FRENCH LAUNDRY MICHELIN STARS PLUS

Hell, you've come this far-might as well see how the sausage is made, right? Ask your waiter if you can thank the chef, and he or she will happily lead you back to where all the magic happens. One might think that the stainless steel domain of Thomas Keller is reserved for only the worthy and penitent, but visitors are more than welcome upon request. Just make sure your credit card doesn't either.

But if you feel inclined to butter your waiter and add more gratuity, please do so.

Hold your horses, I don't mean stiff your waiter. Depending on if you add supplements, the cost per diner (not including wine, of course) can range between $310 to over $600. Perhaps the playful presentation is to soften the blow of the startling number you'll find scribbled at the bottom. The bill comes handwritten on a cute, oversized laundry tag. Suggested caption? 'Finally doing the laundry.' (Ellipsis is optional.) So if you want that Look-at-me-at-French-Laundry-nana-nana-boo-boo Instagram post, better to take a photo of the restaurant's iconic signage. However, beware the lighting isn't great for taking food shots and the waiters discourage flash photography. This will also eliminate the needless handwringing that comes when scanning a wine list, especially one as robust as The French Laundry's.Įach plate presentation is museum-worthy, but that doesn't mean photography is prohibited. There are over 30 wines offered by the glass, and your waiter will do a masterful job teasing out the nuances of each dish with the right wine selection. So unless you want to remortgage your house to buy a number of bottles, ask your waiter for a three-glass pairing. While there are certainly reasonably priced bottles available, finding one that will compliment every course of the kaleidoscopic meal you're about to have seems impossible. The wine list comes in a leather-bound iPad that glows up at you with bottles of the three- and four-figure varietal. Maurice Rougemont/Gamma-Rapho // Getty Images Thomas Keller in the garden of restaurant The French Laundry. Most of Keller's staff have been aboard The French Laundry/Per Se train for years and listening to them muse about his cuisine and the preparation enriches each dish tremendously. Repeat after me: 'The French Laundry is a restaurant-not a temple.' While waiting for your second course of celery root purée, Thompson grapes, Virginia peanuts and pea tendrils, you might find yourself whispering to your fellow diners in reverential tones as if the chefs are behind some nearby curtain fastidiously creating your food like Tibetan monks working on a sand mosaic. 'Saudi royalty behind us?' The dining room seats 60 and the people watching is nearly as delightful as the cuisine.ģ.ĝon't be blinded by the Michelin stars. Who joined you in the absurdity of waiting three months for a table? 'Is that Yo-Yo Ma at that two-top by the window?' you lean over and whisper to your date.

The question is inevitable before even Keller's legendary first course of 'Oysters and Pearls' (Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar) arrives. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play Remember this meal is more about your palate than your stomach. Allow your eyeballs to roll into the back of your skull. If you're famished by the time the napkin hits your lap, the first three courses will go by in blur.

FRENCH LAUNDRY MICHELIN STARS PLUS

All told the prix fixe menu boasts seven courses plus dessert. The pacing of the meal is glacial, and the portions are small but intensely rich. The French Laundry is going to slay your appetite, but will do so with strategically shot arrows rather than by a giant swipe of the sword. Or close to it anyway.ĭon't make the mistake of fasting before dinner.

If you're lucky enough to land a reservation at his Napa Valley flagship, The French Laundry (no openings on OpenTable), here's what you need to know to get your money's worth. After New York Time s critic Pete Wells roasted the famed chef's New York City landmark Per Se in a recent review that lopped off two of its stars, it's safe to assume that the meticulous Keller has all his restaurants on high alert and it might be easier than ever to get a reservation at one ( OpenTable currently shows dinner openings for two every night over the next week except Saturday). There could perhaps be no better time to dine at one of Chef Thomas Keller's restaurants than now.

French laundry michelin stars