I recently had the pleasure of dining at this restaurant, and I must say, it was an incredible experience. From the moment I stepped through the door, I was greeted with a warm and inviting atmosphere. The layout of the dining area was well thought out, providing both comfort and intimacy. The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the food. The menu boasted a wide variety of options, each one more appetizing than the last. I opted for a mouthwatering steak, cooked to perfection and accompanied by delectable sides. The flavors were bold and the presentation was impeccable. Not only was the food exceptional, but the drink selection was equally impressive. The restaurant offered an extensive list of beverages, ranging from classic cocktails to artisanal creations. The attentive and knowledgeable staff guided me through the menu, ensuring I found the perfect pairing for my meal. When it comes to pricing, this restaurant offers great value for the quality of food and service provided. While not the cheapest option in town, the overall experience justifies the cost. I left the restaurant feeling satisfied in every way. The combination of delicious food, remarkable drinks, comfortable ambiance, and attentive staff made for an unforgettable dining experience. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in search of a truly outstanding culinary adventure.
The attention to detail there is absolutely astonishing. The food was of the very best in texture and taste.
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We were lucky enough to get a waitlist reservation at the
We were lucky enough to get a waitlist reservation at the last moment to TFL, and it fell on our anniversary, so my husband and I decided to splurge. We're picky when it comes to food--doesn't matter if it's haute cuisine or home-cooking served at a mom-and-pop restaurant, the food has to actually taste good--and we were a bit wary about the hype. Luckily, we needn't have worried. We had a wonderful experience! Service: Top-notch and not in a stuffy, pretentious way. The staff were friendly, enthusiastic, and worked seamlessly as a team. Lots of small touches throughout the night--e.g., when you leave the table, they take your used napkin, replace it with new one perfectly fanned on the table--done unobtrusively and in a way that makes you feel looked after. We had pleasant interactions with ALL the staff, which is amazing given how many folks there are. Everyone knew what they were doing, described the dishes wonderfully, answered our questions, and made us feel welcomed and celebrated on our special occasion. One waiter even joined in on our analysis of the latest Mandalorian episode, which was lovely :-)Ambiance: Not quite what we expected, but in a good way. When we approached the restaurant, we were surprised to hear "Don't You" from The Breakfast Club playing (we were like...is that coming from the TFL lol)? The music choices continued with a mix of 80's, 90's and even earlier classics that created a wonderful sense of nostalgia for my husband and I. According to one of the staff, this was an intentional decision to make 3-star Michelin dining approachable, and I personally applaud this decision. The restaurant itself is nice, with a pretty garden. I would say the interior seemed a bit dated, but well maintained. Weirdly, there seems to be only street parking, but this was not an issue for us as we walked from our hotel.Finally...the Food: A delicious haute-cuisine take on comfort food and nostalgic everyday dishes. For those who say TFL isn't cutting edge in terms of inventiveness, I would agree...but then again, I don't think it's trying to be. I read somewhere that Chef Keller's intention for his food is to bring happiness, and he certainly accomplished his goal with us.Out of 5 stars, I'd give everything 4-5. Presentation was beautiful, flavors were interesting and creative but never over-the-top or trying too hard. Standouts for me were the "peas and carrots" (halibut with peas); quail with the cutest little hidden quail egg; oysters and pearls (this from someone who doesn't even like oysters or caviar lol); and oh my god, the desserts. So many and so good! I was completely stuffed by this time and still somehow managed to eat a donut, Irish coffee ice cream, and a delectable chocolate-and-banana confection. Things that I enjoyed less were the cheese and cracker amuse bouche and the final cheese course (this may just be my subjective dislike of the cheese flavors). Oh, and the delicious "corned beef" course had a pierogi that wasn't very good in my opinion (but I grew up eating amazing Ukrainian food). Given how many courses there were--10? 12? we lost track--the stumbles were few in far between. Overall, the food was delicious, pleasing to all the senses, and worthy of its reputation. Overall Experience: We didn't finish our meal until nearly 11:00 pm (started at 7:30!), yet we didn't notice the time pass at all. That was how much we enjoyed ourselves. To top it off, we were presented with an amazing gift bag FULL of goodies (a box of their gorgeous chocolates, shortbread cookie tins, signed menus, etc.), and one of the wonderful staff members offered us a tour of the kitchen where we chatted with one of the chefs and they took our picture. The whole experience was top-notch, from beginning to end, and well worth even the considerable price tag. Thank you TFL for such an amazing evening. We will be back.
