For our fourth anniversary, Ethan surprised me with reservations at The French Laundry during an overnight trip to the Napa Valley in California.
While Napa Valley is of course best known for its wonderful wines and winery visits are on most people’s to-do lists, there are lots of things to do in Napa Valley besides wine tasting. Eating at the wonderful restaurants is definitely one of them and definitely great for those who can’t or don’t drink wine like my then boyfriend.
Eating at the highly-rated The French Laundry restaurant had been something that I had wanted to do. But given the cost of dining here, I had never really thought I’d get the chance to do so. But I was lucky enough to have the opportunity on our anniversary.
So how was it you ask? Here’s our full The French Laundry review of our dining experience.
General Information/BookIng: For general information about the restaurant, prices, and menus click here. For tips and details on how to book a reservation at the French Laundry, check out our guide to getting French Laundry reservations.
Parking: We parked in one of the few spots directly behind the restaurant. There was also plenty of nearby street parking on and around Washington Street.
Dress: Guests are expected to dress nicely and jackets are required at lunch and dinner for men. Ethan wore a dress shirt, dress pants, tie, black jacket, and black dress shoes. Most men were similar dressed, although many men did not wear a tie (it’s optional).
The women, however, were much more varied. I wore a wool sleeveless dress over a button-up shirt, black stockings, and black heels. Some female diners were similarly dressed, some were dressed like they were going to a movie premiere (i.e. evening gowns), and some looked like perhaps they were heading to the beach after dinner (i.e., what appeared to be brightly colored sun dresses!).
Basically, if you dress nicely, you’ll fit in just fine. There is a noticeably more relaxed dress code in Napa compared to other places.
Service: We were warmly greeted by staff. There is a high staff to diner ratio, and there was always someone around to fill our glasses, clear away dishes, or answer a question. The service throughout the meal was superb as it should be for such a highly rated restaurant. Various staff members introduced themselves during the meal and were much more personable and forthcoming than we expected.
Most of our fine dining has been in Europe, and dining here was more relaxed than we’d experienced there. We had no complaints whatsoever about the service. We sat in one of three tables in a little area set off from the main dining room and it felt like being in a nice home. We ate at the earliest dining time and there was only one other couple in our little dining area, also celebrating an anniversary.
THE FOOD: The wine list is actually digital and was presented to us on a tablet which was cool! The actual food menus are presented as traditional paper menus (just ask if you would like a copy of the menu, we did and they gave us fresh copies as we were leaving in a folder). We both ordered the prix fixe Chef’s Tasting menu, and declined the additional $100 supplement for the truffle “risotto” dish. We had a choice for desserts (I chose strawberry and Ethan chocolate).
In addition to the menu items they present you with an amuse-bouche or two (tiny bite-sized hors d’oeuvre), breads, and at the end a very long succession of sweets (coffee and donuts, chocolate macadamia nuts, caramel candies, and chocolate truffles). To celebrate our anniversary, we were presented with a tiny chocolate orange cake. Finally, they send you home with a little gray tin of shortbread cookies. We were quite overwhelmed at the end with all the sweet treats!
Here are pictures of some of our dinner:
Favorite Dishes: The amuse bouche (the salmon tartare cornets are delicious), the “Oyster and Pearls” first course, the fish dishes (yellowtail and poached lobster), and the chocolate dessert (Ethan’s). I would also have to give a shout out to the vanilla shortbread cookies as they were wonderful even a couple of days later when I ate them.
Worst dish: “Tomme de Brebis” dish which was very salty. I really didn’t care for anything on the plate. I really like ham and generally love meat plates, so I was disappointed. Ethan even though this dish was too salty which is saying a lot as he has a high threshold for salt.
Drinks: I had a glass of Lassalle Rose champagne ($29/glass), water, and espresso during the meal. Ethan had an orange sparkling non-alcoholic drink and coffee. The non-alcoholic drinks are at no charge.
Bill: Obviously bills are high here and always in the triple digits. We suspect the bill of the couple beside us was probably in the quadruple digits given their wine selections and their statements of “money is no object” (how lucky for them!).
Even though cost was of importance to us, there are two positives aspects: 1) you know how much the bill is going to be (not including wine) before you come as the prices are provided on the website and 2) service is all inclusive. So we limited our wine intake and were happy when we were told that gratuity is already included and we could leave additional gratuity if we wished. We, of course, left additional gratuity, but it was much less than we had anticipated we’d need to leave.
