We had dinner at French Laundry on 12/22/2003. Available were three menus (Game, Chef's, Vegetarian). Being a party of 5, we ended up with one of each so I would imagine, all told, we probably had 35 - 40 total dishes. I could probably write a review on each and every plate that hit the table, but instead, I'll just cover some of the highlights. "Oysters and Pearls" This was a classic that I was glad to see on the Chef's menu. Loved the oysters and the Iranian Caviar was superb. One of my favorites of the night. "Carnaroli Risotto Biologico with White Truffles from Alba and White Truffle Oil" This was a $50 supplement, but very cool. Even the "presentation" of the truffle in a velvet-lined box was interesting, if not a little over the top. They certainly didn't skimp though. The vegetarian course of Vidalia onion "risotto" included the truffles without the supplemental cost, so with three shroomy courses at the table, the perfume of that lovely thing was everywhere. “Bacon and Eggs – All Day Braised Hobbs Shore Pork Belly with a Crème Fraiche Enriched Flan, Wilted Arrowleaf Spinach and Applewood Smoked Bacon Emulsion” This was wildly good. I could have spent all night on that pork belly. “Sauteed Moulard Duck Foie Gras with Butternut Squash, Jacobsen’s Farm Pecans and Banyuls Vinegar Sauce” This was a no-brainer. Obviously it was good, but really, I can eat foie gras any way all day long. The reduced vinegar was the ticket. "Wild Huckleberry Sorbet with Stewed Huckleberries and a Cornmeal Financier” This was on the game tasting and a huge treat. By far my favorite dessert. The flavors of the fresh huckleberries really packed a whollop. I'm salivating right now just thinking about it. The sorbet was excellent as well and went pretty much perfectly with the financier, which had a perfect crust and soft, explosive inside. ”Sweet Carrot Sorbet, Carrot and Cream Cheese Roulade and Celeriac Pudding Cake” This was a splendid sorbet course on the vegetable tasting menu. The roulade was the best part, but the whole thing really popped. The pudding cake was a perfect accompaniment. All in all very good, but I wasn’t absolutely floored by any single dish, which is probably to be expected since I've poured over Keller's cookbook for the last couple of years, learning some of his technique and assembling/plating probably a dozen of his dishes. Maybe I just knew too much going in? As or maybe even more impressive than the food was the service. The servers must be trained mind-readers because there was never a point through the 3.5 hour dinner where we didn’t have exactly what we needed, even when we didn’t even know we wanted it. They were beyond courteous and snapped a few pictures with us in the kitchen. I’d love to spend a month in that kitchen though, I can tell you that for sure. Working around all that luxurious food would be a mind-blower. R. Jason Coulston
