ad hoc

ad hoc was originally intended to be a temporary space filler as thomaskellerput the finishing touches on his burger and wine restaurant concept, but it became so popular that he decided to keep it around. the concept is simple: a fixed price ($50 a hea

every foodie worth his artisanal salt knows that thomaskelleris a culinary god. french laundry is a once-in-a-lifetime experience in dining bliss. that said, it's not the kind of place you can afford to go to on a whim. we tried it last time we were in

as its name implies, ad hoc was supposed to be a temporary six-month experiment beforekelleropened a restaurant specializing in gourmet burgers and wine. but ad hoc proved to be so popular that it’s now become a permanent member of keller’s restaurant f

$49 for four courses by thomas keller? how can you go wrong?!. seriously.

make reservations.

the wine list is fantastic and offers wine from around the world from inexpensive to very, very, very expensive.

but it is all about the food. don't be fooled by the $49 price or by the idea there is only one menu each night. as with any thomaskellerrestaurant, everything is exceedingly well though out and painstakingly prepared.

i even had the amazing experience of sitting next to mr.kellerat the bar one evening when he was having dinner.

during our wine tasting day trip to napa via grayline (see recap here), we had some leisure time in the charming town of yountville.  david, his friend william, and i went for a casual brunch at thomas keller’s ad hoc restaurant.  while thomaskellerhas three restaurants in yountville, ad hoc is the most casual (though not michelin starred) and serves american family-style comfort food.

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 fried chicken but 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 akellerestablishment.

incredible food awful waiter...the food was heavenly yet simply. the menu for the night i dined there was caesar salad, pork chops, cheese(can't tell you what kind because our waiter pretty much rushed through everything) with honey and a cheese cake pudding type dessert. the pork chop was cooked perfectly, salted just right and they let the meat be the star and it was. the salad was simple but the added capers that seems to be lightly fried gave it a nice burst of flavor. the cheese plate again was simple but the honey went so perfectly with it. finally, the little dish of the cheese cake parfait or pudding(once again our waiter did not do his job in explaining) was divine and forced us to try and get every last bite out of the cup. each course had a glass of wine that went perfectly with the food but once again we receive no more than a 5 second robotic sentence. this is wine country, the customer definitely wants to hear a little more about the pairings. all that being said about the food, alex, our waiter may have been the worst waiter i've ever encountered. he did not spend more than a few seconds at our table, it was so bad i made sure that before he put our dessert on the table i had my credit card out because we had no idea when the next time he would come back. i'm usually very forgiving with waitstaff but his only job really was to be informative, courteous and check in every now and then considering it is a set menu. that type of service can happen from time to time but you would never expect it in a thomaskellerrestaurant. thank god the food was on point.

any visit to a thomaskellerrestaurant would be exciting, but ad hoc in napa has a little twist that kindled our interest: there is one pre fixe menu every evening, so you have no choice in your order other than wine pairings. the menu is presented in a file folder, which made the office-supply-loving neurons in my brain do a disco dance. well done, mr. keller. bread. the brightly lit space, stainless steel tabletops, pale woods and flurry of servers dressed in chocolate brown uniforms combined with pig centric decor came together for a modern-tinged-with-farm look. the place was hopping when we arrived, and nearly every table was filled with diners. it’s popular, and after our experience, evident why reservations are required. the pre fixe menu includes four courses: a salad followed by the main course, then cheese, and wraps up with dessert. this is certainly an upscale place with impeccable service, but the file folders and family style dining make the entire experience casual and

happy friday! i like to end the work week with food posts that inspire me to enjoy life, eat well, and stay hungry. is there a fun new restaurant you're trying this weekend? while in calistoga for a wedding, husband and i had a double date dinner one night in napa with friends. we finally got to try thomas keller's ad hoc ! if you want to eat at akellerrestaurant without breaking the bank, ad hoc is the much more chill and affordable brother to the french laundry . ad hoc changes its menu daily, which blows my mind. it takes so much skill and experience to perfect a meal in one shot! refreshing summery watermelon salad to start. in addition to the pre-fixe menu, we ordered some steak skewers, and they were a very good idea. the main dish was juicy pork chops that had so much flavor, especially near the bone. food is served family style, so go with people you're comfortable sharing food with. ;) a beautiful cheese plate with some fruit, nuts, and honey is always delightful. this set u

originally intended to be a temporary concept, this one-fixed-menu-per-day establishment has been packing them in ever since thomaskeller(of french laundry and per se fame) started it. each day’s menu is posted on the website in the morning and served family-style that night. main courses have included santa maria smoked tri-tip, beef short ribs, grilled pork chop, and buttermilk fried chicken.

ad hoc is a family style restaurant serving a fixed four course meal that changes daily. it's kind of like the casual, more affordable little sister of french laundry and was originally intended to be a temporary filler whilekellerdeveloped a different restaurant that was to go in its place (ad hoc means 'for this purpose'). it became so popular that it ended up staying and after meeting many locals and visitors during our trip it became clear that it is a huge napa favorite. our experience was fantastic. the atmosphere was laid back and fun and the service extremely warm leaving us feeling as comfortable as being over a good friends house for dinner. the food was absolutely delicious and quite the deal for a thomaskellermeal. we were especially happy that our menu featured just the right amount comfort food that we needed after a whole day of drink

ad hoc is actually a restaurant that was never meant to be. thomaskellerand his staff, as the story goes, began serving up seasonal fixed family-style dinners as a temporary endeavor while he planned for the opening of a

after a day filled with an unexpected wilderness hike and lots of wine, mw and i had time to relax before departing for our dinner reservations at ad hoc . i know, i know, in a time frame of under 24 hours we would be eating at yet another thomaskellerr

don't be chicken, enjoy their breakfast here!. we had the most scrumptious chicken and 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" beforekellertook 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 thomaskellerrestaurant, 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 and chicken cutlet. 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.