The French Laundry

Restaurant: The French Laundry
Location: Yountville, CA
Open: Daily 5:30-9:30pm; Friday-Sunday 11:00am-1:00pm
Date of Dinner: October 20, 2007
Cost of Dinner: $300 per person
Recommendation: A must for every foodie.



In the interest of full disclosure, I did not enjoy my first visit to The French Laundry over 5 years ago. At that time, I did not understand what all the fuss was about or why it had garnered all those accolades, because I did not think any of the dishes we tried were exceptional or memorable.

"Whatever you do, you have to try the coffee and donuts," exclaimed the friend who got us the reservation. So I did, and what a disappointment! "Coffee and Donuts" was one of The French Laundry's signature desserts, wherein pot de creme is served in a coffee cup and comes with powdered cinnamon beignets. I found it cloyingly sweet and really am perplexed as to why everyone praises it to high heaven.

Flash forward five years to 2007 and I am ready to try The French Laundry again. I want to believe that they might have had a bad day when I went. I also can't believe that I'm missing something that everybody else seem to be experiencing to the point that in the most recent poll by Restaurant Magazine, it placed fourth in its list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. It is also the only restaurant in the Bay Area to receive 3 stars from Guide Michelin.

The menu has changed considerably since we went over 5 years ago. It is now a set menu and comprises nine courses. You can either choose the chef's tasting menu or a tasting of vegetables menu. Either menu costs $240, including service. According to the waiter, the dishes in either menu are ordered by progression of tastes, so we cannot, at least they really advise against it, switch dishes between the two menus.

For maximum effect, one of our party of four decided to opt for the vegetable tasting menu while the rest had the tasting menu. This way, we can all try a little bit of most of what French Laundry has to offer.




Dinner starts with two amuses bouches: first are gougères, savory pates au choux made with gruyere cheese with a creme fraiche filling. The second are one of Thomas Keller's signature dishes: cornettes of salmon tartare with creme fraiche.

THE CHEF'S TASTING MENU

"Oysters and Pearls" - This is the first of what I call The French Laundry's surrealistic dishes, a tongue-in-cheek take on traditional dishes or other ideas. In this first course, a sabayon of tapioca pearls is served with Beau Soleil oysters and a generous dollop of White Sturgeon caviar. The sabayon is a warm savory custard made by beating egg yolks with a liquid over simmering water until thickened and frothy. The little pearls of white sturgeon caviar gives this dish sophisticated character, while the tapioca pearl and sabayon cream is a good counterpoint to the ocean saltiness of the caviar and oysters. Amazing! This one dish alone removes all bad memories from five years ago.

Salad of Caramelized Belgian Endive - I have never liked Belgian endives. However, having them caramelized and served with relish of Philo Gold apples and young red beets cuites sous vide give the endives a nice taste to them. The endives are nicely crunchy with a nice watercress vinaigrette. It seems food cooked sous vide has been en vogue lately. In fact, in the finale of Top Chef, one of Hung's (the winning chef) signature dishes was duck cuite sous vide. So, sous vide is French for "under vacuum" and is a method for cooking ingredients in air-tight packages, usually vacuum sealed plastic bags, under relatively low temperature for an extended period of time. It has been somewhat controversial when used in the US. Last year, the New York City Department of Health cracked down on restaurants using the technique, concerned about safe food handling, since cooking in low temperature may foster the growth of the botulinum bacteria in the absence of oxygen. In this instance, by cooking the beets sous vide gives the beets a more intense flavor.

Moulard Duck "Foie Gras au Torchon" - Moulard duck is the cross between the Pekin and the Muscovy duck. This hybrid results in a very large duck and is raised primarily for the production of foie gras. To cook foie gras au torchon, the liver is pressed tightly in cheesecloth and then poached. It is then allowed to cool slowly in the poaching liquid. In the first of two courses that carry a supplement on top of the already steep $240 tasting menu, this version served by The French Laundry comes with a very long prologue. It includes a very long explanation by the server.



