In-n-Out Burgers

For those of you that don’t recognize them, those are In-n-Out Burgers, and they are joyous. If you haven’t started drooling then you’ve never had one. Thomas Keller even celebrated the 17th anniversary of The French Laundry with some of these little delights.

These were the last things we ate before boarding the plane home, and they were the perfect way to end our trip. San Francisco and the Bay Area really has it all, and we ate as much of it as we could. Unfortunately our intensive 10-day eat-a-thon was barely enough to scratch the surface of what this area has to offer. It’s truly overwhelming to walk the streets and drive through the surrounding valleys. Great food and drink is everywhere, and we’ll be back to find it.

Hope you enjoyed eating along with us! We plan to post a “best-of” list sometime soon.

Where do we eat next?

Thomas Keller’s restaurant is hugely hyped. Its diners come seven-days-a-week for lunch and dinner with the highest possible expectations. It’s a sophisticated machine that has seemingly infinite moving parts — 25 in the kitchen, 12 of which are stages, 18 in front-of-house, over 2500 wines and 70 covers per service. It could so easily fall short of one’s expectations. Instead, the service, the food and the entire experience simply wows your pants off.

Before going in we took a quick frolic through the restaurant’s garden/farm. Across the street the restaurant staff maintain a small farm that supplies ample common and unusual flavours and textures for the kitchen to work with.

Part of the French Laundry "garden"

We got to the restaurant early so we could ease in to the experience and bask in the glow of greatness from the confines of the perfectly manicured on-site gardens (of the inedible variety).

French Laundry garden (non-edible)

Then the hostest came and got us. This was it. We were going inside. We were nervous for so many reasons. That we wouldn’t do it right. That it would be stodgy and pretentious. That it wouldn’t blow our minds — for the hype and the price of admission, it had to blow our minds.

The hostest was extremely warm and charming, and the servers took right over where she left off. This calmed our nerves slightly. We sat at our table on the second level eyeing up the place — each with half smiles on, using our inner monologues to judge everything. So far there was nothing to criticize. But we were still hesitant and guarded, and that wouldn’t change until we tasted something.

We spent about 20 minutes mulling over the menu. There is a choice between a Chef’s Tasting Menu and a Vegetable Tasting Menu. The latter is not so much a vegetarian option as a showcase for fabulous produce (small amounts of non-vegetarian items are used). This was a much harder decision than we’d anticipated. In the end we all went with the Chef’s Tasting though.

Note: It’s Kate, Myself (Jon) and David. Suzie had to unfortunately (for us and her) be in Toronto.

Our server took us through both menus in serious detail. It was impressive. We hummed and hawed over some difficult decisions – within the Chef’s Tasting there are two options for three out of the 12 different courses. In the end he made some of our choices easy by gently nudging us in the right direction.

Even though there was a set menu, the process was almost overwhelming. The amount of info about each dish was a lot to take in and process. And we wanted to take it ALL in.  Almost immediately after our server left we were joined by our sommelier. He was already fully briefed on each of our decisions and was open to discussing wine options. We didn’t want to discuss them so much as find out what he was gonna decide for us.

We had little time to consider if we made the right decisions. The first installment of the wine was being poured and the first surprise pre-menu item was here. Three small balls. They looked just like the Manischewitz matzo-puffs that i remember from growing up — we added them to soups during Passover. These came on a small silver plate and were no bigger than large marbles. It seemed like the chef’s way of playing with us a bit. Making light of the anticipation that almost paralyses his diners.

The three balls were actually choux-paste gougères filled with melted smoked gouda. A.k.a Cheese Puffs!

French Laundry: Cheese Puffs

Everything changed when we popped these in our mouths. They were warm and our nervousness melted away with the smokey cheese on our tongues. With one small bite of something that looked so pedestrian it became immediately clear that we weren’t about to be disappointed. Now the only thing left to tame was the sheer excitement of what was coming next.

Pre-menu item #2: Salmon tartar in black sesame tuile cornet filled with red onion-infused creme fresh. Let the worshiping at the alter of Keller begin. Now we went from knowing we wouldn’t be disappointed to knowing we were going to experience something we couldn’t have even expected — because we had no reference point for it.

French Laundry: Salmon Cones

We each made our way through our cornet letting out small laughs filled with amazement along the way. By the third bite it was euphoric. Kate will laugh at me for writing this, but my eyes welled up a bit. We were filled with happiness.

