Went to the French Laundry this past weekend. We had the noon seating, arrived 20 minutes prior and were seated about 10 minutes after arrival. On seating you are given a menu and the wine list. The napkin had a clothes pin attached that had The French Laundry logo printed on one side and their phone number on the other which is yours for the taking. The lead wait staff came and explained the menu which consisted of a Chef Tasting Menu and a Vegetable Tasting Menu. Our party all ordered the Chef Tasting Menu. Below is both menus, price is $210 per person (service included).

The meal started off with a cheese puff and then a salmon tartar on a black sesame wafer cone.

Chef Tasting Menu:
1. Cauliflower “Panna Cotta” with Beau Soleil Oyster Glaze and Russian Sevruga Caviar
2. Choice of Salad of Big Island Hearts of Peach Palm, Pickled Bing Cherries, Celery Branch and Aigre-Doux d’Anis Etoile or Poached Moulard Duck “Foie Gras En Terrine,” Fennel Bulb Relish, Royal Blenheim Apricot “Coulis,” Field Arugula and Gelee de Noyaux d’Abricots ($30 supplement). Bread was served prior to this dish along with two types of butter, one a sweet creamy butter and another more traditional tasting butter made with rock salt.
3. Choice of Sauteed Fillet of Gulf Coast Red Snapper, glazed sunchokes, losanges des courgettes, piquillo peppers or Cherry wood-smoked pacific Kahala (served sashimi style), French Laundry garden beets, compressed English cucumbers, hearts of romaine lettuce and horseradish crème fraiche.
4. Peas and Carrots, Maine Lobster Pancake, garden pea shoots and sweet carrot emulsion. Bread was served again prior to this dish.
5. Four Story Hills Farm Milk-Fed Cuisse de Poularde Farcie Avec Jambon Serrano Et Lavande, Sacramento delta green asparagus, Yukon gold potato bouchons and dijonnaise relish. (chicken thigh stuffed with cheese and bits of ham)
6. Choice of Snake River Farm Calotte de boeuf grille, 48-hour braised brisket, maitake mushroom tempura, marinated spring garlic cloves, koshihikari rice and sauce japonnaise (beef) or Herb-roasted Marcho Farms Cote de veau, crispy sweetbreads, wilted arrowleaf spinach, grey morel mushrooms and sauce perigueux (veal).
7. Tomme de savoie, pearl onion and English thyme clafoutis, garden mache and caramelized onion gastrique (cheese plate). Bread served prior to this dish.
8. Hayden Mango Sorbet, kuro-goma nougatine, Persian lime curd and sesame seed sugar tuile.
9. Malt Teaser, valrhona jivara chocolate-malt crème bavarois, candied coco nib, baked meringue and malt ice cream (a 7 layer (I think) chocolate cake made with white, chocolate and dark chocolate).


Vegetable Tasting Menu:
1. Watermelon Gazpacho, compressed English cucumber, Persian Lime Gelee and Espelette Powder
2. Salad of French Laundry Garden Baby Beets, Royal Blenheim apricots, Garden Mache and summer truffle puree
3. Celery Heart Cuit Sous Vide, Fuji Apple bouchons, toasted cashew Tapenade, cutting celery and curry emulsion
4. Gnocchi a la sauge au gratin, fennel bulb, baby artichokes, arugula leaves and piquillo pepper puree
5. Cope’s Dried Sweet Corn Pone, smoked cipollini onions, braised swiss chad and blis maple syrup butter
6. California Cepe Mushroom Stroganoff, asperges des bois, white asparagus noodles and veloute de champignons
7. Andante Dairy Acapella, poached brooks cherries, Belgian endive salad and black pepper gastrique
8. Armando Manni Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Sorbet, chocolate pudding, flouless chocolate cake and chocolate sheen
9. Summer Pudding, Iwamoto farms strawberry jelly, crème fraiche and summer berry coulis.

We are not big drinkers so we ordered only a glass of wine each. I did not see anything that had a wine pairing with the menu. My favorite dish was the Peas and Carrots Maine Lobster pancake which was lump lobster meat with a few peas mixed in and wrapped in a crepe. The chicken dish was also very good.

Allow about 3 hours for the meal. The service was very good. Bottled mineral water was $10. The final tab was about $260 per person after beverages and tax. At the end of the meal we were each given a package of French Laundry butter cookies and a copy of the menus in a textured paper folder. Overall, I highly recommend the French Laundry. Reservations are taken 2 months in advance. About 48 hours prior to your reservation you will receive a call to confirm your reservation. I secured my reservation through American Express concierge.

What a marvelous report ^ Thanks, kingalien for sharing. Truly appreciated.

I did not see anything that had a wine pairing with the menu.