I've always thought that foie gras au torchon is the same or similar to pate de foie gras, so it was a big surprise to me that this dish carried a supplement. The waiter quickly removed that feeling when he explained the difference: au torchon is pure foie gras while the pate includes pork, salt and spices.

The foie gras was the main part of this dish, but it, by no means, is the only part of the dish. Also on the plate are Gros Michel bananas, Tokyo turnips, Banyuls vinegar gelee, and a smattering of spiced streusel. The foie is spread and eaten with a generous portion of toasted brioche bread and three different kinds of salts: sel gris from Brittany, France; Kuroshio salt from the southern coast of Japan, and Jurassic salt that the server told us is 40 million years old and is harvested from a copper mine in Montana. Now all of a sudden the $30 supplement doesn't seem so steep after all.

Gros Michel bananas, or Big Mike, was supposedly the bananas that were referred to in the song, "Yes, We Have No Bananas." In the first half of the 20th century, it was the type of banana that most Americans and people living in non-tropical areas came to know and love. They are bigger than the bananas we know now and most say are sweeter. However, this species was devastated when a fungus called the Panama disease began infecting Big Mike in the 1920s. By the 60s, most exporters of the fruit were bankrupt and the Gros Michel is practically extinct. I certainly feel special to now have tasted an almost extinct plant and have it paired with foie gras and Jurassic salt. It's so very surreal.

"Tartare" of Nova Scotia Bluefin Tuna - This "tartare" is really more like sashimi, instead of tartare. The traditional tartare is made from chopped meat, usually steak. In this version, the pieces of Bluefin tuna are quite substantial. On an elliptical plate, the tuna are interspersed with raisins, nicoise olives, Marcona almonds, arugula, and cauliflower scented with Spanish saffron. All of these are served on top of coulis made from slow-baked tomatoes. The Nova Scotia Bluefin tuna is the largest member of its species and are usually prized by tuna aficionados. They are exclusively sold for sushi consumption. The tuna here is definitely exceptional, buttery and very fresh.

Sweet Butter-Poached Maine Lobster Tail - Lobster tail has been poached in sweet butter and served stylishly with a fennel bulb, jingle bell peppers, mint and tamarind-glazed eggplant, all stacked neatly. The lobster was amazingly soft and well flavored by the sweet butter without being inundated by the butter if it had been served with the lobster as a dip.

"Pork and Beans" - I remember the very first time I saw pork belly in a menu, the waiter made sure that everyone at the table understands that it is the fattiest cut of pork. At that time, I was the only one at the table of eight to venture out and order the pork belly. As it turned out, my dish was the most flavorful of all the dishes ordered that night. I was hooked. Now, every time I see pork belly in a menu, it is mine! To see it with such a whimsical title, how can I resist? Pork belly, of course, is the underside of the pig and the meat from which bacon is made. For French Laundry's version, Kurobuta pork belly has been braised all day and served over a cassoulet of garden pole beans with whole-grain mustard sauce. In Japan, Kurobuta pork are prized as highly as Kobe or Wagyu beef and comes from an ancient breed known as the Black Berkshire pig. Kurobutas have incredible marbling and the texture is unbelievable. Of course, pork belly has always been the most flavorful part of the pig, so this makes for an even better combination. The pork belly has a wonderful taste. Usually pork bellies are very salty, not so here. Maybe the mustard sauce helps, but the texture is fantastic and the skin is crisp. Great combination.

Herb-Roasted Saddle of Elysian Fields Lamb - Elysian Fields Farm is a small family-owned farm in Schoharie, NY. Their name is to lamb what Niman Ranch is to beef. Their lamb are prized for their taste and texture. The saddle of lamb, or lamb loin, is where the most tender and most expensive cuts of lamb come from. The beautiful cut we received on our plate was nicely marbled and tender as tender can be. It was herb roasted on top of thyme jus and served with mille-feuille of Yukon Gold potatoes, baby artichokes, Nantes carrots, and sweet garlic pudding. Literally meaning a thousand layers, the mille feuille of potatoes was a light airy version of potatoes au gratin.

