My Best Restaurant Meal EVER!

Jim and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary with a dinner at The French Laundry, renowned chef Thomas Keller's restaurant in Yountville, California.

It's not the first time we've had dinner at the French Laundry.  In fact, we have been patrons of this special restaurant since sometime in the 1980's, long before Thomas Keller took over in 1994.

When we first discovered the French Laundry, Sally and Don Schmidt were the owners. Each day, they served a fixed price multi-course meal that featured fresh, seasonal ingredients.  In those days, your dinner reservation pretty much gave you a table for the evening at this small two-story restaurant in a stone cottage. Between courses, we were encouraged to walk around the grounds, wander through their gardens, and chat with the staff, many of whom were Schmidt family members.  When we ate here, we felt like family and, even after the Schmidts sold the restaurant, we remained in touch with them and regularly saw them at their Apple Farm in Philo, California. We still stop there to buy apples when we are driving to and from Mendocino and I took several cooking classes from Sally and her daughter Karen Bates.

When Thomas Keller took the helm at the French Laundry, we were among the first to dine there. Initially, we felt that the dining room had become pretentious and that we were rushed through our very expensive dinner so that another group could be seated at our table.  But, because, Keller's cuisine was creative and unique, we did go back for a few more times.

It has been about 20 years since the last time that we dined at The French Laundry. Since we vacation in Yountville for a week every year, we've watched the restaurant and its kitchen going through several remodels. It was time for a return visit....

Until this year, getting a reservation at the French Laundry was a challenge in and of itself.  But, this spring, they came up with an online reservation system that has a link from their website.  On the first day of each month, at 10 a.m. California time, reservations for three months ahead are made available.  Thinking dinner here would be a treat for this year's anniversary, I took on the reservation challenge and got online on May 1, promptly at 10 a.m., to reserve for August.  And, I got a reservation for the day of my choice!  To discourage no-shows at this ever-popular restaurant, it is necessary to prepay at the time of reserving ($310 per person for the basic nine-course meal).

And so, on a balmy August 2017 evening, we arrived for dinner at The French Laundry, and what I consider the best restaurant meal I've ever experienced.

From the time we arrived, we were made to feel welcome, comfortable, and very special. The service was impeccable and never felt pretentious.  As each course was served, our servers described the dish in detail and told us the origin of the main ingredients.  No ingredient is used more than once throughout the entire meal.

We never felt rushed.  We were encouraged to wander out on the balcony or on the grounds between courses. Our dinner lasted about three hours and was perfectly paced.

When I got a call a few days ahead to confirm my reservation, I was asked if we were celebrating anything special.  I told them it was our anniversary dinner.  Our menus were personalized for our occasion. And, once we were seated, they brought us each a glass of sparkling wine.

Interestingly, some of Chef Keller's signature dishes are still being served.

Before our first course, there was an Amuse Bouche (single-bite hors d'oeuvres) of two signature dishes,

Salmon Tartare Cornet

 and, Gougeres.

Here's the rest of our dinner, course by course:

First Course: "Oysters and Pearls," a "Sabayon" of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar. This dish is another of Chef Keller's signature dishes. 

Second Course: Chilled Garden Carrot Soup

A warm Epi roll accompanied our earlier courses

Third Course: Slow Cooked Fillet of Gulf Coast Cobia

Fourth Course: Big Island Abalone "A La Plancha"

Fifth Course: "Bread and Butter," an Applewood Smoked Bacon and Onion Brioche served with Diane St. Clair's Animal Farm Butter.

(The bowl in which the Brioche is served is worthy of it's own photo, I think)

Sixth Course: Wolfe Ranch White Quail "Roti a la Broche"

Seventh Course : Herb Roasted Elysian Fields Farm Lamb

Eighth Course : The Cheese Course: "Cheesecake" (for our dinner, "Etude" cheese from Andante Dairy in Petaluma, California, was used)

Final Course: Assortment of Desserts, an overwhelming selection of Fruit, Ice Cream and Candies

The first photo that follows is a closeup of "Coffee" part of another of Chef Keller's Signature dessert dishes: "Coffee and Donuts."  The Coffee is a Cappuccino Semifreddo and the Donuts are Cinnamon-Sugar Donut holes.  All the other elements of the dessert course were new to me.

