Update on San Francisco and Napa

[lizziee]

An update on the French Laundry, Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon, Slanted Door, Yank Sing, and Fleur de Lys.

First, Napa and San Francisco in August is over-run with tourists who don't always have the same level of expertise and fine dining knowledge as during other times of the year. Dress can be ridiculously casual (a couple showed up at the French Laundry for lunch in shorts), a table will nurse two iced teas at dinner, and steak and fries seem to be the norm. Other than the Slanted Door and Bouchon, the restaurants "delivered" with the best being the French Laundry and Fleur de Lys.

The French Laundry was particularly susceptible to the tourist syndrome. These were people who had heard the "buzz", obviously struggled with getting a reservation, but once there did not know how to maximize the experience. I am sure, in a number of cases, that they went home and said, "What's the big deal?" The sommelier and wait staff were patient and explained in detail every dish, the best way to orchestrate the meal etc., but often to no avail. Some examples spring to mind. A table of five in the middle of the room were warring over the choice of wine. One group wanted a sweet white, while the other wanted a dry white. This one bottle was to last the entire meal and work with all courses. Bobby Stuckey, who is one of the best sommeliers in the country, is down to earth, not the least pretentious and extremely knowledgeable. Finally, to this table of five, he suggested to the sweet group that if they gave a little and the dry group gave a little, he would be able to help. It was like watching major negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Another example would be the man, who as his dish was cleared, asked the waiter what those little bits of black stuff was that he left on the plate. (They were truffles.) Another table didn't want to do the tasting menu and asked if they could have just grilled fish and a salad. Another wanted a steak and baked potato. Thomas Keller does try and adapt the tasting menus in August to reflect this type of clientele i.e.. much more meat on the menu than he normally does. In spite of the above, the wait staff was personal, professional and accepting. We had a specially created tasting menu with one preparation for my husband and another for me.

Our Meal:

1. Cornets of Atlantic Salmon Tartar with red onion creme fraiche (As I have mentioned in earlier threads about The French Laundry, this is Keller's signature starter).

2. Soup

Cold Sweet Red Pepper

Cold White Bean with bits of bacon (the red pepper was intense with an underlying sweetness, while the white bean had a greater savory, smoky component)

3. Sorbet

Tomato sorbet with crunchy croutons

Coconut Sorbet with bits of fresh coconut (the coconut sorbet was acidic with lemony overtones while the tomato sorbet hinted at a natural sweetness)

4. Blinis

Potato blini topped with grated botarga, underneath tomato confit

Potato blini with caviar, underneath a raisin compote

(Again the contrast between the touch of sweetness of the raisins versus the saltiness of the botarga. Thomas seems to be experiementing between sweet vs savory vs salt)

5. Caviar (two signature dishes that we have had in the past)

Cauliflower panna cotta topped with osetra caviar

Pickled Oysters on a cappelini of English cucumber with caviar

6. Fish

We both had grilled cod belly with piquillo peppers and seaweed jelly (We have had this before. Thomas Keller calls it Jelly Belly) What is extraordinary about this dish is that in one bite you are catapulted to a fine Japanese restaurant.

7. Fish

Barbecued eel with a marinated cold thinly sliced radish salad

Cod cheeks with onion gastric marmalade

8. Egg (Again a repeat of two dishes we have had before but both are worth repeating.)

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

Coddled hen egg with Perigord truffle beurre noisette

9. Foie Gras (We asked that they do only a cold preparation as it was very, very hot in Napa)

"Moulard duck foie gras frais au torchon" with green gage plum marmalade and toasted brioche

Terrine of Moulard duck foie gras studded with truffles served with frisee salad

10. Fish

Pan roasted Sturgeon with a ragout of cranberry beans and basil broth

Pan roasted cod with something called Dry Crop potatoes that were probably the best potatoes I have ever tasted.

11. Fish

We both had the butter poached lobster with Chanterelle mushrooms, toasted almond 'nougatine' and apricot 'jus'

12. Meat

Again we both had the rib-eye of lamb with 'confit de byaldi en crepinette , braised fennel bulb and fennel-infused oil"

13. Meat

We were then presented with a perfectly "dry roasted" chicken in the pot that was then sent to the kitchen to be carved. Thomas Keller only serves the breast, using the legs and thighs for stock. This dish is the essence of simplicity, but so aromatic, tender and just perfect.

14. Cheese

We each had different preparations but after quite a bit of wine, my note-taking was degenerating.

