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The French Laundry 2001 - 2005

Rosie

By Rosie
in California: Dining

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milla

milla

Posted
Posted
One thing of note:  Keller was not in the kitchen and when we asked if Doug Psaltis was, we were told that he "no longer works here."  I don't recall reading anything about his departure...anyone have further details?

Doug Psaltis left the French Laundry about 3-4 weeks ago. He is back in NYC with plans to open his own place in the near future.

Silly Disciple

Silly Disciple

Posted
Posted
One thing of note:  Keller was not in the kitchen and when we asked if Doug Psaltis was, we were told that he "no longer works here."  I don't recall reading anything about his departure...anyone have further details?

Doug Psaltis left the French Laundry about 3-4 weeks ago. He is back in NYC with plans to open his own place in the near future.

Didn't he join like 5 months ago? Who is taking his place at TFL?

Silly.

We''ve opened Pazzta 920, a fresh pasta stall in the Boqueria Market. follow the thread here.

My blog, the Adventures of A Silly Disciple.

melkor

melkor

Posted
Posted

Like jeffj, we had the pleasure of eating at the French Laundry last weekend. We arrived early for our 8:30 reservation so we sat in the garden to wait:

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Sitting on the bench enjoying the full moon, the breeze, the garden, and of course the company of the wonderful MsMelkor, I asked her to marry me :smile:. She clearly is lacking some good sense as she said yes. 8:30 rolled around so we went inside to start our meal.

I didn't take notes so I'll just post the pictures of our meal. Each course was served with wine, some good and others excellent. No notes on them either. We did start our meal with glasses of Pierre Gimonnet NV, but after that it was a bit of a blur. Usually when we go to the French Laundry, we focus so much on the components of each dish that we end up losing sight of the overall experience. This time, we were able to enjoy the aspect of TFL that sets it apart from every other restaurant in the area: not only is the food technically excellent, but everything flows together seamlessly to create an utterly perfect evening.

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(oh, and my pictures suck compared to what jeffj posted above :laugh:)

melkor

melkor

Posted
Posted
whoa one of those plates has a LOT of truffle on it....... is that a pasta dish?? looks sensational

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Yeah, for anyone who is interested in making this dish - i think the recipe is 2 parts pasta, a bit of amazing sauce, and 1 part white truffles :laugh:. A glass of white burgundy was outstanding with it. I've had this dish several times in the past, they serve it with preserved black truffles during the summer and white truffles if you happen to be lucky enough to get a table when they are in season.

jeffj

jeffj

Posted
Posted

melkor, congrats on the engagement...similarly, our meal was in celebration of our wedding last month. I can't think of a nicer place to celebrate.

I'm totally jealous of the dishes you had. That truffle dish looks mindblowing. How'd you get so many courses...did you guys order the 2x2 menu?

Thanks for posting the pics...

View more of my food photography from the world's finest restaurants:

FineDiningPhotos.com

melkor

melkor

Posted
Posted
melkor, congrats on the engagement...similarly, our meal was in celebration of our wedding last month.  I can't think of a nicer place to celebrate.

I'm totally jealous of the dishes you had.  That truffle dish looks mindblowing.  How'd you get so many courses...did you guys order the 2x2 menu?

Thanks for posting the pics...

The kitchen cooked for us. They cut the menu short when we got full after that beef dish - this was the only meal I've had there off-menu that only had one meat dish. Congrats on the wedding. What percent of the people on any given night at the French Laundry are there to celebrate a special occasion? I'd guess 75

marie-louise

marie-louise

Posted
Posted

How romantic-congratulations, you two!

What would you have done if you hadn't been able to get reservations any time soon?

I have visions of you sitting on the curb outside a taco truck... :laugh:

Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

Congratulations.

Oh, and on the engagement too.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

jeffj

jeffj

Posted
Posted

What would you have done if you hadn't been able to get reservations any time soon?

Here's a tip that isn't often mentioned: As long as you can get 8 people together, you can reserve the private dining room. And you can have your pick of dates up to 2 years in advance (so long as the date isn't already taken by another party). You'll pay a bit more for the tasting menu but the privacy and space are well worth it. The room has two sets of doors that lead out onto the second floor balcony which is perfect for mid-meal stretches.