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Absolutely the worst Michelin rated restaurant with any stars.
We have eaten at many (over 20) Michelan 3 star restaurants including several times at Freddy Girardet's Hoetl de Ville in Crissier, Taillevaent, Laserre, Paul Bocuse, several times at Le Tour d'Argent where we became engaged in 1977 etc. This is the worst experience and Michelin any star restaurant, we have ever visited. We reserved a table through Americn Express Concierge service at 6pm. We arrived with our friends and were told we had no reservation. They asked for a confirmation number, which was left at our hotel - 30 minutes away. They said to return at 9 and we would have a table. We were very hungry by 9, and we were their on time, and I showed them the confirmation number from Amex. The maitre d'hotel still claimed Anerican Express didn't make the reservation. We were told to wait for a table in the garden area and given a glass of champagne and bread sticks. An hour later we were the last people seated in the restaurant. Our dinner, which was the only item offered was breast of chicken! Our friend commented, "This is like the chicken at Costco." OH, by the way, we are paying $300 plus per person for a breast of chicken entree. Equally disappointing was the grossly over-priced non- descript wine list. The insulting lies from the head waiter aside, the meal was the worst of any 1 star Michelin restaurant we have ever frequented. Giving this awful experience 1 star is overeating it. If you want a better Thomas Keller meal, go to his nearby bistro restaurant. This is the most over-rated restaurant where we have eaten. SAVE YOU MONEY AND GO ELSEWHERE.
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Beyond the beyond in every way! Exceptional food, service
Beyond the beyond in every way! Exceptional food, service and ambiance! Each taste was exquisite and beautifully presented. The wine pairings were perfect. We couldn't have had a more perfect evening!
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Aloha, if you're a foodie, TLF is a must.
Really. The service is impeccable, the food and wine pairing is superb and the ambiance is amazing. Probably the best restaurant in America. If it's your birthday even the menu is catered to the individuals with your name on the top, nice touch. Every dish and wine pairing is amazing so perfect. I can't even elaborate as no justice would describe such perfection. And you come home with goodies too. 2 tins of shortbread cookies, a tray of chocolate truffles and a folder with your menu. Wow. Please see pictures it really taste better than it looks. Enjoy and be prepared to spend a lot!
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It's strange to think about leaving anything but 5 stars
It's strange to think about leaving anything but 5 stars for such a legendary place. But I sent my dietary restrictions in advance and it felt like they were just improvising with the most expensive meal I have ever eaten in my life. I thought such a high end place would have planned a menu around my dietary restrictions, but instead it felt like I just kind of got this and that thrown together, even with the desserts which would have been easy to accommodate had they tried and planned ahead of time. They also seem to have misunderstood my restrictions and didn't send some things out that I could have eaten. Bummer for sure and I don't think I would return if I had the chance. It just didn't meet my expectations and they weren't that high. Just a lovely meal that I could eat, just like everyone else at my table. Also, my table was offered a piece of chocolate but not one of each to take home like they have done in the past from what I understand. We weren't offered a tour of the grounds or the kitchen either. No picture taken of us out front, no offer of it either. Again, for the price, we would have liked what others have experienced before us.I want to mention that the head somm was excellent and attentive. The servers were polite and helpful as well. It was a busy night but everything looked like it was running smoothly. Beautiful venue and mood lighting was a nice touch.
