French Laundry

French Laundry

Yountville, CA
Chef: Thomas Keller

Recipient of three Michelin stars
Awarded Wine Spectator's highest honor of the Grand Award

French Laundry ("FL") - This flagship is where the magic started for Chef Thomas Keller who still spends the majority of his time at this groundbreaking establishment.

Currently number 56 on the San Pellegrino World's Restaurant List, FL used to be ranked in the top 3 for years.  This explains why people endure the insane and extremely difficult process of securing a reservation.  We had the good fortune to dine here as Karendipity & Deregulate managed to obtain a reservation for New Year's Eve. 

This unassuming establishment is just past downtown Yountville. It is barely noticeable when you drive down Washington Street.  The quaint structure and old stone exterior makes you feel like you are dining in a French cottage.

Entering through the famous blue door, we were greeted by the host in the small waiting area.  

The host led us up to the second floor and our dining area was small and intimate. 

Each table was laid with white crisp linens which prominently displayed the "FL" label.  The tri-folded napkin was placed on a white plate with their trademark old-fashioned laundry pin (which we gladly took home!). 

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We were presented with a digital wine list loaded in an iPad.  Very eco-friendly and great use of technology.   

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After taking our seats, we were offered complimentary champagne since it was News Year's eve!

Amuse Bouche

Salmon Cornet

Red onion crème fraîche, Scottish salmon on a sesame cone

This salmon "ice-cream cone" is supposed to be a signature amuse bouche of FL and every bite is refined and delicious - a refreshing burst of savory cream, topped with salmon in a buttery cone.

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Cheese Gougères

This small choux filled with gruyère cheese was a pastry well executed.  It was a small tiny bite but dense and packed with richness.   

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OYSTERS and PEARLS

"Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

This is Keller's renowned first course known as oysters and pearls served with a mother of pearl spoon.  The dish contained two lightly poached trimmed oysters sitting on top of a decadent tapioca pudding with a generous side of California caviar.  There was definitely no shortage of butter and the tapioca's subtle cream perfectly neutralized the salty caviar. 

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All the bread served were from Bouchon bakery which was a stone's throw away from FL.  We were offered Chef Keller's famous warmed soft buttery Pain au Lait: salted butter from Vermont and unsalted from Petaluma.  

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SALAD of BABY ARTICHOKES

Pearl Onions, Nates Carrots, Nicoise Olive, Arugula and Barigoule Mousseline

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Moulard Duck "Foie Gras en Terrine"

Sicilian Pistachio "Mousse," Navel Orange, Oxalis and Honey-Glazed Cranberries

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NANTUCKET BAY SCALLOPS

Tokyo Turnip, Eggplant, Charred Pineapple, Cilatro and Kanzuri

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FILET OF ATLANTIC BLACK BASS

Razor Clam, Young Fennel, Jingle Bell Peppers and "Sauce Rouille"

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In between courses, we were offered impeccable bread service. I opted for a plain baguette.  To my disappointment it was a little too dry and hard, but everyone seemed to enjoy the other selections FL had to offer.

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SWEET BUTTER-POACHED MAINE LOBSTER TAIL

Sunchoke, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Pomegranate, Watercress and Periford Truffle Vinaigrette

Perfectly poached. Incredible texture. Magnificent.  

The lobster was steamed out of the shell, poached in butter and accompanied with black trumpet mushrooms & pomegranate seeds in veal stock. Perfecto!

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"RAVIOLO" of SCOTTISH WILD HARE

Celery Branch, Shaved Chestnuts and "Jus de Cassis"

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LIBERTY FARM PEKIN DUCK

Salsify, Walnut, Mache and Guinness-Chocolate Emulsion

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SNAKE RIVER FARMS "CALOTTE DE BOEUF GRILLEE"

Bone Marrow, Marble Potatoes, Creamed Spinach and "A-1" Sauce

One of the highlights of the meal was this perfectly piece of ribeye cooked sous vide. This super tender meat was a blend of Wagyu and Angus with visible fat streaks on top.  It was marbled like a Wagyu and tasted like an Angus.  The beef came with a side of bone marrow pomme frites. The combination of meat and tissue was sinful but stunning.

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"ST. NECTAIRE"

Black Truffle "Pain Perdu," Tardivo Radiccio, "Pruneaux d'Agen" and Sicilian Pistachios

The host was kind enough to replace the 7th course "Point Reyes Blue" (a blue cheese course) with the St. Nectaire as we were not a big fan of blue cheese.

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SOUR CHERRY SORBET

Coconut "Petit Beurre" and Vanilla "Soda"

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ALPACO "MOUSSE AU CHOCOLATE"

Spice Pudding, "Panna Cotta," Fuyu Persimmon and Marcona Almond "Glacée"

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"POMMES ANNA"

Funnel Cake, "Pruneaux d'Agen," Rum "Anglaie" and Salted Caramel Ice Cream

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Not on the menu, but always served to cap off a satisfying meal

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MIGNARDISES

Crunchy chocolate macadamias.

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Frozen coffee with donuts

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As our culinary adventure came to an end, we received a laundry tag which contained the charges for our 10 piece, designer labeled, food apparel... 

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Despite slowly pacing ourselves and laying off the bread, we were stuffed to the max.  There was no room for the chocolate truffles served at the end. But our server was kind enough to box it up as well as to throw in a few shortbread cookies for our post-lunch journey.

(Addition: Several months later when we dined at Bouchon down the block, we saw that they were selling these cookies at a pretty steep price)

To name a few of the chocolate truffle flavors: Hazelnut, Peanut butter and jelly, Pumkin, Salted caramel 

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The chocolates were good but not nearly as good for a 3 Michelin star restaurant.  The flavor was decent but the ganache inside each truffle appear to be slightly broken.  

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Is the meal worth it?  

Above is a comparison of the prix fixe tasting menu from 2004 vs. 2011, from $180 to a whopping $270! An inflation rate of 50% from 2004 to 2011? I guess...

Several weeks after our culinary adventure,  I emailed FL for an electronic version of the menu but they offered to mail me a copy of the menu with Chef Keller's signature on it!

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The French Laundry is no ordinary meal.  Chef Keller has assembled a brigade that strives to provide a perfect fine dining experience.  This flagship is arguably the best restaurant in the nation and definitely serves as a fine dining barometer.  

The service was impressive and every server at FL was flawless in their execution.   The dishes came out on time and there were no long pauses between dishes. The food was superb but nothing truly blew us away.  The "Oysters and Pearls" and "Calotte de boeuf grillée" were probably the closest for us.  With its immaculate service and consistency of each course, FL definitely merited its three Michelin star rating in every measure. 

Food: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★★

Ambiance: ★★★★☆

Presentation: ★★★★☆

P.S. The story of Thomas Keller