15. As usual, it is possible to have an entire flight of desserts, but also as usual we just opted for my husband's favorite of doughnuts with cappuccino semifreddo

The wines for the evening were:

Krug Grand Cuvee

Heidi Schrock Ruster Ausbeuch 1999

Trimbach Cuvee Fredic Emile 1997

Domaine Ramonet Les Ruchottes 2000

Domaine Grslain Barthod Premier Cru Beaux Bruns 1999

The question, as always, is it worth the hassle of the reservation system and I can only answer yes. In other threads, there has been a lengthy discussion of The French Laundry's reservation policy of two months only in advance. This is similar to one that is adopted by L'Astrance and L'Ambrosie in Paris. I might add that the dining room is not populated by frequent diners or VIP's. On every occasion that we have eaten at the French Laundry, the overwhelming majority of the dining room is made up of first time customers. On Friday, there were exactly 4 customers who were repeaters.

I have two other observations re maximizing the French laundry experience. There are two tasting menus - one of 5 courses and the other of nine. French laundry does not require that the entire table order one or the other. However, if one of you orders 5 and the other 9, someone is going to have to "sit out" 4 courses. My advice, then, would be to either order one or the other. Secondly, French laundry does a seating and a half. If the first group is dawdling or showed up late for their reservation, the second group is going to have to wait for their table. They do not push you out the door or hurry up service so they can free the table. As the restaurant is completely booked, there is no way to manufacture an empty table.

Bistro Jeanty is still a wonderful bistro experience; it still gives you the feeling that you have been magically transported to Paris. We did a lighter lunch than normal as we were going to a wedding at 3:30. We started with the rabbit pate - it is chunky, fresh tasting and served on a bed of thinly sliced celery root and apple salad. Next was their special of the day - the tuna nicoise salad - this was a heaping plate of haricot verts, tuna chunks, egg slices, frisee, and potatoes that sparkled in its freshness. Finally we had the steak frites - the steak is typical bistro fare and the frites served in a paper cone are crispy, sprinkled with fresh herbs. The wine list is excellent, the service polished, the tables well-spaced and the food simple and well-prepared food. In contrast, Bouchon, also a bistro in Yountville, was, at best, fair. Their pate tasted strongly of liver. The oysters were fresh, but the accompanying "red cocktail sauce", if used, overwhelmed any brininess of the oysters. The boudin blanc was under-seasoned and under whelming. Tables are packed so close together that you have to carefully slide sideways to go to the bathroom as well as talk loudly to be heard.

The Slanted Door is a disappointment now that they have temporarily moved to the Embarcadero. This used to be our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco and we always made a point to have lunch every time we went up north. I wish I could say we will go back but we will wait until they move back to their old location on Valencia after the remodel is complete. The decor is functional and corporate in feeling. We sat at a large brown leather-like booth that could have been dropped into any non descript restaurant anywhere in the States. The service was professional, but devoid of any knowledge of the cuisine. (I knew the menu better than our server) We started with their spring rolls - these are served cold in rice paper and filled with shrimp, pork and mint and served with a peanut sauce. I can't complain that they were bad, but they were a dumbed down version of what has been normally served as they were very bland. Next we had crispy imperial rolls that were rolled in lettuce with fish sauce. The imperial rolls were inedible - the dough was both doughy and burnt. We refused to eat them and sent them back. A signature dish - the shaking beef - browned cubes of beef tenderloin with garlic and spring onions was OK but nothing special. The rice which has always been particularly special was a gluey mass. The best dish we had was sweet corn stir-fried with chunks of minced pork, green onions and morel mushrooms.

Yank Sing, which had to move from their original location on Battery to the Rincon Center, has made the re-location successfully. Their specialty is Dim Sum which they do very successfully. The dim sum is done in the Hong Kong style - carts are pushed through the room loaded with their dim sum offerings of the day. Obviously, we had numerous little dishes - the best were the Peking Dish in steamed buns with hoisin, minced chicken in iceberg lettuce cups, first lobster, than sea bass in a thin, almost translucent dumpling, the barbecued pork in the steamed buns, shrimp wrapped in bacon, reminiscent of that old cocktail stand-by rumaki, tempera shrimp and numerous other small offerings, each one perfectly prepared. The service is professional and the "push-cart ladies" patient when you ask to have a dish explained again.

Fleur dy Lys has always been a special restaurant and Hubert Keller, a dedicated, "in-the-kitchen" chef. They had just remodeled the restaurant about 2 years ago and then there was a disastrous fire which closed the restaurant for 11 months. Monday, August 12 was their opening night and we were lucky to be there. (Also, at opening night was Gary Danko and Madame Oiseau (Bernard Oiseau's wife).