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Not much I can say about this place that hasn't already
Not much I can say about this place that hasn't already been said, but I do feel there is some value in the opinion of a guy who ordered Dominos Pizza over 50 times in one year.First let me say I walked in a bit reserved a bit intimidated, obviously this is a legendary place so I fully expected to feel like I didn't belong. Let me say though that I could not be more wrong!I felt EXTREMELY welcomed since my first step in. Right away we were given some champagne and chatted up. Chef Keller himself walked up to us and chatted with us, later on he even gave us a tour of the kitchens!Next the food was fantastic, we were here for a special collab between French Laundry and Paris's La Tour d'Argent and it was a lot of fun! I enjoyed how they each took turns presenting us their dishes. In the end I think I preferred the food from French Laundry best.The dishes were extremely unique and interesting and not something I have had before. I think for me the goat milk ice cream took me by surprise the most! Anyway at the end they gave us all these chocolates, I took as many as my pride would allow and then some!
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It feels silly trying to find words to describe this
It feels silly trying to find words to describe this unforgettable experience. Without question, this was the most extraordinary meal of our lives. The French Laundry is perfection. Every culinary offering was flawless. The food was met by an enchanting ambience, unbelievably stunning service, and a world-class wine program. The most beautiful lifelong memory was created by Chef Thomas Keller and his brilliant team - and, we couldn't be more appreciative.
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This is well-known 3-star Michelin restaurant that you must
This is well-known 3-star Michelin restaurant that you must try at least once in your lifetime if you enjoy fine dining.After dining at a handful at this point, I will say that I felt that the food was exquisite, but there was some elements lacking in the service.PARKING: We came here on a Saturday at 7:45pm on a particularly stormy evening. To our dismay there was no valet parking or parking lot available. Dressed in nice attire and heels, we had to find street parking and run across the rather gravel-textured street. A call to inform your customers of your inconvenient parking situation should be a minimum courtesy.UMBRELLA/COAT CHECK: We were told to put our umbrellas on a rack, no tagging service, and as expected, ours was (mistakenly) taken by someone else. I'm glad that although they offered coat check-in we declined and avoided further mishap.LIGHTING: Ambiance was formal-romantic, but the lighting was lacking. We had one candle in the center of a table of 6. With no additional lighting overhead, I was unable to fully appreciate the colors and presentation of my food. You can see how dark it was from my (unedited) pictures.FOOD: Every dish was a delicate medley of flavors, colors, textures, and aromas. I was impressed by the vegetarian tasting menu (you won't find this at all places). For some of the dishes, they kept it looking true to the non-vegetarian equivalent dish - the plant-based caviar was beautiful and delicious. I enjoyed the use of less common spices - cumin, paprika - and appreciated some elements of Indian and Mediterranean influence (lentil and hummus). I was happy that I chose the black truffle risotto. They were generous on the truffle shavings, which they add for you right at the table.SERVERS: Some were experienced and some were clearly not. I had the vegetarian tasting and everyone else had the non-vegetarian. Often the servers had to be reminded to tell me what mine consisted of. One dropped a fork at my husband's feet and didn't bother to pick it up. Napkins were taken away and not replaced. At a high-end restaurant it must be more polished.SPECIAL OCCASION: We were not asked if we were here celebrating a special occasion. This is the only Michelin place I've dined at that does not bother with this.DESSERT: We were each given 6-7 desserts all at once in a "grand finale" type manner. (I noticed the tables seated earlier were given a couple at a time, perhaps because our reservation was at 7:45pm and they wanted to go home?) But for how much you pay, that's unacceptable. Two of the six were melting and turning into a soup.TEA: DO try the tea menu. They have teas from all over the world! I had a cherry raisin year and it was memorable. I almost wish they had a afternoon tea tasting.RESERVATIONS: It took us 2 years of trying to get a reservation for a party of 6. All in all, fun experience, was nice to try out once, but I don't see us rushing to come back here.
