ad hoc

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

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

for a background i am a 21 year old travelling alone that works in the wine industry. i found therestaurantthe 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 the menu and 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 fixe menu is 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.

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-course menu for dinner that changes on a daily basis. each course is served family-style. therestaurantserves 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 kellerrestaurantwould 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 newrestaurantyou'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 kellerrestaurantwithout 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

when you combine the talents of thomas keller, a comfortable and casual atmosphere, and a unique family style menu, it is easy to see why ad hoc became so popular virtually overnight. this permanent pop-uprestaurantis showing no signs of slowing down, with the recent addition of a full liquor license and what is sure to be an incredible array of hand crafted cocktails. all of this may leave chef keller's hamburger and wine dreams unfulfilled, but with the luxury of hindsight, the accidental success of ad hoc is really no surprise at all.

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, the menu was: 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 therestaurantis there to give you the "temporary relief from hunger", the menu resembles 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.

ad hoc is a family stylerestaurantserving 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 while keller developed a differentrestaurantthat 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 thomas keller meal. 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 arestaurantthat was never meant to be. thomas keller and 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

i couldn’t resist the prospect of eating fried chicken at thomas keller’s decidedly relaxedrestaurantad 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.

ad hoc is my favoriterestaurantand like my affairs with men, therestaurantis close yet so far

anotherrestauranti wanted to try while in san francisco was thomas keller's ad hoc. fortunately, ad hoc is in yountville, which is closer to where we were staying. our menu that day (there's only one prixe fix menu available, served family style) was a

perfect restaurant. it has everything a perfectrestaurantrequires, i can't find much fault in ad hoc. the food was prepared with care, they looked mouthwatering when presented and tasted even more so. the service was great too, friendly to just the right degree and not pretentious at all so i didn't feel awkward. it's a very casual, relaxing place with delicious food to boot.

ad hoc was originally meant to be a temporary restaurant, to be opened while they're designing a differentrestaurantto be opened in that space (hence the name, and the motto "for temporary relief from hunger"). 5 nights our of the week, ad hoc offers a