The French Laundry

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to cross off one of my gastronomical bucket list items. The French Laundry has been consistently awarded three Michelin stars for as long as I can remember and a slew of famous chefs have emerged from its kitchens. One of those being Grant Achatz of Alinea; that blog post is stuck in the queue somewhere and yet to follow. 

The French Laundry, nestled in the once sleepy town of Yountville, has now become a hub for foodies, a mecca for those wanting to taste some of Thomas Keller's greatest hits. The restaurant has become infamous for its difficulty in securing a reservation. Luckily, when your pastry school friend works there, you can get the hookups.... ON your birthday.. WITH a personalized menu AND extra treats and a kitchen tour.

I've been asked several times what my thoughts are after having dined here. I have to admit that I think a lot of it is hype. I feel that their constant struggle to maintain their stars has in a way hampered their inventiveness. Maybe that's why El Bulli closed in years past, or why Sébastien Bras, son of the acclaimed Michel Bras asked to have his stars stripped last week.  

In any case you'll always find some of the same menu items such as their Oysters and Pearls or Salmon Tartare Cornets that have been around since the 90's.

Though I wouldn't go through the effort of trying to secure another reservation on my own, I wouldn't turn down an invite if someone had an extra seat. The meal was spot on, though not as playful or inventive as other fine dining establishments i've been to. True, we were always taught not to play with our food but I always like to see some of the chef's personality shine through onto the plates, reflecting not only a well though out and composed dish, but one that leeches a bit more passion and soul.

I could probably wax poetic about food for days, but no one is really interested in that. You just want to see pictures of food! To be honest, I don't remember what a majority of these dishes were, though I do recall I went for the Kobe beef supplement.

The best part of the dessert round was that since my friend was working in the kitchen AND it was my birthday, we didn't get the run-of-the-mill standard desserts that everyone else received. It does help when your pastry-cook-turned-server knows your friend and is happy to chat with you about all the different Valhrona variations. True I was feeling a little smug when we received inquisitive looks from other patrons due to an excess of desserts and were brought back into the kitchen to take a picture with the chef and my buddy (thanks Iggy!!)

Oh and the mignardises. I do remember being a bit greedy and taking one of each favor in a to-go container. Why not? You know they have hundreds in the back!