Mana restaurant is part of the exciting trend in the rural United States. Roll back 10-15 years, and there are far fewer options for NYC foodies like us outside of large metropolitan areas. The best thing we could count on was a well-prepared burger and such. No more!
More often than not, we encounter high-end cuisine in a-middle-of-nowhere towns on our travels. Mana restaurant in Leavenworth, Washington is a bright example of such unexpected epicurean pleasure.
Wetting the Beak
Mana offers a unique dining experience we have yet to see at a “high kitchen” or, let alone, any other restaurant in the US. While the tasting course menu is nothing unusual, serving it simultaneously to all forty-something, people create an effect of comradely, especially in smaller restaurants. Everyone gets the same course at the same time, offering an opportunity to connect with other guests and share their impressions if they are inclined to.
Before the first course, we got fresh Kumamoto oysters. Sprinkled with a brine with a touch of garlic and tiny carrot cubes to add texture was a perfect tickle for our appetites. We look forward to replicating this recipe at home.
First Course
On a cold, snowy night, Vegetarian Dumplings hit the spot. Stuffed with small cauliflower florets and sweet potato and brightened by ginger and warming spice mix, the dumplings made for an exciting start to dinner. The savory brown sauce can fool meat lovers who look sideways at vegetarian dishes.
Second Course
Chef raised the flavor bar with a Marjoram Duck Paté with Port. It was fun observing the creation of this architecturally complex dish. It was composed of a fine mash of celery root at the base with thinly sliced fresh fennel, toasted pignoli nuts, preserved huckleberries, and topped with a scoop of pate that looked like a chocolate ice cream and sprinkled with pomegranate vinaigrette and port.
All together, ingredients played a little symphony on our taste buds. Soft and a bit grainy duck paté complimented by vinaigrette and port had an almost cocoa-like aftertaste. Who would have thought?!
Intermission
For a palate cleanse, we had a shot of Vermouth with a lemon sorbet with an excellent balance of crispiness. Borrowing to try it at home.
Third Course
The King Salmon was probably the most impressive dish visually. The pink flakes of perfectly cooked salmon stood out over the bright green base of a thin, smooth kale sauce sprinkled with bright red drops of Aleppo pepper oil.
Zesty sauce and mustard greens balanced King salmon’s fattiness rather than masking its distinct flavors. Salmon tasted best when it was thoroughly coated with sauce. We were very impressed with how flavors gelled together, yet we wished for a sweet component to dial back some heat of the Aleppo oil.
Fourth Course
Mana’s Roasted Quail dispels the notion that it tastes like chicken. Once again chef allowed the main ingredient of the dish to shine. Interestingly, different parts of quail tasted differently. Quail breast had bloody notes reminiscent of duck, while legs were closer to the chicken breast but more tender and moist.
Blood orange and carrot sauce combines really well not just with meat but with the earthy flavors of black rice cake.
Dessert
The Hazelnut Cacao Vegan Gelato was a true show-off of flavors and textures. We loved how the chef used spicy elements in gelato and cocoa sponge cake to elevate the flavors. Sage Merengue was the most exciting part of the dessert, not just because we love merengue but because of its unusual flavor.
While we loved each ingredient on it own, we were confused about how they suppose to come together. Having a bit of each at the same time puzzled the tastebuds. Maybe we had to eat them in particular order to experience the effect intended by the chef? However, by the time we realized we needed to play around with it, it was all gone.
While we loved the dessert and each of its parts separately, we thought, we would appreciate some kind of a roadmap to this dessert from the chef.
We rarely eat desserts, and if we order them, we usually cannot finish them. Well, this time, both portions were gone, proving the high-skilled preparation.
Aftertaste
Mana restaurant left the aftertaste of excitement and anticipation of our next visit for an epicurean adventure to remember. Having tried other restaurants in Leavenworth, WA, we unanimously placed in the top spot with Larch restaurant in second place.
We would enjoy special occasion dinner at Mana at any time of the year!
Have you dined at these restaurants? What was your impression?