French Laundry Reservations

[winesonoma]

From todays paper"The French Laundry will open between April and May. We'll start taking reservations sometime in March" Thomas Keller

[lleechef]

The Vintage Inn can indeed get you a table at the French Laundry, it's just across the street. We did not have reservations and were able to get in on our second night in Yountville.

[chefrodrigo]

Can someone tell me what the chances are of getting reservations on a weekday for dinner at FL? It would be the week of the 27th September which would be very short notice. A longshot indeed but looking for tips. Is there a standby?

Thanks in Advance

Rodney

[melkor]

Call them every day and ask if there are any cancellations for the 27th, also ask to be put on the waiting list.

[chefrodrigo]

Thanks for the fast reply melkor

I'll do that. If its not possible do you, or anyone, have any other suggestions for alternatives if we can't get in.

Thanks again

Rodney

[melkor]

Are you staying in/around Yountville or are you driving up from eastbay/SF?

[nanuq]

The last time I went, I phoned about 3 weeks ahead and asked to be waitlisted for anytime in the week, and they called us back a few days later with a reservation for the Monday. So I think that if you can be a little flexible it may help.

[chefrodrigo]

We are now on the list.

melkor, I'm not sure which direction we'll be coming from. We are going to head down the coast from Portland and just plan things as we go.

If we don't get into FL has anyone been to La Toque? I've read good things.

thanks

rodney

[melkor]

La Toque is good, but it's a far cry from the FL some of the dishes I've had there have been excellent, others were just ok. There really isn't anything else at that level out here. Gary Danko is good but has a much more urban feel to it, it's a great restaurant but it's a completely different environment. Russ Parsons has recommended the Farmhouse Inn in the Russian River Valley a few times, I still haven't gotten around to going there, but it seems like a reasonable option.

We are now on the list. 

melkor, I'm not sure which direction we'll be coming from.  We are going to head down the coast from Portland and just plan things as we go.

If we don't get into FL has anyone been to La Toque?  I've read good things.

thanks

rodney

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[russ parsons]

Russ Parsons has recommended the Farmhouse Inn in the Russian River Valley a few times, I still haven't gotten around to going there, but it seems like a reasonable option.

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and it does have the advantage of quite nice guest rooms next door, even with a sauna (not to be recommended for the honeymoon, probably).

[SuperLuckyCat]

We've been trying the dialing starting at 9:58, and we are flexible with which day (2 months from this week starting yesterday) and we have 5 nights and 2 lunch days available, but after tons of busy signals, 23 minutes after 10, I get through and it's booked. My husband and I are going to be out in Napa/Sonoma for a week 2 months from this week and we are starting to think we are fools for thinking someone without connections can get through.

We are cutting corners in flight $ and using hotel points for free room so that we can eat and drink amazing meals and buy some good wine, do we have any chance of getting into French Laundry? I need some advice because we were considering this the first step in planning what days we would be in Sonoma vs Napa and what other must-have reservations.

I know there has got to be dozens of other restaurants in the area that would be as high (if not higher) quality that we should focus on (and probably not as crazy expensive). I read eGullet a lot and winecountry.com sort of helps too. I hate to pose the same question you guys get a lot which is, what restaurants are worth the effort to make sure we don't miss?

We'll also be in San Fran for 3 nights after the week in Napa/Sonoma and in Big Sur the night prior to that week, so recs in those areas are fair game.

[ScorchedPalate]

Sounds like you've already tried my top 3 suggestions:

- Consider lunch.

- Go on a weekday/night.

- Be persistent.

My other standard advice is: Try for a larger party -- They have a finite number of 2-tops. And increase your odds by using every phone you can get your hands on.

We've gone 3 times so far, and had no trouble getting reservations each time, using 2 cell phones and a land-line.

Edited to add: Good luck!

~A

Edited June 30, 2005 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[Badiane]

You might try booking a table at an equally nice restaurant, of which I am sure there are many. Then on the day of, call the French Laundry and see if there is a cancellation you can scoop up. If so, call the other place and politely cancel. Might work. And at least you would have a backup to go to if not.

[melkor]

The list of equally nice restaurants in the area is 0 lines long. Tomorrow you'll have a better shot since July 1st they will be taking reservations for August 31st and Sept 1st (since there is no June 31). Twice as many tables available cant hurt your chances. If you aren't able to get a table, ask to be put on the waiting list, give them a cell phone number to reach you at, and explain that you are coming in from out of town and provide them with the dates you are available. It really is worth all the hassle.

[bilrus]

Everything I've read and seen tells me to agree with Melkor on this one. You're not going to find soemthing comparable in wine country to the French Laundry.

If you are willing to have your blowout meal in San Francisco, you might not find another French Laundry, but it opens you up to several worthy challengers. Others would be able to chime in with suggestions there.

But keep trying TFL.

[little ms foodie]

try www.opentable.com

[MakeLifeFun]

I've succeeded three times in getting reservations. My method was simple persistence. I set my watch alarm for 9:57. Then, using my cell phone,I called the FL number. As soon as I heard the busy tone, I hung up and called again. My phone has an automatic "redial if busy" feature, but that cycle is 30-40 seconds for each try, which is easy but quite slow. Manually, I could redial in about 7-9 seconds, and luckily my phone used the same button to first hang up, then press again to redial last number and one last time to accept. So I'd just be reading a web site or whatever and my thumb would go tap tap tap, there would be a pause as I heard the connection and busy tone, and I'd tap tap tap again. It was really mindless to simply keep repeating until 10:15 or so. I was able to succeed after 2-5 days in each case.

Each time I was also amused at the relaxed politeness of the reservationist. Your adrenaline is actually pumping a little from your success, but their tone each time was slow and friendly like the reservations are nothing special.

Anyway, from experience, the easiest way to get a reservation is brute force, dial dial dial dial, hopefully with a phone that lets you redial very quickly and easily.

I admit that we probably will not be returning to the FL again though. It's a great once-in-a-lifetime experience, but we've decided it's not worth the effort and $$. No specific gripes, just that there's lots of places we can go for one third the price and hassle.

[jsolomon]

Have you considered the Blazing Saddles approach?

[Carlsbad]

You might want to reconsider the number of days in the wine country and add some days in San Francisco. The more I travel, the better SF looks. There are a lot of fine restaurants there, with amazing meals and good wine, for a lot less money. Spending days on the phone for the privilege of spending $300 a person for a meal isn't my idea of a vacation. Just a thought.

[SuperLuckyCat]

I just want to report that I got in for Sept 1, through speed dialing! Thanks for the support.

[Kouign Aman]

Overall, what's the success rate of calling the day of?

(estimated, obviously)

[Kouign Aman]

Have you considered the Blazing Saddles approach?

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I want to hear more about that!

[Kouign Aman]

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Edited March 31, 2008 by Kouign Aman (log)

[Kouign Aman]

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Edited March 31, 2008 by Kouign Aman (log)