The One and Only French Laundry

6640 Washington St, 
Yountville, CA 94599
United States
http://www.thomaskeller.com/tfl

Tastiness Factor: 10/10

Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Service: 5/5

Locavore Approved? YES- Thomas Keller is very passionate about using the freshest of ingredients, and is a pioneer of the locavore movement.  The farm across the street from his restaurant, where he sources many of his ingredients from, is a testament to this.  Another sign of Keller's dedication to local produce is that he offers a nightly vegetarian tasting menu alongside the Chef's tasting menu, where he really gets to show off these farm delicacies.   

Reservations required? ABSOLUTELY!!!- It is an absolute must that you call at opening time (10 am PST) to try your luck at getting a spot.  We first tried online at exactly midnight on the 2 month ahead mark, but were unsuccessful at snagging a spot (I think there are only a handful of reservations released for each time slot).  When we called at 10am the next morning (right on the dot), I got the busy signal again and again, while Hubby managed to get through and fortunately, managed to get our preferred time slot at 8:45pm.  My recommendation- don't be picky, take any time you can get if you are lucky enough to get through!  I imagine it is even more difficult to get through in peak season.

There are few days in my life that I was as excited as the day that we managed to secure our reservation at the French Laundry.  We had booked a trip to Napa for New Years and had been counting down to the 2 month mark before our arrival to try our chances at getting one of the toughest tables in the world.  The plans for our whole Napa experience were hinging on getting in, and when Hubby finally managed to get through on that fateful day, we were both over the moon.  As foodies, we just had to knock French Laundry off the bucket list!

On our drive from the San Francisco airport to Napa, our first stop was to go into Yountville on the way to our resort to cast our eyes on the French Laundry during daylight.  We were actually surprised by its humble exterior, reminiscent of a house in the French countryside, with its brick walls covered in vines.  We also took a walk by its sprawling farm across the street, complete with a few greenhouses to which were key to keeping things growing at this cooler time of year.

That same night, we returned for our much anticipated dinner.  Upon entering, we were greeted by a tastefully decorated Xmas tree in keeping with the season.  We were welcomed and quickly ushered upstairs to our table.  This upper floor was divided in two separate rooms, with a large group seated in one room, and smaller tables in the other room where we were seated. We had a table right at the top of the stairs which was not ideal, but the staff moving past us up and down the stairs were very slick so it was not much of a problem.

Unlike many of the newer Michelin restaurants, the decor is anything but modern.  It is very classic, verging on dated, and seems quite appropriate considering what an institution the French Laundry is.  And I do not expect this to change anytime soon.  Keller is currently going into a massive kitchen renovation that began last winter and is still ongoing as evidenced by the temporary kitchen that we passed on the way to our table.  There is no word on any changes being made to the dining room and I would assume that after this current huge undertaking, the dining rooms will be staying as is for the time being.

In keeping with this very traditional decor, it should be noted that there is a dressed that on their website, it clearly states that "jackets are required for both lunch and dinner service".  Interestingly, we did notice at least one guest who was wearing jeans and a winter vest, so it is not clear how strictly this is enforced.  For the most part though, guests were dressed in semi-formal attire (suits for men, dresses for women).

In terms of service, I was pleasantly surprised to find that pretension was nowhere to be found.  All in all, everything went flawlessly from start to finish, thanks to a very attentive and friendly main server who was very kind in answering all of our questions, and many other assistant servers who delivered our dishes in with precision and timeliness.

We also benefitted from an excellent sommelier, who was again very professional but not arrogant or intimidating.  They have modernized their wine list by putting all of the 150+ pages on an iPad that guests can flick through at their leisure.  Since we had finally made it to the French Laundry, we wanted to really take advantage of the full experience and therefore inquired about wine pairings.  As in many other restaurants of this caliber, we had expected the option of set wine pairings by the glass but this is not something that is regularly offered here.  Instead, the sommelier put us together some lovely pairings with a few half bottles, including a champagne to start and a port to go with dessert.  We particularly appreciated how he was able to choose such wonderful pairings that went both with Hubby's regular tasting menu and my vegetarian menu.

