DH and I are in the planning stages of a trip to wine country this summer. We are celebrating our 30th on the trip, not the actually date. Is French Laundry worth the hassle for getting the reservation? Also, is it worth the money spent? We do like good food and have spent a pretty penny on meals, but over $400 for 2?

I keep hearing about doing lunch over dinner. Is that the better option?

Thank goodness we are planning to hit the area during the week, not a weekend.

ST

DH and I were extremely disappointed in the French Laundry when we ate there a few years ago. while the food was creative and imaginative, the service was absolutely awful. 5 hours into the meal, we decided to wrap it up and took our dessert home. Now I know that you are supposed to relax, and I have lots of 3 -4 hour meals, but this was crazy. Keller was not there, so I wonder if the kitchen was just off that night. Anyway, it ran us $635 for 2, and all we had was a half bottle of champagne and a bottle of burgundy. Wine prices were outrageous. However, all that said, it is an experience, and if you love food, well it is the #1 rated restaurant in the US. Me, I think there are better places.

Yes. It is simply in a category all by itself. Nothing compares.

We did lunch and loved it. Your bill with wine, tax and tip will be closer to $1000 than $400 I'm afraid.

$1000 for 2? You are kidding, imaq? Even $600 seems steep to me. Is this a fixed prix menu or is everything priced separately [appetizer, salad, entree, dessert]?

Decisions, decisions.

It is a price fixed. There were several price fixed options, but no a la carte. I looked on-line, but the menu changes everyday, so they are not there to give you a sense of the prices.

LoriNY, what did the fixed price menu include? One of our favorite local places changes menus seasonally so not worried about the actual selections.

Here is a good example of - "If you have to ask" you can't afford it!

Here's another horribly disappointed FL diner. In fact tne only people I know who loved, loved, loved it are a couple who really want to tell you how much they spent on dinner there.

Food was very good and well presented. There are a hundred other restaurants in that region that have food that is very good and well represented for 1/4 the cost.

Happy Anniversary whatever you do.

Maybe so, monik, but I want to know what I can expect for that kind of money. You keep hearing that FL is the best, but don't always hear about the details. Just trying to make an informed decision.

So your informed decision is going to come from these replies vs. ohh, I don't know..... someone like Michelin Guide???

An informed decision can come from many sources, for me usually a combination of both a written guide and actual experiences of people who have been there.

As to a restaurant however, I prefer to get opinions from a variety of people that have been there, rather than a written guide. Different opinions from different people give a more rounded picture to consider, IMO.

I think it all depends what Thomas Keller has on his menu that night. When I have gone I have lucked out with a great menu. The service has always been great. You may have better luck on Friday and Saturday's menu.
Just my two cents.
If you want to try another top restaurant in Wine country, may I suggest Cyrus in Headlsburg.
In San Francisco, I would go with Gary Danko. Its one of my favorite restaurants in the U.S. and is rated as the top rated Zagat restaurant in the Bay Area/Wine Country...ahead of French Laundry.
Both French Laundry, Cyrus and Gary Danko take reservations 60 days in advance.

Will

I haven't been there, but there are a lot of wonderful restaurants in the area. As a vegetarian, the menus seemed very meat oriented in an unusual way, like squab, and with the prix fixe menu your choices are limited.

I like using OpenTable for the wine country, because you can make reservations and cancel them easily in advance, as well as check out the menus. A lot of good restaurants participate.

http://www.opentable.com/start.aspx?m=4

So, don't feel bad if you can't get reservations, as you will be able to eat quite well many places.

I agree that Gary Danko is good, and I recently went to Michael Mina's on Union Square, and had a tasting menu (vegetarian for me) which was delicious and very innovative. Everyone in my party got something different, and it was all exquisite and interesting, for about $100 per person per meal, food only.

I would agree with GSTRDR - esp w/ the recommendations of Gary Danko and Cyrus over FL. With FL, there ARE off nights and with the $$ oyu're spending if it's an off night it's going to be very disappointing.

On the other hand I have NEVER heard a complaint abotu Cyrus.

We ate at Gary Danko to celebrate a special occasion and agree that it was wonderful. Our evening at French Laundry was also terrific. We had a group of five and enjoyed incredible food, wonderful, friendly, knowledgable service. Our memories of that evening are really special and definitely worth the hassle (we actually got in off the wait list the day before). I've also eaten at some other over the top, make reservations months in advance, enormously expensive restaurants (in Chicago, Vegas and Paris) and FL compares very favorably and it was better in some ways (for example, the best butter ever!). I have also heard from several people that their experiences at FL were not so magical. I think you'll find very mixed opinions. We were not disappointed with our night and would go back again.

I think that if "is it worth the hassle?" crosses your mind you shouldn't go. I say this because to some people food and dining is almost an obsession and they read about these chefs, their restaurants, their techniques like others follow football or their children. If you don't have that intense interest than the meal and the $$ spent won't make sense to you even if you like the food. I never understand why people dine at certain places just to say they have when they themselves don't really care. I would ask why you are even interested in FL? Go to someplace where you aren't worried about price and what you are suppose to think of the food and preparation instead. Be yourself and choose the type of place you would like.

Happy anniversary!

How about the helpful answer, "it depends." We've been to the French Laundry several times, and have had a generally-wonderful experience, both food, service and ambiance, each time. (The only less-great time was their first day open after their big remodel a while back.)

But I will say that our best experience was the first time, partly because we didn't know what to expect.

To me, it's been worth the money we've spent. The French Laundry is on my list of top 5 favorite restaurants ever, both for the food and the experience as a whole. We've eaten at top foodie places in Europe, and the French Laundry ranks right up there. And as another comparison, I've eaten at Taillevant, and I would NOT choose to spend the money to eat at Taillevant again (not that it wasn't a great experience, it just wasn't worth the price, to me).

That being said, the French Laundry doesn't fit everyone's tastes, precisely because of the money and the reservations hassle. (My parents, for example. They've been to Napa several times, and I always discourage them from trying to go to the French Laundry. They like good food, but not necessarily gourmet food, and the prices would horrify them.) If you're questioning whether or not to go, then you'd probably enjoy one of the many other fantastic restaurants in the Napa Valley just as much, or more.

OP, With your teacher's salary I would recommend something like the "no hassle" Rutherford Grill.

Instead come to Napa Valley to enjoy the wine.

There's a recent thread on chowhound.com about French Laundry you might want to look at- not very positive.

Thanks everyone for your input. That's what I love about a forum like this. We most likely will skip FL mainly because we like to be able to make last minute choices and having dinner reservations 2 months out is not us. I will check opentable when we get home tomorrow. Picking up DD for the start of her spring break We are in the middle of a storm in Cleveland.

ST