The French Laundry 2001 - 2005

[robert brown]

NIck, no it wasn't, but another part of the server could well be.

[robert brown]

Nick, I never fenced anything in my life. You actually raised a point that I have been tempted to raise on the boards: How chefs perceive the dining experience from the point of view of a diner. I am sure you are a great judge of cuisine and would be great to be with on a busman's holiday. You recall in me an anecdote worth sharing: I once recommended Pierre Gagnaire's restaurant in St. Etienne to a poster artist friend who ended up making a poster for it. All of us then got together for a meal there and also went to Alain Chapel for lunch the next day. When we received our first "amuse guele" in Chapel's bar, I asked Gagnaire what he thought was in it or how it was made.His answer was that he just wanted to enjoy it. I have my interpretation; but Nick, what do you think he meant even if the answer is rather obvious. Are you the same way?

Awbrig, you got a deal. All I have to do is figure out when I'll next be in Chicago, a city I have been to one time overnight. Jinmyo, if you're right, they'll be looking for me in either Yountville or New York. Thanks for your kind sentiments.

Liz, it is experiences like yours that make me want to give the FL another try.

[Roger McShane]

Lizziee and Robert

I have to side with Lizziee on this one! As 'world weary' travellers who have eaten at many of the great restaurants we thought that the greeting, service, wine service and food at FL was as good as you get outside Ducasse in Paris.

Anticipating Steve S, we have not had a meal at Charlie Trotters because every time we have been routed through Chicago it has been on short notice and there has not been a table available. But we will keep on trying.

Back to California. The French Laundry, Chez Panisse, Zuni Cafe triage is an awesome advantage for the western states!!!

[robert brown]

Roger, when did you visit the French Laundry? Based on what I have been able to piece together, there is a tiny bit of evidence to suggest that given that Keller has something to do with a brasserie in town, is starting a bakery, opening a restaurant in New York, and going ahead with an inn associated with the current restaurant, this may be changing the character of the flagship restaurant. It would not be the first time. As I am not privy to the financing aspect of Keller's projects, (perhaps there is some kind of capital conservation going on) I could not possibly say. Someone suggested to me that the level of generosity has dropped, which to me is usually a tell-tale sign that cost reduction is cutting across all aspects. It's generally what I wrote near the end of my original post. I have been a lot more regaled in many other restaurants. Perhaps FL's regaling clients more in the past is a primary reason why people who dined there some years ago have kept good memories of it.

[marcus]

robert -- thanks so much for your highly credible revue. I have been on the fence about trying to go to FL although reading between the lines of many reviews, even lizziee's, I've felt that I personally wouldn't like it very well. Frequent past uses of terms such as "witty" i've interpreted, reading between the lines, as superficial and possibly soulless. You have saved me lots of effort in definitively convincing me that I really don't have to go. In the same way, your review of El Bulli, in my opinion the single finest review that I've read on this site, convinced me that I do have to go, although it is another restaurant that I suspect I may not like very well.

I will be very interested in you eventual review of Trotter's which has a different style than FL, but seems to have many of the same failings. However, in the interest of dispassionate evaluation, I would be reluctant to go with Trotter's biggest cheerleader.

[Zeb A]

Thx for the great review! I am a bit less bummed about failing to snag a reservation there on a recent trip to SF.

[lizziee]

I have been on the fence about trying to go to FL although reading between the lines of many reviews, even lizziee's, I've felt that I personally wouldn't like it very well.  Frequent past uses of terms such as "witty" i've interpreted, reading between the lines, as superficial and possibly soulless.

Marcus,

Why do you think you wouldn't like the dishes at French laundry? Do you think they are precious "little nothings?"

From my posts here is a small sampling of some of Keller's best dishes that are anything but "witty" bits of nothing. Any wittiness is in the naming of the dishes, not the dish itself.

Cauliflower panna cotta topped with osetra caviar

Atlantic Salmon chop with russet potato gnocchi (in looks the salmon resembles a lamb chop and the gnocchi white beans)

White truffle custard with ragout of Perigord truffles with veal stock presented in a hallowed out egg

Coddled hen egg with Perigord truffle beurre noisette

Turbot collar with fennel and Meyer lemon beurre blanc (had a flashback taste to the turbot with Hollandaise from La Caravelle in the 1960's)

Seafood bouillabaisse over a puree of potatoes with olive oil. In a covered little bowl were the pureed potatoes. Our waiter then arrived with a cast iron casserole filled with the bouillabaisse. It was spooned table side over the potatoes. The fishes in the bouillabaisse were Atlantic monkfish, littleneck clams and squid.