The French Laundry experience comes in two different forms- the Chef's Tasting Menu and a vegetarian tasting menu.  For a few courses, there are 2 choices, one of which required a supplementary charge ($50-200).  I was informed that they would tweak the Chef's menu to suit my pescatarian request, but I am glad to have gone out on a limb and tried the vegetarian menu.  Keller is one of the forefathers of the locavore movement, so knows all about how to treat produce and I was amazed at what he delivered, even at this time of year when fruit and veg is less plentiful.  Hubby also loved the regular menu from start to finish.  At the end of the meal, we remarked on the precision and perfection of each and every dish.  In this respect, the French Laundry is a frontrunner among all of the other Michelin restaurants we have dined in.  Others may get higher marks for the "wow" factor and creativity, but the French Laundry's execution of perfect plates cannot be beat.
Absolutely flawless.

Here is a look at our unforgettable evening.  Fortunately, on our way out, we were handed a folder with a lovely printed copy of each menu to reflect back upon, as well as a booklet detailing where all of the evening's produce originated from.

Amouse Bouche (both menus)

Chef's Tasting Menu:

"Oysters and Pearls"

Garden Fennel Salad

Gulf Coast "Pastrami"

Sweet Butter Poached Maine Lobster

Wolfe Ranch White Quail (missed photo op)

Herb Roasted Elysian Fields Farm Lamb

Cheese course

Andante Dairy "Contralto"

Tasting of Vegetables

"French Onion Soup"

Winter Citrus Supremes

"Salad D'Artichauts"

"Peas and Carrots"

Black Trumpet Mushroom "Agnolotti" (missed photo op)

Caramelized Garden Cauliflower and Barley "Porridge"

Cheese Course

"Terrine de Bleu D'Auvergne"

Assortment of Desserts (both menus- they sure like to bid a sweet farewell!)

Overall Verdict?

Dining at the French Laundry was one of our most anticipated dining adventures to date, and was everything we hoped it would be.  The execution and precision of each and every dish was mind-blowing, and made it clear to us why Thomas Keller is regarded as one of the world's most revered chefs. We feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity and to have knocked this long-awaited meal off our bucket list!

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Europea

Address: 1227 de la montagne, Montréal, QC H3G 1Z2
Phone:(514) 398-9229
http://www.europea.ca

Tastiness Factor: 8/10

Atmosphere: 3.5/5

Service: 2.5/5

Locavore Approved?  Kinda- While many of their tasting menu dishes do seem to repeat themselves all year round, I was impressed with the seasonality of my vegetarian tasting menu and their very local-friendly cheese course offerings (pretty much all from Quebec).  

Reservations required?  Although we booked pretty close to the date for our Wednesday night reservation with no trouble, you will want to book with some time to spare for a weekend reservation.

Europea, known for its showy, out of the box dishes, had been recommended to me by several people before I made my way there a short while ago with co-workers while visiting Montreal for a conference.  It has the prestigious Relais and Chateau designation and as per their website, they also own quite a number of other restaurants in town.

Although its style of food preparation and presentation is modern, the setting at Europea is pretty old-school.  It is located in an old historic row house off Rue St. Catherine, Montreal's renowned shopping street.   Its two floors are divided into a number of rooms.  We were seated in a back room to one side of the kitchen that had only 4 tables in it, making us feel as though we had our own semi-private alcove.  Having said that, I did miss the energy that you usually feel in a busy restaurant when surrounded by others, and felt a little secluded.  The decor is quite dated, with some elements starting to look a little worn.  There are a few over-the-top elements, like the large modern statue near us which looked a little out of place in this historic building.

