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The French Laundry

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6640 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599-1301
Yountville, CA 94599

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(707) 944-2380
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Restaurants

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Food & Dining

Reviews
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( 13 )
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( 5 )

Best

The French Laundry is not just a great French restaurant in America, it is a great French restaurant anywhere in the world, most definitely including France. There is a magic tha...

Worst

I like to be offered a drink before dinner when I'm about to sit down for 10 courses. I had to ask twice and they would not serve our champagne until everyone had arrived at the ...

Really only a 1 Michelin star place 11/13/2002

This place is very good but overpriced and a bit over-rated by everyone. If this puts you in nirvana then, by all means, fork over $500 and enjoy yourself again. Or you can get a $400 off-season ticket to France and enjoy the same meal for $100 at any one of a number of one Michelin star restaurants in Provence which are just as good. Better yet foodies, go to Sidney and have the 14 course degustation menu at Tetsuya and, I assure you, you will change your rating for FL. Take off those rose colored taste buds folks...Thomas Kellar is a great chef but he's an even better businessman. Pros: charming, creative, romantic Cons: overpriced, over-rated, over-hyped more
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Heavenly! 11/11/2002

We tried Keller's taster's menu. This is the first time in a meal where every bite made me go, ""Oh my god!"". Truly astonishing food---the detail and meticulous care involved in preparation...amazing! Pros: Blissful food Cons: pricey more
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Worth the experience 10/28/2002

I'm not a 'foodie' and didn't expect to appreciate the French Laundry when I was dragged there by a friend, but I was blown away by the place! The setting was very tranquil, the food was excellent, the service was stuffy / attitudy at times, but generally very good. One criticism - there is no bar, so for someone who doesn't drink alcohol, my only choice was non-alcoholic wine or water (as advised by the condescending Wine Waiter!) Pros: Food, Setting Cons: Stuff Service, No Bar more
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4 Hr Dining Experience 10/17/2002

One of the best meals I've ever had. It ewent on for hours, one dish after another. Can't recomend highly enough, so long as you don't mind spending some money - IS NOT CHEAP in any sense. Expensive ingredients used throughout. A once in a lifetime experience. more
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still the best 9/19/2002

I just came back from Taillevent in Paris (Michelin stars, etc. and where Thomas Keller trained when he was younger) and I have to say that I enjoyed my meal at FL as much as I did at Taillevent, at 2/3 of the price. Now I'm not saying that this place is a bargain...it's not. But the food is so good that after eating there twice, I still want to go back for more. The only thing is getting reservations...nearly impossible. You need to drive up there and stand in line to get them. For those of you who enjoyed your meal, read Soul of a Chef. It'll provide some insight into the chef and restaurant. more
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Terrific experience 9/18/2002

We had heard much about the French Laundry and were anxious to go for our anniversary. Reservations were tough but we did get them. Food was excellent and the service flawless. The price is quite high but for a special occassion well worth it. Pros: food, service, extensive wine list Cons: parking, Very expensive more
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The Gatronomic Epicenter 9/16/2002

Words cannot describe my amazement at this place. Just go. I have been fortunate enough to have eaten at the Laundry a few times and every meal has been a treasure. I just returned from France where I dined in some Michelin starred restaurants, and the Laundry beats them all hands down. Do not even mention the name Gary Danko in the same breath and Thomas Keller. It is a sacrilege. more
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HUGELY OVERRATED 9/12/2002

Having eaten at French Laundry and Gary Danko in the same day (talk about indulgence) I feel that I am able to acurately compare the two and can't understand the hype for French Laundry. First off the lunch cost over $300. The food was no better (taste, presentation, etc) than at Gary Danko. I think the food at Gary Danko was better tasting, better presented and much more appealing when looking at the menu. Plus the service at French Laundry was as snobbish as they come. I had a great server at Gary Danko-friendly, knowledgeable, all all around great service without the pretentiousness. Pros: good parking Cons: expensive, snobbish servers more
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Genuine French experience 9/9/2002

Admittedly, I have not yet tried Gary Danko's. However, my dining experience at The French Laundry took me back to France. The integrity of service and quality of food was unsurpassing. more
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3 Michelin stars-Food; 1/2 star service 9/3/2002

The food is as good as one can find anywhere in the US or Europe. The setting is charming. The service by a young, mumbling staff that seems overawed by their role, is distracting. Pros: Food, atmosphere Cons: semi-pro staff, difficult to reserve more
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Too much, too much, too much 9/1/2002

Accompanied by a regular (at least once a month), my companions and I got the full, six-hour Monty. There were some truly fabulous dishes- the coddled egg was probably one of the two finest dishes I've ever eaten. Nevertheless, among the miss-hits were two different courses of lobster were too tight, and frankly... $30 for a BOTTLE of WATER?? Service was okay- I got served from the wrong side once- maybe venial these days, even at the Laundry, but the server might have been better at hiding his embarassment about it. Cons: the usual more
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Beyond pretentious 8/22/2002

The food was good but definitely not so far above what I've had at other restaurants such as Chez Panisse, Masa's, etc., that it was worth either the price or the time commitment required. Our reservation was for 6:00, we got there and were seated at 5:45 and did not finish until 10:00. Also, the pretention of four waiters coming out, each carrying one person's course and standing behind your chair and doing a round robin recital of what each person is having, for each course, was almost comical in its pretention. more
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Tom Terrific 8/17/2002

Thomas Keller constructs jewel-like assemblies of incredible tastes. Great sense of humor, sense of timing and mood. more
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Sublime! 7/29/2002

Obviously the food is outstanding, but what separated this from any other uber-restaurant is the care and attention shown by the staff. Our waiter was very knowledgeable, but he took time to chat with us about the history of the place, the philosophy of Chef Keller, and what it's like to work there. The sommelier was superb, and we were given a tour of the kitchen after the meal and met with the chef. The price and difficulty of getting a reservation only serve to make it that much more special when you finally do have that ribeye of lamb on the end of your fork... more
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