Here are detailed photos of the other desserts:

And, there was more.....

Right before the very grand dessert, we were each presented with a housemade white chocolate kiss (a la Hershey's style), wrapped in gold foil and with a paper tag that says "Happy Anniversary."

We got to tour the kitchen.

And, to take home, we were presented with a folder with copies of our menus, a booklet about many of the purveyors who provide the French Laundry with the ingredients used its meals, a tiny tin containing four shortbread cookies, and a miniature chest of chocolate truffles, one of each flavor.

The French Laundry serves dinner each day and lunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  For some of the courses on the daily nine-course tasting menu, there are other choices for which there is a supplementary charge.  An optional nine-course vegetable tasting menu is also offered for the same basic cost.  Wine and spirits are offered from a very extensive list, priced accordingly.  Guests are welcome to bring bottles of wine that are not represented on the restaurant's wine list for a fee of $150 per 750ml bottle.

Will I return soon to The French Laundry?  Most certainly.  It is a restaurant for a special occasion and I can't wait for my next celebration there.

Tasting Wine in the Napa Valley

It's August and we are in the middle of our annual week in the Napa Valley.

Even though we live close enough to drive up here for a meal or a day trip, for us, it is the ultimate luxury to stay in the Valley.

We taste wine, we eat good food, we explore, and we relax.

Rather than dashing around to taste at several wineries in one day, we pace ourselves and usually taste at only one winery on any given day.

A trend we've noticed in Napa Valley wine tasting is to taste at tasting rooms. There certainly are an abundance of them right in town in Napa, Yountville, and St. Helena.

It's an easy way to do your tasting without trekking to the many wineries in the area. But, we prefer the experience of visiting the winery and actually seeing where the wine is made and, often, meeting the people who make it.

Of course, there are some wineries that are so remote and/or small that they cannot accommodate visitors on site. Having their wines in a tasting room provides a way to let people sample and buy their wines.

I will also add, in defense of Napa Valley tasting rooms, that most of the tasting rooms here are staffed by knowledgeable people so you will learn about the wines as well as get to taste them.

So far, we've tasted at two wineries both of whose wines were unfamiliar to us.

HILL WINE COMPANY

What attracted me to Hill Wine Company in St. Helena, which just opned this year, was an article about it in one of the free publications about the area that are distributed in hotels and other tourist areas.

This family-owned winery features its Black Dog series of wines at the winery. The inspiration in this wine label is proprietor Jeff Hill's black lab who recently passed away. The good dog news for the Hill family is that they have a new black lab puppy who, at this time, makes occasional visits to the winery.

A percentage of each Black Dog bottle sold is donated to the ASCPA. Hill also donates a portion of revenues to environmental causes.

The cost to taste at least 4 wines at Hill Wine Company is $20 per person for the Black Dog series wines, $45 for a reserve and barrel tasting. The tasting fee is usually waived with the purchase of a certain amount of wine.

We also got to taste their excellent olive oil.

We purchased their Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, both of which we found special.

Reservations to taste are advised.

Hill Wine is both picnic and dog- friendly. So bring the pooch, pack a picnic, or even have them cater a picnic for you, and enjoy the day sipping Hill wines.

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HONIG VINEYARD & WINERY

It was our tasting room host at Hill Wine who suggested that we would enjoy tasting at Honig Vineyard & Winery in Rutherford.

Honig was started in 1984. This was our first time to try their wines.

Reservations are required to taste at Honig. Each group has its own table and tasting host. There is seating outdoors on their beautiful patio and also indoors.

The tasting lasts about 45 minutes. the fee is $15 per person and is waived for each $35 purchase.

At Honig, we splurged on their 2006 Cabernet and are already planning a special diner with our cooking group, in honor of the wine. We also purchased a Rose of Cabernet that we enjoyed tasting.

Honig has a small area with picnic tables in a corner of their property.

Napa Valley Dining: Casual & Fancy 2011

Our August week in the Napa Valley always includes some fine dining and lots of casual dining. In this blog post, I include highlights of our meals. Each year we seem to have more good choices of places to eat. It is hard to decide...maybe next year, we should stay up in the Valley for two weeks.

LUNCH AND SNACKS

With Louie with us, all our lunches are outdoors. This year we even included Louie at one dinner.

