the french laundry

welcome to french laundry . may we hang your soiled-from-anticipation pants up to dry in the garden? liz and i went out to napa valley with liz's brother and sister-in-law this past weekend to drink some wine and eat some food. we secured a reservation fo

the french laundry the french laundry where do i even begin with this review? ever since i can remember, i had always wanted to go to the french laundry . 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. 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 no surprise that it's kept those three stars every year since. anthony bourdain named it "the best restaurant in the world, period" and it's been named the best restaurant in the world in 2003 and 2004. the restaurant had been under construction for several months while it underwent a major renovation. the dining room was left untouched, while the kitchen is being completely rebuilt. 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. 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. 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). 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. i sadly hung up the phone and that was that. 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 creepily took photos of the restaurant and peered into the windows to get a closer look. the building the restaurant is housed in dates back to the 1900s and is in the national register of historic places. 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 laun

dinner at the french laundry isn't an ordinary meal and shouldn't be viewed in that context. it's a culinary event that's magnified in significance because it's considered one of the world's best restaurants and is owned by thomas keller, one of the world

unless your "somebody" your never eating here. we were on the wait lost for weeks with a week of dining dates, never a call. america is all about who you are and whom you know.

the lapses of misty rain, the collected quaint neighborhood, sipping on glasses of champagne at domain chandon before dinner made for a splendid experience. we stayed within the town of yountville the day of our reservation. we had lunch at bouchon bakery

excellent service and food. its an experience of a lifetime. they have few tables must reserve 3 months earlier. expensive but like i said its an experience of a lifetime. impossible to go out of there hungry! they are very giving. they serve more than what they have on the menu between plates. beautiful concept and presentation of plate are something. taste is good didn’t get desapointed at all. people who serves are friendly.

what superlative hasn’t already been used to describe the french laundry? our afternoon “lunch “ was a meal to remember. the gray stone walls and timbered portico announced that this would be a memorable occasion. our family enjoyed a private room with polished wood walls and back-lit shelves of the wine glasses we would use during our meal. the comfortable room was exposed layer by layer - first a glass door and then lattice panels - to reveal a lovely california garden. the waitstaff, especially our personal server, were quietly and unobtrusively attentive and professional. not a hint of stuffiness. the food was all the restaurant’s classics. the first-time guest would be disappointed otherwise. and they were all delicious, never mind beautiful. wines were perfectly matched. a wonderful experience.

michelin guide - 3 stars. 
the french laundry in napa valley is a 3 michelin star restaurant surrounded by wine vineyards, built in 1890 as a french steam laundry house. the dining room has 15 tables, private dining area, and garden seating. the wine list exceeds 100 pages with two unique nine course tasting menus offered. the focus is more on nouvelle cuisine with a pinch of classic french, and the use of sustainable local fruits and vegetables from their garden or local farmers. this is a review of my dinner experience

best chinese food i've had in years!!  tell the chef, "nice try".  this was the first restaurant where the food tried to eat me.  everything was as undercooked as ice water.  i sent the food back to the kitchen, the waiter back to mexico, and the chef back to ely, nevada on a trailways bus - first class of course.

(well, not fully 4.5 but somewhere in the hood of it) super fine dining is sometimes lost on me, but, when it comes to these types of spots, i'm still game to try them because it is food and i love to eat! the so is also totally into it and loves the ambiance, molecular gastronomy and pretty plates that many of these restaurants strive for. i can appreciate some of that, though ultimately it does come down to the food. one spot that had been on both of our lists to try was the french laundry.

what can i say? my first ever (and most likely only) 3-star michelin experience. i would without hesitation go back if i could! lives up to all my expectations! while not each course "ooh-ed and aah-ed" the food surprised and satisfied.

the french laundry. say just those three words to any foodie and you'll immediately elicit a response. then, tell them you got reservations and the look of awe takes over. why? because the french laundry is one of the most famous restaurants in the world. having garnered three stars in michelin rating system for the past six years in a row, having been named by many as the top restaurant in the world, and having maintained a ranking in the top 50 restaurants in the world, the french laundry has more accolades than most restaurants have utensils.

thomas keller: craftsman, pioneer, master. french laundry? legacy. legacy and legend. i tried for days to score an 11 am reservation for 4, their least desirable seating. with three friends in tow, i drove all night, napa or bust. i started feeling starstruck before we even hit the yountville border. i don't think i even blinked between the side street parking spot and the back door of a historical house.

was beyond excited to secure a booking for the french laundry for our short stay in napa. had phoned and been online months prior in the early hours from australia. have dined at many michelin star restaurants and love a degustation - and i wanted to love this restaurant as much as others, but it was honestly underwhelming. it may just be our tastebuds, but unfortunately we really didn't like any of the dishes. i eat most things, but the food was too rich and very strange in flavour. for the price we paid (especially supplementing a few of the extra options) - we really expected some 'wow' dishes and some exemplary service, but sad to say, just not the case.

we were going to be in the states for my husband’s birthday, and he was fondly remembering his last birthday in the states where we went to the french laundry and probably had the best meal of our lives. even six years later, we compare all other fine dining meals to that meal. so he decided we needed to go to california for his birthday, enjoy some wine, and have an amazing meal. since the newlyweds from the #mascawedding were also going to be in the napa valley at the time, we invited them along as they clearly needed an amazing meal as part of their “mini-moon” after the wedding. and luckily, the concierge from our hotel managed to get us a booking on my husband’s actual birthday so we could celebrate in style and luxury.