The French Laundry 2006 -

[Aitch]

I was another member of the U.E.'s recent party to TFL, and wanted to briefly add my two cents. Start with the fact that our service at TFL was less attentive than the service I got at Urasawa three days earlier, and Urasawa doesn't even have French-style service. But I think the U.E.'s remarks really downplay the horrible nature of the service that we got. U.E. has listed some of the specific incidents that were experienced, but I really felt that there was almost active disdain towards our party on the part of the main server. This is hard to capture in a bullet-pointed list, and so perhaps U.E. felt a need to report things more objectively.

Here's my subjective view of the matter.

As the U.E. mentioned, I chose not to drink right away (the other people in our party ordered beers to start). We had gotten lost on our way to TFL (the inevitable result of my being behind the wheel), and had spent an extra hour-and-a-half baking on the Oakland Bridge (there, and then back again -- whoops, wrong turn). At the point I walked into the restaurant, I was extremely dehydrated.

I am also a lightweight, and I didn't want to get drunk with the amuse. (Ask the U.E.: this is very possible with me!) So I decided to stick with water until I got hydrated. I mentioned to the serving staff that I would probably order wine later on in the meal, but that I wanted water to start. Suffice to say, I felt harassed every time they came by. They could have asked nicely whether I wanted anything yet, but every time I said, "Not now" I felt -- by glance and inference -- that I was committing a major faux pas. There was no actual eye-rolling, but I felt horribly uncomfortable the whole dinner.

I really wanted to order the Tokaj at the end of my meal; I adore Tokaj, and I almost always order it for dessert when I see it. But I hate feeling pressured, and I'm a contrarian, and so I felt almost obligated to forgo alcohol at that point.

I had expected our experience at TFL to be similar to our experience at Trotter's or Tru in Chicago: great French service, impeccably prepared food, and a pleasant environment in which to celebrate our several points of celebration. I've joined U.E. for some of his eating binges (in fact, I appear in some of his photos on Flickr! Look closely!), and I have to agree with his assessment -- my meal at TFL was the least pleasant meal at a top-flight restaurant I have ever had.

[ulterior epicure]

I was another member of the U.E.'s recent party to TFL, and wanted to briefly add my two cents.  Start with the fact that our service at TFL was less attentive than the service I got at Urasawa three days earlier, and Urasawa doesn't even have French-style service.  But I think the U.E.'s remarks really downplay the horrible nature of the service that we got.  U.E. has listed some of the specific incidents that were experienced, but I really felt that there was almost active disdain towards our party on the part of the main server.  This is hard to capture in a bullet-pointed list, and so perhaps U.E. felt a need to report things more objectively.

Here's my subjective view of the matter.

As the U.E. mentioned, I chose not to drink right away (the other people in our party ordered beers to start).  We had gotten lost on our way to TFL (the inevitable result of my being behind the wheel), and had spent an extra hour-and-a-half baking on the Oakland Bridge (there, and then back again -- whoops, wrong turn).  At the point I walked into the restaurant, I was extremely dehydrated.

I am also a lightweight, and I didn't want to get drunk with the amuse.  (Ask the U.E.:  this is very possible with me!)  So I decided to stick with water until I got hydrated.  I mentioned to the serving staff that I would probably order wine later on in the meal, but that I wanted water to start.  Suffice to say, I felt harassed every time they came by.  They could have asked nicely whether I wanted anything yet, but every time I said, "Not now" I felt -- by glance and inference -- that I was committing a major faux pas.  There was no actual eye-rolling, but I felt horribly uncomfortable the whole dinner.

I really wanted to order the Tokaj at the end of my meal;  I adore Tokaj, and I almost always order it for dessert when I see it.  But I hate feeling pressured, and I'm a contrarian, and so I felt almost obligated to forgo alcohol at that point.