Our casual dining got started with an early morning stop on our way up at Sweetie Pies Bakery in Napa.



I have yet to find a better Morning Bun than the one they bake. Many a year ago, it was their morning buns that were the first of this wonderful pastry that I'd ever tasted. Sweetie Pie's version of this bun, made of buttery croissant dough and flavored generously with cinnamon and sugar, remains my favorite.



And, their Sticky Bun is pure heaven. It's Jim's favorite at Sweetie Pies.



We don't just save Sweetie Pies for our vacation week; any time we are spending a day in the Napa Valley, we leave the house early enough so we have time for our morning coffee and pastry and this legendary bakery. Since their repertoire goes well beyond morning pastries, we often make a late afternoon stop on our way home for some of their elegant dessert pastries.

In recent years the town of Napa has become more gentrified and more of a tourist destination. We often take time after our pastry stop to stroll around town.

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On another day, after a morning of wine tasting, we found ourselves in St. Helena, hungry for lunch. Our choice was Tra Vigne Pizzeria, the casual restaurant of the ever-popular nearby Tra Vigne. We sat on the patio and enjoyed "Tre Colore" Salads, a chopped vegetable salad. I added grilled chicken to mine.



Louie relaxed while we ate.



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We always have lunch at Pacific Blues and usually choose it on a day when we've spent the morning by our hotel pool. They have a lovely outdoor deck. This visit I had a Grilled Vegetable Sandwich and Jim had a Cobb Salad. Louie enjoyed a big bowl of water and whatever we dropped on the ground.



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During our stays in Yountville, we can't help but notice the line, out onto the sidewalk, at Bouchon Bakery. There is a line at the Bakery from early morning until its early evening closing. Bouchon Bakery is part of chef Thomas Keller's food realm in Yountville. The bakery makes the breads for his restaurants as well as selling them and other pastries to the public. The bakery sells a wide variety of breakfast and fancier pastries, including the popular French-style Macarons. Bouchon Bakery also, just like bakeries in France, offers several baguette sandwiches and a few salads and light meal selections. There are benches outside the bakery and several tables on a patio between the bakery and Bouchon restaurant. I always buy bread and pastries to carry home with us at the end of our vacation.

This year, I decided that it was un-American, or, at least, un-Yountvillian not to have a lunch from Bouchon Bakery; the rest of our world there seemed to be doing it. And so we did: Two Sandwiches...one with ham and cheese and the other with turkey and a big Butter Lettuce Salad to share. We shared a chocolate chunk cookie for our dessert.





While the sandwiches might cost a bit more than at the local deli, I must say they are worth it for the tasty fresh bread and the generous quantities of fillings. It was a treat that now has me hooked on lunch at Bouchon Bakery.

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Before heading back home, we usually indulge in a fancier lunch. This time it was at Hurley's where we often go for dinner as well.



Jim ordered the Fixed-Price ($20) Two-Course lunch. He started with a Watermelon and Prosciutto Salad and, for his main course chose Oven-Roasted Tuna.




My favorite lunch at Hurley's is the Pan Bagnat, a French sandwich that is made with all the ingredients of a Salad Niçoise. At Hurley's the fresh tuna in the Pan Bagnat is poached in Olive Oil.



We completed our lunch by sharing Bob Hurley's "My Mother's Strawberry Shortcake," the perfect end of a bucolic week in the Napa Valley.



DINNER

When we travel, dinner is often our main meal and main activity for the evening.

On our first night, we joined Jerilee and Jim for dinner in Yountville at Bistro Jeanty, one of our longtime favorites.



Our enjoyment of Bistro Jeanty goes back decades to the time when Yountville was a sleepy town with few restaurants. This was way before Thomas Keller took over the French Laundry and opened several other restaurants in town. For whatever reason, all four of us had "forgotten" about Bistro Jeanty as more and more restaurants popped up in Yountville.

It was time to return and we were delighted. Because Bistro Jeanty's menu does not change very much, except for daily specials, we might have tired a bit of its Country French offerings. Not any more; We've vowed to return very soon.

Two of us started our meal with the Crudités.



Each of the six cold vegetable salads was fresh, attractively presented, and as good, if not better, than an crudité plate I've had in France.

The Butter Lettuce Salad was another perfect very French first course.



The Beet Salad also made for tasty appealing first course with a bit of the fresh California influence.



