The French Laundry: How Was It?
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- Опубликовано: 2 янв 2022
- I had the sincere pleasure to re-visit Yountville and finally eat at Thomas Keller's 3-Michelin starred restaurant, The French Laundry! Be sure to view this in 4K and let me know in the comments what restaurants you want to see next 🍽
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👋My name is Justin Khanna. I spent 8 years training at Michelin-starred and critically acclaimed restaurants like Per Se, Grace, The French Laundry, noma, Frantzen and Lysverket.
I host a weekly podcast called The Repertoire Podcast geni.us/repertoirepodcast where I curate chef/restaurant/fine dining news. There, I also interview knife makers, authors, food critics, chefs, bartenders, farmers, entrepreneurs and thought leaders to discover insights that can improve your life.
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Was lucky enough to be here on February 23, 2020 just few days before the pandemic and even now when I think about it, I’m blown away. Some people say it’s a once in a life experience but once you go there it makes you come back
When you going back?!
Just want to say that I LOVE these videos. I've never been to a fine dining restaurant before but the way you present these using your knowledge of the industry/ingredients/techniques is really incredible, kudos to you!
This video means a lot to me as an aspiring cook who's been watching TFL for a few years; thank you for an honest look through the beautiful restaurant, I hope to work there one day. Thanks for sharing!!!
Means a ton to have you watching Graham! 🙏 one day 🚀
Went to TFL pre pandemic and post renovation. I love how they keep and even update staples (lox and bagel and pearls and oysters) and constantly evolve the menu. It makes sense to celebrate wine country and have wine pairings, but we enjoy cocktails more than wine so were slightly saddened at the lack of a cocktail menu. But we loved every bite.
Your knowledge, professional experience and honed palate make this video a pleasure to watch. Thank you for sharing,
Thank you for sharing this video! It showed off The French Laundry in a fantastic way
i’m a fine dining line cook in nyc who just had his first *** experience dining at per se! this helped me relive and remember some of the details. can’t wait to discuss with the sous at my current kitchen. thanks!
So fun to get inspired from a meal 🤓
That was awesome! Thankyou for taking us with you👍
That "floating" table in the kitchen is so dope, I hope to work in a kitchen like that one day.. ☝🏾
Even watching these breakdowns/walkthrough of Micheline Starred food is enough to make my head spin. Looks like where I want to be 👹
Some day 😉 you got the chops for it
I have never seen a more mind blowing array of next level food. Absolute insanity.
I can't believe I wasted 20 years of my life fooling around. I could have easily been up there with top chefs. I started to refocus my life on self teaching through numerous cookbooks and I'm excited to be back to my old self with a passion to create a magical meal. For everyone who is in their 20's or younger, Stop fooling around and focus on what you want to become. If you have a passion for food. Them step outside the norm and sacrifice your time to learn from someone you believe that will teach you their wisdom in food. Now I understand the meaning of " we only have one life." It smacks me right in the face when I realize my age and I can't rewind my life. Make a change today and everyday learn something beneficial to carry and pass on to your own children at a young age. Im sure you would want that. Take care and God Bless everyone. This video was an eye opener and thank you for posting brother. Thank you!
What a gig to work at the French laundry . Then come back and eat . I worked in a fine dining powerlunch type place the only time I got to eat a full meal of the food I was in the hospital the owner brought me a filet mignon and a chocolate cake .
Thank you for sharing this. I have dined at all of Chef Kellers restaurants in Yountville.. EXCEPT .. The French Laundry. Looking forward to it when I get the time to return to the lovely Napa Valley.
oh man, i waited so long for this! Thank you Justin
Took me long enough!! Thanks for watching William 👊
Wow!!! THAT looked like an Incredible experience.
I'm so glad this video was in my yt recommendations. great new video, great new channel
Welcome welcome!
Damn this French Laundry seems like a neat little place. hopefully it gets more recognition. i can see it being on a michelin level in the future
nice sense of humour
Super review! Thanks
Love the video. New to the channel and I really like your style and how you reviewed/explained everything. A little bit more detail of how they each tasted would be cool but really well done. I’d love to see more of your restaurant reviews. New sub here Thanks
quality is getting better and better! and i love the content as well as the style of video. I would love to see a video at Vespertine in LA. This video was truly a pleasure to watch.
Thanks Ali! Wanna go to Vespertine bad. Destroyer had some good, some meh, but his way approaching dining is fascinating
I whole heartedly agree. Destroyer had some ok reviews and I think the way Jordan Kahn approached the dishes at Vespertine is particularly fascinating and unique
Hey Justin, just wanted to say thanks for giving such an accurate description and review of such a wonderful restaurant. Very glad you got to return to and enjoy a place you used to work at, I know the feeling and it is wonderful. Also, very glad to see the French Laundry anytime I can, it is one of the best culinary experiences I have ever had and I can never recommend it enough.