Next up was the first menued course. The signature dish:

French Laundry: Oysters and Pearls

You’re lookin’ at two of Massachusetts’ finest oysters and a $50 dollop of caviar in a sabayon. The euphoria grew.

From here on let me say that there was no miss. Every dish was innovative, inspiring, beautiful and delicious on an entirely new plane of taste. Now that you know that, form here on i’ll simply explain the dishes and try to refrain from the overjoyed adjectives.

Next course. Kate and David each got the Tomato Salad:

FRENCH LAUNDRY GARDEN TOMATOES — Fairytale Eggplant, English Cucumber, Niçoise Olive and Basil Crème Fraîche

The tomatoes were skinned and poached. It was the perfect combo of tart, sweet and flavour. This was Kate’s favourite dish. Amazingly, i got a bite of the eggplant.

French Laundry: "Toy Box" Tomato Salad

For this course I went with the foie gras:

MOULARD DUCK ““FOIE GRAS EN TERRINE”” — Crab Apple, Celery Relish, English Walnuts, White Honey and Summer Truffle

French Laundry: Foie Gras Terrine

That white stick across the middle is the foie. Unfortunately you can’t see it from the side, but the white is just a top layer of honey. There were two kinds of celery relish, one was on the right end of the foie and the other was inside the crab apple. Until now i always preferred my foie in lobe form. But hello terrine.

Next course. David and I went with the Tuna:

GRILLED JAPANESE BLUEFIN TUNA – Cauliflower, Marcona Almonds, Arrowleaf Spinach and ““Sauce Grenobloise””

French Laundry: Ranched Bluefin Tuna

This is Japanese Bluefin Tuna that is artificially hatched and farm-raised in land-based closed tanks. It’s a very new innovation and the jury is still out on how sustainable the practice will end up being. In theory it’s a fantastic innovation, but the requirements to feed the fish are controversial. Until we know more though, we don’t plan to make a habit of it.

Kate went with the Squid:

SALAD OF MARINATED BIGFIN SQUID — Summer Squash, Jingle Bell Peppers, Globe Artichokes, Garlic Chips, Arugula and Spanish Saffron

French Laundry: Bigfin (longfin) Squid Salad

Interestingly the squid was underneath everything else (we saw this earlier in our trip as well). This was the prettiest of the dishes.

Next course:

NEW BEDFORD SEA SCALLOP ““POÊLÉE”” — Hobbs’’ Bacon, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Tokyo Turnips, ““Soubise,”” Watercress and Lobster-Sherry Vinaigrette

French Laundry: Scallop

If we absolutely had to criticize something in this meal it would be the mushrooms in this dish. You expect a lot from mushrooms, especially in this context. They were a non-factor in this dish (except for looking great). But the dish more than made up for it in other ways. The scallop was total perfection. And the chunks of veal-braised bacon were among the most memorable bites of the meal. Also, i think the Tokyo Turnip blew David’s mind. He couldn’t stop talking about it.

Next up:

FOUR STORY HILL FARM ““CUISSE DE POULARDE”” — Black Truffle Mousse, Royal Blenheim Apricot, Fennel Bulb, Pine Nuts and ““Sauce Périgourdine””

French Laundry: Chicken Thigh

It’s hard to tell from the photo. But the chicken was served almost raw with very crispy and delicate skin. Amazing texture.

Next:

““CHATEAUBRIAND”” OF MARCHO FARMS NATURE-FED VEAL — Red Beet ““Tortellini,”” Romaine Lettuce, ““Pomme Purée,”” Horseradish and ““Sauce Bordelaise””

French Laundry: Veal

Look close, that potato “slice” is actually many slices of crispy joy that seriously upped the veal’s game.

Now we start the cool-down.

““ABBAYE DE TAMIɔ” – Belgian Endive, Bing Cherries, Hazelnut Streusel, Frisée and Balsamic Reduction

French Laundry: Monk-made cheese

This cheese is actually made by monks in the French Alps. The food miles saved by the massive garden across the street are wiped-out by many of the extravagant ingredients that Chef Keller has likely travelled the world to discover.

Next:

MANILA MANGO SORBET — Compressed Watermelon, Chili, Persian Lime and Garden Mint

French Laundry: Mango Sorbet

The “compression” technique was used in several places throughout the meal. It’s essentially putting the fruit or vegetable in a bag and vacuum sealing it as tightly as possible and then refrigerating it. The result is a much more intense flavour and colour.

