French Laundry Gift Card
I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate for dinner for two at the French Laundry at our Vistage All-City Meeting last September. It took several months to schedule this dinner as the reservations open two months in advance to the calendar date. I dutifully called for weeks. When the lady taking reservations kept saying no to each date I suggested, I finally asked what dates were available and she said January 20th was open. I looked at the calendar and it was a Monday night. Ugh! Not my first choice to have dinner way up in the wine country and then have to commute to San Francisco the next day. But it happened to be a holiday – for the kids and for me, so I said yes and sent my brother a calendar invite (he’s a foodie).
The day finally arrived and by the time I navigated through all of the construction around our offices, it was about 3:30 pm and we left San Francisco and headed to Yountville. The view from the city was spectacular but the only pictures we captured were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.
We got there a few minutes early and walked around their gardens and a little bit of Yountville. Those gardens were awesome, as was the chicken coop.
Enjoy our experience vicariously with the descriptions, pictures, and our observations and opinions!
Happy Birthday Shane
Chef’s Tasting Menu | 20 January 2014
Gaston Chiquet
Blanc de Blancs D’ay
There was a “Tasting of Vegetables” menu for vegetarians, which we are not, so we stuck the chef’s tasting menu. The “Happy Birthday Shane” part was actually printed on the menu. When making the reservations, they asked if it was a special occasion (yes, Shane’s birthday in January that everyone forgets after the Christmas holiday) and if there were any dietary restrictions (yes, he’s gluten-free; yay! more bread for me!) They served us a glass of champagne when we sat down. Shane was impressed with the clothes pin holding together the napkin origami. (Yes, it was a souvenir).
Mini-cornucopia
Our first course was off the menu. It was a salmon mousse in a little cornucopia. Mine came with the fried cheese ball (I know, that wasn’t exactly what the waiter said). Shane’s came with a gluten free version.
“Oysters and Pearls”
“Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters
and White Sturgeon Caviar
Very tasty and salty.
Off the menu item #2 – this warm custard in the eggshell with a few shaved Black Winter Truffles on top plus the chive chip was fantastic and one of my favorites. We would have stuck our tongues into the eggshells to eat every last bit if we could!
The 2nd menu item:
Salad of Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm
Musquee de Provance Pumpkin, Asian Pears, Toasted Pepitas,
Preserved Walnut Puree and Komatsuna
The 3rd menu item:
“Shelle de Lotte Rotie Entiere”
“Pommes Puree,” Compressed Sour Apples, Crispy Kale
and “Sauce Bordelaise”
Wow – this monk fish was so tasty. The puree was fantastic. The crispy kale is something we need to figure out how to make!
OK – somewhere around here my food picture order has gone rogue – as you can imagine, we didn’t take a dessert break in the middle of the meal – it was indeed at the end…
The piece de resistance:
A mini birthday cake – it was really kind of a cross between mouse and truffle – chocolate, of course. By this time, we asked for a little box for the chocolates and little desserts. They were not wafer thin…
Assortment of Desserts – Part 18 – I’ve lost count!
A bowl of macadamia nuts rolled in praline and cocoa. Mini beignets.
Assortment of Desserts – Part 5
Candies. (Truffles, really). We chose a few: gin & olive, salted carmel, pecan praline, and chocolate hazelnut. They were all spectacular but the gin & olive one was really the best.
Assortment of Dessert – Part 3
Ice Cream.
Assortment of Dessert – part 2
The 4th menu item:
Sweet Butter-Paoched Maine Lobster
Petite Fennel, Garden Radishes, Arugula and “Sauce Maltaise”
The tastes together were what made this dish. The slivers of fennel were enough to make the lobster shine without butter.
The 5th menu item:
“Presse” of Wolfe Ranch White Quail
Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Satsuma Mandarins, Celery Branch,
Celery Root Puree and Piedmont Hazelnut Vinaigrette
The hazelnuts were to die for as well as the crispy bacon wrapping this whole thing.
The bread deserves its own round of applause. They make it all – the baguette, the sourdough, the pretzel, and the multigrain bread, which were all great but the baguette was heaven!
The 6th menu item:
Herb-Roasted Elysian Fields Farm Lamb (Shane)
Tokyo Turnips, Mokum Carrots, Black Trumpet Mushrooms,
Sunflower Sprouts and “Sauce Navarin”
Wow – I don’t even like lamb and this was exquisite!
The 6th menu item:
Charcoal-Grilled Japanese Wagyu (Soni)
“Sauerkraut” Dumpling, Roasted Ruby Beets, Brussels Sprouts,
Watercress and “Sauce Raifort”
The beef was incredibly soft and went well with the three different radishes.
The 7th menu item:
Andante Dairy “Legato”
Cope’s Corn “Beignet,” Honey-Poached Cranberries, Caramelized Cipollini Onions
And Swiss Chard Leaves
I could have eaten this cheese all day long. The gluten free option had these crispy bits on top which were the preferred version of their dish!
Assortment of Desserts
The 8th menu item:
Fruit – this was a fluffy compote of fruit that was like eating sweetened air. I think we could have bathed in this compote!
Assortment of Desserts – Part 4
Chocolate.
Wow – we were full when we called for the dessert box (which I shared with my co-workers the next day) but we weren’t overly stuffed. I think the leisurely three and a half hour pace probably had something to do with that feeling! It was a memorable dinner but for the price we decided that Restaurant Gary Danko was a better deal.
We made a pit stop before we got back into the car for the 90 minutes drive and while I was waiting for Shane, I ran into the pastry chef, Winston. We chatted with him for awhile and then headed out. He was very chatty and left us with a great impression and memory. He was headed back to Denmark (he’d already worked at Noma) and left us with his contact information. Next time we are there we will definitely have to look him up!
French Laundry was a great experience and a great way to celebrate a birthday. I am truly grateful to have won that gift certificate!