Grilled "Pave" of Japanese "Wagyu" -

"Gabietou" -

Persian Lime Sorbet -

"S'Mores" -

"Charlotte aux Poires et aux Dates" -

TASTING OF VEGETABLES

Perigord Truffle "Veloute" -

Salad of Matsutake Mushrooms -

Tahitian Vanilla Glazed Salsify -

Hand-Rolled Potato "Gnocchi" -

Belgian Endive "Cuite Sous Vide" -

Betteraves Parfumees a la Feuille de Peche" -

"Mestre Queijeiro Cabra" -

Huckleberry Sorbet -

"Pave de Chocolat Blanc au The Vert" -

Manresa Restaurant

Restaurant: Manresa
Location: Los Gatos, CA
Open: Tue-Sat from 5:30pm, Sun from 5pm
Date of Dinner: September 29, 2007
Cost of Dinner: $25 per person, for the tip. Actual dinner would have cost about $250 per person
Recommendation: Even at $250 per person, dinner was worth every penny. One of the best restaurants in the Bay Area.



How do you rate a restaurant that seats you one hour late from your reservation? Even worse, one where you have to drive one hour each way to get to? Dinner at Manresa was supposed to be special as it was for a special birthday dinner, in fact, it was for two special birthdays: one of which was for a friend who just turned 75.

I was at a quandary because the choice was between Manresa down in Los Gatos or Cyrus up in Healdsburg. Because of a problem I had with Cyrus when I made a reservation there in August (they cancelled my reservation when I needed to reduce the party from 6 to 4), I decided that Manresa would be a good choice primarily because of James Syhabout, its chef de cuisine who studied under Ferran Adria at El Bulli as well as at Fat Duck in Bray, England.

Reservation was at 9pm on a Saturday night, quite late for dinner, but good enough for us, even if we had to drive an hour to get there. We arrived at Manresa on time: 9pm on the dot. We were told that we will be seated as soon as our table is ready. So we made small talk with the other two parties who are also waiting for their tables to be available. At 9:15pm, the maitre d' apologized for the delay and offered us (the three dinner parties waiting) champagne. Fair enough. Then a friend chided that we would really be happy if they gave us a trip to Paris with the champagne.

As the two other parties were seated, we are still waiting for our table. By 9:40pm, I complain about the ridiculousness of having to wait 40 minutes when we had a reservation. The maitre d' reasoned that they did not expect the party at our table to have ordered the tasting menu which took longer. It still is unforgivable that our wait is longer than half an hour, whether or not other people ordered the tasting menu.

We were finally seated at five minutes to ten. At this time, we are all starving and practically drunk, thanks to the champagne that they offered us on an empty stomach. Upon being seated, the maitre d' announced that the entire dinner for our party of four is on the house. Wow! And they are offering us the same tasting menu that got us the late seating in the first place. Not only that, we will also get the wine pairing to go with each course. Double wow! Now that is how you turn a bad thing into good. This was a double birthday celebration and it was turning into a disaster, until the very moment we were seated. Now all that is behind us, and we can just concentrate on the food.

Strawberry Gazpacho with Spanish Almonds - The first of our three amuses bouches was a great start to what will end up to be an amazing dinner experience. A shooter of strawberry puree topped with almonds: nice, sweet, and refreshing.

Fall Croquettes with Foie Gras and Pistachios - A second amuse bouche was a revelation, golden nuggets of creamy foie gras and pistachios and the flavor just erupts as you pop them in your mouth. Now how can they possibly top this? And they haven't even gotten to the first course yet!

Arpege Egg - The waiter calls the last amuse bouche "Arpege" egg. Arpege is a commercial perfume for women created by Lanvin in 1927. At the time, its slogan was "Promise her anything, but give her Arpege." And you can pretty much apply this slogan for this particular dish. While I did not think they can possibly top the croquettes, they put the Arpege egg in front of me. The Arpege is a slow cooked egg in the shell with maple syrup, sherry vinegar, and chives. It was simple in description, yet complex in execution. The waiter instructed us to dig deep into the shell and mix all the flavors together. The taste is sweet, creamy, and vinegary all at the same time.