This is my big gripe with the French Laundry. A restaurant of this caliber should be offering wine pairings. I don't understand why they don't. While I've had good food there, I also find them to be a little silly about some things. The last time I was there they paraded around a truffle in a box to show everyone. That's just silly to me.

I've found it very easy to get reservations there on short notice, BTW, as they usually have cancellations. I once called and gave them a week's period where I would be available - they called every night with a table until I finally told them to stop because I'd already eaten there that week.

Thanks for your report. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

Thanks, Letiole. This is also great information...

I've found it very easy to get reservations there on short notice, BTW, as they usually have cancellations. I once called and gave them a week's period where I would be available - they called every night with a table until I finally told them to stop because I'd already eaten there that week.

Thank you for this report; I want to forward this report to some colleagues. Thanks for the work you did in getting us this information.

Obscure2K and letiole, you're quite welcome.

The last time I was there they paraded around a truffle in a box to show everyone.

You reminded me something that I forgot to mention, I ordered the beef and the rest of my party ordered the veal and prior to serving, they brought the veal chops out to show everyone at the table. These were nicely done bone-in veal chops. The chops were carved and served but unfortunately the bones were not included, I guess it would not be fine dining atmosphere with me gnawing on the bones :p

kingalien You noted that service was included. Did you feel any need to leave more?

kingalien You noted that service was included. Did you feel any need to leave more?

I felt the wait staff did a very good job. My only observation about the staff was that they could have smiled more but they were not rude in any sort of way. The menu clearly states Service Included next to the prix fixe amount. The credit card receipt showed the total amount of the charge with a line item "Additional Gratuity." Since I felt the service was very good and the lead wait staff was quite friendly I did leave an additional 10% gratuity.

Just a thought about the wine pairings...

Many of my European friends who enjoy fine dining will drink Bordeaux/Rioja/whatever throughout the meal and order additional bottles of the same as necessary. I have always considered this strange as the best restaurants in the US seem to offer wine pairings which are usually a good option and great value.

Perhaps Mr Keller is following the European model, but I would bet his sommeliers would be able to create a wine pairing if prompted (the OP stated he was "not a big drinker")

I have never been to the French Laundry but my rule of thumb as an enthusiastic drinker is to double the usual/stated price, which would put FL at $500+ per person...

This is my big gripe with the French Laundry. A restaurant of this caliber should be offering wine pairings. I don't understand why they don't. While I've had good food there, I also find them to be a little silly about some things. The last time I was there they paraded around a truffle in a box to show everyone. That's just silly to me.

I've found it very easy to get reservations there on short notice, BTW, as they usually have cancellations. I once called and gave them a week's period where I would be available - they called every night with a table until I finally told them to stop because I'd already eaten there that week.

Thanks for your report. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.


Although they don't have set wine pairings, they are happy to make suggestions if you want a wine with each course, or one glass every other course, or whatever. I've been there a few times now and two times I asked. They in turn asked me how many glasses I wanted in total with my meal and what my general preferences are (white/red, dry/sweet, other qualities). I told them what I could and also asked them to give me some unusual things since I live near the wine country and go there all the time. They then gave me three glasses each time that were really terrific. I don't remember what the extra cost was, but it wasn't exhorbitant (relatively speaking)

Basically, they do custom wine pairings. Make the sommelier earn his keep.

Interesting that they also showed off the veal. As with my truffle experience, this just strikes me as tacky, something someplace called Chuck's Roadside Steakhouse would do.


Basically, they do custom wine pairings. Make the sommelier earn his keep.

I'm glad you got them to do this. We've asked for custom wine pairings and were told that wasn't available. Perhaps we've been there on nights when the sommelier was off. However, I've also heard that they used to offer pairings, but no longer do. Our last visit when we asked for pairings and were told unable was only a few months ago.

As for its possibly being Keller's philosophy to not do pairings, as another poster suggested, to my knowledge they are still offered at Per Se.

This is my big gripe with the French Laundry. A restaurant of this caliber should be offering wine pairings.
agreed!!!! A chef usually has a vision of his food AND the beverage that should go with it. This is why I like pairings, it is an extension of the chef's talent.

I’m a confirmed carnivore but the vegetable tasting menu in this case looks wonderfully tasty, it appeals more to me.

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Just a thought about the wine pairings...

Many of my European friends who enjoy fine dining will drink Bordeaux/Rioja/whatever throughout the meal and order additional bottles of the same as necessary. I have always considered this strange as the best restaurants in the US seem to offer wine pairings which are usually a good option and great value...Any Michelin 3-star restaurant would go apopleptic at the thought of drinking the same wine with all courses of a meal (even if it is Latour). Several times when I dined alone these restaurants have offered to open any wine "by the glass" for me, though they don't have that on the menu (and price it at 1/4 bottle per glass). For example certain duck dishes are best drunk with Banyul (and probably the only thing Banyul should be drunk with). European restaurants in the past just took it for granted that there will be different wines for each course, thus no need to offer wine pairings on the menu; now they are getting to be a bit more pragmatic with the realities of the market.