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Securing a reservation for The French Laundry is not
Securing a reservation for The French Laundry is not impossible. You just have to make sure you book 2 months out and get on Tock at 10am sharp on the 1st day of every odd numbered month. You will get first of your pick but if you waver and take too long to checkout, your reservation might be gone.I hate to say this but we were disappointed with The French Laundry. On this night, we waited ~20 minutes before being seated even with a reservation. The fall tasting menu was unimpressive and the food was overly salted. The food was not terrible, but it was not on the level it should be. Normally between courses, waiters would come around with their crumb cleaners and sweep the tablecloth, but strangely not at The French Laundry. The coolest part of dinner though was meeting Thomas Keller himself. He caught us gawking at him from afar and actually came over and said hi. Then offered to give us a tour of the kitchen. He was super nice and even posed for pictures with us.
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French Laundry is a dining experience unlike any other.
This restaurant is legendary, known for its exceptional cuisine, impeccable service, and stunning atmosphere. From start to finish, the dining experience at French Laundry is a journey of flavors, textures, and sensations that will leave you in awe.The menu is a true work of art. Each dish is meticulously crafted and beautifully presented, with a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients and creative flavor combinations. The tasting menu allows you to experience the full range of the chef's expertise and creativity. Each dish is like a symphony of flavors, with each element perfectly complementing the others.The French Laundry is considered one of the best fine dining experiences in the country, offering an exceptional dining experience. It is expensive but worth the price for foodies willing to splurge or those who appreciate fine dining. Definitely a special occasion restaurant for me. For the average diner, there are better value options available.
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Big Machines/Credit Cards Accepted
This laundromat has big commercial machines and takes credit cards. Easy to get to right across from Walmart.
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Ambiance:Warm, elegant yet tempered.
Quite and intimate. Food: 3 Michelin star perfect. So many tastes and mind numbing culinary stimulation. It is a food opera, with 7 scenes to contemplate. There is no point in describing the dishes, because that is not the complete experience. Service: The best I have ever experienced any where, any time, for any thing. Crisp, abundant, personal, almost limitless. They have spent as much time cultivating wait staff as they have food, and educating them. You don't go to The French Laundry to eat. You go to The French Laundry to feel special, to raise the bar as to what the best of anything should be. For that it was worth the money. Ok, my one criticism, beverage service. They need a cocktail service, menu and mixologist to match the rest. Also, the $390 per person, starting price for wine pairing is unapproachable, and a little silly. I cracked myself up got stressed and had a beer.
A flawless symphony of fresh, sustainably sourced ingredients meticulously prepared and designed to delight the eyes as well as the pallet. The FL is a beautiful historic building surrounded by a beautiful patio; you should take time before or after your 3 hour dining experience to appreciate the grounds, the intricacies of the architecture, and the gardens across the street which must be visited. The FL is spotless throughout; even the bathrooms are renovated and constantly kept immaculate. The invitation to visit the new kitchen should not be missed so you can get a glimpse of the tenacious dedication of the staff working to execute the culinary delights. The dining adventure is highlighted by the friendly and accommodating staff as well as the well timed presentation of the dishes, well orchestrated with the utmost detail and without pretentiousness. Others have also reviewed the dishes which were truly delectable, in our opinion; but you can clearly conclude that it is the quality of the ingredients originating from fastidiously chosen suppliers, the talent of the chefs, the conscientiousness of the staff, and the dining experience that they flawlessly deliver that make their 3 Michelin stars well deserved. Because this was my birthday, they also graciously prepared a beautiful layered cake accompanied by a festive sparkling candle and sent us home with a chef signed personalized copy of the menu, fresh shortbread cookies and K and M chocolate, which was a very gracious send off after a memorable adventure.
