We were lucky enough to dine at the The French Laundry last fall on October 4th, 2018. It had been a dream of mine to dine at this restaurant, and I am so glad we were able to make it happen. It exceeded all of my expectations, and it was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. In this blog post, I recap the entire evening including a breakdown of each course. If you are curious about this incredible restaurant, keep reading!
Table of Contents
Reservation Process
I needed to be in San Francisco for work right around our anniversary in October, so Alex and I decided we should do a weekend in wine country to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. We had always wanted to go to The French Laundry, so we kind of jokingly talked about it. As it turned out, they hadn’t started taking reservations for October, so we were in luck!
We made our reservations on July 1st as soon as they were released and we got in with no issues! I was so worried because I heard it can be really hard to get a reservation even if you are on top of it. We booked a 5:15 PM dinner reservation on a Thursday night. I was so happy that we got an early reservation because I knew we would be in for a long night!
The Experience
We arrived a few minutes early because we were so excited about this experience. We also wanted to get a few pictures outside while it was still light out. There were plenty of other guests arriving for their reservations, so it was easy to get a picture. Everyone wanted their photo outside in front of the sign!
We were immediately greeted at the iconic blue door and were seated right on time. They seated us upstairs at a table near the window. I thought it was a pretty good spot because it had a nice view of their garden across the street.
In terms of the menu, it is a pre-set tasting menu so you won’t really have to make any decisions. They do, however, have a supplement option with certain courses, so depending on your budget and palette, you may want to upgrade a specific course. Alex decided to do the foie gras supplement for the second course, and I did the wagyu supplement for the seventh course.
For the wine list, they brought over an iPad that listed out everything they had in their cellar. Honestly, it was really overwhelming and there was no way we were going to figure it out on our own. We basically gave them a budget and let the sommelier choose the wines for us. I thought it worked out really well. We told them that we wanted pairings with each course and we mentioned a few varietals that we liked. I knew we wanted to start out with champagne, so we made sure to tell them that as well. Overall, I think this was the way to go because we were able to try a wide variety of wines and everything was paired really nicely with each course.
Let’s get into the food, shall we?
– Course 0 –
This wasn’t listed on the menu, but I guess you get a little appetizer before the courses actually start. We were given a smoked salmon cone along with cheese and crackers. I know they probably had much fancier names for these items, but I honestly don’t remember what they called it.
– Course 1: Oysters and Pearls –
Wine Pairing: Pierre Paillard, “Les Parcelles XIII” Extra Brut, Bouzy, Grand Cru MV
This was one of my favorite dishes from the entire night. This is TFL’s signature item, and I am pretty sure they always have it on their menu as the first course. The oysters and pearls are very buttery, and it basically just melts in your mouth. I wish I could have ordered more!
– Course 2: Late Harvest Tomato Salad –
Wine Pairing: Hourglass, Sauvignon Blanc, “Estate,” Napa Valley 2017
I loved this dish and how fresh everything tasted. Most (if not all) of the ingredients came directly from their garden across the street. I loved the “farm-to-table” idea behind this dish and I think it was executed quite nicely. It paired perfectly with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
– Course 3: Sautéed Fillet of Japanese Medai –
Wine Pairing: Latour-Giraud, Meursault, “Les Genevrières,” 1er Cru, Burgundy 2016
This course was absolutely incredible and the wine paired perfectly with this fish. The Japanese Medai was a really light fish, but had great flavor coming in from the sauce. I love trying new kinds of fish and this is definitely something I would order again.
– Course 4: Hand Harvested Maine Sea Scallop –
Wine Pairing: Latour-Giraud, Meursault, “Les Genevrières,” 1er Cru, Burgundy 2016
I have been obsessed with scallops ever since I tried my first scallop several years ago. They always taste amazing, and I love how restaurants get creative with their preparation of scallops. There were some little mushrooms alongside the scallop and the sauce was delicious. This course paired quite nicely with the White Burgundy from France.
