ad hoc

i've been wanting to come here for ever since they opened. so for my christmas present this year my wifey made the reservation. the menu changes daily so you never know what you're going to have till dinner. i get the daily email and so i see what they serve every day. i was kind of hoping for the friedchickenbut all good, we had the amazing roasted chicken. we added the addition of bone marrow which was the best i've ever had. all in all it was all very yummy and our server was top notch. just what we'd expect from a keller establishment.

when i told friends that i went to thomas keller's  ad hoc , their replies were always the same-- "did you have the fried chicken?" unfortunately the famous friedchickenat ad hoc is served on mondays, and my friend and i were there on a thursday. i am happy to say though, that i was still blown away by everything i did try. ad hoc offers a $52 (+ $36 for wine) 4-course menu for dinner that changes on a daily basis. each course is served family-style. the restaurant serves brunch on sundays. this was hands down the best meal i've had in 2015, and looking back on it is making my mouth water. i cannot wait to return on a monday and get some of that fried chicken! mixed green salad with r ed beets, pickled red onions, crispy gaufrettes, granny smith apples, toasted caraway creme fraiche a superb salad with a wonderful combination of flavors. the beets were sweet, the onions spicy, and the apples refreshing. mar i muntanya:  saffron rice, piquillo peppers, green beans, cauliflower, chorizo, roasted chicken, pei mussels, gulf shrimp mar i muntanya is a catalan dish composed ofchickenand seafood over rice. i am a huge fan of seafood paellas, and this dish won me over just one bite in. the rice was incredibly flavorful with a perfect al dente texture, thechickenskin was crispy, the inside moist and juicy, and all the seafood was fresh and amazing. veal cutlet ($16 addition) with o lives, tomato sauce, capers without the additional course, we definitely would've had more than enough food, but we did drive over to napa mainly for dinner at ad hoc ( wine tasting was just a bonus), so when it came to deciding whether to add on this veal cutlet or not, it took all of a minute for us to say yes. and i'm very glad we did. this was fried to perfection. it was simple but very solid. bellwether farms pepato with palladin toast, dijon mustard the sheepsmilk with peppercorn was semi-hard with a strong flavor. it paired well with the spicy dijon and warm bread. cranberry bourbon b

in the past, when i’ve gone to ad hoc i’ve always enjoyed the food (see this post ),but i’ve never been there for their friedchicken(which is usually served every monday night). it was our lucky day when we visited because they were serving friedchickenfor the 4th of july...we started with the iceberg lettuce salad with fresh herbs, radishes, and carrots from the french laundry’s garden: everything was fresh and crisp; the vegetables were much more flavorful than anything we eat in new york!...the main course, the fried chicken, is served lukewarm: with a side of corn and watermelon: we also ordered the mac and cheese, which was cheesy...

let me introduce to you ad hoc.  i was taken there by a friend when we visited napa, california a few years ago. although i love savory food, i normally prefer something lighter for breakfast / brunch.  buttermilk friedchickenwas definitely too heavy for me but i still have to admit, this was some very good fried chicken. i guess i shouldn't be surprised.  after all, ad hoc is owned by thomas keller, who also owned the famous (and coveted?) french laundry.  their menu rotates daily and i remembered my friend was ecstatic when we were told friedchickenwas on the menu the day we went. i loved the bright and elegant interior design of the restaurant.  everything falls into place in the beautiful and relaxing environment in napa.   you might questioned:  it's been years since you were there, how can you remember?  i can tell you i can still remember the taste of thatchickenwh

finally this gorgeous plan of buttermilk friedchickenarrived and it looked like a whole chicken. the golden crust had beautiful ripples and the second we bit into the crispy rich crust, the juicychickengave us the tingles. totally worth the trip. totally the best friedchickenone can ever eat. here is food & wine unveiling of thomas keller’s lemon brined friedchickenrecipe if you want to try it at home.

amazing food at a reasonable price ($52pp) but there was way too much of it. j says he regrets this meal just because of how much food there was (and yes, i know no-one was shoving it down our throats). but the friendchickenwas worth it and overall i would recommend giving ad hoc a try, just don’t eat lunch, don’t order the additional dish and maybe skip the bread.

brunch. unbelievable. the atmosphere is fun and unassuming, and the food is outstanding. the family style fixed menu is perfect as it takes all of the decision responsibility out. we went on sunday when friedchickenand waffles were on the menu. something i would never order off the menu, and therefore something i've been missing out on. next time i'm in napa, i'll be back to ad hoc.

so dissappointing!!. i loved ad hoc, and have been eager to repeat a wonderful friedchickenmeal. it took 3 months to get a reservation! we trekked up with another couple to yountville.
not great ad hoc, just good. the best part was dessert.
and too loud, wrong genre of music blaring at us. it was hard to carry on a conversation. at $90.00 per person it should have been great. there are other places, i go there next time.


-----08 sep, 2009-----

destination eating. not the place to "drop" into. unlikely you'll get a seat, and very unlikely you'll land on the every other monday famous friedchickenmenu. i took two of the friedchickenexperts in my life, they have voted this the best friedchickenever. i'd say the best biscuits too. so though you will need to plan ahead make a reservation and spend the day in napa, it could be a fine ending at ad hoc. ignore the urbanspoon 76% rating, it just isn't possible. they must not have been there for the fried chicken. the place is beautiful, the service excellent and the food outstanding and all for a very fair price ! only suggestion is that they lower the volume of the music, it was too loud.

i couldn’t resist the prospect of eating friedchickenat thomas keller’s decidedly relaxed restaurant ad hoc, which specializes in comfort food and features a daily changing $45 prix-fixe menu consisting of salad, main course, cheese, and dessert all served family style.

don't be chicken, enjoy their breakfast here!. we had the most scrumptiouschickenand biscuits for breakfast and those sunday morning cocktails - think of it, a watermelon drink to excite the palette before enjoying a "to die for" breakfast. i remember the days before when this establishment was the "yountville diner" before keller took over the establishment and turned it into ad hoc and we are still thrilled to dine at the same location.

just ok...was expecting more, but for $50.... ...it was good, but not great.

i guess i was expecting more for a thomas keller restaurant, but for a $50 meal it was good. i love the concept of family style 4 course meal in a very casual setting.

service - it was good a friendly, but a little unprofessional. our waitress should be telling us that she is dating one of the chefs.

1st course -salad - amazing!!! fresh, tasty and a perfect dressing.

2nd course - seafood pasta andchickencutlet. both dishes were bland and devoid of any seasoning.

3rd course - cheese - delicious cows milk cheese with black truffles

4th course - lime custard with whipped cream and shortbread...it was just ok....nothing special.


next time i'll just have to try the french laundry...if i could get a reservation.