Next was the actual dessert course. It should have only been a single dish, but our server insisted we each have two desserts. We didn’t argue. Both Kate and David even managed to swindle one of their options from the Vegetable Tasting Menu (achieving all four dessert possibilities).

#1: ““CRÉMEUX AUX FRUITS DE LA PASSION”” — French Laundry Garden Strawberries, Pistachio ““Pain de Gêne,”” and White Chocolate Sorbet

French Laundry: White chocolate sorbet with garden strawberries

The journey along this trail was amazing. White chocolate two ways: sorbet and custard. The “Pain de Gêne” was actually dehydrated. It’s the dry pistacchio colour that carries throughout.

#2: ““PANE DI RICOTTA ALLA GRIGLIA”” — Delta Blue Blueberries, Nougatine, ““Limone Cagliata”” and Buttermilk Sherbet

French Laundry: "Grilled Ricotta Bread"

The buttermilk sorbet was the king of this dish.

#3: K&J ORCHARD YELLOW PEACH FLOAT — Young Ginger ““Pearls,”” Vanilla Sablé, Persian Lime Sherbet and Lemon Verbena

French Laundry: Peach Float

Full of interesting textures and flavours.

#4: VALRHONA GUANAJA CHOCOLATE ““MARQUIS”” — Goat’’s Milk Mousse, Bing Cherries, Thai Long Peppercorns and Cassis Sorbet

French Laundry: Chocolate Cake

This dish is for the chocolate lovers. I felt like its resemblance to the foie gras from earlier in the meal was a bit of an inside joke between us and the kitchen.

The dessert was so good it needed its own dessert. I.e. A classic mignardises.

French Laundry: Mignardises

To be honest, we don’t really remember exactly what this was. It was definitely close to a butter tart. The combination of euphoria and wine had taken a toll by this point.

Then a plate of chocolates and a bowl of roasted and sugar-dusted macadamia nuts to finish things off.

French Laundry: House Chocolates

We could barely fit another morsel inside our stomachs. But we persevered and each managed a small bite of each chocolate. Each one of them would be the highlight of the very best box of chocolates you’ve been gifted. Passion fruit and fleur de sel, peanut butter, banana, cherry, hazelnut, and one other i can’t remember.

Now that i’m done with the food, i’ll give a quick tour of the wine. We started off with a 2005 Champagne from Pierre Gimonnet. Then Kate was served a 2009 Bodegas Shaya, Verdejo, “Old Vines” from Rueda, Spain. I was poured a 1992 Karthauserhof, Riesling from Eitelsbacher, Germany. Then we all had glasses of a 2002 Maison Leroy, Bourgogne Blanc from Burgundy, France. All these wines we great, especially the ’92 Riesling.

Then the reds came out for the meat dishes. First we had an amazing Brunello called ”Pertimali” by Livio Sassetti in Tuscany. Next was a local Cabernet Sauvignon made specifically for the French Laundry by an all-star team in Napa’s Rutherford district. The wine is called Modicum. It’s the “house wine” at The French Laundry and only available there. Both the reds were as good as we’ve ever had.

We couldn't keep up with the wine

On our way out we were given a tour of the kitchen. This was obviously a huge honour for Kate, but the significance was not lost on David or I. We were floored by how welcoming all the staff were. They were still mid service and it seemed like everyone stopped what they were doing to give us a smile or a nod. We stood there for about five minutes while another one of our servers and (fellow canadian) impressed upon us precisely how things went down in the kitchen.

French Laundry: Calm Kitchen

We were struck by how calm it was. Panic and anxiety could not make the magic that comes out of here.

Not seen in the photo is a live video feed from Keller’s New York team at Per Se. We thought it was a bit strange due to the time difference , but there is obviously some overlap of servings and clearly Keller sees value in there being connectedness between both kitchens.

Pointing out the Per Se live feed

In the end we walked out the door full, slightly inebriated, and downright thrilled that all our expectations were surpassed. Thank you Thomas Keller.

First we stopped for gin & sodas at an amazing hotel called Bardessono. This place looked amazing.

Bardessono Hotel

Then we strolled down the street for a flight local of wines — just to limber up a little more.

Flight of wines in Yountville

We purchased two very special bottles to take home with us:

• Chiara Bianco, Ribolla Gialla, 2009 — this is a white wine with many of the attributes of a delicious red
• Roux, Old Vine Petite Syrah, 2007 — we’ll be keeping this for a special occasion (is getting home a special occasion?)

