ad hoc

$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 onemenueach night. as with any thomas keller restaurant, everything is exceedingly well though out and painstakingly prepared.

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

i've been wanting to come here for ever since they opened. so for my christmas present this year my wifey made the reservation. themenuchanges 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 a keller establishment.

for a background i am a 21 year old travelling alone that works in the wine industry. i found the restaurant the perfect balance between a laid back and fine dining atmosphere, staff were very friendly and unpretentious, i did not at all feel vulnerable sitting and eating alone here, manager came and talked to me and everyone was very attentive - food and wine timing was spot on and i was never left waiting too long without any ting. waitress was very informative about themenuand the optional wine pairing. as i received each meal everyone explained both the wine and dish in detail, which i find extremely important when a prix fixemenuis in place . food was a fantastic combo of fine dining with a comfort food twist. serving sizes were very generous (i had to take some in a doggy bag home) the wine pairings were the absolute stand out for me as each wine complimented the dishes so perfectly you would have thought they were made for each other. all of the wines were up to par, there were none that i disliked, most were sourced locally (as you would hope for the location). amazing bang for your buck with the basic 4 course meal coming in at $53 and the wine pairings an extra $39 great atmosphere would definitely visit again.

as for ad hoc, imagine thomas keller’s refined palate but family-style. it’s great for a casual dinner and reservations can be made a couple days in advance or even on the day depending on how many people are in your party. we had a group of 4 and easily booked a reservation 1 day in advance.

themenuthat day did not sound as exciting at first glance, but what came out far surpassed what you could imagine being on that plate…

incredible food awful waiter...the food was heavenly yet simply. themenufor 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 thomas keller restaurant. thank god the food was on point.

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 fried chicken at 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-coursemenufor 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 of chicken and 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, the chicken skin 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

any visit to a thomas keller restaurant would be exciting, but ad hoc in napa has a little twist that kindled our interest: there is one pre fixemenuevery evening, so you have no choice in your order other than wine pairings. themenuis 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 fixemenuincludes 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

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 fried chicken was 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.  theirmenurotates daily and i remembered my friend was ecstatic when we were told fried chicken was on themenuthe 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 that chicken wh

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 a keller restaurant without breaking the bank, ad hoc is the much more chill and affordable brother to the french laundry . ad hoc changes itsmenudaily, 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

she said…i have to say that i was a little disappointed with this meal. there wasn’t anything that was bad (although i thought the shrimp poboy was rather dry and lacking in flavor). there just wasn’t anything particularly memorable or exciting to me. we made these reservations a few months in advance of our trip due to the fact that it was harvest and a very busy time of year. since they change themenudaily, and there is no choice in what you get, we had no idea what we would be having that evening. that is generally fine with us, as we like to try new things and are fairly adventurous eaters, but had i known the main dish was chicken, i very well may have opted for another of the area’s many restaurants.

ourmenu(that i meant to take a photo of) involved sous vides short ribs, awesome veggies from the french laundry garden, amazing scallops, and an incredible dessert involving pound cake and mango. i really meant to take a photo of themenuor a screenshot online, but that didn’t happen.

brunch. unbelievable. the atmosphere is fun and unassuming, and the food is outstanding. the family style fixedmenuis perfect as it takes all of the decision responsibility out. we went on sunday when fried chicken and 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.

originally intended to be a temporary concept, this one-fixed-menu-per-day establishment has been packing them in ever since thomas keller (of french laundry and per se fame) started it. each day’smenuis 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.

still keller.. this review is for their sunday brunch. i have to say this was the best brunch i had this year. $38 per person with 2 courses and dessert, the portion is generous and food is comforting. you get out full and satisfied guaranteed.

yesterday, themenuwas: smoked salmon with cucumber salad and yogurt raita sauce, suveed tri top, with delicious potatoes and roasted small onions. the dessert was lemon cream bar. i wish i can elaborate more on how it was prepared, because it was not as simple as i described. food is very simple, but very meticulously prepared. you do identify the familiar flavors right away, then you are amazed how well that is executed.

the concept is very unique. as the restaurant is there to give you the "temporary relief from hunger", themenuresembles files from the doctors office and the staff are in brown casual shirts and jeans. the decor is simple and themed around the comfort food with big old french style kitchen tables at the front and in the dining room with iron pigs on top of them. the food is served family style, which gives you the visual of generous portion. immediate relief from hunger can come from seeing the big plate of hot food in front of you alone.

service is very knowledgeable and settle. i would say that at times we felt it was a little slow, but welcoming.

i would love to go try their dinner one of these days.

unworthy of the trip and the price. we drove from berkeley up to yountville to have a birthday brunch at ad hoc. our first surprise/disappointment came when we saw the restaurant. i dare say it's the funkiest looking place in town...which would be ok if it blew the other places away. the interior is very nice and the waitstaff were very friendly and well-trained if not the most knowledgeable about food. so, they have onemenufor brunch, no choices, which we knew going in. it's $34. themenuread citrusy yogurt w/granola and fresh fruit, soft scrambled eggs, ham, a cheddar chive waffle w/maple syrup, and a fig/plum tart w/chantilly for dessert. the eggs were overdone for our taste, as was the ham. the "waffle" was brittle; it broke like a cracker and thus couldn't absorb the syrup. the tart was quite nice. the bellini they serve is a bottled, pre-mixed brand called canela. it was nothing i'd want again. all in all, a major disappointment. we could have had three wonderful brunches out for the two of us in the bay area at tried and true venues like 900 grayson, the royal cafe, brenda's french soul food, etc.