I had expected our experience at TFL to be similar to our experience at Trotter's or Tru in Chicago:  great French service, impeccably prepared food, and a pleasant environment in which to celebrate our several points of celebration.  I've joined U.E. for some of his eating binges (in fact, I appear in some of his photos on Flickr!  Look closely!), and I have to agree with his assessment -- my meal at TFL was the least pleasant meal at a top-flight restaurant I have ever had.

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Aitch?!?

Are you who I think you are? Thanks for jumping in with your comments and observations! It's great to get some back up on this one!

I hope all is well with you! I look forward to our next "eating binge!!"

u.e.

[rjwong]

Aitch,

Welcome to eGullet, California forum!

I'm saddened that you, ulterior epicure et al. had an unfortunate experience at TFL.

I've been reading the accounts of your group's evening. To me, it seems as though your service started going down after this exchange (or a facsimile thereof):

We're foregoing the wine tonight, thank you. Oh.

Am I mistaken, but doesn't TFL have a non-alcoholic pairing?

[ulterior epicure]

Am I mistaken, but doesn't TFL have a non-alcoholic pairing?

They might - but I don't remember being offered one...

u.e.

[edited to add: reviewing my posts upthread, i see that my quickly typed posts resulted in some misspellings and poor word choices. "occurrence," not "occurence," also, substitue mistake/miscue for "missive." sorry... trying to get better about self-spell check - really, i'm not mis-educated! ]

Edited May 20, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[dvs]

so i stopped by the bakery tonight, and what did i spy through the window to where the bread is made??

i asked them about it and they call them butterballs

there were a few left over and they offered me a few. this was at about 5:45pm...

[molto e]

I was another member of the U.E.'s recent party to TFL, and wanted to briefly add my two cents.  Start with the fact that our service at TFL was less attentive than the service I got at Urasawa three days earlier, and Urasawa doesn't even have French-style service.  But I think the U.E.'s remarks really downplay the horrible nature of the service that we got.  U.E. has listed some of the specific incidents that were experienced, but I really felt that there was almost active disdain towards our party on the part of the main server.  This is hard to capture in a bullet-pointed list, and so perhaps U.E. felt a need to report things more objectively.

Here's my subjective view of the matter.

As the U.E. mentioned, I chose not to drink right away (the other people in our party ordered beers to start).  We had gotten lost on our way to TFL (the inevitable result of my being behind the wheel), and had spent an extra hour-and-a-half baking on the Oakland Bridge (there, and then back again -- whoops, wrong turn).  At the point I walked into the restaurant, I was extremely dehydrated.

I am also a lightweight, and I didn't want to get drunk with the amuse.  (Ask the U.E.:  this is very possible with me!)  So I decided to stick with water until I got hydrated.  I mentioned to the serving staff that I would probably order wine later on in the meal, but that I wanted water to start.  Suffice to say, I felt harassed every time they came by.  They could have asked nicely whether I wanted anything yet, but every time I said, "Not now" I felt -- by glance and inference -- that I was committing a major faux pas.  There was no actual eye-rolling, but I felt horribly uncomfortable the whole dinner.

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Aitch,

I would not compare the level of service at Urasawa and TFL. My meal at Urasawa was one of the most intimate meals of my life. Chef Urasawa practically hand feeds you your whole dinner so how can it get any better than that.

"Molto one bite no wasabi"

After your journey up there it sounds like you could have used a drink. Obviously this is not the kind of experience that TFL prides itself on. If this type of thing were the norm then this restaurant would not have received the accolades that it has including this year's James Beard Foundation's award for "Outstanding Restaurant". Did any of you consider asking to have them switch your server??

U.E. did say that when he finally brought the issue up with the Host that,"Honestly, as they had taken the drinks off of the bill, I'm not sure what more they could do, other than just apologize - and try to prevent future occurences."

By waiting until you were paying the bill to voice your displeasure then you did not give them the opportunity to rectify the situation. I would have liked to seen what they may have done mid-meal to make good on the experience. You may have received many bonus courses or EXTRA COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS. I would think that U.E. had his camera with him so it is surprising that they would fumble on a "foodie" table. Will this prevent you from dining at Keller restaurants in the future?