After dinner thoughts and reflections: After we paid the hefty bill and tore ourselves away from the remaining sweets, we were quite stuffed and stopped to sit outside in the grassy area where they have some nice patio furniture set up. Here we sat and reflected on the meal together. We felt the service was excellent, the food very good and it was a nice experience overall.
However, we would probably never return to The French Laundry. This is for a few reasons, but mainly we felt the meal was too expensive. Also, although the food was very good, we both actually had expected a bit more given the price. Only a couple of the dishes really stood out to us afterwards and we both thought the one dish was way too salty.
We have had more memorable meals from less expensive restaurants. So while we were both glad to have had the experience, I don’t think it will be one we’ll repeat. However, this is just our opinion, as the diners at the table near us were asking the staff about how they could get reservations again soon. If you have the money, it’s well worth the splurge, but if the prices are too high for you, you can find many less expensive restaurants in Napa that will still give you a very memorable experience.
Any thoughts on The French Laundry or any of the other Napa Valley restaurants? We’d love to hear them. We are also happy to share more specific information about our dinner experience, just ask. Also, if you are going to be visiting the Napa Valley soon, we recommend checking out our post on things to do in Napa Valley.
Phyllis Post author
I had some VIP guests who I made a reservation a month ago at the French Laundry. It was the couple’s anniversary and they flew all the way from Dallas to experience NAPA at its finest! They showed up 15 minutes ahead of time for their reservation only to be told they had no record of their reservation!! They were disappointed and embarrassed by the situation! I spoke with the Gm, Nick, who after giving him the details of when and with who took the reservation refused to honor. I believe Thomas Keller should re-train his staff in professionalism and extending courtesies to fine people who spent a lot of money to dine at their restaurant for their anniversary!! Do not recommend this restaurant who feel their business can honor reservations in a discremanary manner!!! The happy ending is that they go to eat at Auberge du Soleil and that the couple received their special occasion with 5 star service from reservation, dinner and impeccable staff!!!
Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author
Hi Phyllis,
Thanks for sharing your clients’ experience. As you probably know, The French Laundry doesn’t take any reservations by phone or email and has not done so for a while and reservations are pre-paid online. So it sounds like they did not make a reservation via Tock which is the only reservation system the restaurant currently is using so I am not sure how a reservation could have been taken by a member of staff as they only take reservations via phone or email for private functions and such. It is an unfortunate situation, but it sounds like the couple still had a great dinner in Napa and I am glad they still enjoyed their anniversary time in Napa! The area is full of great eateries, wineries, and restaurants 😉 Best, Jessica
R Ogburn Post author
Just found your interesting blog site. You are such a good writer. Especially enjoyed reading about the various tea salons in Paris. My favorite city,
What a lovely and thoughtful gift Ethan gave you for your anniversary. I do agree with your assessment of the French Laundry restaurant. If you can afford to pay for the experience of eating at this well-known, charming three-star restaurant, go for it. The food and service are indeed memorable. There are a number of other really excellent restaurants in Yountville and close vicinity as well that are also well-worth writing home about that will not put such a big dent in one’s budget.
Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author
Hi there, thanks so much for taking the time to comment and I am glad you enjoyed your dinner at The French Laundry. Yes, there are so many great restaurants in the Napa Valley area (as well as the San Francisco Bay area), my cousin used to work as a chef at one of the restaurants in Yountville. Visitors (and locals) are spoiled for choice in this part of the world 😉 Best, Jessica
Mark wallace Post author
We were excited to dine at French Laundry. We were well aware of the price structure. We found the food, service and ambiance to not come close to the price. My wife and I were so disappointed we left about half way through the dinner. This has to be the most overrated restaurant in America!
travelcats Post author
Hi Mark, thanks for taking the time to add your comment. I am really sorry to hear that you had a poor experience here based on the price. We found the service to be excellent and the food to be very good, but we also felt it was a bit expensive for the price as we noted and part of this was that we had very high expectations given the price. But it sounds like you had a worse experience – I would recommend writing the restaurant if you have any specific complaints during your visit (e.g., rude server, undercooked food, etc.) as this is the type of thing that should never happen in this type of establishment.
