The French Laundry
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OK, don't kill me here, but overall, for all its magnificent-ness I found the whole experience of The French Laundry to be a sterile one. It's so perfect, so faultless, so immaculate, it's almost, dare I say it, amusing. And although perfection is, well, perfection, there is something to be said for the perfection of IMperfection. That is not to say I did not enjoy my experience at THE FRENCH LAUNDRY, of course I did, but when I look back I get this nagging feeling of, well, vexation. I guess because the restaurant has such a reputation that it has basically morphed into the Disneyland of restaurant perfection. Diners (us included) snap photos of everything and flash bulbs go off continuously, and patrons seem more like tourists, as in the table behind us in casual shirtsleeves and with crying baby in tow, and the table in front of us in flip-flops asking to take their dessert to go. And, as I write this, I start to wonder if THE FRENCH LAUNDRY, in all its seriousness, is starting to be taken less-seriously by the world at large? Gazing at our cookies wrapped in a perfect blue FL ribbon, our pristine souvenir menu, and the hand-calligraphed bill that is so pretty it can be framed, I am forced to wonder if it was all worth it. The answer? Well, yes... and no. It's all a culinary wonderland. Arrive hungry and eat everything put in front of you!
Atmosphere
When you hear so much about a place you begin to have ideas in your head about what it will be like. This is the case for me and The French Laundry, the restaurant so famous it is widely considered the best restaurant in the US and, even, the World. The place where after seeing Anthony Bourdin oooh and ahhhh over so many dishes that I had since made it a life goal to go. The place about which I had heard so many tales and read so many accolades that when I actually saw the place, it was not at all what I had in my head. That is not to say The French Laundry was anything short of my expectations, just different.
The restaurant is housed in a beautiful stone and wood building that looks like a cross between a fort and an old house (it was actually a saloon and, yes, a French laundry) and it sits unassumingly on the corner of the street in beautiful Yountville, one of the many small towns that make up the Northern California's wine country. Across the street are the extensive gardens from which chef Thomas Keller draws on for his fresh and creative dishes and, if you so desire, you are welcome to stroll through them before, during, or after your meal.
Inside the restaurant, the rooms are small, dark, intimate. Round tables are draped in real linen (the kind that has to be ironed) and the tables are set simply, yet elegantly, with a single setting of silver and a small wine glass. Large candles in glass lanterns emit a very warm glow, and each table is completed with a vase of wildflowers, no two alike, and white linen napkins clipped with a French Laundry clothespin. Looking back I do not recall any music being played, nor did I make a note of it. What's even stranger is that I did not even notice it's absence. It's almost as if The French laundry is above music. Generally, the atmosphere is one of hushed sophistication mixed with the warmth of a beautiful and dark French farmhouse, a mix that many restaurants attempt to emulate but, once you experience this, you realize how short they fall.
The restaurant is housed in a beautiful stone and wood building that looks like a cross between a fort and an old house (it was actually a saloon and, yes, a French laundry) and it sits unassumingly on the corner of the street in beautiful Yountville, one of the many small towns that make up the Northern California's wine country. Across the street are the extensive gardens from which chef Thomas Keller draws on for his fresh and creative dishes and, if you so desire, you are welcome to stroll through them before, during, or after your meal.
Inside the restaurant, the rooms are small, dark, intimate. Round tables are draped in real linen (the kind that has to be ironed) and the tables are set simply, yet elegantly, with a single setting of silver and a small wine glass. Large candles in glass lanterns emit a very warm glow, and each table is completed with a vase of wildflowers, no two alike, and white linen napkins clipped with a French Laundry clothespin. Looking back I do not recall any music being played, nor did I make a note of it. What's even stranger is that I did not even notice it's absence. It's almost as if The French laundry is above music. Generally, the atmosphere is one of hushed sophistication mixed with the warmth of a beautiful and dark French farmhouse, a mix that many restaurants attempt to emulate but, once you experience this, you realize how short they fall.
Service
Service here is utter perfection, so much so that it's almost amusing, and it started immediately as we walked through the door, beginning with a professional and very serious Maitre D', and continuing seamlessly with a friendly young woman who created pleasant chit chat while we waited for our table. One of the funny moments was when I walked up to the Maitre D' and spouted ' Hi, we have reservations for 2' - Of course we have reservations! It takes 2 months advance planning and, even then, only if you are lucky enough to get in. I laughed at my blunder. The Maitre D' did not. And so began our journey...