Service was up and down.  Some servers were lovely and warm.  The nicest by far was the server we met near the end of the meal, when we went to choose the cheeses for our tasting menu in the "cheese cave".  I confessed that I am not a real cheese lover and he very kindly worked with me to choose some to my liking.   The sommelier was quite good at describing our wine pairings, and was obviously passionate and knowledgeable about his craft.  Unfortunately, there were a few others throughout the evening who appeared quite exasperated and were quite flippant, particularly towards us English speakers at the table.  The worst part however was the speed of service.  I have no idea why but we ended up being the last ones in the whole restaurant despite having a 7pm reservation.  It was a 5 hour meal!  I have had plenty of tasting menus in my day and am more than happy to enjoy a 3-3.5 hour meal, but 5 hours is excessive!  We sometimes waited 20-30 minutes between courses which, for a 15+ course tasting menu, is just too long.  Other tables around us seemed to be finished much quicker so I am a bit puzzled as to why ours dragged on for what seemed like forever.  To top it all off, they rudely started setting tables for the next day around us when we were still working on our entree courses.  Talk about making customers feel unappreciated!  Overall, the attention to detail and overall customer service fell below what I would expect from a Relais and Chateau restaurant of this caliber.

Switching gears now to the menu, we were first offered 3 wine pairing options to choose from- elegant, prestige, deluxe.  Elegant was reasonably priced at $79, while the Delux was several hundred dollars.  For true wine lovers, the Deluxe pairing may be well worth it, as there were some pretty special wines and champagnes offered throughout the meal that the sommelier was obviously giddy about.

In terms of food,  chef Jerome Ferrer prepares French food that is anything but classic French.  Europea is famous for its whimsical and playful preparations (lots of molecular gastronomy) that certainly kept us entertained.  Diners can choose the 15+ courses signature menu, the vegetarian tasting menu (not on the printed menu, but is on their website) or a la carte option (which also comes with some "extras" along the way).  I ordered the vegetarian menu and, while I did really appreciate the use of seasonal produce (squash, root veg, artichoke for fall), I felt that I received quite a bit less than the signature menu in terms of both food quality and quantity which would have been acceptable had it been at a lower price point.  There were certainly a few stand-out dishes (I adored the spaghetti squash dish), while some other dishes were simply a few bland vegetables on the plate.  My dinner mates had the signature tasting menu and were served a nice mix of seafood, poultry and pork (heavier on the seafood end).   Overall, they enjoyed the dishes quite a bit, but overall enjoyed the earlier small dishes better than the later "main" dishes.

Here is a look at our tasting menus (dishes from both the vegetarian and standard tasting menus included).  In reading previous reviews, it appears as though many dishes stay the same for months at a time and some are permanently left on the menu, so you may recognize many of these if you dine there.

Overall Verdict?

In many ways, Europea is an experience that delights the senses and provides a an over-the-top experience full of smoke and mirrors.  While myself and my dining companions enjoyed the surprises along the way, the service was a bit of a let down for the price.  I also felt as though the flashiness sometimes got in the way of food quality.  

If you have money to spare, go check it out, otherwise you may be better served elsewhere.

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Montreal's Joe Beef- very worthy of its spot on the world's best list

2491 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H3J 1N6
(514) 935-6504

Tastiness Factor: 9.5/10

Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Service: 5/5

Locavore approved?  YES- The daily-changing chalkboard menu features all kinds of local goodies.  Although it is notorious for its unique meats (horse, rabbit), it also has its own garden out back and, when there is not snow/frost on the ground, much of its produce comes from there.  Very local indeed!

Reservation required?  ABSOLUTELY YES!  I would recommend booking as far ahead as you can (several weeks at least), especially for a coveted weekend seat).  Having said that, it may be worth calling or just showing up the day of.  I booked online over a month before and the only time I could get for one person was 9:45 on a Tuesday night.  However, when I called the day before to see if they could squeeze my friend in as well, I found out that I had erroneously reserved the wrong month.  Despite this, they were able to accommodate by friend and I the night after anytime after 9pm.  So case in point- never hurts to try!

I had already spent one month this year in Montreal earlier this year without making it to the notoriously awesome Joe Beef, and could not allow myself to be back for a week and miss the opportunity again.  Lucky for me, a good friend was in town at the same time, so we ventured out together to see what all the fuss was about.

And there certainly has been a lot of fuss since this place opened in 2005 by David McMillan and Frederic Morin.  They have won the title of Canada's best restaurant on a number of different rankings, and, most recently,  earned themselves a place on the San Pellegrino list of the top 100 restaurants in the world.  Joe Beef is the only Canadian restaurant on this highly acclaimed list since 2010.

