Recently, the London Observer named Manresa one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, and food critic Michael Bauer from the San Francisco Chronicle called it one of the Bay Area's "Magnificent Seven."

Manresa was opened in 2002 by world-renowned chef David Kinch, who garners his inspiration from French and modern Catalan cuisine. Kinch owned Sent Sovi restaurant in Saratoga from 1995 to 2001. A native of New Orleans, he has worked in several of the world's top restaurants, including Akelare in San Sebastian, Spain; L'Esperance in St. Pere-sous-Vezelay, France; Schweizer Stuben in Wertheim, Germany; Silks in San Francisco and the Quilted Giraffe in New York City. Skilled at cooking European cuisine, Kinch also served as the first, and only, American-born chef at the prestigious Ernie's in San Francisco for two years.

Manresa is named after the medieval town of the same name in the Catalonia region of northern Spain. It also shares its name with a stretch of beach just south of Santa Cruz, which early California Jesuits named Manresa.

However, Manresa is not only one of the top restaurants in the world--it is also the location of many special events that transcend the boundaries of fine dining.

Manresa is known for its seasonal "Modernista" dinners.

"For the Modernista dinners, [Chef Kinch] will pick a farmer or a seasonal event and create a whole menu around that season or food item," says Michael Kean, Manresa's general manager.

Kean says two recent dinners centered around citrus and the tomato.

Back in February, Kinch selected a citrus farmer from Watsonville and created a menu all around citrus.

"[This farmer] grows a variety of very strange, interesting citrus, that we then incorporated into a seven-course dinner that night," Kean explains.

For the tomato dinner, Kinch selected tomatoes from Love Apple Farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains and created a six-course dinner all around the tomato--including dessert.

"What we were trying to do is create dishes that were a little more experimental, a little more daring, a little more challenging, and we advertised it as such. We try dishes that sort of push the envelope and go out of our comfort zone," Kinch says, explaining that the dinners also aim to encourage patrons to try items they wouldn't normally try. "That's what's good for us. We can go out on a limb and try something new, and we get the feedback from customers about whether they like them and whether they would ever order them."

Kinch says the Modernista dinners are not only fun for patrons, but also for the kitchen staff, allowing them to experiment with and broaden their skills. He says some of the experimental dishes that garner positive feedback end up being added to the regular menu.

"They've turned out to be quite successful, the [Modernista dinners] we've done," Kean says.

Recently, Manresa has also partnered with The French Cellar in Los Gatos to hold themed wine dinners. Kinch says he really wanted to do something unique with these events.

"We've always tried to look for something that has a little bit of a twist," says Kinch of their approach to the wine dinners. "For instance, [we decided to focus on] wines based on seasonality, or a specific region."

Sallie Robbins-Druian and her husband Jay Druian co-own and operate The French Cellar, which is on Main Street. Kean says when planning a wine dinner, they start by selecting the wines.

"Jay will select the wines that he thinks will pour well that season," he explains.

"Knowing that David will be creating approximately five courses, we select the wines and we all sit down and taste them together. Then, hopefully, that gives David inspiration to pair different wines and foods together and represent the [season or the] region with his own particular outlook. We discuss what food would be exciting with the wines," Robbins-Druian says. "Then David balances the wines with the food that is the best balance and the best matching between the food and the wine."

She says the first wine dinner on June 23 had a "Loire Valley" theme.

"Loire is known for its amuses bouches, which is a sauvignon blanc grape. We all met on the patio in the back and had a welcoming with a sparkling wine from the region, and the staff brought out an array of miniature amuses bouches, which means 'to please the mouth' in French," she recalls.

The guests, about two dozen, she says, mingled and enjoyed the first selections, and then moved into the dining room, where Kinch proceeded to present one course at a time, with Druian presenting a different wine to go with it, and talking about each wine.

"It's a wonderful experience of inhaling the aromas of the cuisine and the wine and seeing how the courses and wine perfectly compliment each other," Robbins-Druian says. "David is a wizard at creating perfection between flavors."

Kinch and the Druians have been fans of each other for several years.

"We've known David for a long time. He used to come by when he was at Sent Sovi and talk all things French with Jay," Robbins-Druian remembers.

"They've been regular customers of ours since day one," Kinch recalls.

"You can always expect that David will have the freshest, most incredible food possible, with his own incredible flair," Robbins-Druian says.

Manresa and The French Cellar are hosting two more wine dinners this year at The French Cellar--featuring burgundy on Oct. 20, and champagne on Nov. 3.

Manresa Restaurant, 320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, 408.354.4330, www.manresa restaurant.com.

The French Cellar, 32 E. Main St.,
Los Gatos, 408.354.0993, www.thefrench
cellar.com.