The Herbfarm

[Wilson]

I'm going to move my beer discussion over to the beer forum. seacrotty, I answered your specific points over there.

Edited January 30, 2004 by Wilson (log)

[Joe H]

I would argue long into the night, especially over a bottle or two of wine, that Washington's merlot is among the best in the world right now. Not Leonetti (past two years have been weak-for them) but perhaps a half dozen other wineries. Some of the older Leonettis (i.e. 94) can compete with anything.

[ScorchedPalate]

I'll bring this back on topic.

I wrote this originally almost a year ago, but never posted it. It was in response to a similar subthread of Herbfarm vs. French Laundry on [that other food site].

Since writing this, I have had the pleasure of dining at FL again last summer. The experience only reinforced my views.

>>>>>>>>>>>

I treated my husband to dinner at The Herbfarm for his birthday last month [01/03]. I saved the printed menu with the thought of writing a review for [that other site], but I find that I still haven't felt the spirit move me. Frankly, it just wasn’t stunning enough to warrant the narrative effort.

It was a nice experience, perhaps even one of the better meals I have had in the Northwest. But it's certainly not the equal of The French Laundry or others in its price category. The food was very good, leaning toward excellent, but it didn't change my world. (And this from a menu whose signature ingredient was truffles, no less.) The ingredients were great, and they were prepared by people who I am sure were tops in their classes at culinary school. But there were no flashes of genius, no sparks of whimsy. It was good food -- don’t get me wrong -- but I didn’t eat anything at The Herbfarm that I haven’t eaten somewhere else.

We spent about the same amount of money ($395.42, according to the "laundry ticket" that I keep here on my corkboard) at the French Laundry on my birthday last year. As at The Herbfarm, that amount included wines, but at the FL they were personalized by the sommelier not only to our meals but also to our tastes and budget -- a much more impressive feat than picking a flight of wines for the entire dining room and leaving it at that.

As for the French Laundry’s food, it was the most sublime dining experience I have ever had, including meals at numerous 'star chef' restaurants in Europe. Not only were the ingredients and the preparation absolutely top drawer (beyond my imagining in some cases), but the dishes themselves utterly changed the way I thought about both individual ingredients and food as a class of experience. I eagerly ate a number of things on Keller's tasting menu that I wouldn't have dared to order in 'everyday' life, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. There were numerous "oh my god" moments at the French Laundry -- some of which I can recall vividly more than a year hence -- but there were few eye-openers at The Herbfarm... and not a single one that I can recall even now, just weeks later.

As to the service: at the French Laundry, I expected to get stuffy waitering of the sort one normally encounters at culinary temples. I couldn't have been more surprised by the warm and gracious service that the staff provided us. Yes, it was decorous, and utterly professional. But it also was, well, quietly festive. The people working there took obvious pleasure in being part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience... and by this I mean both the dinner served at each table, and also the phenomenon that is the French Laundry.

The Herbfarm staff (especially the Lady of the House) perched on the chilly side of professional. They never committed any gaffes, of course, but I felt as though they were standoffish and more than a little full of themselves. Whenever my husband or I would attempt to engage one of them in a bit of (brief) chat about an ingredient or a wine, they responded with various sniffy "yes-we-know-aren't-we-wonderful" remarks. Ugh.

I also felt that the 'dog and pony show' was uncomfortable and mawkish. I found the pre-dinner speeches -- especially the fireside chat that had all of the spontaneity of a high school oral report -- and staff introductions (right down to the dishwasher!) that preceded the meal to be the height of presumption. Knowing where your intern goes to school does not enhance my enjoyment of my meal... sheesh.

My husband [[that's Seacrotty]] summed it up well:

At the French Laundry, they are content to let the food speak for itself. At The Herbfarm, they feel the need to tell you how wonderful their food is in order to justify the expense.

I couldn't agree with him more.

Edited January 30, 2004 by ScorchedPalate (log)