April 13, 2008
Sunday was the entire reason why we were in Napa Valley this weekend. Sunday was the day that we had a lunch reservation at the French Laundry. Let me say that again. We had reservations at FRENCH LAUNDRY!!!!!!
We got gussied up in our Sunday best and headed back up to Yountville for a lovely Sunday lunch. I had to give myself a pep talk to adjust my expectations so that I wouldn't disappoint myself at any point. Turns out, I didn't need any such adjustment.
Terrina had called for the reservation exactly two months prior to the day. When we sat at the table, we were asked if we were there for any special occasion, and we replied "Yes, we're celebrating the fact that we got reservations at The French Laundry!"
From the start, it was fascinating for me to see how the front of the house staff works. There are handful of hosts, a group of primary table staff, and then a gaggle of expediters, all of which who have a firm grasp of the entire menu and the wine.
Our reservation was at 12:30 PM, and we were seated precisely at that time. We had a table in the center of the downstairs dining room. The table settings were very simple, white tablecloths with white napkins pinned with the cute laundry pin below:
There are two tasting menus at French Laundry: Chef's Menu and the Vegetarian Menu. We all chose the Chef's Menu, as the courses looked amazing. Within the Chef's Menu, there were three courses that allowed for a choice.
We shared a bottle of champagne to begin with and to enjoy for the first courses. Our thoughts were to have a little bit of champagne or wine with our courses, but not go overboard because 1) the wine list was very high end (= expensive), and 2) we didn't want to get too full on liquid. I didn't write down what we drank, so I'll have to amend this blogspot once I get the details from Terrina. Four of us also shared a half bottle of white and a couple glasses of red (just a few sips needed to pair with the some of the dishes) .
AMUSE BOUCHE:
Gougeres, pate au choux with mornay supplemented with gruyere cheese.
Cornets of moked salmon tartare served with creme fraiche in a cone of sesame tuille.
COURSE 1:
Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" with Island Creek Oyster Glaze and California White Sturgeon Caviar.
COURSE 2: (choice)
Grilled Dutch White Asparagus Soup with Morel Mushroom Duxelles, Pickled Ramps and Garden Sorrel.
Moulard Duck "Foie Gras En Terrine" with Silverado Trail Strawberry Relish, Tokyon Turnips, Watercress and Aged Balsamic Vinegar. Served with freshly toasted brioche.
COURSE 3: (choice)
Grilled Pave of Japanese Kindai Tuna with English Cucumber, Yukon Gold Potato, Red Radish and Dill Creme Fraiche.
Sauteed Fillet of Spanish Mackerel with Eureka Lemon Confit, Green Garlic, Baby Artichokes, Arugula Leaves and Earl Grey Gastrique.
COURSE 4:
Maine Lobster Tail "Pochee au Buerre Doux" with Belgian Endive, Toasted Almonds, Passion Fruit and Cilantro Shoots.
COURSE 5:
Young Ginger-Glazed Salmon Creek Pork Belly with English Peas, Sweet Carrots, Lily Bulbs and Perilla.
COURSE 6: (choice)
Kuroge Beef "Saucisson aux Truffes en Croute" with Fennel Bulb, Frisee Lettuce, and Cherry-Truffle Puree.
Degustation of Bellwether Farms Spring Lamb (served four ways) with Fava Beans, Sunchokes, Piquillo Peppers and Garden Mint Jus.
COURSE 7:
"Leonora" Cheese with Compressed Asian Pear, Broccolini and Red Beet Vinaigrette.
COURSE 8:
Diane St. Claire Buttermilk Sherbet with Candied Kumquats and Spiced Streusel.
COURSE 9: (choice)
"Trio de Praline Chocolat" with Whipped Tupelo Honey Ganache, and Walnut-Mead Ice Cream.
Granny Smith Apple "Bavarois" with Cinnamon "Sable", Dijon Mustard Ice Cream and Crystallized Napa Valley Mustard Flowers.
"Mignardises":
Mignardises, from the old French word mignard, meaning pretty or delicate, is the perfect word to describe the little after-dessert desserts that accompany your coffee, allowing you to extend the pleasure of the evening just a bit longer.
Amaretti cookies made of high-quality marzipan and powdered sugar.
Hawaiian macadamia nuts carmelized and coated in chocolate.
Brazilian Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee.
Grapefruit Custard Poti (with no egg).
House-made chocolate truffles with various fillings: hazelnut, passionfruit, coconut, peanut and mixed red berry.
Treat to go: French Laundry Shortbread Cookies.
I was pretty blown away by not only the food, but the service. Here are some memorable elements from the meal service:
- The front-of-the-house staff is set up a little different than most restaurants. There are hosts, primary servers who interact with the table (taking your choices, describing the menu, addressing your needs), expediters who bring the food and clear plates in sweeping fashion (who also describe each of the dishes in wonderful detail and presentation), and the sommeliers.
- The philosophy is that all diners should experience the food in optimal conditions. When the foie gras with warm-toasted brioche was brought out, the expediter described the dishes, and because it took a bit of time to describe each dish, another expediter came and replenished our warm brioche for fear that the previous brioche had cooled off too much.
- The servers and expediters used phrases like "are you still enjoying your meal" instead of "are you finished yet". You never felt rushed or like you were waiting too long.
- As soon as you got up to walk or go to the restroom, a new cloth napkin was magically re-folded on the table in your setting waiting for your return. Even the people at the table never noticed this happening until after.
- They graciously indulged a table of food fans, letting us ask questions ad nauseum and take as many pictures as we wanted without feeling ridiculous.
- Another philosophy is that they are always trying to anticipate the diner's needs. Which was very true. They made us feel very special, which is probably how they make everyone feel.
We did not finish until 5 pm. That's right, we dined from 12:30 - 5 pm, which is 4.5 hours. I would actually recommend that your visit to French Laundry be for lunch. It is the same format for both lunch and dinner, and a different menu for each meal. The server did confirm that there are certain elements that they always strive to have on the menu, for example, foie gras and caviar. I was also amazed at how many components (and the amount of effort for each component) went into each dish.
After we left The French Laundry, we went for a short walk down Washington Street to help with the digestion before getting in our cars and heading back home.
I truly feel that this meal may have been the best meal I will ever experience. I will definitely go back, but I will never experience this caliber of meal for the first time again. So, in essence, I popped my French Laundry cherry.
FYI: I didn't eat dinner after getting back to SF, I went to the gym instead. :)
Will and I wrapped up the round of 18 holes in 5 hours and 15 minutes, and we headed back home to meet Gail. The three of us headed over the Hayes Valley for Christophe's 30th birthday party at his house. There was some yummy sangria and karaoke! Sweet!
Hilarious, fantastic, now I'm wondering who I can subject a "surprise" like this to...
For dinner, we were joined by Robert and Sandy at our place for take-out Thai frood from Bangkok 900, which was consumed while watching some sweet NHL playoff action. After dinner, we headed over the Mission to Bruno's, where a group of frisbee folk were doing a little dancing and a little drinking.
