The French Laundry

The French Laundry is the holy grail of American fine dining. Many foodies have their person list of “things to do before I die”. Reservations are accepted 60 calendar days in advance and can be made starting at 10am. Just as you suspected , you most likely will get a busy signals (who get’s busy signals these days?). We’ll you do when you call the FL (along with everyone else). Enough about the reservation process and mystique surrounding the restaurant, let’s talk about the food…

The French Laundry offers a vegetable tasting or chef tasting menus. There are 13 courses in this meal. All are so delicious that going into details of each dish will make you not want to eat anywhere else so instead I will highlight 2 dishes, The Ceaser Salad and The Foie Gras.

The Ceaser Salad:

Sweet Butter-Poached Maine Lobster Tail, Carmelized Romaine Lettuce, Garlic Melba and "Bottarga di Muggine" (which means salted sun-dried Red Mullet Roe that was shaved on top and used instead of anchovies)

The Foie Gras:

The smooth fois gras was garnished with Green Apple Relish, Chestnuts, Celery Branch and Apple Cider Reduction. It was served with Bouchon Bakery Brioche and 3 salts: Pre-Historic salt from Montana (40,000,000 million years old!), Pacific Sea Salt from the Philippines, and Grey Sea Salt from France.

After eating 13 courses (x of which are deserts) and not to mention drinking great wine – you will be in foodie heaven. When you leave, you are sent away with a few “souvenirs”, outstanding tea biscuits, some homemade truffles and a few small chocolate bars. Note to self: The chocolate bars are the best chocolate bars that I have ever had!

The French Laundry is a culinary experience that is a must for anyone who wants to enjoy a great meal and eat food that has been elegantly prepared and served with class.

Thank you Thomas Keller for this wonderful experience!