Bill and Barbara Haddon Post author
Three less pricey recommendations for the Napa valley:
1. Tra Vigne in St. Helena
Our Mar ’13 meal there for Barbara’s birthday at this Italian gem was a memorable Napa Valley experience that pleases both the palate and the wallet.
2. The famous CIA at Greystone. Culinary Institute of America
Our Mar ’12 birthday dinner for Barbara — with scrumptious food and an elegant wine list, affordable. and fun. also St. Helena. The building is the historic Christian Bros Winery.
3. In Napa itself. I like to start with raw oysters at the Hog Island oyster bar in the Oxbow market in downtown Napa. It’s on 1st street and then walk to Zuzu at 810 Main St. for a meal of scrumptious tapas and an amazing selection of wines. All this won’t set you back too seriously in $’s. I’ve made three visits here, once for my birthday in ’13, another time while picking up wine barrels with a friend.
None of this is at the level of F.L. . (I’ve not been there, but we’ve talked about it during the “molecular food” craze that’s going around. . . a term that I find a bit off-putting as a chemist, but no doubt descriptive of some fine culinary masterpieces.)
Bill Haddon
travelcats Post author
Thanks so much for these wonderful local recommendations. We haven’t been to any of these restaurants (although we have eaten at the Oxbow Market) and look forward to trying them out–too bad we don’t make it to the Napa area more!
Kate @ BBF. Post author
Hi! Enjoyed your review – sounds like a nice treat. I’m considering trying to make it a reality (my only New Year’s resolution??), so I’m reading reviews. Yours is only the second one I’ve read and you both said something was too salty! Did you feel like you could be honest about the dish? I don’t know if you’re the type to speak up in the first place or not, I’d imagine it’s intimidating at TFL. But I’m wondering if your gracious servers would have been receptive to you saying that you weren’t happy with your dish. Thanks and happy new year!
travelcats Post author
Hi Kate, the serving staff were quite receptive and responsive to us and the other diners seated near us. However, the salty issue on that dish was that the meat and cheese itself were just naturally salty and when paired together made for a very salty plate and I just couldn’t eat it. Overall, though it was a very great meal and that was the only course in which we didn’t finish all the food on the plate. TFL is a great place for a celebratory meal. I hope that if you do decide to go here, that you have a wonderful experience. Happy 2014!
Kate @ BBF. Post author
Thanks for your reply, Jessica! TFL sounds like it might suffer from high expectations – that everyone expects it to be transcendent at every bite. But for that much money, maybe it should be! I’ll just be happy if I get to California again some time soon. Happy new year to you too!
Jane {In the Pink and Green} Post author
Wow, what an incredible experience! We made a couple trips to Napa while living in Tahoe, and it’s such a beautiful part of the country! I’d love to eat at the French Laundry someday, it sounds like it’s truly as amazing as I’d imagined! Thanks for sharing 🙂
travelcats Post author
Thanks for stopping by Jane! Yes, it is a pretty area of the country and a great (but very expensive) experience. Hope you get the chance to return.
Jackie H Post author
Hi guys, wow, that looks amazing!! I have eaten at Bouchon once but never French Laundry. Always been either too poor or too intimidated to even try to make reservations. Glad you guys had a great experience but sounds like the price will keep you from returning. Don’t blame you there!
travelcats Post author
Hi Jackie, yes it was a great experience. You make a good point though, for those who want to still experience great food from a Thomas Keller restaurant while in the Napa Valley, there is also Bouchon Bistro and Ad Hoc, both of which while a bit pricey are much more affordable than The French Laundry but still highly rated. Also, it is much easier to get a reservation to these restaurants. If you are on a tight budget, consider a pastry splurge at Keller’s Bouchon Bakery.
Ethan Post author
Hi Josiah! Yes, it was an indulgence. Here’s how I look at it: we would usually do 2 or 3 mid price dinners out each month, so since we did this we will just skip those for a couple of months. Really the best way to look at it, is as an experience, not as just a dinner.
Josiah Post author
Wow you guys made it to French Laundry!? Guess that justifies my dining out every night for the next month at ~$10 a plate restaurants?
travelcats Post author
Hi Josiah. It was a great experience, but not one I think I’d repeat. Yes, definitely would justify a month of cheap dinners out! We actually haven’t eat out anywhere together since that night.