PrintThe French Laundry
Has anyone here been lucky enough to go to Thomas Keller's French Laundry? I used to fantasize about it when i'd go to napa but i haven't been in years. I hadn't thought about it much when i saw this article,
http://www.oneforthetable.com/oftt/stories/oysters-and-pearls.html
now i'm obsessed with it again.
i don't know if I'll ever get a reservation or ever be able to afford it, but I'm living vicariously through others so please tell if you've been
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7 Comments:
I've never been, but my husband ate there a few years ago. He definitely enjoyed the food and the room, but because it was a somewhat overwhelming mega-multi-course tasting menu (seems like it was something like 11 items, each with their own wine), and it was also a business dinner with 10-12 people, nothing really stood out for him, unfortunately. We do plan to go there together, eventually, but it's just not super high on our list of planned food adventures...
LoCo at 2:43PM on 02/11/08
Hi Jeremy - I would love to say I had been there because I grew up in Napa. Unfortunately, I moved away before Thomas Keller arrived. I hope you get to make the trip and enjoy the valley, the wine, and Thomas Keller’s cuisine.
Lavendergirl at 3:35PM on 02/11/08
Jeremy - we have not been to the French Laundry, however we did have the opportunity to dine at Per Se in NYC. It was an experience unlike no other. The oysters and pearls dish will always stand out in my memory. Unfortunately, in order to get a reservation, (which was mandatory to our trip, in my husband's estimation) we had to dine at 10 PM. I think we walked out around 2 AM. But that was OK. We can say we were there and it was stellar.
When my husband was in Napa on business a couple months ago, they stopped at the Laundry and took a bunch of photos. I think he actually gets a little depressed looking at them since he didn't get to eat there on the trip.
If you go to Vegas, try to get to Bouchon. Not as up-scale as Chef Keller's Per Se or French Laundry, but it is really really very nice and the food is perfection as well.
frederika at 4:28PM on 02/11/08
My sister and brother in law were there a couple months ago. Said it was good but would not go back. It is over $220 per person and that doe not include wine.
jeang at 6:54AM on 02/12/08
I'm going to try and get a reservation for a trip in April soon. In a way I'm dying to go, but it also sounds ridiculously expensive. Please someone reassure me it's worth it.
petunia at 7:22PM on 02/14/08
@petunia - we have been to Per Se and the prices are pretty much the same. We are average folks with upscale food preferences and would not hesitate to spend the $ at French Laundry if given the opportunity. IMO it would be one of the dining experiences of a lifetime.
frederika at 12:57AM on 02/15/08
Okay, frederika... not to be insulting... but I'm trying to reconcile "upscale food preferences" with "overnight mac'n'cheese"...
Ha, ha, ha....
(just kidding... we have those same upscale food preferences, but we are still prone to eating Velveeta, intentionally!)
LoCo at 1:05AM on 02/15/08