Jelly Belly - grilled cod belly with piquillo peppers and seaweed jelly What is extraordinary about this dish is that in one bite you are catapulted to a fine Japanese restaurant.

Prime Kentucky Beef Ribeye with summer vegetables, crispy bone marrow and sauce Bordelaise

Bellwether baby farm Lamb- one piece saddle-roasted , the other braised shank with saffron-infused risotto and California green almonds

Marcus, is there anything in the above that you wouldn't enjoy?

This is just a very, very brief sampling of some of the dishes I have had at French Laundry. Each one was extraordinary and on a par with how Robert described the Oysters and Pearls. Again, I don't doubt for a minute Robert's mediocre experience and have no credible explanation of why. But, I would hate to see someone totally dismiss French Laundry based on what I sincerely hope was an aberation.

[mogsob]

The French Laundry or the Napa Aureole? I have always wanted to go to FL, but my travels to SF have never been scheduled significantly far enough in advance to permit for a reservation. Even last year's tour of Sonoma/Napa in the post-9/11 malaise was scheduled too last minute to snag a table.

Robert, thanks for the post. I agree that this is the best time to visit Northern California (great weather, few tourists), but personally I can't stand Napa. The best wine-tasting experience I have ever had was traveling in Sonoma -- Rocchioli, Davis Bynum, Gary Farrell, Martinelli, Iron Horse etc. While you need a reservation at some, they are easy to come by this time of year and there are no tasting fees to boot.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Gee I forgot about that white truffle custard. Yummy stuff,

[Jinmyo]

lizziee, just the idea of the egg dishes drives me crazy.

[ngatti]

This is just a very, very brief sampling of some of the dishes I have had at French Laundry. Each one was extraordinary and on a par with how Robert described the Oysters and Pearls. Again, I don't doubt for a minute Robert's mediocre experience and have no credible explanation of why. But, I would hate to see someone totally dismiss French Laundry based on what I sincerely hope was an aberation.

Agreed Lizzie, and as I read Robert's post, I don't think he dismissed FL out of hand. As I said I enjoyed my meal very much. Both you and Robert make me envious. A restaurant of this calibre lends itself to much attention and necessarily provokes much splitiing of hairs.

Lookinf forward to seeing how this thread develops.

Nick

[marcus]

Lizziee -- The underlying question is how do we form an opinion of a restaurant in which we've never eaten based on the reports of others. How do we calibrate those opinions. For me, in thinking about this, there are 3 touch points: How do a reviewer's opinions compare to my own for restaurants that I have been to, is a restaurant and its dishes described in terms that appear relevant to me, and reading between the lines, what is the reviewer revealing that may be inadvertant, rather than directly intended.

I do find your reviews quite credible and I read your write-ups on your recent trip to France with great interest and have printed a copy of your 21 best dishes. I do suspect that I am more directly focused on the food as opposed to the overall dining experience and that I may be somewhat more critical overall. Of great service, you have convinced me that I do not need to try Astrance, that I can go back to Troisgros and still get excellently prepared instances of the old classics without having to try the fusion dishes that I know will disappoint me, and that I do not need to make a special trip to L'Arnsbourg, generic and international in style even though very good. On the other hand, despite your negative review, I still do need to try Veyrat, although I'm sure that you would agree with that as well.

My best example of a revealing comment comes from Fat Guy's excellently constructed recent review of Citarella which was circulated in his newsletter. I particularly liked the review because it didn't start with a recitation of dishes, but by creating a context at a higher conceptual level; discussing freshness of ingredients, then applying this to fish and Citarella as a fish company, then discussing the chef and his history and then bringing these together to discuss the restaurant and using the dishes to exemplify. Even his direct criticism of the dishes as being sometimes too bland didn't turn me off. What definitively did turn me off, was his description of the treatment of himachi collar, where in order to pander (my word) to local sensibilities, the fish was removed from the bony structure which was not presented on the plate. For this reason, I personally will not go to this restaurant.