Best,

Molto E

Edited May 20, 2006 by molto e (log)

[Sergio]

Next time can you go a bit earlier and spy with a notepad handy, or maybe a video camera?

I really want to know how that bread is made. Is anyone who has tried it an expert baker able to reverse-engineer the roll?

[ulterior epicure]

Aitch,

          I would not compare the level of service at Urasawa and TFL. My meal at Urasawa was one of the most intimate meals of my life. Chef Urasawa practically hand feeds you your whole dinner so how can it get any better than that.

molto e.

I was not with Aitch at Urasawa, so I can't speak to that (although I can parlay my experience at Sushi Yasuda - which is also a hand-to-mouth service)... and I will agree that the services at the two restaurants are completely in two separate categories. However, like I had mentioned, I personally didn't need to be coddled, I just would have appreciated if the service didn't disrupt or actually down-grade an otherwise perfectly acceptable experience.

Obviously this is not the kind of experience that TFL prides itself on. If this type of thing were the norm then this restaurant would not have received the accolades that it has including this year's James Beard Foundation's award for "Outstanding Restaurant".

As I stated earlier, I am sure that this is not the norm - even noting that I had stellar service at Per Se, which I found to be the highlight of my my meal there.

Also, I will say that I have nothing against Thomas Keller. Despite my experience, I still respect him as a talented chef, proprietor, businessman, and pioneer; I'm sure he deserves all of the praise and accolades he's received.

quote=ulterior epicure, May 19, 10:26 AM

In fact, based on my experience at its younger sister, Per Se, I had been commenting to my guests in the weeks leading up to the dinner, that I predicted we would get stellar service regardless of whether or not the food would be all that impressive

Did any of you consider asking to have them switch your server??

Honestly, no. First, I don't like to complain unless things get really out of hand - which they did - but only, as I stated, toward the end of the meal, by which time I personally figured we would ride it through. I have worked as a server before, and I know there can be times when things get out of hand... and I didn't want to be one of those "trouble" diners who complain right from the get-go. The only thing wrong during the first half of the meal was just a slight off-ness about our server's attiude following our decision not to order alcohol.

Really, the trouble began after the half-way mark - and really badly towards the end:

... any one of these mistakes would have happily been overlooked - but together, and toward the end of the meal in rapid succession, really compounded the aggravation.

An attitude problem with the drinks, I am used to and could have endured... but especially during the post-meat courses, the service just completely fell apart. All very quickly. Also, I didn't want to assume that our servers had forgotten the birthday until the very end - as you point out (below) - extra desserts and whatnot often appear. But, when after waiting a good 15 to 20 minutes after our desserts and, and with the appearance of our mignardises, and without any service (in fact, for the first time of the evening, our rather talkative group went into an awkward silence)... I finally asked for the check - sure that no other courses would be brought. At that point, I finally realized the birthday was indeed forgotten. By the time the server came around - with the bill - it was really too late to say anything as all of our dishes had been cleared in the mean-time. When I saw the miscalculated bill, that's when I decided to say something.

U.E. did say that when he finally brought the issue up with the Host that,"Honestly, as they had taken the drinks off of the bill, I'm not sure what more they could do, other than just apologize - and try to prevent future occurences."

And that's exactly what I meant. I'm not on this forum to air my grievances in an attempt to win a free meal or anything. Nor am I here to sensationalize my bad service in an effort to ruin Keller's/TFL's reputation. I'm simply here to contribute to the great on-going dialogue on eGullet that allows members to share our dining experiences with each other.

I don't think I've been biased in any of my statements about TFL. Despite being the "ulterior epicure," I have no "ulterior" agenda. I just wanted to share with all of you, whom I have relied on many times for tips, suggestions - and yes, warnings, about my unfortunate experience at TFL.

By waiting until you were paying the bill to voice your displeasure then you did not give them the opportunity to rectify the situation.

