The French Laundry

6640 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

Occasion: Birthday dinner after a relaxing day up in wine country. 03.09.12

**Three Michelin Stars**

This fine culinary establishment has been on my Bucket list for as long as I've known about it.  With their limited availability, hard to get reservations and their pricing, I had not expect to be able to experience fine dining here so soon.  Henry had called a couple months in advance and was persistent with getting a spot for my birthday!

I was super stoked to be able to dine at French Laundry, as we had the chance to dine at Benu (whose owner and chef you can consider as Thomas Keller's protege) a couple weeks prior.  Corey Lee had worked as the Chef de cuisine at French Laundry and his work has been highly recognized.  Since we had such a great experience at Benu, I had pretty high expectations of this place.

Quaint and romantic, just how I like the environment to be.  I love the old fashioned cottage feel of the restaurant.  Brick building, dim lighting and window drapes. I definitely appreciate that type of decor.

Now onto our meal...

Amuse Bouche

Gruyere cheese from Switzerland in puff pastry

Before I could even catch my breath and take in the surrounding, these little balls of goodness came out.  They were served warm and as you bit into them, the flavorful cheesy gooey goodness oozed out from the middle.  We both loved it.  Even Henry, who is not a cheese person, thought it was fabulous.

Reds to go with our meal

Amuse Bouche

Tuna Tartar with cream cheese in a corn cone with sesame seeds

Another great starter to open up our appetite
It was like a lox bagel in a couple of bites.  The cone was wafer like, crumbled with each bite and buttery.  I love the added sesame seeds to the cone as it added some kind of "asian inspired" taste to it.  The texture of the cone reminds me of the eel dish at Benu.

Oysters and Pearls

Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

The oysters were plump and juicy and was perfect with the broth it was sitting in.  The caviar added not only flavor but texture to the dish. Pop, pop, pop....as I bit into it.

Royal Ossetra Caviar

Bone marrow custard "Fume a la Minute" Meiwa Kumquat and Tarragon (with an extra supplement cost)

Very beautifully presented.  Doesn't it kind of look like a pot of flowers? It's a little dish, but each bite was super rich.  Rich creamy custard served cold topped with caviar.  I can't really tell the difference between the caviar from this dish and the caviar from the previous dish.  They both had  the same textures.  I still have so much to learn about the different types of caviars.  Between the two first courses, I most definitely enjoyed the oysters and caviar a lot more.  There was also a deep fried fish of some sort in the mix, Not exactly sure what it was, but it definitely added a crunchiness to the dish.

I just loved the presentation of this dish.  Layers of plates.

Complimentary brioche bread from their very own, Bouchon

The bread was so fresh, buttery and fluffy.  One of the best breads I've had at a restaurant.  It was sprinkled with some salt on top, which I could have done without.  It came with two types of butter salted and unsalted.  The Salted butter was from Vermont and the unsalted butter was from Petaluma.  We both preferred the unsalted butter more.  It was creamier and was a better complement to the salty and buttery brioche bread.

Moulard Duck "Foie Gras en Terrine" 

"Pain d'Epices," French Prunes, Red Walnuts, Watercress and Turnip Mostarda (extra supplement)

Super creamy lined with something gelatinous.  It went really well spread on the brioche bread.  Though not the best foie gras I had because I like it seared instead of as a terrine, it was still pretty darn delicious.

Delicious warm brioche bread. The second we were done with our first pieces, they immediately refilled our dish with fresh and warm pieces. Yay! Plus points.

Salad of Hawaiian hearts of palm

Hayden Mango, Hass Avocado, Espelette Chili and Cilantro shoots

A very colorful and refreshing dish. Crunchy, sweet, creamy. A great play in textures and flavor.  After all the rich flavors from the above dish, it was nice to have something less rich in flavor.

"Cuises de Grenouille"

Confit Marble Potatoes, Sugar snap peas, petite lettuces and "Vin Jaune"

The highlight of this dish had to have been the sugar snap peas.  They were so beautifully green and tasted so fresh.  Also grown from their very own garden across the street from the restaurant. Those deep fried frog meat was definitely out shined by the peas.  The softness of the tender frog meat with the crunchiness of the peas were definitely enjoyed by us both. Yum!