Like myself The French Laundry has changed a lot since February 17th 2009, a landmark meal from Cory Lee and Thomas Keller then costing roughly 40-hours of pay while solidifying an interest in dining that has only continued to grow. Now with more seats, more light, an extra thousand feet in the kitchen and even music America’s foremost fine dining institution is currently guided by Chef David Breeden while GM Michael Minnillo continues to lead a service team second to none. Still accessed by the famous blue door and a small foyer, the same two-top as prior waiting with a clothespin and tri-folded napkin, dinner began with Champagne and Canapes including the Salmon Coronet followed by silky Cauliflower Soup. Seated with the words “Have fun,” a phrase one may not usually associate with a Michelin 3* Restaurant, the night continued with a quartet of Seafood before the Mother of Pearl spoon accompanying timeless “Oysters and Pearls.” Selecting Riesling to pair with lighter courses, a topped-Egg with Truffles then bold Blood Sausage alongside Falafel, the night’s Lobster came as a Cake brightened by Citrus before “Bread and Butter” in the supplemental form of housemade Kugelhopf beneath a Parmesan Tuile liberally covered by shavings of a baseball-sized White Truffle. Barolo from the Italian Truffles onward, Pork “Pate” never so refined and Duck with crackling Skin each an exercise in precision, A5 Wagyu carries with it a premium price matched by its sourcing alongside Beef Fat Toast and Wagyu Kielbasa. Using yesteryear’s Gougere as a Cheese course, then the Bocuse-fashion flood of Desserts highlighted by Maple Ice Cream plus “Coffee and Donuts,” it is alongside the bill that Mignardises arrive in excess along with a copy of the menu and Shortbread Cookies for later. Beginning to end a remarkable meal The French Laundry remains America’s definition of excellence and in an era where the destination Restaurant “arms race” evolved to include social messages, science and cultural preservation, Chef Keller’s vision remains rooted in luxury with premium Ingredients used liberally, each bite precise and complex while staff encourages guests to have fun.
It is hard to believe that such excellence and care can produce such fresh, creative cuisine year after year. Our last visit was pre-pandemic. Thankfully, TFL not only survived, but has thrived. The Chef de Cuisine, David Breeden, carries out Chef Thomas Keller’s visions so well. We were treated to some standards revisited (oysters and pearls, a cornet variation on bagels and lox, and a dessert array that never disappoints). Just picked veggies from their extensive garden accompanied most of our dishes - a delight, since I had walked through the garden shortly before service. And was amazed at the variety. Though the entire meal was spectacular, particular raves go to the Pekin Duck and the Snake River Farms’ beef. Once again, a wonderful experience nearly impossible to replicate - and they keep doing it over and over again. Bravo to the entire staff!
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Magnificent experience...
...and worth every penny! Our party of 4 enjoyed dinner in the courtyard and it could not have been more perfect. The menu offered an amazing display of courses, all perfectly plated and served. Staff was friendly and gracious - Phillip was our host, Aaron helped with our wine pairing. Each course was served timely and Phillip was nearby to keep those glasses from being empty! Highly recommend the experience, would definitely return. The courtyard would be my preference again if weather permits. Perfection!
Bought an 'experience,' at £800, for my sons 50th in August. You can only book on the first of every month as they release dates. They haven't been able to book as all gone when you ger through even though constant dialling. I think there is something suspect going on. Wasted up to now.
The food was mediocre, but the wine was great. I booked The French Laundry for my husband’s birthday, and was disappointed. We had the chef’s tasting menu on 10/3/22, and it was beautifully plated, but the food was only ok. The ambiance was also not what I expected, as I felt we were shoved into a corner in a back alcove. It felt cramped and warm. My husband upgraded to the wagyu steak (which he enjoyed), and I got the lamb. I did not realize that it came dressed in curry, which I hate, and didn’t take a single bite. I was surprised that the woman who cleared my plate didn’t notice or ask why it was uneaten. I double checked that menu we had looked at earlier did not call out the curry. In addition to the food being mediocre, I was extremely surprised that the table next to us had a sparkler and cake for a birthday, but no one even acknowledged my husband’s birthday (despite me having put it in the reservation and mentioned it once we were seated). Overall this was a very disappointing experience for $1,500. I would not go back.