Perhaps true, but I think I've already explained this up-post.

I would have liked to seen what they may have done mid-meal to make good on the experience.

You and me both, molto e. But, hindsight is always....

You may have received many bonus courses or EXTRA COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS. I would think that U.E. had his camera with him so it is surprising that they would fumble on a "foodie" table.

Not that I expect better service by toting around my camera, but, I would have thought they might have been extra cautious - at least recognizing that I wasn't just another "expense account" trying to impress clients or those not "into food."

I will admit that we did get one extra course at the very beginning of the meal - after the famous "Oyster and Pearls." I suspect (can't be positive) that it was sent out by the kitchen (ie. Chef Lee) as a special *wink* to us as "foodies" as I had requested to (and did) meet him. In fact, that extra course, the famous "Truffled egg with Chive Chip" (in the TFL cookbook) was probably the best courses for me during the evening. However, I have reason to believe that the course was bonus from the kitchen, and certainly not from the staff. As well, regardless of any free food sent out - I don't expect it to be a worthy substitution for good service - would you?

Will this prevent you from dining at Keller restaurants in the future?

Absolutely not - but honestly, as there are so many great restaurants out there for me to discover, unless the opportunity presents itself in a more convenient way (as noted, reservations, travel, etc... are not easily coordinated for a place like TFL) I'm afraid I won't be getting back anytime soon. In the meantime, I do hope they re-evaluate their service.

u.e.

[samgiovese]

so i stopped by the bakery tonight, and what did i spy through the window to where the bread is made??

i asked them about it and they call them butterballs 

there were a few left over and they offered me a few. this was at about 5:45pm...

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DVS...thanks for doing that...I was going to ask this morning when I got my breakfast. Two questions:

1) How good is it?

2) Did you get the impression that they have left-overs every day that they are willing to retail? If so, I'll try this evening.

[ulterior epicure]

DVS...thanks for doing that...I was going to ask this morning when I got my breakfast.  Two questions:

1)  How good is it?

2)  Did you get the impression that they have left-overs every day that they are willing to retail?  If so, I'll try this evening.

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Ditto - thanks! Butterball! It was really good bread... well, really, I just liked the glazed top - but that's because it was dusted with sea salt!

u.e.

[Sergio]

Bouchon Bakery makes proprietary breads that are used ONLY at TFL, and not sold to the public through the bakery's retail store.  I had a similar experience with a different bread the last time I dined at FL, and when I inquired at both the restaurant and the bakery, that is the answer I received.  I'm going to Yountville tomorrow, so I'll bring the picture of the bread and ask at the bakery for you, but I think we already know the answer.

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Sam, did you ever end up going to Bouchon and asking about the bread?

[samgiovese]

No, because DVS went the night before.

[PamelaF]

There was an interesting item in the SF Chronicle food section, Inside Scoop, this week about a new location that Thomas Keller plans to open this summer,

Ad Hoc

scroll down to the end of the article to read about TK

[ulterior epicure]

thanks for the note - but unfortunately, the link's not working for me...

u.e.

[dockhl]

thanks for the note - but unfortunately, the link's not working for me...

u.e.

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Too many http://'s

TRY THIS INSTEAD

Article:

Checking in: We've all been waiting to hear what the French Laundry's Thomas Keller is doing to the former Wine Garden (6476 Washington St., Yountville), which he bought in April. Keller told me some surprising news: The space will open at the end of July as a six-month temporary restaurant called Ad Hoc.

Ad Hoc will serve a single fixed-price menu -- think Chez Panisse-style -- for about $45, featuring the kind of comfort food Keller and Bouchon chef Jeff Cerciello say they miss, like fried chicken and beef stroganoff, along with salads from the French Laundry garden. Ad Hoc is intended to be casual, with walk-ins only. In the meantime, the pair is working on the permanent concept for six months down the line.

Ad Hoc, which was almost called Brigadoon due to its temporary nature, will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, with a special Sunday Supper meal starting at 3 p.m. each week

[MaxH]

Article:

. . . Ad Hoc will serve a single fixed-price menu -- think Chez Panisse-style -- . . .