Grilled Filet of Gulf Coast Cobia

Marinated conch, sunchoke, broccolini "fleurettes" and braised pine nuts

Buttery soft fish with soft braised pine nuts. YUM! Perfectly grilled.

Georges bank sea scallop "poelee"

Dittalini, "Black trumpet mushrooms, spring onions and sea urchin "Mousseline"

Probably my favorite dish. As you can tell, it's a picture of an almost finished dish. You're probably wondering why.  Well it's because it looked and smelled so good that I had to dig my fork in right away.  The scallop was cooked perfectly, slightly sweet and caramelized. Flavorful, delicious and fresh scallops from Massachusetts.  The added black trumpet mushroom was a plus, as I love all kinds of mushroom.  Sea urchin mousse was creamy, rich and complemented the scallops so perfectly. A lovely dish.

Devils's gulch ranch rabbit sirloin

Medjool dates, cauliflower, marcona almonds, red ribbon sorrel and madras curry

It almost looked like tiny racks of lamb.  Meat was tender and delicious.  It came with two types of rabbit meat which was cooked perfectly.  You couldn't even tell since it wasn't gamey or tasted like anything out of the ordinary.  If you didn't put a name on the dish, I probably wouldn't have know.  I loved the marcona almonds used in this dish; it added flavor and texture. Yum.

Salmon creek farm pork "Jowl"

Corn Bread, Pickled green tomatoes, grilled okra and ham "Gastrique"

Flavorful and decadent. So soft, it melts in your mouth.  Love how the okra helps to balance out the richness of the pork jowl.

Marcho farm nature-fed veal

"Coeur de Veau," hen egg, green asparagus, red radish and "tonato"

Delicious and cooked perfectly. First poached then roasted, leaving the meat super tender.  Not over cooked or under cooked. Simple.

"Tomme de Corse"

Balsamic "Pate de Fruit" Fennel Bulb, Arugula and San Marzano Tomato Compote 

In simple terms: Their dessert cheese platter.  There were a few different types of cheese that were complemented with a jelly, cracker biscuit thing, some greens and this delicious tomato based spread.  I loved the tomato based spread with the cheese, as it almost reminded me of pizza. I enjoyed it, but there was a cheese that Henry didn't enjoy so much. Not sure what it was either.

Cream Yogurt Sherbert

toasted oats, pomegranate, oxalis and osmanthus "nuage"

Acted as if it was a palate cleanser. Tart and refreshing.  Almost reminded me of a breakfast dish complete with yogurt, oats and fruity tartness.

"Marjolaine"

Praline Mousse, "Dacquoise," and roasted banana sorbet

Something on the sweeter side.  Love the different textures on this dish.  Silky soft ice cream with the crunchy dry prailine cookie thing.  All in all, it was unique.

Complimentary housemade truffles 

I still haven't tried them yet, but the flavors sound amazing. Will update once I do.

Ice hot chocolate, doughnut balls and chocolate coated macadamia nuts

Freaking delicious. Perfect way to end the night.  We couldn't finish everything, so they bagged the rest of the nuts for us. The doughnuts were warm and bite sized. Omg, I wish I could have this again. YUM!

My custom made birthday cake

Henry ordered for them to make a birthday cake for me.  It was beautiful, but I was so full from all the other goodies they served that we decided to take it home with us.  It was a salted caramel cake that was absolutely delicious.  There is a cookie on the bottom layer, filled with a caramel mousse like center with nugget chunks and chocolate glaze.  Seriously one of the best desserts I've ever had.  It was so freaking good.

Ritual Coffee Roasters

Oxbow Public Market
Napa, California

Occasion: Coffee for the day off. 03.09.12

I am not a coffee person. I don't drink it on a daily basis, but on my days off, I like to sit back, relax and have some coffee with my meal.

