The French Laundry, Yountville CA
After our 5-hour long meal, we were given a parting bag filled with goodness! Ah, the folks at The French Laundry sure know how to send you off right. The shortbread cookies were super buttery and delicious! And I love the cute tin they came in. Makes you want to return for more!
Ginger & rum, PB&J, bing cherry, olive oil, hazelnut crunch, and meyer lemon.
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
Another dessert freebie! I was SO full that I took my 3 truffles home. They didn’t look as shiny the next day, but they stil tasted AWESOME!
Cinnamon-sugared doughnut holes.
“Cappuccino semifreddo”, a mousse-like coffee dessert.
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
I guess this is a Thomas Keller signature combination that’s no longer available on the regular menu. We got it for free at the end of the meal (thanks again Olivia) and they were AMAZING!
They also brought out a bowl of hard caramel-covered macadamia nuts. Yes, please!
Praline mousse, “dacquoise”, meringue, and roasted banana sorbet. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
This was one of those desserts that has a lot of amazing components but I couldn’t seem to enjoy them all at once. It all tasted great, but I was left with a feeling of disappointment. The tiny pieces of bananas were amazing, lol!
Toasted oats, pomegranate, Oxalis and Osmanthus “nuage”. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
Ah, this was SO refreshing! I really liked the cream yogurt sherbet with the tart pomegranate arils and the crunchy oats. I don’t know what Osmanthus is supposed to taste like, but the “cloud” was cute enough.
All done!
Royal Blenheim apricot “Membrillo”, fennel and saba vinegar. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
This cheese plate was yummy! I loved the curled apricot “membrillo” and the saba vinegar tasted great with everything.
“Ribettes”, medjool dates, cauliflower, toasted cashews, and madras curry jus. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
This was delicious! Oddly enough, the cauliflower puree was my favorite component. I loved its texture and flavor, and the toasted cashews were a perfect addition.
Post-dinner kitchen. We closed the restaurant and were treated to a little tour of the kitchen. You can see that they have it pretty much clean and closed up. I felt kind of bad for being the last table in the restaurant, but with all the additional courses we were served there was no way we could have finished any earlier. Aahhh! I thought it was also cool that they had a tv screen showing the Per Se kitchen in real time!
Cornbread, cavolo nero, bean puree and barrel-aged maple. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
This tasted amazing, but I wish that the duck skin had been seared. The fat underneath was pretty thick and it was difficult to cut and chew through. A good sear would have made eating it a little easier. The cornbread cubes were perfectly cut and were SO flavorful. I was afraid that this dish was gonna be too salty, but it was perfectly seasoned.
Signage at the front of the restaurant.
Fava beans, piquillo peppers, braised pine nuts and serrano ham vinaigrette. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
Hmm, compared to the rest of the meal this was probably one of my less(er) favorites. There was an unpleasant bitterness from the combination of pine nuts, scallop, and vinaigrette. It didn’t all taste bad, but it was too sharp on my palate. The scallop was super soft and tender though!
San Marzano tomato marmalade, parmesan, cornichons, romaine lettuce and Haas avocado. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
Apologies for the iPhone photo being so blurry because I really loved this dish! The “sandwich” was amazing and the football-shaped avocado pieces were super cute. I enjoyed the crisp texture of the sandwich exterior, the warm firmness of the crab filling, and the creaminess of of the avocado “sauce”. Noms, a great dish all around!
Celery branch, cara cara orange, juniper yogurt, almond sable and red ribbon sorrel. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270 + $30 supplement
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
Another beautifully plated dish! I love the soft, pale colors on the plate from the cara cara (red navel) orange wedges to the pink foie terrine and green sorrel. For a tasting menu, the terrine portion was generous but I did my duty and ate it ALL up, lol!
Warm brioche. This was kinda cool – I was finishing the first half of the thick brioche when a server came up behind me and replaced the remaining half with a new, warm slice. Fresh and warm is best for this dish!
Trio of salts. Pretty and tasty! You could definitely taste a difference between the salts.
“Sabayon” of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
This has got to be one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. It’s small, but it packs a punch! The caviar was tasty and I loved the texture, and the oysters were firm but weren’t overcooked.
Gotta love the small mother of pearl spoon they provide to eat this delicious morsel.
Vittle Monster 