Santa Barbara Spot Prawn - Brown Butter, Meyer Lemon
Brioche - Rodolphe le Meunier Butter
European White Asparagus - Kaluga Caviar, Roasted Almond Beurre Blanc
Maine Sea Scallop - Maine Lobster, Black Truffle, Cauliflower Royale
Brioche round two
Dover Sole - Morel Mushroom
Japanese and American Wagyu Beef - Potato Mousseline, Sauce Bordelaise
Mango - Passion Fruit, Makrut Lime, Macadamia Nuts
Mint Infusion, Hojicha Madeleines, Cassis and Kumquat Chocolates, Chocolate Chewy Cookie, Hazelnut Hot Chocolate
Menu
Is Manzke’s Voltron less than the five lions? It’s too early to say, but after all the courses I did feel like there wasn’t that special “this is a transportive meal” feeling that I was hoping for. That’s not to say Manzke can’t get there (they’ve only been open for a month) but I could have seen this menu, food, and experience in NYC, or SF, or even Dallas—nothing screamed LA to me.
Manzke checked the boxes it needed to so I could leave satisfied, but it didn’t haunt my dreams like some other experiences and overall just felt safe. Once they get their first star (which they will and they do deserve) I’ll be excited to come back and see them shift into the next gear.
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How does it compare to 3 
powerhouse TFL? 
What do you think of Manzke serving A5 wagyu? Does it fit within their cooking perspective?
Should they have used caviar from Russia?
How was Manzke’s batch of uni compared to Kato’s?
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While I understand your extraordinary enthusiasm and support for the other restaurant, it is completely inappropriate to lump them together in this discussion, whether here or on other social media platforms. Not to mention they are two completely different restaurants. And it makes me legitimately wonder why the need to compare or inject them at every turn, rather than let my review of one establishment stand. It comes across as putting down Manzke when you do that, and makes me further wonder if there are other intentions beyond that enthusiasm.
Ummm if you like 100% pure fat?
Nope. Unless this is a KGB trap.
But then still no.
Kato uni > Manzke uni. Both in terms of taste and volume.
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The real question is how did you get two servings of bread?
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no baguette from downstairs? 
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They turned us down–despite our best efforts–to get downstairs baguette.
The excuse was they need to have enough for the diners downstairs, but when eating downstairs you can theoretically order unlimited amounts (I haven’t actually tested this to see if they would cut me off) so I still don’t understand why not 
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How long was your dinner?
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