With regard to the French Laundry, all of the dishes that you named look very good from a menu perspective and at this level I agree with you, what's to not like? All I can say is that after reading multiple reviews including yours and Robert Brown's, Fat Guy's and others, my belief is that I would find the style to be over-intellectualized. What Robert Brown has added is that the restaurant may also be in a trough with regard to creativity and execution, and my reading is that this is not a one time aberration.

[lizziee]

Marcus,

First of all, thank you for your cogent reply. I appreciate the thought and time it took you to respond. I am not questioning your reluctance to go to the French Laundry at all. I was just wondering the criteria you used to evaluate a review.

Reading between lines you are not a big fan of fusion food, prefer cuisine that is a reflection of the "terroir" or specific to locale and is not dumbed down for a "wary audience." I am not sure what you mean by Keller's "style is over-intellectualized." I would appreciate it if you would go into this in further depth.

I would agree with you that the over-all dining experience is important to me. It is a given that the food must be excellent, but if the other aspects of fine dining (service, ambiance etc.) is missing or less than, it has a definite bearing on my reaction to that restaurant. That is not to say that great service can make up for lousy food.

We were treated royally at Veyrat, but I wouldn't go back as I am not a fan of Veyrat's cuisine. That said, I definitely think it is a must restaurant to experience as Veyrat is a commanding figure on the culinary scene.

On the other side, the service at Ducasse was fair to poor which definitely affected our dining experience, particularly at those prices.

As far as the French Laundry is concerned, we were there in June and did not notice any less creativity or lack of execution. I can only comment on my personal experience and hope that what Robert experienced was "World Series Itis."

[marcus]

Lizziee -- I don't dislike fusion cooking in principle, but in practice my experience with it has not been satisfactory. This culminated in my dinner at Roellinger, which should be the acme of fusion cooking, which I actively disliked. With regard to Troisgros, this is compounded by my reading of an apparent consensus that the son is not a brilliant chef. I have not been back to Troisgros for many years since before the father died, and I remember it as one of my very best and most enjoyable meals ever. I have been reluctant to compromise those memories.

Intellectualization has been a growing component of modern life which has had impacts on all arts including haut cuisine. Where it crosses the line, or if such a line even exists, into-overintellectualization is a personal judgment. I hit that line earlier rather than later. In my view, intellectualization inherently places itself in opposition to soul.

Here are some examples: At Trama I once had a salmon dish with balsamic vinegar and blee germe. The wheat germ was in a small pile on top of the fish. It had no taste. It was there to make a statement that Trama believes in healthy food. Michel Bras' appetizer with 20+ vegetables placed together in small quantifies is a brag over technique. He is saying, look at what I can do by indvidually cooking and placing together this large number of vegetables and herbs and you can individually taste every one. I actually enjoy this dish, but if I didn't know and appreciate what the chef was attempting, I'm not sure that I would. I've never been to El Bulli, but his "deconstruction" of raw materials into foams is clearly another type of intellectualization.

With regard to French Laundry I am once again speaking at second hand. Nor do I believe that Keller is the worst offender, but I do have the impression that his is, to a significant extent, concept food. I'm sure that he is not nearly as much of an offender, from my perspective, as Trotter who's dishes to me appear to be studies rather than finished works.

[Zeb A]

I'm sure that he is not nearly as much of an offender, from my perspective, as Trotter who's dishes to me appear to be studies rather than finished works.

Uh oh. Now you've done it. Just wait till Awbrig gets a load of this.

[Peter Rodgers]

While I dearly love the Napa and Sonoma Valleys -- especially the surprising number of small, family run wineries, the summer food markets and the luxury of resorts like the Auberge de Soleil, etc., our food experiences often have been as disappointing as the one you reported at the French Laundry.

That said, on the one occasion in 2000 that we were been able to break through the reservation system and snag a table, we had perhaps our best meal in the U.S. (other than at Daniel in NYC) in several years. We had reservation problems (as you found, they seemed to have amnesia about our booking), which forced us to take a late (9 pm) seating. We are used to eating in Europe and did not mind; the bonus, however, was that the service was less pressed and more attentive. We stretched our consumption of the big the tasting menu to after midnight. And when we had foraged through, we were invited to the kitchen, where Tom Keller took time to chat with us at considerable length. I can't remember the details of our meal, but pearls and oysters was a marvel (much as you said), we had a perfect seared foie gras, and at one point a feathery light quennelle de brochet, sauce nantua that seemed like it had been flown straight from Lyon.