Inside the dining area, the staff works as a team so there is no one server that handles you but you see many coming and going; one offers bread, another brings and describes a dish, another clears the plates, and so on. You are taken care of first and foremost, though, by a serving 'Captain'. Ours was warm and knowledgeable, showing the perfect amount of friendliness and professionalism, returning to the table now and then to see that we are taken care of and to assure us that we are his most special guests, which we most likely were not. The staff is amazingly well-trained, their voices never raising above a soft whisper, and no matter what wit, sarcasm, or attitude you throw at them, they respond with nothing short of gracious and courteous respect. They reminded me of the Buckingham Palace guards, their facade never cracking and, after a while, it becomes a challenge to see if they will break. They never did. I asked one server, jokingly, if we could 'kill the baby behind us', (yes, someone brought a BABY!) to which he responded in all seriousness, 'I'll see what I can do.' I was a little worried, actually, to see just how far he would go. But, alas, no one was killed.
Inside the dining area, the staff works as a team so there is no one server that handles you but you see many coming and going; one offers bread, another brings and describes a dish, another clears the plates, and so on. You are taken care of first and foremost, though, by a serving 'Captain'. Ours was warm and knowledgeable, showing the perfect amount of friendliness and professionalism, returning to the table now and then to see that we are taken care of and to assure us that we are his most special guests, which we most likely were not. The staff is amazingly well-trained, their voices never raising above a soft whisper, and no matter what wit, sarcasm, or attitude you throw at them, they respond with nothing short of gracious and courteous respect. They reminded me of the Buckingham Palace guards, their facade never cracking and, after a while, it becomes a challenge to see if they will break. They never did. I asked one server, jokingly, if we could 'kill the baby behind us', (yes, someone brought a BABY!) to which he responded in all seriousness, 'I'll see what I can do.' I was a little worried, actually, to see just how far he would go. But, alas, no one was killed.
Food
This is where the review gets tricky because the food is so intricate and copious I could hardly describe in detail every part of it, so I will simply give the overview and graze upon what I considered to be the highlights.
The French Laundry offers 2 tasting menus, one 'Chef's Tasting' and the other a 'Tasting of Vegetables', each consisting of 9 courses that actually come closer to 13 by the time you are done, with many extras brought to the table. In the beginning I wondered why anyone would ever choose a vegetarian option here, especially for the money but, and let me say this right upfront, the vegetables, because they come from those amazing French Laundry gardens, were incredible, oftentimes outshining the proteins with which they were served. On one dish, a simple sprig of cilantro had such a burst of intense flavor I couldn't have cared less what was under it, and that's saying something because I don't even like cilantro. Anyway, the point is, if you were ever to choose a vegetarian option in your life, this would be the place! The menu changes daily and no single ingredient is ever repeated throughout the meal. All dishes are small but look like tiny little works of art.
Our meal began with an amuse-bouche of a small ball of pastry filled with gruyere cheese. Once past the crusty exterior, it melted in the mouth with a warm, buttery softness, a perfect bite.
Next came the famous salmon cones, Atlantic salmon tartar with crème fresh and chives in a tiny black sesame cone, suspended in their special serving vessel. These cones had the most delicate, crispy texture I'd ever experienced, and the subtle sweetness of the crème mixed with the slight fishiness of the salmon was exquisite. The fresh chives exploded with flavor and brought the dish to perfect completion.
By this time we had not even started the actual menu...
The next dish was 'Oysters and Pearls', tiny little Beau Soleil oysters in a pearl tapioca sabayon with California sturgeon caviar. This is where the word 'perfection' comes up short. The exquisite creaminess of the sabayon, combined with the slight fishiness of the oysters and the saltiness of caviar- amazing! I can still taste this as I describe it. It was only a few small bites, but I could have eaten 20 of these. I think this is where I commented, "Now THIS is what food should taste like!". I think I also said something about never eating at another restaurant again...
From there on out, it was a never-ending parade of beautiful, artfully-designed dishes, each coming out 10-15 minutes after the other, with perfect timing. We never felt rushed or bored. The entire meal lasts anywhere from 3-4 hours, but you don't feel that it is particularly long or drawn out. We even took a few minutes to walk upstairs and stand on the balcony, the servers always gracious and waiting for our return to resume the meal.
Of all the ensuing dishes, my favorites were the salad of compressed beets with fennel and a Lillet Blanc gelee that had a subtle blend of flavorful beets, sweet fruit, and sharp fennel. Also amazing was the lobster 'mitts' in a saffron emulsion, served over sweet and sticky black rice.
My favorite dish of the evening, however, was the grilled beef, a crossbreed of Angus and Waygu, that produced the most delicate, delicious, beyond-tender beef I have experienced. It was cooked 'to perfection', at medium rare, and served with morel mushrooms, cipollini onions, and English peas and pea greens that were the sweetest and most fragrant imaginable. I'm pretty sure there has never been a pea so delicious in all of England. The dish was finished with a Bearnaise reduction that looked more like a demi-glace but, when pointed out, tasted exactly like a Bearnaise, although more intense.
