A Broad Reference

The French Laundry has been a dining destination objective of mine for a long time. Award winning fabulous French Californian food, it's located in the picturesque village of Yountville. A tiny place with only 15 tables, reservations are extremely hard to procure- like try 2 months in advance and they're gone within minutes. Imagine my glee when my friend Aaron called (& emailed simultaneously) with exciting news. He'd managed to score reservations for 4 on Tuesday Election Nite, did I want to go? I agonized for about 60 seconds, me being unemployed. But really it was a forgone conclusion (I'll have to put it on my credit card as part of my effort to stimulate the economy) Heck yeah! Dress code is fairly strict- jackets are required, so we all raided our dry cleaning, Mike going so far as to iron a shirt. Aaron and Dana picked us up at the Pleasant Hill Station and we drove out towards Napa discussing the current electoral stats. We arrived early and waited in the foyer watching other less fortunate souls beg and plead for tables. The hostess was polite but adamant- no room, please try again! We were seated in the downstairs dining room somewhat under the stairs. The linens were snowy white, napkins crisply folded, pinned with the signature laundry peg.

I took pictures but didn't use a flash since it seemed intrusive to the other diners. In some cases I was so distracted by the flawless presentation and flavors of the dish that I forgot to photo-document. Sorry! Thomas Keller was in managing the lunch service, out at Per Se watching the election coverage, and then returned to finish the dinner service once the election was called. Dinner lasted 4 hrs 20 minutes. After some discussion on preferences and budget Aaron and I decided on a tasty Siduri Pinot noir, "Cargasacchi Vineyard," Santa Rita Hills 2006 at $160 one of the more "price conscious" options in the 200 paged wine list. Soft and fruity, it was a superb match for the first half of the tasting menu. There were 2 options- regular and vegetarian, which both looked yummerlicious. Despite my attempts for 5-9 servings of fruits and veg, I chose the regular menu which included foie gras, duck and lamb!

chef’s tasting menu | 4 november 2008

PRIX FIXE 240.00 | SERVICE INCLUDED

6640 WASHINGTON STREET, YOUNTVILLE CA 94599 707.944.2380

We started with 2 interesting little amuse bouche, mini gourgeres stuffed with melted Emmentaler and crunchy savory cigarillo cones stuffed with sour cream and topped with a scoop of salmon tartare. Both taste explosions to whet our appetites.

“OYSTERS AND PEARLS”
Exquisitely creamy “Sabayon” studded with Pearl Tapioca and Island Creek Oysters nestled next to a succulent quenelle of White Sturgeon Caviar that popped saltily against my teeth.

SALAD OF COMPRESSED FUYU PERSIMMON
French Laundry Garden Radish, Nasturtium and Niçoise Olive Oil


MOULARD DUCK “FOIE GRAS AU TORCHON” ( 30.00 supplement )
Sunchoke Glaze, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Marcona Almonds, Mizuna and Juniper Gastrique served with exactingly golden and crisp toast points. Halfway thru we got more warm toast points. Mmmm

SAUTÉED FILLET OF JAPANESE SUZUKI
Yukon Gold Potatoes, Bluefoot Mushrooms, Romaine Lettuce and Dill Crème Fraîche
I loved the embossed raised relief pattern on the china.

CRISPY FLORIDA EVERGLADES FROG LEGS
Sweet Garlic Pudding, San Marzano Tomato Compote and Watercress “Velouté”
This was an ok dish but not as good as the frog legs I had in Thailand, in fact it was kind of bland. Prolly the least interesting dish for me.

SWEET BUTTER-POACHED MAINE LOBSTER “MITTS”
Toasted Barley, Asian Pear, Pickled Pearl Onion and Parsnip Cream
Wow another toothsome set of tastes, tiny micro greens adding sparks of flavor but way too small! I wish it had been slightly bigger.

Across the way another group had their iPhones out, updating the election results live. Impeccably timed to coincide with the 2nd half of the meal, my friend Wendy texted me with the news that Obama had won the election. A toast to the future of America! We ordered a Brunello di Montalcino, Ciacci Piccolomini d'Argona, 2003 again at a "reasonable" $160. The sommalier decanted this one, a floral nose, fruity yet dry with a challenging tannic mouth feel it definitely opened up as the meal progressed.

“AIGUILLETTE” OF LIBERTY FARM PEKIN DUCK just exquisitely done, juicy with a crisp skin, Glazed Salsify, Brussels Sprouts (single leaves- I guesstimated they maybe used 2 whole sprouts for our entire table) and Pomegranate Essence

RIB-EYE OF ELYSIAN FIELDS FARM LAMB
Panisse, Sweet Peppers, Globe Artichokes and Spanish Caper Jus
This was just sublime, tender, juicy taste dynamite. Wowow.

ANDANTE DAIRY “CAVATINA” a pungent goat cheese with compressed Green Apples, Celery Branch and Black Truffle Coulis paired with multi-grain rolls and walnut & cranberry bread. Very earthy richly satisfying.

MAUI GOLDEN PINEAPPLE SORBET with Golden Pineapple and Salted Pili Nuts
refreshing ambroasial palate cleanser

SESAME SEED AND CHOCOLATE “GÂTEAU”
Tahini Ganache, Domori Sambriano Chocolate Crème and Shiso Sorbet
The boys ordered this one.

“GÉNOISE DE PIGNONS DE PIN GRILLÉS” small cubes of nutty cake grilled and smoky with Honey-Poached Cranberries, Mascarpone-Pine Nut Ice Cream and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
a heavenly way to end the meal.

“MIGNARDISES”
Fabulous little treats and chocolates to sweeten the price tag. Ouch!!! Our favorite was the pumpkin pie truffle, which was so richly decadently transcendental there was no room for anything more. Such a surprise that altho each dish only consisted of a few bites that left you longing for more, by the end I was comfortably stuffed. Was it the pinnacle of fine dining? The food was delightful and service impeccable. Aaron and Dana picked up most of the tab, so while it was expensive, I'm not bankrupt. The tough question on everyone's mind- Would you go again? It was split between Maybe for a super special occasion and No thanks I'll just savor the golden memories. Made sweeter by the overwhelming victory for Obama. Thanks again for including me on your foodie adventure!