The restaurant is as romantic and beautiful as always - the ceiling is draped with fabric giving you the feeling that you are eating in an exotic "tent." In the center of the room is a huge bouquet of flowers and mirrors give a spacious feel to the space. Tables are well-spaced, beautifully set and the noise level one of quiet conversation and the click of diner's silverware. Hubert Keller has completely revamped his menu to include many Alsatian influences, reflecting Keller's heritage. The price level is not excessive - 3 course tasting menu - $65, 4 course $72 and 5 course $80. It is also possible to have a Vegetarian menu and with a call ahead a vegan menu. To view menus, photos of the remodel, press releases and a biography of Hubert Keller go to their web site at http://www.fleurdelyssf.com/index.html.

Unfortunately, I am not able to do our meal justice as my notes are sketchy at best. This is not to infer that our meal was less than wonderful, only that I failed at writing it down. Highlights as I remember:

Lightly curried cauliflower bisque and crustacean consommé which was served cold with a dollop of caviar

We were each served a different presentation of foie gras - My husband had the hot foie gras - Duo of Hudson Valley Foie Gras "Bartholdi" - described as "Baeckeoffe of foie gras, truffles and fingerling potato, Seared duck burger and foie gras in a brioche Bun" (A perfect "hamburger") I had the cold Hudson valley Foie Gras - described as "foie gras and smoked duck breast in Gewurztraminer gelee-Pistachio crusted foie gras 'mi-cuit' - traditional foie gras terrine.

Roasted Maine lobster on Jerusalem artichoke, Truffle Sauce with a petit pea soup with wild mushrooms.

Oven roasted quail on a gratin of choucroute and spatzle 'Comme en Alsace', toasted coriander seed sabayon

Roasted Duck Breast with a cardamom, mustard and red wine glaze, Orzo risotto

Wines:

'99 Chassagne Montrachet Belin

'98 Gordon Washington Cabernet Sauvignon

There were other courses that I have not mentioned, but, as I said earlier, I just wasn't in the mood to take extensive notes. Enough to say that Fleur de Lys absolutely is "worth it" and as such we made a reservation for Sept. 6, the night before we leave for Paris.

[hollywood]

Great reportage. You do better at forgetting meals (Fleur de Lys) than I do at remembering them. Looking forward to further stuff.

[lizziee]

Thanks hollywood.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Excellent notes Liz. I could taste the food at the FL and can feel the pace of that meal. And I'm a long term Yank Sing fan as well.

[Robert Schonfeld]

Thanks for the detailed report, lizziee. A wonderful vicarious experience.

[southern girl]

Lizzie,

Your wonderful review of the FL makes me want to go again...I haven't been in about 3 years...I am obviously long over due. Time to check the calendar and plan to spend some time hitting the redial button .

[Beachfan]

I'm thrilled to hear Fleur de Lys is in great form. My favorite restaurant in California, and along with Bouley, the best vegetarian food in the US.

Thanks for the link! I just saw he has teamed up with Dean Ornish to create special healthy meals. Just what I need to keep to my diet!!!!

[lizziee]

Thanks to everyone for your kind words.

Beachfan,

They not only do a vegetarian menu, but also, as I mentioned, a Vegan menu with advance notice.

The current Vegetarian menu:

Young carrot and cardamon gelee, melons pearls with sauternes and marrow bean fondant

Heirloom Tomato symphony: a colorful tomato sampler under several presentations

Japanese eggplant stuffed with sardinian couscous, and beluga lentils, on piperade and piquillo pepper jus

Gratin of fingerling potatoes, young leeks and roasted corn, glazed with summer truffle sabayon

southern girl,

Also give Fleur de Lys a try. Even though my notes were not as extensive, it is definitely worth it.

Robert,

Good luck on a cancellation.

Steve,

The pace of the meal at FL was leisurely and long - almost 5 hours. We did take a break after the foie gras course to re-group and re-capture our appetites. The outside garden area is perfect for that, plus you have a view of the kitchen. Also, Yank Sing is an old favorite of ours that is still delivering quality food plus excellent service.

[cabrales]

lizziee -- Thanks.

[Jinmyo]

lizziee, a wonderful report.

That Keller only serves the chicken breast and uses the legs and thighs for stock saddens me though.

[lizziee]

Jinmyo,

I was tempted to go in the kitchen and ask for those legs and thighs back.

[Jinmyo]

Yes. I appreciate the visual appeal of the white flesh and its shape, how well it can hold a shape it's cut to. But the real flavour is in the hindquarters. Flavour first.

Oh well.

[ngatti]

OH BOY! OH BOY! OH BOY!

Nick

[robert brown]

Liz, for a guy like me who has never been to Napa or these places in SF, this is as good as it gets for advice and descriptions. Thanks for taking the time and effort to write up everything.