– Course 5: Bread and Butter –
This may have been the best croissant I have ever had in my entire life. It was so buttery and so flaky. It melted in your mouth and left you wanting more. You know what made it even better? They served it on a warm plate. I didn’t know I could have such an obsession with a croissant until I came to The French Laundry.
– Course 6: Wildflower Honey Glazed Mangalitsa Ham –
Wine Pairing: Kistler, Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2015
I have always dreaded Easter because typically, people make a ham for the Sunday brunch. I hate the ham people serve on Easter Sunday. Everything about it is disgusting to me. I didn’t realize my mind could be changed until I had this course at The French Laundry. This ham was absolutely incredible. The honey glaze on top made every single bite taste amazing. Basically, I am a ham convert now that I have had it prepared correctly. I should have asked for the recipe for this course because I would love to make it for our families on Easter Sunday.
– Course 7: Blue Apron Ale Lacquered Japanese Wagyu –
Wine Pairing: Larkmead, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2007
For this next course, I did pay the $100 supplement to get the steak. Alex stuck with the lamb course, but I felt like one of us had to “go big” and try the wagyu beef. Being from Nebraska, I’ve had a lot of good steaks in my life, but nothing really compares to a delicious piece of wagyu. The quality of beef was top notch and it was cooked wonderfully. Also, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon wine pairing was on point. I couldn’t have imagined paring the steak with anything else.
– Course 8: Gougère –
After the steak, I was ready to move straight to the desserts, but we still had one more course before the sweet stuff. We were brought a fried ball of cheese/cream and it was extremely rich. I don’t mind certain foods like this, but this was way too aggressive for me at this point in the meal. I tried a bite and immediately knew I wouldn’t feel good if I ate the rest. I felt terrible because I didn’t want to upset the staff or chef by not eating it. I politely told the waiter that I don’t each much dairy (true statement) and that it was a little too rich for me.
– Course 8 (Round 2): Hearts of Palm –
The staff at The French Laundry were so accommodating, so much so that they ended up bringing us another option for this course. I am not sure of the exact name, but it seemed like it was a little salad with hearts of palm. Honestly, it was really refreshing and a nice palate cleanser before dessert!
– Course 9: Assortment of Desserts –
Wine Pairing: Dow’s, Tawny, 20 Year, Oporto MV
The dessert course was almost an entirely new tasting menu! We each received 4 different desserts in addition to mini doughnuts and macarons to share. Everything was absolutely incredible and we made sure to try a few bites of everything. My personal favorite was the ice cream with the forbidden rice. After devouring our desserts, the waiter came by with a beautiful assortment of chocolates. We were told to pick a few different flavors of the chocolates, so we got a little bit of everything. Alex tried a PB&J chocolate, and I made sure to try the mint chocolate since that is one of my all-time favorite flavors. Overall, I was blown away by the dessert course and how elaborate it was.
The Cherry on Top
Once we finished our meal, we asked if Chef Thomas Keller was around that evening. They said he was, but he was attending a cigar party on the patio. At that point, I knew we wouldn’t get to meet him.
Anyways, we still asked to tour the kitchen, so once we were finished with our dinner, they guided us downstairs to the kitchen. As we were walking into the kitchen, I spotted Chef Thomas Keller out of the corner of my eye. I was certain it was him.
The staff continued to give us a tour of the kitchen and gave us the rundown of how everything was set-up. It was really cool to see the kitchen in action! There are so many people involved with the process, and it really takes a village to put on the dinner service every night.
Right as we were finishing the tour, I asked the maitre d’ if we could get a picture with Thomas Keller. He said he would ask him and see if he was busy, but even before he could ask, Chef Thomas Keller jumped right up and came over to meet us! I couldn’t believe it.
Overall, this was the experience of a lifetime, and I would do it all over again if I could. If you are a foodie, you must check out The French Laundry at some point in your life. It is everything I had hoped for and so much more.
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