Hey Michael! So glad you had great experiences there - appreciate you watching
Thanks for discussing openly the cost and the benefit of being TFL Alumni. Am I understanding correctly - you now pay the $377 per person prior to dining? The price isn't that bad considering the time we went to eat at Per Se in 2007 and it was $250 for the basic meal (with a $150 upgrade option). Nice to see some of the classic dishes are still featured. But what about the wines? Were those also part of the Alumni package? Looks like a grand meal!
Yeah, the $377 was for menu + tax when we booked on Tock!
Excellent presentation, thx for showing the wines.
love these review videos! subbed :)
I was there 1 year and 1 day after your visit. It was the best food I have ever tasted. The service was outstanding!
That's awesome Felix!
Mad love to you and the team of the French laundry! Awesome video. I miss you old videos where you would go on the steps by steps on making dishes
Oh they'll be back - appreciate you watching!
this one actually seemed like it would fill me up. Each individual plate, no, but together it actually seemed like a decently sized portion
If I could get that experience for $377 a head, I'd be there in a heartbeat. The truth is that is probably over $1000
It’s not
I got to experience it 2 days ago after dreaming about it for 20 years. After thinking it would only be a dream, I actually got to do it.
My wife suprised me with reservations and couldn't get any reservations for 2 so she went ahead paid for 4 seats knowing it was only going to be her and myself (we eventually found a couple to come with us on a very short notice last minute).
Without drinks and none of the suplimental courses, it is $350 per person and it's paid in full when you get your reservation (gratuity included).
We ended up having the suplimental courses for 2 of us so we could try as many different dishes. We had a bottle of wine and a smaller half bottle. At the end our bill was around $800 (not included is the original cost of the 4 seats when reserved).
Full cost for 4 people, no wine, no suplimental courses... just over $1800.
It was amazing and they treated me so well. They knew how important this was for me so Keller took photos with us, he signed my menu, they gave me a gift bag with a cookbook and a travel book that he is a part of...it was amazing. He sat down and talked to us for a bit, then encouraged us to hang out in the courtyard.
It's $300 something a head but it does depend on what you like for wine and spirits. It depends
No, the price is as advertised! It’s 390 a head currently. Now, if you want to order expensive wine or extra supplements with truffles or Wagyu beef, then yes, the price will quickly climb. But the experience is about the food and the iconic dishes are included on the menu. In fact, water is considered to be among the best flavor enhancers because it is totally neutral on the palate and doesn’t react with anything as, say, the wrong wine pairing might. And you don’t need the supplements, they’re quite rich on the stomach (Mac n Cheese with truffles, buttery wagyu beef, etc) and you’re already eating a lot of food. You’ll be fine with the regular menu and water, trust me😉
Excellent review sir.
I live down the street from this place, and I didn’t even know it existed wow thanks.
Boy, did I click on this video quickly! Best restaurant reviews! Especially at these "less attainable" restaurants that take a lot of consideration before I book one. Thank you for doing these videos!
It's a pleasure to make them for you folks - appreciate you watching more than you know 👊
I am a student at the cia and have a stage where you had your externship and I’m wondering what to expect on day 1 when I come in for the trial ? Any tips?
Thank you very much for sharing this sir!
My pleasure!
That's awesome. Tyvm for sharing
Appreciate you watching Michael!
I love these . A cook coworker smartend me up to it.
Thank you man. Sincerely. Thank you.
Thank YOU Pat 🙌
when they open a bottle to have (i assume) one glass with the course, what happens to the rest of the wine?
I just heard about this restaurant yesterday and come to find out, you enjoyed this meal on my birthday :-) so it’s safe to say I’ll be visiting there soon!
That's super cool!
I yelled “wow!” so many times through the 7mins of this video that my flatmate nearly kicked me out. Such a beautiful incredible video.
You da best Benson!
THIS is what i followed you for. great content.
Got you!!
Love the video!
Amazing cake at the end
French Laundry is on my bucket list.
Great video. Love your commentary. It just happens to be that our next video out will be from Per Se. Fun coincidence! 😄
Ugh missed opportunity to do a double launch together!!
@@justinkhanna Haha, true!
Love your restaurant reviews
More to come!
I would love to eat there!
Tofu puree!… I always tell people that tofu has such a nice whip and soaks up flavor. Amazing with edamame and avocado. Whips like a dream. Wish I could get the CDP hook up at the laundry, what a big honor
Super under rated maneuver
Wow! What a fabulous dinner!
Sure was!
This must be one of the best videos for the dining experience at TFL! Your deep knowledge of cooking made me understand more about what goes on at each course........thank you u. the tour of the kitchen and wine room is available for other guests, or its because you were a team member at TFL?
