French Laundry - Once in A Lifetime Cuisine

January 25, 2007.
For Kerman and Michelle, Annie and me, this was a day worth remembering. For as difficult as it is to get reservations and as legendary as the “priz fixed” menu at Yountville’s French Laundry Restaurant is purported to be, January 25 was indeed a special day.



Here is a brief review of what we ate:

We started with what I call flavor starters. Not formally appetizers or the opening dish, these little conical ahi tuna pod thingy things. They were not on the menu but were purposeful in that it helped us to look forward to the meal ahead.

Next, we were given ‘cream puff’-looking pastries that made me laugh because it was such a typical frou-frou restaurant to see a huge plate with a tiny item in the middle of it.


After a brief but detailed explanation of the menu items, we ordered our food and the feast commenced.

“Oysters and Pearls”
“Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Beau Soleil Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar


It finally dawned on my why these fancy restaurants offer their dishes in such tiny portions; it’s because they’re so rich in flavor that serving too much would overwhelm your taste buds and possibly send you into flavor-shock.

Salad of Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm
Heirloom Baby Beets, Navel Orange “Supremes,” Haas Avocado “Puree” and Petite “Mache”
or
Moulard Duck “Foie Gras En Terrine”
Hayden Mango Relish, Pickled Pearl Onions and Garden Mint “Aigre-Doux”
($30.00 Supplement)


Kerman and I ordered the foie gras. I have a friend who is firmly against foie gras because of the treatment the geese get when their livers are being enriched with yummy goodness for us snobs to enjoy. But this friend hasn’t tried this foie gras. Good gracious – to spread the rich, fatty goodness over a slice of brioche is to forget all the woes of the poor tortured geese around the world. Sorry I’m so calloused but please excuse me from crusading for the geese momentarily as I wipe the drool from my chin.

The girls ordered the salad and I tried some of it. It was quite good – very fresh and light with a definitive fruity sweetness – but nothing like the foie gras.

The foie gras came with three distinct salts. A red salt from the island of Kona, a large-crystal salt from Spain or Italy or some other Euro countryside, and a fine white salt from the Jurassic period. Seriously. It’s prehistoric salt. And believe it or not, they all had a slightly different flavor. One of them tasted salty like a plesiosaurus.



Sauteed Fillet of Mediterranean Red Mullet
“Confit” of Monterey Bay Squid, Fennel Bulb, Marinated Pepper and “Sauce a l’Encre de Seiche”
or
“Veloute” of Japanese “Uni”
Truffle “Royale,” Melted Butter Lettuce and Black Truffles

The Red Mullet:

The Uni:
I was the only one at the table that ordered the uni (sea urchin). I’m not positive, but I think this might have been the first time I ever tasted uni that wasn’t crammed in a seaweed wrap at a sushi bar, but this was definitely the tastiest uni I’ve ever had. It might even be the best tasting uni on the planet. Next time I return to French Laundry, I’ll him and report back.

“Homard au Vin”
Main Lobster Tail “Cuit Sous Vide,” Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms, Braised Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Sweet Carrots and Watercress


A French Laundry version of surf and turf, this dish was very unique and managed to take traditional ingredients and made them undisputedly exotic.

“Jamobonnette” of Devil’s Gulch Ranch Rabbit
Yukon Gold Potato “Puree,” Melted French Laundry Garden Collard Greens and Blis Maple Syrup


A friend of mine once relayed a story about a perfectly prepared, traditional steak, corn and mash potato meal at a friend’s mid-western home was ruined when suddenly the hosts all poured maple syrup over everything. I mean everything. From the corn to the steak to every crevice in between, maple syrup crept across the savory meal to turn it into a sweetened mess. For a long time I couldn’t understand why somebody would add maple syrup to a savory dish – but after this rabbit plate was served with a slight drizzle of maple syrup, I can finally understand why this flavor appeals to people.

The rabbit dish is my favorite among all the dishes we had at French Laundry. I won’t even go into the whys. Just know that the best rabbit you will ever eat can be found in Yountville.

Elysian Fields Farm “Selle D’agneau Rotie Entiere”
Polenta “Croutons,” Globe Artichokes, Spring Garlic, Nicoise Olives and “Sauce Choron”
or
Herb-Roasted Sirloin of Japanese “Wagyu”
Compressed Asian pear, Wilted Tatsoi, Roasted Chestnuts and “Sauce Japonaise” ($100.00 Supplement)


So here is where I cannot avoid talking about the price of this meal. While it is the best meal I’ve eaten anywhere – ever, the quality of food here at French Laundry still may not really justify the additional cost. In other words, the food doesn’t justify the cost. We’ve had some really, really great meals at restaurants like Gary Danko, Michael Mina, and Manresa but none of them cost as much as the meal here at French Laundry did. Yes, French Laundry was probably better, but I don’t think it was $110-per-person-better, you know what I mean?

Just look: the supplement for ordering the Kobe beef is $100. To put that into a little bit of perspective; you can feed boneless rib eye steak to about 40 people for that price. But be that as it may, Annie and Michelle still ordered the Kobe. Heck, it’s pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience so no regrets, right? I don’t have to tell you how outstanding the Kobe was. You can just taste it now, can’t you? The 80% marbled sirloin of a wheat-fed Kobe just melts in your mouth when you eat it… mmmmm…

The $100 Kobe:
Rogue Creamery “Oregon Blue”
Flowering Quince “Membrillo,” Belgian Endive “Poele” and Candied English Walnut


Gros Michel Banana Sorbet
“Boule de Neige” Muscovado Cake and Caramelized Banana “Coulis”


“Calice de Chocolat a la Noisette”
White Chocolate “Granite” Toasted Hazelnut “Sable” and Praline “Semifreddo”

Delicious delicious delicious. There really aren’t words that can describe the culinary experience of the French Laundry. It really was a unique experience and you could almost justify the price and describe the experience without using the word extravagant. Almost.





After the dessert came, more desserts and confections came. It just kept coming until finally the evening was concluded with a cute check made to resemble a laundry ticket from the cleaners.



The resemblance ended there, however, when you saw the final tally for the meal.


WHAT THE…?! $1314 for a dinner for four?!

The tax alone would be enough to pay for a month’s worth of gas.

For the price per person, you can buy a Coach Signature Soho purse for the girls and a Nintendo Wii for the boys (plus a game!)

Dinner for four? Amanda got me thinking… for the price of a dinner for four, you could fly four people to Vegas, eat at the Bellagio buffet (twice), spend the night at the Mandalay Bay, and then fly home in time to catch Sunday’s episode of Rome on HBO.

But that’s the price we pay for truly world-class cuisine, I guess. At least now we can say we did it.