Nota bene: There FYI is a constructive example of a journalist who knows Panisse. (Small digressive cross-reference to long Panisse thread here.) When I first ate at Panisse in the 70s by the way, the prix-fixe was $15 I think (roughly $60 in today's dollars), and Panisse did not yet have a high profile; also I was fairly young. Many people report dining there earlier, when it was as low as (?) $6, again different "dollars" of course. For years, at the peak of its fame, dinner cost $40.

All of this refers to the restaurant (i.e., the downstairs). It helped to popularize prix-fixe menus in the Bay Area. Part of the distinction of the café, when it opened somewhat later (upstairs), was departure from this format which had been (and as you see in the quotation, remains) a signature of the restaurant.

End of small digression. Back to the Laundry and associated venues.

[dvs]

No, because DVS went the night before.

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i'm there a lot and i rarely see leftovers... but i think thats because whatever IS left over can be taken by the staff. i see them walking the bread over around 4:30 or 5p, so i'd remember to peek into the baking part or the bakery next time you happen by at that time...

and the roll was delish!! lightly dusted w/ salt & all

[samgiovese]

I thought those of you that follow this thread might like to see some of Chef Keller's garden produce. These heirlooms are planted in his garden directly across from the French Laundry on Washington St. in Yountville. This is the parcel that he wants to turn into an up-scale inn.

Edited August 11, 2006 by samgiovese (log)

[dvs]

beautiful pics! scott (who does the gardening) has the green thumb for sure!! and right around the corner i am still tomatoeless

btw, they do have another farm off of yountville cross, so all will not be lost when the new inn is built.

Edited August 11, 2006 by dvs (log)

[docsconz]

btw, they do have another farm off of yountville cross, so all will not be lost when the new inn is built. 

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No, although this is a particularly charming aspect of the restaurant. I, for one, will be sorry to see it go.

[samgiovese]

As promised, more pictures of the French Laundry garden:

These will be ready for HALLOWEEN!

It really is "as high as an elephant's eye"!

[jerkhouse]

I was visiting family recently (post bar exam travels) and found out that my cousin is married to Thomas Keller's sister. It's a huge family (I have something like 13 or 14 uncles and aunts) so these kind of things are able to go unnoticed, but I was blown away. My uncle and aunt are showing me pictures and they're like "there's Elizabeth with Jacques Pepin at a celebration for her uncle Thomas's Beard award."

So I'm like "?????" - And she asks "Have you heard of Thomas Keller?" Haha, I don't think they have/had any idea how much of a wannabe foodie I am; my starstruckness seemed to take them completely by surprise.

So my cousin gets to say stuff like "my brother in-law Thomas keller stayed with us this week" which I imagine is followed by "I've never eaten so well in my life."

[dockhl]

I was visiting family recently (post bar exam travels) and found out that my cousin is married to Thomas Keller's sister.  It's a huge family (I have something like 13 or 14 uncles and aunts) so these kind of things are able to go unnoticed, but I was blown away.  My uncle and aunt are showing me pictures and they're like "there's Elizabeth with Jacques Pepin at a celebration for her uncle Thomas's Beard award."

So I'm like "?????" - And she asks "Have you heard of Thomas Keller?"  Haha, I don't think they have/had any idea how much of a wannabe foodie I am; my starstruckness seemed to take them completely by surprise.

So my cousin gets to say stuff like "my brother in-law Thomas keller stayed with us this week" which I imagine is followed by "I've never eaten so well in my life."

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WOW. You win

[robert40]

Not good news.

Cunningham splits from French Laundry.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...FDG7LL5U271.DTL

[docsconz]

That particular column has a few interesting bits to it besides what directly pertains to this thread.

It will be interesting to see how the Keller restaurants will be affected and what Ms. Cunningham does. I am sure her services will be in demand. I hope it works out well for all parties involved.