Halfway through the meal, bread is offered, the first being pain au lait, or milk bread, served with 2 varieties of butter, one from nearby Petaluma and one from Vermont, one salted one sweet. Now, I have read other reviews of FL that say you should stay away from the too-filling bread to make room for the other dishes but, in my opinion, if you do that you are really missing out on some spectacular food. The pain au lait was warm, white, dense, excellent with both butters. But it was the bread that came out later in the meal that really knocked my socks off, namely the sourdough rolls that were perfectly crusty on the outside, warm, soft, and tangy on the inside. Seriously, I am still dreaming of these rolls. I remember thinking I wished I had brought a bigger purse so I could hijack some for later. In fact, I wouldn't mind a few of them right now. The raisin bread that comes with the cheese course was also excellent. Please, I implore you, do not skip the bread!
Whenever I have a special meal I am always worried that dessert will be a bust, kind of the forgotten cousin of all the other dishes. And, speaking as someone who would rather cut off my right arm than give up sweets, dessert is not only the culmination of a meal, but oftentimes the highlight, not to mention the lingering last impression. I remember one tasting menu by a very famous Kansas City chef that, after 7 courses, ended with one little dish of cactus sorbet that was so disappointing I had to go out afterwards for a hot fudge sundae just to get my culinary closure. Thankfully, this is not the case at THE FRENCH LAUNDRY. Dessert is brought out over many courses to ensure that one gets a proper sweet fix while, at the same time, experiencing the deserved and fitting finale to such a fine meal.
To begin, a cheese course of Manchester, a raw, aged goat cheese, served with the above-mentioned raisin bread, a swiss chard 'subric', and a whole pitted cherry whose engineering I am still marveling over. Next, a tangy and sweet nectarine sherbet (this is not your Grandmother's sherbet!) with crunchy, gingery puffed quinoa, followed by a dish of caramelized bananas with hazelnut ice cream and light, airy squares of hazelnut and banana mousse, all topped with large yet delicate shavings of dark chocolate.
Just when you think you are finished, another course of mignardises, or tiny little sweets, comes out in a 3-tiered tower and includes a macaroon, a 'jammy dodger', a nougatine, and others...
But, wait, you're not done yet. A tray of house-made chocolates is then brought to the table, including one filled with peanut butter (my favorite), salted caramel, coconut, and mint and curry.
Finally, when you feel like you might explode, a small bag of shortbreads is brought for you to take home. Just in case you need a snack.
Entire meal: $240 per person, including gratuities.
THE FRENCH LAUNDRY also has an amazing and extensive wine list from which you can choose a glass, half-bottle, or full bottle. The sommelier can also put together a pairing for you if you so desire. In our case, we brought a bottle of wine given to us by a winemaker friend. The corkage fee is $50. However, in hindsight, I might try to go for the pairings. Granted, it adds an astronomical sum to the bill but, as they say, 'In for a penny, in for a pound'. It would have made the experience that much better. How about the $10,000 bottle of Screaming Eagle? Uh, maybe next time...
The French Laundry offers 2 tasting menus, one 'Chef's Tasting' and the other a 'Tasting of Vegetables', each consisting of 9 courses that actually come closer to 13 by the time you are done, with many extras brought to the table. In the beginning I wondered why anyone would ever choose a vegetarian option here, especially for the money but, and let me say this right upfront, the vegetables, because they come from those amazing French Laundry gardens, were incredible, oftentimes outshining the proteins with which they were served. On one dish, a simple sprig of cilantro had such a burst of intense flavor I couldn't have cared less what was under it, and that's saying something because I don't even like cilantro. Anyway, the point is, if you were ever to choose a vegetarian option in your life, this would be the place! The menu changes daily and no single ingredient is ever repeated throughout the meal. All dishes are small but look like tiny little works of art.
Our meal began with an amuse-bouche of a small ball of pastry filled with gruyere cheese. Once past the crusty exterior, it melted in the mouth with a warm, buttery softness, a perfect bite.
Next came the famous salmon cones, Atlantic salmon tartar with crème fresh and chives in a tiny black sesame cone, suspended in their special serving vessel. These cones had the most delicate, crispy texture I'd ever experienced, and the subtle sweetness of the crème mixed with the slight fishiness of the salmon was exquisite. The fresh chives exploded with flavor and brought the dish to perfect completion.
By this time we had not even started the actual menu...
The next dish was 'Oysters and Pearls', tiny little Beau Soleil oysters in a pearl tapioca sabayon with California sturgeon caviar. This is where the word 'perfection' comes up short. The exquisite creaminess of the sabayon, combined with the slight fishiness of the oysters and the saltiness of caviar- amazing! I can still taste this as I describe it. It was only a few small bites, but I could have eaten 20 of these. I think this is where I commented, "Now THIS is what food should taste like!". I think I also said something about never eating at another restaurant again...