Our main courses were

Cassoulet



Braised Pork Shoulder with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts



Daube de Boeuf, a classic French Beef Stew



and Coq au vin



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Jim and I celebrate our wedding anniversary on our August Napa Valley trip. Our special dinner this time was at Redd.



Some consider Redd's building and decor to be stark. We like the restaurant's clean lines and have always been pleased with our meals here.





We don't dine often at Redd, saving it for special occasions. More often than not, I order the Sautéed Skate which is served with a Ragout of 12 Vegetables (I always try to count the 12) and Potato Gnocchi. Not many restaurants serve skate, so having it at Redd is a special treat for me.



Jim started his meal with Panzanella, a bread and fresh tomato salad.



His main course was Petrale Sole served on Coconut Jasmine Rice and garnished with Steamed Clams and Chorizo.



For dessert, I ordered The Stone Fruit Salad which was one of the day's special first courses. For me, this salad was the perfect way to end my delicious dinner.



Jim indulged in Peach Shortcake with housemade Raspberry Sorbet and Whipped Vanilla Yogurt.



As we lingered at our table, we were presented with a final complimentary treat: a plate of housemade Blueberry Jellies and English Toffee.



We consider Redd to be one of the finest restaurants in the Napa Valley.

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Our dinner out with Louie was at the Rutherford Grilll where they don't take reservations and where they have a large comfortable outdoor dining patio.

We always expect to wait for a table at dinner time but have found that they generally overestimate the wait time and seat us sooner. This evening was no exception; we were told it would be half and hour and we were seated in about 20 minutes.



The people-watching is always good at the Rutherford Grill whose clientele is a mix of locals and visitors. A lot of meeting and greeting is goes on at this popular spot and we enjoy the comraderie, albeit vicariously, while imagining they we, too, have a house and friends up here.



Food at Rutherford Grill is American and pretty no-nonsense. But it's good and served in hearty portions at reasonable prices. And, there are lots of creative touches in the food preparation.

I ordered one of the evening's specials: Half a Rack of Baby Back Ribs with half a serving of the wood-fire roasted Chicken. My side dishes were Coleslaw and their very interesting Very Wild Rice Salad which is made with nuts, dried figs, celery,onions and lots more. I have located a recipe for the Rutherford Grill's Wild Rice Salad; click on this link for it.



Jim's Cheeseburger was served on a toasted house-made egg bun. With it he had Coleslaw and a Fresh Corn and Squash mixture.



Had we been hungrier, we would have shared their Dip and Chips...the dips change daily and really are wonderful. They always serve their Spinach & Artichoke Dip but make special other ones each day.

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We chose Bottega for our final night in the Valley. Since chef Michael Chiarello opened the restaurant three years ago in Yountville, we've been fans. The cuisine is regional Italian. Many of the ingredients..pastas, cured meats, fresh cheeses and such are made in house. The menu changes seasonally and includes daily specials to take advantage of what is fresh and local.



The meal always starts with delicious bread and Bottega's special Marinated Parmesan Dip and Coarse Salt (the dips and salts can be purchased at Chef Chiarello's Napa Style shop which is across from the restaurant entrance).



I started with the "Succotash" which was a far cry from the stuff from a can that my mother used to serve me. Bottega's Succotash was a salad of cherry tomatoes, arugula, and roast summer squash on one side of the plate and a fresh corn salad seasoned with Chili oil and garnished with a fried squash blossom.



Jim thought he was going more traditional with a first course of Fried Calamari. And, it was perfect crispy non-greasy calamari, but with the added items of interest: a Grilled Lemon slice and Squid Ink Aioli dipping sauce.



We both like Bottega's pasta dishes and that's what we usually order.

Jim's Pan Roasted Potato Gnocchi was a beautiful and tasty dish which included summer pole beans, root vegetables, and golden squash pesto.



For my main course, I chose the evening's Risotto which was made with housemade sausage and broccoli rabe and topped with fresh soft cheese.



For a "little something" for dessert, we shared the Trio of Fruit Sorbets and Cookies, all made in house.

Bottega is a busy restaurant but manages to not have a noisy dining room, at least in the main dining room where I always ask to be seated. I appreciate that there is plenty of room between tables, so, despite the restaurant's popularity, we never feel croweded.