We finally were able to get a reservation at The French Laundry, the world famous restaurant of the celebrity chef Thomas Keller.
We arrived early so we had time to visit the French Laundry garden right across the restaurant. In Oct, the garden was full of fresh seasonal vegetables, like cabbage, squash, pepper, and much more. It was really fun wandering the garden and imagining what kind of food the chef would turn the incredible produce into later. I strongly suggest that anyone dining at the French Laundry come a little early to visit the garden first!
Although it was in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the outdoor dining was still a great experience on such a pleasant fall evening.
The restaurant only offers a tasting menu. The wine pairing here works slightly differently than other high-end dining — instead of offering a fixed pairing, they ask for your budget, and use that to select the wines matched with your courses.
Our meal started with a savory sabayon of pearl tapioca with island creek oysters and Regiis Ova caviar. Neither of us had tapioca (yuca) in a savory dish before. It added a starchy texture and slight sweetness to the broth. Regiis Ova (“Royal Egg” in Latin) is the caviar company co-founded by the chef Thomas Keller. I liked the saltiness and smoothness of the caviar.
The next dish was a salad of hearts of Hawaiian peach palm, young ginger gelatin, garden shiso and yuzu. It was refreshing, and a bit citrusy. The ginger gelatin was especially interesting because it gave a popping sensation in your mouth with every spoonful.
After the salad course, we were served slow cooked Atlantic cod with yukon gold potato confit, crispy oyster crackers and Hobbs’ bacon consomme. The cod was very delicate and smooth. The crackers added crunchiness to the otherwise softness texture of the fish. The consomme was super rich and flavorful, but very clear.
The next dish was lobster galette with red kuri squash puree and lobster broth. Compared to the last dish, the broth was creamy instead of clear. The sweetness of the kuri squash paired surprisingly well with the salty, tender lobster.
We were next served Peking duck with wilted arrowleaf spinach, royal Blenheim apricot “Pate De Fruit” and sweet curry jus. The roasted Peking duck had crispy skin and tender meat. Dipping the salty duck in the slightly sweet curry juice and apricot pate was just the perfect way to enjoy it.
The last savory dish was the braised beef neck stew of red rice, Nantes carrots, and turnips from the garden we’d visited earlier. I am always amazed how chefs transform everyday ingredients into delicious and delicate dishes. Beef neck is a hard cut of meat to get right. It is very lean and very flavorful, but can be tough unless cooked correctly. The beef neck in this dish had very deep flavor and perfect tenderness. Although paired with the most common vegetables – carrots and turnips — the dish was my most favorite savory dish of the night.
Finally, it was dessert time!
We started with the cheese course. And at The French Laundry, that of course meant something incredibly creative: the Andante dairy “Etude” and preserved Perigord black winter truffle “Fondue”.
By the time dessert was served, I have drunk to the point that I could neither remember the names nor take clear pictures.
Cheesecake Icecream Beignet
Overall, we had such a great dinner! We are definitely going to come back. Please keep tuned for another visit!