Unlike many of the restaurants on the list that are all about extravagance and fine dining, Joe Beef is about as laid back and casual as it gets.  It is located right in the centre of the city in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood surrounded by its sister restaurants, Liverpool House and Le Vin Papillion. The space is quite small (expect to get cozy with your neighbours) with rustic wood trimmings,  animal busts on the walls and vintage dishes with dish towels as napkins.  On a trip to the restroom, you will also meet a life-sized stuffed buffalo.  Before the end of the night you may think you are in a cabin in the wilderness rather than the heart of Montreal!

In keeping with the super chill decor, the service is laid back and unpretentious.  They have come up with the formula for service that makes guests feel very welcome and at ease, while still maintaining professionalism and the utmost attentiveness.  Such skill in making you feel as though you are the only one in the room when it is packed to the rafters.  Despite the crowd, out waiter took the time to meticulously filet our smoked trout appie tableside and returned to our table over and over to see how we were enjoying ourselves.  And he did it all while looking as cool as a cucumber.  These guys are absolute masters of their craft.

As mentioned, the whole menu for the evening, including food and drink, is printed on a wall-sized chalkboard.  The wine selection is bound to suit any taste, from the wine rookie to the connoisseur.  We gave our server our preferred price point, and she chose us a lovely bottle of French wine that paired beautifully with our dishes.  Because we were seated at an angle which made it difficult to see the chalkboard, our server  took the time to walk us through the whole thing and was helpful at pointing out what was suitable for my pescatarian preferences.  He also kindly spoke with the kitchen for me about customizing a dish for me sans meat, to which the chef kindly agreed.

On the whole, the menu is heavy on meat, particularly on more unique varieties such as horse, rabbit, and of course the beloved foie gras.  As a pescatarian, I was totally fine (unlike some meat-heavy places, they do seafood REALLY well) but vegetarians will likely not find too much to please them.  Having said that, you will find lots of fresh and seasonal veg as accompaniments with meat/fish and there is a nice mix of lighter and heavier dishes depending on what mood you are in.

One other thing to keep in mind while ordering- although you may want to try one of everything, you will likely only be able to handle one main and one appie per person (or share dishes like we did).   The portions here are VERY generous by any standards, so you will not leave hungry!

Here are the dishes we enjoyed (a lot!!!) on the night of our visit:

Salad- Who says Joe Beef is all about meat?  I have had plenty of great salad in my day and this one was in a league of its own.  There was nothing magic about it, just lettuce, a bit of sheep milk cheese and pepitas, dressed in a simple vinaigrette but yet each component was so fresh and the ratio of ingredients so perfect.

Smoked trout- I am still thinking back to this dish, and it remains among the best of all those I have had in 2015.  This appetizer, meant to share, was really enough for 4 people, but my friend and I happily devoured the whole thing after out server filleted it tableside.  To start with, the trout (smoked whole) was melt-in-your-mouth, unlike any smoke fish I have ever had.  It was paired with mustard seeds and pickled veg to balance some of the richness, then served with a creamy egg yolk sauce overtop.  As if that wasn't enough, it came with house-made crepe and an herb cream on the side as an accompaniment.  I still salivate just thinking about it...

Trout with cream sauce, mushroom and pearl onion- This was my main which they very kindly altered for my pescatarian request (the original dish had a veal-based sauce).  I was hesitant to do trout again for my main, but I could not resist a dish that came with a heap of mushrooms on the side.   And who could get sick of fish this good?  I was so full but ate every last morsel.

Lamb shank, lamb sausage with eggplant salad-  This was my friend's choice of main, and included 2 large piece of lamb shank, housemade lamb sausage and a nice fresh mound of salad on top.  Everything again was excellent, particularly the sausage.  Again, the serving size was VERY generous and made for very special leftovers for my friend the next day.

Overall Verdict?
Joe Beef is proof that the amazing food does not have to come with a formal dining room, white tablecloths and stuffy service.  We need many more places like Joe Beef, where guests can let their hair down, relax and enjoy themselves, while eating some of the best food imaginable.  If you find yourself in Montreal, just go.  They more than live up to their reputation as one of the best restaurants in the world.

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