Otherwise, the scene in Napa has produced repeated disappointments. Terra was good the first time, but boring since, Tra Vigna ordinary and the several Yountville bistros (including Keller's) just ok.

After many meals, our favorite in the area is Mustards. Not flashy, but real food, from an Americana tradition, that is consistently well prepared.

[russ parsons]

i was in the valley last week and dined again at the french laundry, with this post lurking in the back of my mind. i think i understand what the original writer was saying and it's actually a fairly common experience. let me say at the outset that it is impossible for me to be impartial about this restaurant, it is probably my favorite in this country. also, thomas is a friend ... actually i edited him for two years. i have eaten at the laundry probably a dozen times over the last 3 or 4 years (and, yes, always paid for my meals).

that said, i do find sometimes that palate fatigue is sometimes a problem. I've had 6-hour, 25-course meals that were absolutely remarkable in every way: intellectually challenging, yet utterly delicious. but i'd be the first to admit that after the first 10 or 15 courses, the attention begins to flag. no matter how great hte cooking is, by the main meats, i'm usually feeling a bit fatigued. i've always thought the worst job in cooking has to be pastries at the french laundry. my solution (and one i recommend highly), is to take a break in hte middle of the meal (or, for a really long meal, take 2 breaks) and walk around in the garden. get some fresh air, rub your hands on the herb plants. be sure to let the servers know the course before you plan to do this. i've been in the kitchen when a guest went to the bathroom just before a course went out and the entire parade of waiters for the table returned to the kitchen, the dishes were disassembled and then put backtogether with fresh sauces and garnishes when the diners were ready.

thomas is insane, but in the very best way.

[lizziee]

Russ,

That is exactly what my husband and I do. Usually, right before the foie gras course, we alert our server and take a breather in the garden. I am glad that the French laundry is living up to its reputation as for me, it is my favorite in the country.

"Be sure to let the servers know the course before you plan to do this. i've been in the kitchen when a guest went to the bathroom just before a course went out and the entire parade of waiters for the table returned to the kitchen, the dishes were disassembled and then put backtogether with fresh sauces and garnishes when the diners were ready."

Russ, take a look at the Lespinasse thread to see how they handle a missing diner! Quite a difference!

[lizziee]

Russ,

Where else did you eat in the valley that you felt was note worthy?

[jciel]

First, let me say that I live in the valley. Secondly, let me thank Robert for that excellent review of FL. I get to dine there several times a year and can honestly say that I have never had the best of experiences. In fact, I am now so disenchanted by both of TK's properties that I will try deflect invitations to either in favor of other, more local, venues. There are, to be fair, some dishes that border on the sublime, but most are well conceived, but poorly executed. There are other flaws, service has certainly slipped since TK's brother left for his own ventures, and the rate at which staff will turnover, is even by most restaurant standards high. FL is now, and has been for several years, a resume builder. FL's retrenching started several years ago when all the staff were placed on salary, and service and kitchen staff left in droves. While the bottom line improved, and allowed for expansion, there was no commensurate improvement in the quality of the product. Some of this may be attributed to lack of oversight, but I feel that the quality of the staffing declined so considerably that they will be recovering for some time. Thanks for letting me rant, FL and Bouchon have been my pet peeves for some time.

[robert brown]

I seem to have been short-changed in the number of courses department. If there is one standard of generosity for some and another for others, what kind of crap is that? Nice post, Jciel. It was hardly pie in the sky (and probably on the money).

[Jinmyo]

I seem to have been short-changed in the number of courses department. If there is one standard of generosity for some and another for others, what kind of crap is that?

Merde?

[Dan in Austin]

'lizzie, I found this staggering. Amidst it all, this stands out to me:

8. Egg

White truffle custard with ragout of Perigord truffles with veal stock presented in a hallowed out egg

Coddled hen egg with perigord truffle beurre noisette

Sigh. "

This dish has been around for years; one can get this prepared flawlessly at Faugeron in Paris.

[southern girl]

Dan in Austin...welcome.

You might want to check out lizziee's extensive posts on the France board...including one from Oct. 25....Lunch at Faugeron .

Edited December 4, 2002 by southern girl (log)

[Jinmyo]

Dan, it's just a great dish. Anything with egg and mushrooms is staggering to me, actually.