![]() Each server is knowledgeable about every single course, ingredient, preparation, you name it. This ended up being my favorite course of the evening!Ī quick note about the service at TFL. I also experienced this type of service when I dined at Alinea. You don't have one server, you have a team. The saltiness was a nice contrast to the creamy texture of the sabayon. The oysters were poached in butter (yum) and the caviar was super flavorful. This was quite a decadent course and certainly quite the way to start our ten course meal. The first course was another menu staple, "Oysters and Pearls," "Sabayon" of pearl tapioca with Island Creek Oysters, and white sturgeon caviar. The first was a French cheese puff, while the second was a salmon tartarte coronet, a cracker tuile cone filled with creme fraiche and chives, and topped with smoked salmon. The two amuse bouches are staples on The French Laundry's menu. While many of the tables were ordering half bottles of white wine and half bottles of red wine, we went with one bottle of red that we sipped throughout the night. The wine list is MASSIVE and housed on an iPad for your perusing pleasure. Ordering wine is quite the adventure at TFL. The BF and I both chose the chef's tasting menu which also included the option of menu supplements to the first courses. Both are 10 courses each and both menus never use the same ingredient more than once. TFL offers two tasting menus, one chef's tasting menu, and one tasting of vegetables menu. Upon sitting at our wonderfully semi-private table, we noticed the signature TFL (The French Laundry) clothespin on our napkins (yes you get to keep it). Just the night before I had my face smushed into the window of the dining room, and now the BF and I were sitting inside a private cove-like room on the main floor. ![]() When we showed up for our reservation, it felt like a total rags-to-riches story. Luckily the BF packed his suit jacket (which is required restaurant attire) so we were all set. After clicking over to the other line, we were told there had been a cancellation for that evening at 6:45 pm (it was 2pm) and asked if we wanted the table. I was waiting on hold while the restaurant called me back. I called the number back which was busy of course. The Google search of the phone number showed it was THE FRENCH LAUNDRY. The BF and I were out wine tasting when I noticed a missed call on my phone. In 1978 the building became a restaurant which Chef Thomas Keller purchased in 1994.įast forward to twenty hours and one missed call later. The building was originally built as a saloon in 1900 then later became a residence and a French steam laundry (hence the name The French Laundry). The building the restaurant is housed in dates back to the 1900s and is in the National Register of Historic Places. ![]() I creepily took photos of the restaurant and peered into the windows to get a closer look. When the BF and I arrived in Napa, I made him drive by The French Laundry so I could at least get a glimpse if we weren't able to eat there. I sadly hung up the phone and that was that. I was told there was a wait list and put our name down in case there were any cancellations during the three days we were in town. Once I was put through the line, I was told the restaurant was booked for two months (they take reservations two months to the day). Luckily for us, I saw on Twitter that the restaurant would be reopening with a temporary kitchen the week of our visit! I immediately tried calling the reservation hotline and after six attempts, I got through to be put on hold for twenty minutes. I thought we'd have no chance of getting in, especially since the restaurant was still closed a week before we were going to Napa. The dining room was left untouched, while the kitchen is being completely rebuilt. The restaurant had been under construction for several months while it underwent a major renovation. Anthony Bourdain named it "the best restaurant in the world, period" and it's been named the Best Restaurant in the World in 20. It's no surprise that it's kept those three stars every year since. Chef Thomas Keller's The French Laundry was the first restaurant to get three Michelin stars (the highest honor) when Michelin came to the US in 2006. It's been on my bucket list so when the BF and I planned a trip to Napa, we thought we had to at least try to get a table. Where do I even begin with this review? Ever since I can remember, I had always wanted to go to The French Laundry.
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