Three years ago, a Texan named Wes Whitsell set out to bring “California Southern” cuisine to LA. After cooking Mediterranean food for a while, he was happy to open Manuela, a place for him to prepare the food that represents his upbringing.
Fast forward three years, Chef Kris Tominaga now runs the kitchen at Manuela. As many have hoped, Tominaga brought the same famed biscuits from his stay at The Hart & The Hunter. Tominaga has reduced to focus from a Southern focused menu to one that reflects a California seafood theme.
Manuela is located in the art district of Downtown LA. You won’t find their name on the building because it is inside Hauser & Wirth, a communal space that links art and architecture with events. Our dine out foodies, my cousin and her husband, joined my wife and me that evening.
The biscuits are a must-order and we began our dinner with this. They were served hot and were extremely flaky, buttery, and something that you could keep eating if you didn’t come here for more. They stand up to the very best biscuits that LA has to offer. The biscuits are served with thinly sliced aged country ham. The ham is delicate and a close cousin to Italian prosciutto.
We tried the Barbecued Morrow Bay Oysters. They were served grilled in the half shell topped with melted parmesan. The sweet oyster was augmented with the flavor of smoky cheese. These oysters are environmentally friendly, and a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids.
I expected more with the Burrata with Trout Roe. While the burrata was creamy and cherry tomatoes added a lot of flavor, I felt the trout roe only added color to the plate. The grilled toast that accompanied it, gave the dish a nice smoky element.
The sea bass was nicely seared and flaky to the fork. The surrounding gazpacho had a pleasant tomato taste but was thin and more like a stock. The sliced grape tomatoes and Italian parsley added nice coloring and flavor to this dish.
Ribeye is my favorite cut of steak and I was delighted to see that they had a Holstein Ribeye that was aged for 30 days. It was served with a chimichurri sauce that gave it a Gaucho taste. I liked that they offered ribeye over flank steak because it was much more tender, juicy, and flavorful.
We all felt that the vegetarian dishes we tried were quite remarkable. While the Dragon tongue beans were foreign to us, they had much more flavor over a standard green bean. They were served with Calabrian chile, parmesan, and garlic bread crumbs. The char gave it some smoke flavor and the chile added a mild fruit element and a bit of heat.
We also enjoyed the roasted cauliflower with date vinegar and almonds. Date vinegar is commonly used in the Middle East. They complemented this dish by seasoning it with Middle Eastern spices. We all enjoyed this dish. I was happy to hear that my wife is going to try to reproduce this dish at home.
Manuela is an excellent venue for a great dining experience. They benefit from excellent SoCal weather and offer an open-air experience. The dishes are creative and are designed for a multi-color experience. From what I could tell, the ingredients seem to be organic and sourced from local farms like Peads and Barnetts.
Manuela, 907 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013; 323.849.0480
manuela-la.com