View more of my food photography from the world's finest restaurants:

FineDiningPhotos.com

  • 4 weeks later...
Aren

Aren

Posted
Posted
Aren, welcome to eGullet!  Are you going to report back to us on your dinner? We are always looking for alternative and new-blood reviews and members...

Cheers!

It was an exquisite meal, as expected. The link I posted before has a link to my wife's blog, where she reported on the meal!

Suzi Edwards

Suzi Edwards

Posted
Posted

So, say you'd assumed that you had to book here 1 month in advance and had booked a flight from London and then discovered that it was 2 months. Apart from feeling like a prize ninny, what would you do?

Do they run a cancellation list? Should I make a sacrifice at the altar of restaurant reservations? Shall I just eat at Manresa twice and deal with the fact that clearly I am fated to eat at every great restaurant in the world apart from any of Keller's and pretend that this is more his loss than mine?

Suzi Edwards aka "Tarka"

"the only thing larger than her bum is her ego"

Blogito ergo sum

chaud-froid

chaud-froid

Posted
Posted
So, say you'd assumed that you had to book here 1 month in advance and had booked a flight from London and then discovered that it was 2 months. Apart from feeling like a prize ninny, what would you do?

Do they run a cancellation list? Should I make a sacrifice at the altar of restaurant reservations? Shall I just eat at Manresa twice and deal with the fact that clearly I am fated to eat at every great restaurant in the world apart from any of Keller's and pretend that this is more his loss than mine?

TFL does have cancellations and does hand them out. Call them. Also book a flight for next month too!!!!

http://www.sweetandsourspectator.org
CherieV

CherieV

Posted
Posted
So, say you'd assumed that you had to book here 1 month in advance and had booked a flight from London and then discovered that it was 2 months. Apart from feeling like a prize ninny, what would you do?

Do they run a cancellation list? Should I make a sacrifice at the altar of restaurant reservations? Shall I just eat at Manresa twice and deal with the fact that clearly I am fated to eat at every great restaurant in the world apart from any of Keller's and pretend that this is more his loss than mine?

TFL does have cancellations and does hand them out. Call them. Also book a flight for next month too!!!!

Ok, I have an experince to share. Last month I was in Napa for buisness and I "walked in" to The French Laundry on a whim. Let me say, it was a Monday evening the week before Christmas so I figured this was my best shot at there possibly being a table open for 2ppl. I was staying at Villagio in Yountville and had plans elsewhere but then thought "I am a block away from The French Laundry! I have to try to go for dinner." Dinner was everything I expected. Classic French cuisine and very expensive. It was enjoyable but equal to Daniel and Le Bec Fin. Very classic French. Everything perfectly prepared but no surprises. Just perfection of classic dishes which has its place always.

CherieV

Eat well, drink better!

IrishCream

IrishCream

Posted
Posted

Tarka, as CherieV points out, it's quite possible to eat at FL without a reservation...just don't count on it. Unlike CherieV's experience, you usually have to be persistent. Over the years several eGers have reported getting in by just showing up and sitting at the basically non-existent bar. Apparently, even FL has last minute cancellations and no shows. But you might spoil your night if it doesn't pan out.

Lobster.

  • 1 month later...
dvs

dvs

Posted
Posted

has anyone been to FL for lunch lately? going there this sunday @ 1p and would love an idea of what to expect. TIA!!

phatbastard

phatbastard

Posted
Posted

Expect perfection. I realize that doesn't offer much at all, but it's as true a statement as I can make. Just go with an open mind, time to let it all soak in, and a curiosity for what comes next.

bilrus

bilrus

Posted
Posted
Expect perfection.  I realize that doesn't offer much at all, but it's as true a statement as I can make.  Just go with an open mind, time to let it all soak in, and a curiosity for what comes next.

I think I would take the opposite side of that.

I went into my visit to French Laundry expecting perfection and it came up just short of perfection. Despite being one of the best meals I had had up to that point, it wasn't THE best. And I was a little disappointed, although my disappointment waned throughout the evening.

On the other hand, having had that experience, I went into my dinner at Per Se six months later not expecting perfection and the meal far exceeded my expectations.

My understanding of lunch at FL is that it is the same experience and menu as at dinner. I'm sure you will enjoy yourself.

Bill Russell

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