I travel to San Francisco twice a year. I've been trying to make reservations at the French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley for years but to no avail. Does anyone know how to best get a table other than relentlessly trying their always busy reservation number?

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NJRetiree

The key is to call right at 10:00am two months from the day you want reservations. I've been successful with this method.

Here's an article detailing the process.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/06/14/FD105019.DTL

I've had some luck on short notice by agreeing to take their ealiest reservation (5:30)and sitting at their outside tables which are actually quite nice if the weathers not overly hot.

French Laundry: Due to the opening of his second French Laundry restaurant in New York City (slated for February 2004), Thomas Keller will temporarily close the Yountville location starting on New Year's Eve. It will reopen in March or April.

from Zagat.com

French Laundry: Is temporarily closed until mid-April to allow chef Thomas Keller and General Manager Laura Cunningham time to open Per Se, his new restaurant in New York City's Time Warner Center. On March 1, the phone lines will reopen for April reservations. Zagat.com

When they open again, www.opentable.com (http://www.opentable.com) has a limited number (I think 2) tables per night that can be reserved x# of days in advance...please check out their site when it reopens for details. We got one of these and were a bit underwhelmed, just as we were w/Chez Panisse...there are so many exceptional restaurants in northern CA that espouse the same 'ultra-fresh, locally grown' mantra', so you shouldn't be disappointed at all if you can't get a rezzie...(-: