For post-dessert courses, we were served a berry panna cotta and a vanilla crème brulée. We were also given a mini-bag of cookies from Keller’s Bouchon Bakery at the end of our meal.
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This completely flawless tasting menu was, without a doubt, the best dinner of our life. The origin of most of the ingredients on the menu was clearly labelled; indicating that each item on the menu was carefully selected and well thought by chef Keller. All the dishes were amazingly cooked; all the ingredients were incredibly fresh and good quality; all the flavours went wonderfully together… I have no idea what more anyone could ask for!
About the Service
The service was, unfortunately, below our expectation at a world class restaurant. We were sitting at our table for 15 minutes before a server finally came to our table to ask if we wanted sparkling or still water. Servers did not explain dishes in detail at the beginning. Usually, when we ask for more detailed explanation at other restaurants, the servers would become more friendly, since they are always happy to see that we appreciate each dish. However, at The French Laundry, the servers’ attitude did not change at all, still very arrogant.
We were very unhappy about their attitude, so we started mentioning our fine dinning experiences in the past, from Fat Duck in England to El Bulli in Spain. We compared them with the dishes we had so far at The French Laundry, giving some credit to The French Laundry, but always pointing out better dishes we had in other restaurants.
From that point on, their attitude changed completely. They suddenly became so friendly, explained every detail they could possibly think of for each dish, gave us full attention... In addition, without our request, he offered us a tour of their kitchen, introducing Cory Lee, the Chef de Cuisine, telling us how the kitchen is run, showing us interesting cooking equipment, allowing us to take as many pictures of the kitchen and staff as we want…
If they could treat each customer with this kind of hospitality, the French Laundry would become the best restaurant on earth!
Keller now has another Michelin 3-star restaurant in NYC, Per se. Believe it or not, there is a large flat screen in the kitchen, where they do daily video conference to ensure the consistency and quality of both kitchens.
The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street
Yountville , CA 94599 U.S.A.
About 80km north of San Francisco
Tel: +707 944 2380
www.frenchlaundry.com
Serves dinner seven nights a week; Lunch is served only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Annual closing: 3 weeks in January and 1 week in July
9-course Chef’s Tasting Menu: $240/person
Useful Tips
- Note that “Service Included” is printed beside the menu price.
- The restaurant is not easy to find especially during the dark. Please add an extra time to your journey in case you have trouble to find it.
- In order to make a reservation, remember to start calling just before 10am two months to the calendar date.