Ok, now we’re really ready for FL.

Churritos on Embarcadero

Ok now on to Yountville for realz

This place had a variety of amazingness.

Fairy Building Shrooms

Seriously?

We went with the Breakfast Burrito. Kate: Pork Sausage, David: Smoked Herring, Jon: Dungeness Crab.

My nod goes to the smoked herring, but they were all extremely tasty. The tortilla was crepe-like and the egg was fluffy.

Ferry Building: Breakfast Burrito

Then it was time for the much-heard-about meat-in-a-cone at Boccalone. Went with a Brown Sugar and Fennel Salami (really fantastic, sweet and fennely just like it sounds), Pancetta Piana (cured pancetta), and Porchetta di Testa (pig head).

Cone of Salted Pig Parts

Then across the hall to Miette for some dessert. Black forrest cupcake with meringue icing. This was a spectacular cupcake and not far behind our beloved sprinkles. The meringue icing was really great, it was soft and velvety like a whipped marshmallow.

Miette: Cupcake

Now on to Yountville.

UPDATED: I had posted the French Laundry menu from July 31st, but since it was so significantly different than what we ate on August 1 I just removed it. Stay tuned for the full run down on our amazing experience.

The French Laundry in Yountville

Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd

We got the house-specialty chocolate bouchons (the namesake), some macaroons, “oreo cookies” (TK’s favourite snack apparently), chocolatines, and some dog biscuits to bring back for Sam the Dog (David’s dog).

Bouchon Bakery: Choosing was near traumatic

My highlight was the Caramel Macaroon. I’m not really a macaroon fan, but this thing was not just a macaroon. The first bite sent a wave of happiness from head to tow. It made me laugh even. The oreo cookie was also great.

Bouchon Bakery: Coffee macaroon (although i decided to eat the caramel one)

Kate loved the chocolate bouchon. It was rich and moist and made her happy.

Bouchon Bakery: Chocolate bouchon

David brought the foie gras dog biscuits we got for Sam home and reported back by email:

“i gave sam half of one of those treats 3 minutes ago. he’s still wagging his tail, licking his lips, and licking the floor where the treat was.”

Bouchon Bakery: Foie Gras Dog Treats (?!!)

Oh California.

Since they call it a pub, we'll call it a dive

The car basically pulled itself in to the parking lot (note the writing on the blackboard).

The server told us that “when those [Food Network] guys come by they usually tear up some of our chicken wings.” We didn’t go for the wings though. Instead we decided to “tear up” a basket of parmesan fries, french toast and an omelet. That’s right, we started with a basket of fries (w/ ranch dipping sauce).

Appefrieser

No joke, i think this was Kate’s favourite thing she’s eaten on this trip. She also got to wash it down with a seven-ounce cup of Russian River merlot. We shared the fries, but not really.

Then i had some near-perfect french toast. Straight up mapley-buttered deliciousness.

Russian River Pub: French Toast

Kate had a basil, sundried tomatoes, bacon and jack cheese omelet. She left the sides in favour of the remaining fries, but the omelet was simply bang on.

Russian River Pub: Omelet

Ok Guy, we’ll excuse the bleached hair, the goatee and the sunglasses. This place was dive-a-licious.

I thought i’d take a break from all the wine and go for a local beer — Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout of Anderson Valley. They even served it with a cool highball side glass. My favourite way to enjoy a beer. This was a fantastic stout — similar to the St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout but one step closer to the Guinness gold standard.

A thing of beauty

We started with polenta sticks with a marinara dipping sauce. The sticks were crunchy and cooked perfectly. They just lacked a little salt. A dish of flaked salt on the table would have made us very happy.

Boon: Polenta Sticks

Kate kept things healthy and light with an arugula salad w/ fennel and parmesan. Once again, great but in need of salt.

Boon: Arugula salad

I went to Burger town. It came with truffle fries (yum!), and house-made ketchup and garlic mayo (both were rather terrific). The Burger itself was good but lacked a bit of flavour. The pickled onions are a great touch though.

Boon Burger

Dessert was the highlight on this night — a strawberry rhubarb poltenta crisp w/ a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was piping hot and the ice cream quickly melted into a top soupy layer chock-full of flavour. The use of polenta in this way just makes sense.

Boon: Polenta Crisp

This was no hotel meal.