Power Tasting is not in the business of reviewing restaurants and we won’t be starting to do so now. But it is not saying much to state that The French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s flagship restaurant, with its three Michelin stars, is the best eatery in Yountville. Maybe in all of California. Possibly the United States. We’ll leave it to others to say where it stands in the world’s gastronomic pantheon. In this edition of Power Tasting, focused on Yountville, we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about our experiences there.
We’ve dined at The French Laundry a few times. The first was just a short while after it opened in 1978, prior to Mr. Keller’s involvement. We were on a wine tasting trip with friends, passed by on a Saturday afternoon and walked in, asking if we could still get lunch. Try doing that today! The contents of that meal are lost in the fog of time, but not the overall experience. We were seated upstairs by a window, looking out on the farms – not vineyards – of Yountville, including one just across the street. The fare on the menu included chicken from this farm and lamb from that one…and the farms were in walking distance.
The French Laundry today. Photo courtesy of thomaskeller.com
Today, The French Laundry is on a section of Washington Street that is largely residential, but shopping, hotels and tasting rooms are not far away. The only remnant of yesteryears’ farms is the French Laundry’s private garden just opposite the restaurant. Last year, Thomas Keller has completely renovated the restaurant, spending $10 million to make it very modern.
In 1998, we dined there after Mr. Keller had taken over. The highlight was that we were invited into the kitchen to meet Chef Keller. The stainless steel surfaces gleamed and a small army of cooks scurried around making last minute dishes and making sure that all was in good order.
The French Laundry’s kitchen. Photo courtesy of thomaskeller.com
In 2014, we were riding on the New York subway when we saw Mr. Keller across the car, on his way to Per Se, his East Coast equivalent of The French Laundry. A few weeks before, the New York Times had published an article about Mr. Keller and a favorite recipe he used to make for his father. We tried it at home and loved it. We all got out at the same station and we took a few minutes to speak with the chef, extol his restaurants and cookbooks and say how much we enjoyed the recipe of his that had appeared in the newspaper. He was very friendly and talkative. On the basis of that “deep, personal relationship” we wrote Mr. Keller requesting a table at French Laundry for a wine tasting trip we were planning several months hence. It worked.
As it happened, the dinner coincided with Lucie’s birthday that year. When we arrived, the staff wished her a happy birthday, and that wish was repeated on the custom-printed menu we were given. Again the meal was astonishingly good, but then something totally unexpected occurred. The power went out in Yountville and the restaurant was shrouded in darkness, but only for a few minutes. The staff brought out stout candles and placed them all around the restaurant and along the stairs. French Laundry is beautiful as it is; by candlelight it’s extraordinary.