You just gotta ask! They love to show off the space - I try to ask for a kitchen tour whenever I can at restaurants cause I love geeking out on their setups
@@justinkhanna if I just spent 10 million USD to remodel a restaurant/ kitchen. I will like to show off too! haha .
Awesome.
I love the idea of bringing "snacks and goodies" for the back of the house but how do you give them to staff? Before or after the meal? Do they feel obligated if you give them before the meal? Do you give the whole bag to the hostess or just ask the server to hand them out? I'd feel really self-conscious about it but I love the idea.
I made a whole video: ruclips.net/video/WEV2RrZERv8/видео.html
Ok for folks that have eaten at TFL - what year did you go? 👇 most memorable dish?
Oysters and Pearls
2021 and it was so meh. I was truly disappointed. I would chalk it up to Covid, but for the price there’s no excuse.
Yeah I understood like 3 quarters of the words said about food in this video.
Wow , thank you Justin
That was great.
It’s on my bucket list.
Where do you work now. Sorry if I should know
Aside from a few side projects, I'm looking to be a creator full time this year!
How soon into the meal when you get full? I’ve never been to a fine dining restaurant and in this video, it seemed like the food was coming non-stop…
Great video! What’s the time frame on a dinner such as this?
It was ~3.5 hours for us I think?
Ate here yesterday, amazing experience. But it was almost $700 for me alone, no wine!
377? That's amazing for what it is. Def wanna go sheeesh
I’ve never had an experience like this but would love to go. It’s seem like a lot of food, was it tough to finish the dishes towards the end?
Not at all - I mean, obviously there's a goal to "overwhelm" you with sweets at the end, so as long as you can keep it together during that part, almost everything is portioned so that you can taste a lot. It's also a relatively long meal, so it's not all of the food within 60 minutes, it's over ~3 hours.
How does one get a reservation here! There’s no availability for months
Very nice
that kitchen is dreamy, im aggressively jealous
It's actually wild
How did you remember exactly what they served thanks. Just found your channel and subscribed. Definitely want to add more tasting menus on my channel
They give printed menus at the end, and most of the footage is shot when the dish is being described, so I have the audio 🤓🧠
@@justinkhanna how was it filming, was there enough light?
I have nothing but respect for these chefs and the amount of skill and technique needed to execute every one of these dishes, but I think I would starve to death on these portion sizes.
Looks delicious! I just always get overwhelmed when ordering wines! How to get what you like and not pay a fortune!
Gotta have a conversation with them! Share what you normally like to drink, how much you'd like to spend, and lead with curiosity. Few somms are "out to get you" - they want to curate wines that will make you excited and enhance your experience!
okay so we just introduced the semi fredo to our menu (coffee and donuts) but were trying to keep the milk froth warm while keeping its shape
May sound weird but look into getting a commercial either espresso machine or individual steam wand. Steam the milk allowing for the foam to form like it could for a cappuccino
How strange; I was staging at Alinea recently and ate at Boca the night before, I was suprised when the my bill was taken care of anonymously (encluding 4 cocktails)
Someone made a phone call 👀
Headed to TFL for the first time in May (have been to Per Se twice). Was this the classic menu or an expanded (eg Evolution) menu?
Classic!
A canapé is like a crostini! On toasted bread. Amuse Bouche was the flights. Chef
There is a Mexican dry cleaners across the street with some lonches that will blow your mind
One day.....but until then this video will do!
Is it worth doing a tasting menu if I have a shellfish allergy?
You can let them know what your allergy is and they can usually serve you alternate dishes.
Or you could choose the vegetable tasting menu.
ive been there twice. it was worse the second time. most things were over-salted and most of the menu items were the same from last time we were there. Known as the best restaurant in the US, i think the menu should be constantly evolving.
Sucks about the salt level - but there's definitely a balance between "playing the hits" every time and evolving. If I remember right, there's a story of Grant Achatz removing the Black Truffle Explosion from the Alinea menu in hopes of "evolving" and a bunch of guests just got upset that they wouldn't be able to try it. Can't please everyone 🤷♂️
I agree with you, Had dinner there 5 years ago. we were invited and paid for by another couple. The Tasting menu was tasteless. The dining room was dull and lifeless. All four of us thought dinner was only so-so. Definitely a non-fine dining experience. P.S. I have eaten at Soltners, Reblochon, and Ducasse as well as Palladin and The Tour Eiffel.
How much was the wine pairing? If I may ask :)
They didn't charge us for wine pairing, however it depends on the price of the wine you pair. Often times, there isn't a "templated" wine pairing. In other words, there's no: $315 for the menu, $275 for wine pairing structure if you receive a menu outside of the Chef's Tasting or Tasting of Vegetables. Reasons why I recommend having a conversation with the wine professionals and sharing with them what you like to drink and your budget.
Good video
Interested to learn more about your habit of bringing gifts/snacks for the restaurant team? Do you just hand it over as you’re being seated? What do you normally bring? Super interesting.