From there on out, it was a never-ending parade of beautiful, artfully-designed dishes, each coming out 10-15 minutes after the other, with perfect timing. We never felt rushed or bored. The entire meal lasts anywhere from 3-4 hours, but you don't feel that it is particularly long or drawn out. We even took a few minutes to walk upstairs and stand on the balcony, the servers always gracious and waiting for our return to resume the meal.
Of all the ensuing dishes, my favorites were the salad of compressed beets with fennel and a Lillet Blanc gelee that had a subtle blend of flavorful beets, sweet fruit, and sharp fennel. Also amazing was the lobster 'mitts' in a saffron emulsion, served over sweet and sticky black rice.
My favorite dish of the evening, however, was the grilled beef, a crossbreed of Angus and Waygu, that produced the most delicate, delicious, beyond-tender beef I have experienced. It was cooked 'to perfection', at medium rare, and served with morel mushrooms, cipollini onions, and English peas and pea greens that were the sweetest and most fragrant imaginable. I'm pretty sure there has never been a pea so delicious in all of England. The dish was finished with a Bearnaise reduction that looked more like a demi-glace but, when pointed out, tasted exactly like a Bearnaise, although more intense.
Halfway through the meal, bread is offered, the first being pain au lait, or milk bread, served with 2 varieties of butter, one from nearby Petaluma and one from Vermont, one salted one sweet. Now, I have read other reviews of FL that say you should stay away from the too-filling bread to make room for the other dishes but, in my opinion, if you do that you are really missing out on some spectacular food. The pain au lait was warm, white, dense, excellent with both butters. But it was the bread that came out later in the meal that really knocked my socks off, namely the sourdough rolls that were perfectly crusty on the outside, warm, soft, and tangy on the inside. Seriously, I am still dreaming of these rolls. I remember thinking I wished I had brought a bigger purse so I could hijack some for later. In fact, I wouldn't mind a few of them right now. The raisin bread that comes with the cheese course was also excellent. Please, I implore you, do not skip the bread!
Whenever I have a special meal I am always worried that dessert will be a bust, kind of the forgotten cousin of all the other dishes. And, speaking as someone who would rather cut off my right arm than give up sweets, dessert is not only the culmination of a meal, but oftentimes the highlight, not to mention the lingering last impression. I remember one tasting menu by a very famous Kansas City chef that, after 7 courses, ended with one little dish of cactus sorbet that was so disappointing I had to go out afterwards for a hot fudge sundae just to get my culinary closure. Thankfully, this is not the case at THE FRENCH LAUNDRY. Dessert is brought out over many courses to ensure that one gets a proper sweet fix while, at the same time, experiencing the deserved and fitting finale to such a fine meal.
To begin, a cheese course of Manchester, a raw, aged goat cheese, served with the above-mentioned raisin bread, a swiss chard 'subric', and a whole pitted cherry whose engineering I am still marveling over. Next, a tangy and sweet nectarine sherbet (this is not your Grandmother's sherbet!) with crunchy, gingery puffed quinoa, followed by a dish of caramelized bananas with hazelnut ice cream and light, airy squares of hazelnut and banana mousse, all topped with large yet delicate shavings of dark chocolate.
Just when you think you are finished, another course of mignardises, or tiny little sweets, comes out in a 3-tiered tower and includes a macaroon, a 'jammy dodger', a nougatine, and others...
But, wait, you're not done yet. A tray of house-made chocolates is then brought to the table, including one filled with peanut butter (my favorite), salted caramel, coconut, and mint and curry.
Finally, when you feel like you might explode, a small bag of shortbreads is brought for you to take home. Just in case you need a snack.
Entire meal: $240 per person, including gratuities.
THE FRENCH LAUNDRY also has an amazing and extensive wine list from which you can choose a glass, half-bottle, or full bottle. The sommelier can also put together a pairing for you if you so desire. In our case, we brought a bottle of wine given to us by a winemaker friend. The corkage fee is $50. However, in hindsight, I might try to go for the pairings. Granted, it adds an astronomical sum to the bill but, as they say, 'In for a penny, in for a pound'. It would have made the experience that much better. How about the $10,000 bottle of Screaming Eagle? Uh, maybe next time...
Cleanliness
Please, this is the restaurant of all restaurants. Everything is beyond immaculate!
Pros
What can you say?! The French Laundry is impeccable, amazing, faultless, serving the meal of a lifetime. The food, setting, gardens, all immaculate. Some of the dishes were the most amazing things I'd ever put in my mouth, the proteins all cooked to perfection, the vegetables taking vegetables to new heights. I will certainly remember the experience my whole life.
Cons
The atmosphere is grossly quiet and serious. Still, the FL does not seem to enforce its own strict rules; the table behind us was allowed to bring a crying, annoying toddler, and the table in front of us in flip-flops. The wine list is extremely cost-prohibitive. Exactly two month reservations required. Be prepared to call at 10am again and again until you get through.
