flygirl:

Oh, yes you most certainly do.

As far as I know they do not do lunch.

Good Luck!

oops...The French Laundry DOES serve lunch on Fri/Sat/Sun from 11-1pm.

You HAVE to book two months in advance of the night that you want to have your meal.

The website has the telephone number and other info.

Oaktown Traveler

I don't really plan restaurants. I have the guidebooks, suggestions I read here on Fodor's etc., but the only place I have ever made a reservation in Europe was Botin in Madrid, and I did that when I got there. Other than that, I had some places on a list, but I only went to them if I was near them in my travels. I rarely go out of my way to find a specific place.

So, very little planning in terms of restaurants. I did have London's Cheap Eats for my England trip, and went to some of those restaurants, but it was decided right before we went.

Karen

Ah, too bad flygirl, you need to work on your gastronomic sixth sense. Three trips to Venice with never a bad meal, and several memorable ones. I do admit that I was a professional chef for a number of years, so I kind of have an edge of figuring out when a restaurant might be a winner or not. Do keep in mind that Venice has it's own style of cuisine that is very different from what most people think of as "Italian food." Many people are disappointed when they can't find Venetian spaghetti and meatballs just like the Olive Garden makes it.

Rufus, thanks for the input. I surely know that Venice "isn't" Italy (even in a historical sense). and I even had a guidebook - my meals still were mediocre/awful. my only good meal was something I stumbled into - a lucky accident.

and you could not PAY me to walk into an Olive Garden.