Bay Area Series 5: The French Laundry (04/14/09)

French Laundry, otherwise kown as the best restaurant in America, had owned 3 michelin, 4 SF Chronicle, and 5 Mobile Traveel guide stars.

The restaurant occupied a former french laundery hut at Yountville, California. Across from the restaurant, there was a garden where some of the restaurant's produce were grown.

Napkin tucked by wine cork was placed at the center of the serving plate.


The amuse bouche was just like ones from per se: salmon tartare in ice cream cones, followed by guerre cheese cream puff.





First course was another repeat--"Oysters and Pearls" . Oysters, Tapioca balls, and Caviar served in a rich creamy butter sauce.

Second course, "Foie Gras Terrine", was soft and creamy which paired exceptionally with resiling. The vinegar reduction served on the side was mixed with ager powder to form a shaving gel consistency, and such technique was repeated throughout the meal. I guess Thomas Keller was starting to embrace the molecular gastornomy trend

Third course was fried frog legs with meyer lemon dressings. The frog leg here was a disappointment, reminded me harsh browns from fast food joints with lemon juice.

The next course was sweet butter poached lobster with green asparagus and truffle sauce. The lobster meat was a bit too soft for my likings.

The fifth course is Pekin Duck salad, which consists of granny smith apples, heirloom beets, and swiss chard. This dish reminds me of salads from fast food joint with chicken being replaced by duck breast.

Last protein course was steak with turnips, fava beans, and paloise reduction. The prime rib was perfectly cooked to a medium rare. The fava beans and turnips were sous vide; though very sweet, I wish they were firmer texturally.

For pre-dessert, appenzeller chesse was served with french toast, pearl onions, arugular, and prune gel.

For first dessert, yogurt sorbet with oatmeal and apricot sauce .

Last dish was caramelized bananas and hazelnut sorbet. While the banana flavor was interesting, nothing else catched my palates.

Peitit four

The food at French Laundry was ok, but wasn't able to match my expectations. Probably due to my jet leg, I couldn't enjoy my dinner as much as my companions. Last but not the least, I deeply missed the buttered sauce I had in Per Se a year ago instead of the molecular gastornomy driven "gel" served at the french laundry.