Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Temples of Gastronomy
141
The French Laundry
Hold the Starch
Yountville, California
Mention that you've just come back from
Napa Valley, and your foodie friends will
ask breathlessly, “Did you eat at The French
Laundry?” If you did, of course, you'll be
expected to deliver a bite-by-bite account.
They deserve a
little
vicarious pleasure.
Thomas Keller's cooking doesn't follow
the orthodoxies of classical French haute
cuisine, but that's irrelevant—this cuisine
is as haute as you can get. Opened in 1994
in a 19th-century stone saloon (later used
as a French-style steam laundry, hence the
name), The French Laundry serves what
Keller describes as American cuisine with
French influences—American because of
its love of local produce and its riffs on
down-home classics, but French for its
intricate preparations and dazzling plate
presentations. (As a young chef, Keller
trained at both Taillevent and Guy Savoy.)
Keller's cuisine is ultimately unclassifiable,
though—which is to say, brilliant on its
own terms.
When you come to The French Laundry,
you put yourself in the chef's hands: The
nine-course tasting menu is your only
option, and it changes not just every day,
but twice a day, with no ingredients
repeated. There's also a separate tasting
menu for vegetarians, and it's far more
than a mere afterthought.
At first you may be surprised by how
tiny each course looks as it is set in front of
you—Keller wants you to long for “just
one more bite of that”—but then the next
course comes and wows you anew. It's all
so deeply flavored, so rich and satisfying,
you won't leave the table hungry. Although
you can't count on any particular dish
appearing when you're there, some of the
dishes that have made Keller famous
include “oysters and pearls” (pearl tapioca
Thomas Keller's signature “oysters and pearls” at The French Laundry.
