ijfri

How about Trattoria del'Arte. Its at 900 seventh ave. and they have several really nice private rooms. They did a really nice job for my family a few years ago in their wine room.

Although its been 10 years since moving from CT to the bay area, I still have fond memories of Stew Leonards in Norwalk, and in particular, their Sour Dough bread. I'd be curious if it is still as good, and how it would compare now that I get to sample the best the bay area has to offer.

Patrick Davids in nearby Danville for terrific Pacific Rim and Postino in Lafayette for great Italian. www.patrickdavids.com www.postinorestaurant.com

If you come down the coast, passing Gualala and Sea Ranch, the Sea Ranch lodge is a nice place to stay, and they do a nice wine paired tasting dinner. Just was there this past weekend and it was excellent.

When they call to rescedule, see if they will "trade" a Per Se reservation for a French Lundry reservation. I asked. She said she would make a note of it and I could discuss it when they call to reschedule. I may have just been lucky when I made this reservation, but I got through after 4 tries. Reserving at The French Laundry has been much more difficult in the past. By the way, she was very pleasant and said they would try to reschedule for "like" reservations. In other words, since I had a 7:30 on a Sat. night, she said they would try to get me that.

Well, my April 17 reservation just got cancelled. Looks like they won't be opening until May and will start calling to reschedule next week. Since I live in the bay area, looks like I'm more likely to be going next to The French Laundry when it opens, then Per Se.

There is a new recording saying that they cannot honor reservations through April 15. Interestingly, they give a phone number to arrange private parties. Not sure what thats about-maybe just thinking long term. My res is for April 17-glad I have a backup, but hope they are up and running.

Does anyone know if they are offering a wine pairing with their tasting menus?