Working on this for you, Michael!
Who was that with the wagon?😍😍😍😍
Wonderful video.
- I would appreciate detailed descriptions of the flavor, texture, and aroma. I have never tasted a lot of these things, and will probably never get the chance to. It felt like you were just reading the menu description of the dish and not actually providing your insight onto the flavors. I don't have your background in cooking/dining, but I would have really appreciated some more discussion on what the experience of tasting these dishes were like.
- Additionally, I would have liked some more discussion on the what the wines were like.
- Lastly, what did you think of Pete Well's takedown (?) of Per Se? Given that these are both Keller restaurants, I wonder if you felt that Wells was justified in his criticism.
Great video regardless. Hoping to see more great content from you in the future.
i agree with wanting more detail, but i also want to add that it would be nice if you (justin) spoke a little bit more slowly as well. he spoke so fast that, even as someone who can actually understand chef lingo, i had to pause and rewind multiple times to catch what was being said about each plate.
I wonder why he never responded to your great questions but responded to almost everyone else? Kind of a jerk move. I'd love to know the answers to your questions, too.
I've only had the chance to do a multi-star restaraunt once in Japan for traditional style sushi/sashimi. Would be cool to try one of these more western style ones with all the varied courses, although probably something I would just do once given the price tag lol.
It isn't very expensive.
My questions are does all of that come with the $350 per person fee? I guess so?
And do vegetarians get to supplements the meats?
We were given supplemental dishes and wine - most of the vegetarian supplements include truffles and not meat-based additions.
They have a vegetable tasting menu.
yummy
The best resturaunt.
Thanks for watching Toby!
Omg … how much was your dinner ..? (+wine? )
The tasting menu is generally around $300 to $400 per person plus wine.
This is a 1k per person meal with the add-ons and wine paring
Not sure I would have paired the abalone with the Barolo.
What a drag on Mise en Place.
Im just wondering if this kind of establishment actually have some good income?because they served the food more like for experience and i bet its expensive..🤔...anyway i enjoy the video..tnx🤙🏾
Their revenue (pre-pandemic) was $1M+/month - easy to see how that breaks down being open 7 days a week, around 100 guests a night, at $315 for the tasting menu...thanks for watching Rodel!
Yes, they are making several million dollars per year in profit.
If one were to not be gifted such a generous wine compliment, what do you think should be budgeted to enjoy The French Laundry exactly as you did this wonderful night?
Info on menu and supplements can always be found here and through the reservation page on Tock! www.thomaskeller.com/tfl/menu
I would budget around $700 to $1,000 per person.
377$ including wines or only for the food?
Food only.
Stupid question…with all the food during the courses and the end with the candies-does anyone ever take anything home with them other than a full tummy? I don’t think I would have room for dessert by the time it arrived.
I only know about this restaurant because newsom wasn’t wearing a mask
Long time no see
Appreciate you coming back to watch 🙏
im sorry what "basically canapes are done" LMAO that was an insane amount of canapes even for a 3 michelin starred restaurant. or were they just bias towards you xD i know we tend to give customers who we are familiar with more food than usual but that is insane haha
You see how Canapé station is debated as the busiest station in that kitchen 😱you've gotta do Oysters & Pearls, PLUS all of the extra dishes in an extended menu.
@@justinkhanna i can totally relate and understand. when i was working in an italian 1 star kitchen i was under the cold side so we had to do canapés + amus + help the head chef plate every dish that goes out as well as prepare all the garnishes for the plating. u can only imagine how thats like if u got a full house with different orders going at different pace. insane but it was good fun
This dude sounds like Abed from Community
It sucks that every time I hear The French Laundry I associate it with Gavin Newsom.
Really hate to see black truffles at a 3 star. White truffles are the best especially this season.
You sound so much like Matt D'avela
Not for me. but thanks for the peek.
I don't get it. Did they change the menu? I went there on 3rd May 2021, and it didn't look anything like what is shown in this video. The dishes look much more interesting than what we had, which was very traditional french. We only had half as many dishes as you did, (no sashimi, no tempura, no abalone, no truffle, no wagyu) and we got charged $400. Probably the most disappointing 3-star meal and I have been telling my friends not to go :(
So sorry to hear that was your experience - we definitely had the opportunity to have a bunch of extra canapés, which added variety to our menu beyond a lot of the standard menu tropes
@@justinkhanna Got it! Well, whenever they changed the menu to what you had, then I'll give them a revisit :P
The menu changes whenever the chef feels like it.
The chef can also decide to give extra courses whenever they feel that a table is deserving.
You could order the regular 9 course tasting menu and end up with 15 courses.
@@jimklemens5018 The chef can do whatever they want. But in the end, if my experience wasn't good, then I'll judge the restaurant based on that.
@@TheTTstudio They really have never served traditional French food.