Ate at The French Laundry

bicktrav

My wife and I spent the weekend in Napa, and the French Laundry had a cancellation (guessing they're getting a lot of those thanks to the Coronavirus). The meal stretched for near four hours with more courses than I can count. Highlights were tapioca with oysters and caviar, an "everything bagel" cone, a homemade ritz cracker with aged cheddar and shallots, and a piece of lamb that I regard as a paragon for that particular meat. I can't say there was anything particularly disappointing about the meal apart, maybe, from the Wagyu A-5 supplement, which was excellent, but not as good as the lamb and, therefore, not worth the price of the supplementation.

One final note: It's impossible for the food at The French Laundry--or any three-star Michelin place for that matter--to justify the hype or price. It was all amazing, but there's not a flavor in the world that can match those expectations. But when you look at the experience more holistically, it makes much more sense. This meal wasn't just about the food; it was about the event. The service was astonishing; the attention to detail was jawdropping; the restaurant was stunning; and, of course, the food was stellar. When you put all of those elements together, it matches expectations. 

Here are some photos that don't do the meal justice. From first to last, these are the A-5 Wagyu, River Trout poached in olive oil, spring lettuce heads with buttermilk dressing, tapioca with oysters and caviar, and an "everything bagel" cone with smoked fish cream cheese.

bicktrav

Forgot to mention: After dinner I took a tour of the kitchen, which was startlingly cool. They were using a Japanese charcoal that looked like tiny little logs. They told me they burn hotter than anything, and you can get them from the following site: www.korin.com. I checked them out, and they're crazy expensive. Maybe someone on this forum wants to splurge, try them in the egg, and report back to us about how they worked. Sadly, that someone won't be me because I'm pretty much broke after eating there.

TTC

Thanks for sharing!

Photo Egg

Great write review!

Botch

Thanks!
Never occurred to me this might be a good time to get into those places with mile-long waiting lists...

bicktrav

Botch said:

Thanks!
Never occurred to me this might be a good time to get into those places with mile-long waiting lists...

Yeah, we planned the trip months ago, and it was totally booked, so we asked to be placed on a waitlist. They emailed us about two weeks back saying they had a cancellation. What’s funny is that after we took the opening, we got two more automated notifications from their system about more cancelations. Clearly people are canceling trips left and right. 

lousubcap

Great write-up and glad you looked thru the total experience lens.  Thanks for the thread.  

dmchicago

Thanks for sharing this. What an experience and on our bucket list.

NDG

great post & pics . . My parents & siblings ate there last yr and had a similar summary of the dinner / experience.  As others said, bucket list !! 

DoubleEgger

I’d love to eat there on someone else’s dime. 

stlcharcoal

bicktrav said:

 were using a Japanese charcoal that looked like tiny little logs. They told me they burn hotter than anything,

Binchotan is just young white oak limbs kilned for a long time at a low temp.  It's feels and sounds almost like a piece of kids chalk you'd use on the driveway.

But in the end, carbon is carbon, thus constant.....and carbon is about 14,000 BTU/#.  Any charcoal will reach this once you burn off the remaining wood fiber.  Binchotan has very little of those to begin with, so it's great to use in a table top grill, where you worry about smoke, sparks, and uneven cooking.

Any other lump you buy will be at the same BTU and carbon content after 10-30 minutes in the BGE, so just make it yourself.....only thing is that it's a lot more fragile at that point.

It definitely has its purpose, but using it in a BGE is not going to get you anywhere you can't get with lump charcoal for a 1/10th of the cost.  Kind of like buying MAPPro over Propane.....is an extra 75F worth 3x the cost?

thetrim

Looks incredible

bicktrav

stlcharcoal said:

bicktrav said:

 were using a Japanese charcoal that looked like tiny little logs. They told me they burn hotter than anything,

Binchotan is just young white oak limbs kilned for a long time at a low temp.  It's feels and sounds almost like a piece of kids chalk you'd use on the driveway.

But in the end, carbon is carbon, thus constant.....and carbon is about 14,000 BTU/#.  Any charcoal will reach this once you burn off the remaining wood fiber.  Binchotan has very little of those to begin with, so it's great to use in a table top grill, where you worry about smoke, sparks, and uneven cooking.

Any other lump you buy will be at the same BTU and carbon content after 10-30 minutes in the BGE, so just make it yourself.....only thing is that it's a lot more fragile at that point.

It definitely has its purpose, but using it in a BGE is not going to get you anywhere you can't get with lump charcoal for a 1/10th of the cost.  Kind of like buying MAPPro over Propane.....is an extra 75F worth 3x the cost?

Awesome explanation. Thank you! The guy that manned their grill told me the same thing--the best use for the charcoal is in a small Japanese tabletop grill.

Dobie

4 hours, did they have a Broadway show with it or something?

TN_Egger

Dude - you're talking RRP kind of money!

CTMike

My wife and I had a similar experience at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which earned its second star on the 2020 list. Food was amazing, service was impeccable, and the farm-to-table aspect was outstanding.

rcone

These were great courses there

bicktrav

rcone said:

These were great courses there

Nice! That tapioca, oyster, caviar thing was out of this world!

buzd504

bicktrav said:

rcone said:

These were great courses there

Nice! That tapioca, oyster, caviar thing was out of this world!

"Oysters and Pearls", and yes, it's amazing.

SonVolt

Awesome, I'm totally jelly. Did you catch a glimpse of Keller? 

rcone

The veal demi glace soft boiled egg was exceptional 

bicktrav

SonVolt said:

Awesome, I'm totally jelly. Did you catch a glimpse of Keller? 

No, didn't see him. But I met him last time I was in Napa at La Calenda, his Mexican joint. 

20stone

Thanks for sharing.  Destination meals like this can be fantastic.  I had the opportunity to go with some work buddies several years ago and really enjoyed it.  While I wouldn't want to (and couldn't afford to) eat like that every day, I appreciate that there exists a group of people doing food and service at 10/10.  Brunoising shallots perfectly is a PITA when a quick dice will do, but there they do it.

My go to for over the top service and great food is Le Bernardin in NYC... all for the same reasons.  Unstuffy service and great food at an extraordinary level every time.

I might add that from a $ per satisfaction standpoint, great breakfast tacos win.... but I love the craftsmanship at the top, too.

GregW

Thanks for sharing. You saved me the trip. I don't think it would be something I would particularly enjoy.
The food does look fantastic, in an artistic way.

bicktrav

GregW said:

Thanks for sharing. You saved me the trip. I don't think it would be something I would particularly enjoy.
The food does look fantastic, in an artistic way.

Yeah, it's a very specific thing--not everyone's cup of wildly expensive cup of tea. But if you're into it, the experience delivers.