Drayton SherylThomas Keller’s legendary direction still doesn’t miss a beat. In fact, it may be known as the largest cooking space in America, as every aspect is carefully defined – from the height of the counter to the flowing lines of the ceiling.
Chef Keller continues to combine classic French techniques with incredibly fresh ingredients in a setting that is a perfect storm of restaurant grandeur – we should all be lucky to book a table here.
For dinner, there might be the signature oysters with white sturgeon caviar in warm sabayon sprinkled with tapioca pearls, or the Pacific shima-aji tartare stacked with plump grains and bright tomatoes and chiffon jalapenos. The Wolf Ranch Quail is then served with white asparagus and dark cherries, and the Coffee and Donuts is the perfect ending.
The building was constructed as a saloon in 1896 by a Scottish stonemason for Pierre Guillaume. In the 1920s, the building was owned by John Lande, who used it as a French steam laundry, hence the name of the restaurant.
In 1978, Sally Schmitt and her husband Don purchased the building and renovated it into a restaurant. They kept the name “French Laundry” because the locals still referred to the building as such. The French Laundry was one of the first restaurants to offer what later became known as California cuisine. The Schmitts ran the restaurant continuously for seventeen years before selling it to Thomas Keller in 1994.
In 1999, Keller published The French Laundry Cookbook, which he considers his definitive book on the cuisine. That year, it won three awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) for Cookbook of the Year, the Julia Child First Cookbook Award, and the Design Award.
In 2004, the restaurant installed a geothermal heating and air conditioning system.
In July 2014, the Napa Valley restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary with a six-hour banquet for friends, locals and luminaries and temporarily closed for renovations until the end of the year.
In December 2014, when the French Laundry wine cellar was temporarily closed for renovations, it was robbed of approximately $500,000 worth of wine. Most of the wine was later recovered.
On April 7, 2015, the restaurant reopened after the demolition of a number of buildings on the premises. During the rest of the renovation project, the staff worked in a temporary kitchen.
Every day, The French Laundry serves two different nine-course tasting menus: one chef’s tasting menu and the other vegetarian vegetable tasting menu. During the winter holiday season, Thanksgiving, Halloween and other holidays, the restaurant may offer specials. Both menus cost 355 USD per person, including gratuity for the main course, but without additional additions such as caviar and truffles.
The food is mostly French with modern American influences, such as specialties such as smoked salmon cornets, which were inspired by a trip to Baskin-Robbins.