Amberjack with Meyer Lemon Zest, Breakfast Radish and Seaweed - The first course was sushi. Thinly sliced amberjack served carpaccio style with a nice hint of meyer lemon zest. A small mound of breakfast radish and seaweed slivers complete the dish. I have never tried amberjack before and found the white fish lean and quite tasty. What surprised me was how a friend who has a disdain for raw fish not only tried this dish but actually cleared the plate. That, to me, is the ultimate test of how good this course really was. A glass of 2004 Greenhough Sauvignon Blanc was also served. At first I thought that the wine was a little green and tasted of raw apples. However, it went very well with the salty goodness of the sushi.

Handchurned Salted Butter - I don't know if this can be considered a course onto itself, but it was special nonetheless and needed special mention. It was so special that a separate wine was served with this butter. A glass of Jongieux Vin de Savoie fits the bill. Vin de Savoie is usually referred to as skiing wines because these wines are most prevalent near the French Alps. It was certainly a treat to try such an obscure wine and a really good one at that. The Vin de Savoie encompasses both the salted butter and the following prawn dish. But let me get back to the butter. The butter was personally handchurned by the chef with cream from Watsonville. The result was butter so creamy you can pretty much just eat it all by itself and wait for the arteries to clog. Interestingly enough (and this is not a dig or a criticism), it reminds me of Queensland canned butter that my mother always brings back with her when she goes to the Philippines. And trust me, Queensland butter is THAT good! Don't just take my word for it, take his.

Monterey Bay Spot Prawns a la Plancha with Exotic Spices and Wilted Spinach - The prawn was split lengthwise and is grilled on a metal plate (la Plancha) and served with exotic spices, which I guess will remain exotic as I never asked specifically what those spices were. Nevertheless, the dish was spot on!

Roast Breast of Squab with Homemade Boudin Noir - A boudin noir, or black pudding, is a sausage made by cooking animal blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. Most often, boudins noir are made with pig or cattle blood. While they never specified which type of blood this particular boudin noir is made from, pairing the squab with boudin noir makes for a very bold statement. It certainly would've been even bolder if squab blood is used for the boudin. Unfortunately, I never asked so this will always remain a question. I found this combination very intriguing and satisfying. The squab was served pink and very tender. The nice vinegar flavor of the boudin noir was definitely complementary to the squab. A glass of 2004 Genium Priorat is served to go with the course, a very nice Spanish wine.

Steak Bavette with Assorted Alliums - Alliums are all plants within the onion genus. They include plants such as onions, garlic, chives, leeks, and shallots. The French word, bavette, which means thin steak (or literally "bib"), is also known as flap steak but is often applied to other flank steaks. This type of meat is usually more fibrous or chewy than the traditional New York steak or filet mignon, but they also tend to be more flavorful. The latter description is very apt in this case, made even more flavorful with the addition of the leeks, onions, garlic, and shallots. Served medium rare, the meat was tender and is paired nicely with a glass of 2003 Ahlgren Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pineau des Charentes - Pineau des Charentes, or simply Pineau, is an alcoholic aperitif made from blending grape must and Cognac brandy. While popular in the Charente region of France, it is lesser known in other regions of France and practically unknown outside that country. So, it made our dinner all the more special to be treated to a fabulous glass of Pineau.

Caramelized Figs and Caramelized Brioche with Fennel Ice Cream - A buttery cube of brioche was served lightly toasted, and topped with the sauce from the caramelized figs and a quenelle of fennel ice cream. The ice cream has only a slight flavor of fennel, just a very small tinge of licorice. It accompanies the brioche and figs very nicely without overpowering them.

Chocolate Trifle with Tobacco Ice Cream and Raspberries Soaked in Armagnac - Alternating layers of chocolate sponge cake, chocolate cream, and raspberries soaked in armagnac are served in a single serving trifle bowl. This is further topped with tobacco ice cream. Obviously, the most interesting part of this dish is the ice cream. Who would ever have thought of making ice cream from tobacco? Frankly, tobacco ice cream tasted like a very weak pot brownie. Well, that's what it tasted like combined with the chocolate trifle.