The French Laundry encourages bringing your own wine (at least they did with me). An elegant solution to keeping the restaurant focused on food, not having to have a huge wine cellar investment, and being able to accomodate niche wines that are simply unavailable (like aged Ridge).

Originally posted by number_6

For example certain duck dishes are best drunk with Banyul (and probably the only thing Banyul should be drunk with).

The sommelier at Taillevent suggested Banyul with our cheese course and it was a great choice.

Originally posted by number_6

For example certain duck dishes are best drunk with Banyul (and probably the only thing Banyul should be drunk with).

The sommelier at Taillevent suggested Banyul with our cheese course and it was a great choice.An excellent illustration of how a good sommelier can be worth their weight in gold. Banyul is a great wine but curious and definitely not versatile. It can taste awful with some foods. Reacts well with certain fats, thus its use with duck. Some cheeses -- but not all -- would also work that way. The first few times I had Banyul it was with the wrong foods, and it took a sommelier in Paris to set me straight. But I don't expect this from restaurants in the US, even the French Laundry.

Back to the posted menu, I too would have chosen the vegetarian selection. It is rare to see such a carefully constructed vegetarian meal, every bit as great as the carnivore version. Quite heartening to see the French Laundry going in that direction. Now matching wines to that would really be challenging.

The French Laundry encourages bringing your own wine (at least they did with me).

Their corkage fee is $50 and the wine you bring must not be on their wine list. I also recall Keller being quoted as saying he pays a considerable amount to maintain a celler, so he has no qualms when people walk in with a case of wine and the corkage is $600. So I would tend to disagree that it's encouraged to bring your own wine to French Laundry.

As for matching to the vegetarian menus, of course I order the veg menus at Pierre Gagnaire, Tru, Trotter's and so many others. I've always found the pairings to be fantastic. I suppose when you work with vegetarian menus on a daily basis it becomes much less challenging.

I have visited TFL many times (okay, an embarrassing number of times) over the past ten years and have the following observations about the wine program.

a. There is currently no formal "wine pairing" designed to run through the entire meal. Jedison's post above describes the way the restaurant normally responds to a pairing request. The specifics vary with the particular staff members involved but I have always found it possible to obtain at least a few interesting and fairly priced glasses or half-glasses that complement certain courses. I would be surprised to hear that anyone got a flat "not available" response if the question is posed in this way. On the other hand, bear in mind that pairings are offered on something of an ad-hoc basis. The larger the party, the more choices are likely to be available.

b. The wine list is well balanced, and in addition to the obligatory unaffordable rareties, it includes many great discoveries priced at or under $100 or so. The wine staff is very knowledgable; in my experience, they enjoy sharing their knowledge and are entirely un-stuffy about it. I would urge any patron to ask for wine suggestions, and don't be afraid to set price limits if that's a concern.

c. Corkage fees and related protocol (i.e., the conduct of the customer, staff, and managers) are a complex subject. However, in light of the calibre of TFL dining and the level of service offered -- as when the bottle ya brung makes its way, with perfect grace, through a giant decanter into a set of $100 glasses on its way to you -- a charge of $50/bottle is reasonable.

I have visited TFL many times (okay, an embarrassing number of times) over the past ten years and have the following observations about the wine program.

a. There is currently no formal "wine pairing" designed to run through the entire meal. Jedison's post above describes the way the restaurant normally responds to a pairing request. The specifics vary with the particular staff members involved but I have always found it possible to obtain at least a few interesting and fairly priced glasses or half-glasses that complement certain courses. I would be surprised to hear that anyone got a flat "not available" response if the question is posed in this way. On the other hand, bear in mind that pairings are offered on something of an ad-hoc basis. The larger the party, the more choices are likely to be available.

b. The wine list is well balanced, and in addition to the obligatory unaffordable rareties, it includes many great discoveries priced at or under $100 or so. The wine staff is very knowledgable; in my experience, they enjoy sharing their knowledge and are entirely un-stuffy about it. I would urge any patron to ask for wine suggestions, and don't be afraid to set price limits if that's a concern.

c. Corkage fees and related protocol (i.e., the conduct of the customer, staff, and managers) are a complex subject. However, in light of the calibre of TFL dining and the level of service offered -- as when the bottle ya brung makes its way, with perfect grace, through a giant decanter into a set of $100 glasses on its way to you -- a charge of $50/bottle is reasonable.

If memory serves at least one time that I asked for a wine paring I got an initial kind snooty response that they "don't do that". I think I had to ask a follow up question about suggestions of wines by the glass with certain courses. Another time they said they don't have a set list but are happy to make suggestions, and asked me about my preferences after I had placed my order (for the tasting menu, natch).