Comments on: The French Laundry (Yountville, CA) – Unlocking the Secret

By: chuckeats

chuckeats — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:14:10 +0000

daniel, there are some reports of wine pairings here and there but i’ve always been told there wasn’t a wine pairing program. and that wine list is pretty pricey – there are a few bottles under $100 that are ok.

By: daniel

daniel — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:16:37 +0000

Hey chuck, thanks for the awesome review!

i have a quick question. i’m going there late august (first time!!! super excited!!!) and i want to do the wine pairing…but i have no idea how much that is. do you mind letting me know how much extra a wine pairing would be?

thanks!!!

By: ulterior epicure

ulterior epicure — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:47:02 +0000

Great post, Chuck. Like you, I’ve been searching for that Keller sweet spot and have yet to find it. Surely, I’ve seen glimpses, but I think most of his high-level performance is lost on me. If, in fact, the genius of Keller is simply the use of fresh ingredients and the ability to deploy techniques to exacting measure, then I have appreciated (and do appreciate) his restaurants and cuisine for this. However, as you noted, the lack of “fireworks” (though certainly not lack of “theatrics”) is perhaps what I am focusing on–and that may be wrong the wrong thing to focus on. Fresh ingredients and flawless technique, in and of themselves, may be pyrotechnic-worthy. If you haven’t already, check out my thoughts on my latest meal at per se at the ulterior epicure.

Question: what about *this* meal, in particular, struck you as being more “modern? Can you give me a specific taste or plating that seemed “more modern” to you? I’m truly curious, as I have seen a consistently modern approach to Keller over the two years I’ve eaten at his restaurants — albeit, I haven’t been nearly as many times as you.

By: Hungry Dru

Hungry Dru — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:02:10 +0000

Chuck,

Appreciate the substantial post and wonderful pictures! 6 times? Good lord! I have only been to Per Se in New York which is by far my favorite restaurant in the world. How do you think it compares? By the way, shelling out 2000 Euros on a single meal for 4 at the 3-star Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence made me redefine my idea of what “value” really is…Per Se and French Laundry is great value in comparison!

Check out my blog if you have time,

Hungry Dru

By: Allan

Allan — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:37:34 +0000

Hi Chuck,

It has been some time since I was here the last time, but I just saw the link from Trines website (verygoodfood) and headed over here.

What a great read with marvelous pictures!

All the best
/ Allan

By: Roberto

Roberto — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:50:12 +0000

I forgot, the web of Via Veneto is http://www.viavenetorestaurant.com

By: admin

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:57:34 +0000

misha – delfina is exactly as you say – ‘glorified italian’ – it is a very good restaurant – for the city. glad to hear you had a good meal at sawa – can’t wait for that review. as for nishino, yes, i’ve seen pics since i added that to my must-do list; it didn’t look so hot. i need to update those lists anyways.

patrick – thanks for the detailed explanation.

roberto – will look up those restaurants. as for miami, i don’t really know of anything. perhaps someone else reading this will have a suggestion?

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Chuck,
The whole “compressed” thing. You put whatever you want in a special plastic bag, cucumbers in this case. Perhaps season them with a touch of salt, white verjus, maybe sugar, maybe nothing. You put the bag in the machine and once you close the lid, the machine sucks out all the air present within. This modified vacuum is what helps compress the cucumbers. Once the air is let back in to the chamber, the bag snaps down on the cucumber and the pressure within the chamber comes back to normal, which compresses the air cells within the vegetable, which lends itself to intensifying flavor due to less air present within the vegetable. They also become more succulent. (compressed melon is my favorite). Anyways, sounds like a great meal. Never went there the entire time I was in SF, because I was afraid of spending too much on a meal that might lack soul. Looks like Ill head back out there when I visit.

By: Roberto

Roberto — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:21:53 +0000

Hi chuck, 2 suggestions for your next Spanish Trip.
a. El Portal del Echaurren (http://www.echaurren.com). In ezcaray, La Rioja, Spain. Located near Mugaritz, Arzak and so on. The tasting menu is quite impressive.
b. Via Veneto. In Barcelona. On of the oldest Star’s of Barcelona. I would say it’s the most solid, consistent cuisine in the city. This should be in the line of Les Ambassadeurs.
Any suggestions for Miami, I may go this summer??

By: Misha

Misha — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:28:17 +0000

I am traveling with a couple of co-workers, so the rest of the trip will be fairly casual. I love what Chris Consentino does at Incanto, so I’ll be making a mandatory visit there. Also going to Delfina, mostly because I called it a glorified Italian joint in my blog after the James Beard awards, and someone got pretty upset about it. Not expecting a whole lot, to be honest.

I did drop by Sawa and had an absolutely fantastic meal last time I was in San Jose.

BTW, I saw Nishino on your “to do” list for the year. I was there just last weekend. It’s a decent place to visit if you are in the area, but it’s not a destination. The chef clearly cooks at a high level when he wants to, but being located in less than demanding market has it’s toll. The first half of the meal was very impressive. Then things went rapidly downhill and got downright lazy when he served us a platter full of fairly average nigiri and rolls. Kind of lame.