Cappuccino

I love the foam art on this. <3 was in the air.

C Casa-An Innovative Taqueria

Oxbow Public Market
Napa, California

Occasion: Birthday brunch. 03.09.12

We had some delicious tacos the last time we were here, so we decided to once again try something else from here.  At the end, I was regretful in ordering two tacos.  Pica Pica was so good that I wished we had ordered one more item there and one less item here.

Mahi Mahi Taco

The mahi mahi was delicious, but it was buried under all this cabbage.  I think there was just too much cabbage going on.  I wish it was more of a mexian style taco instead.  It doesn't consist of a lot of the components that a real mexican taco is composed of.  Definitely minus points with no avocado.

Breakfast taco

with diced up tomatoes, chorizo, chopped onions, avocado, black beans and cilantro

Between the fish taco and this, I enjoyed this more.  Loved the poached egg, as it's yolk oozed out after breaking into it.  I love the freshness of the vegetables used. The chorizo seemed to be in ground up form, which is the star of the dish.  I enjoyed it, but I loved the Pica Pica Cachapas more.

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen

Oxbow Public Market
Napa, California

Occasion: Birthday brunch.  We started our morning at the oxbow public market for some grub! 03/09.12

I know they have this in the city, but there's just something about having it at oxbow public market that makes it more enjoyable.  Perhaps it's the fact that it's like a food court here and you can order from various food places.

Pernil Cachapas

pulled pork, sliced tomatoes, avocado slices on a sweet pancake maize bread 

I've tried the beef maizewich before and I absolutely fell in love and knew that whatever I ordered here I'd like.  Pulled pork was a little bit on the dry side, but it was so good with the sweet pancake maize bread as recommended by the person who took our order.  I just loved the sweetness of the maize bread with the flavorful and savory pulled pork.  The buttery avocado goodness also adds flavor and a soft creamy texture to balance out the dryness of the pork and the bread.  I can't wait to try something different on the menu the next time I come here.

Brix

7377 Saint Helena Hwy
Napa, CA 94558-9726

Occasion:After a day of wine tasting and hanging out with the girls in Napa Valley we ended our day trip here fore dinner. 11.20.11

Tempura fried string beans with a lemon aioli sauce

This was not on their menu and was a special request.  They do however have tempura fried vegetables though.  This was the best thing we had that night.  Great little crispy finger food to start the meal with!  Love the idea of tempura batter. How genius!

Foie Gras spread with toast

It was a special of the night and we were definitely fooled.  The waiter said "seared" foie gras.  If we had known that it was more of a pate, I would not have ordered it.  The gelatin thing around the foie gras was so weird! Not my thing.  It was rich and flavorful, but I could not consume too much of it at once.

Dungeness crab salad 

with citrus supremes and an avocado meyer lemon vinaigrette

Annie and I shared this and the chef was nice enough to split it in half for us. Not what I expected when I saw the plate.  I thought it was a salad with chunks of crab meat.  The grapefruit chunks were a great balance with the flavors of the crab meat.

Beef ribeye with truffled mac & goat cheese timbale and a bone marrow butter

This sounded better than it tasted.  Again, Annie and I split this dish and they were nice enough to split it for us. The meat was not cooked to a medium rare that we had requested.  It was more cooked than we had wanted it to be.  The mac and cheese was too dry and not cheesy enough, though the bone marrow butter did add flavor to the meat.  I was already so full, I did not finish my portion!

Duck confit roulade with slow braised pork belly warm lentil vinaigrette

Jtpizzle's dish.  It was decent, but nothing to rave about.  I was not about all the lentils on the bottom.

Wood grilled pork chop with pumpkin-pancetta risotto, collards and cider jus

We were all amazed at how big the piece of pork chop was.  The meat was surprisingly moist and juicy and not dry.  I really wanted to taste the pumpkin-pancetta risotto. I mean how can you NOT want to try that?  The pumpkin flavor added a nice mild sweetness to the risotto and I thought it was a great complement to the porkchop.

Ad Hoc

6476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

 Occasion: Brunch with some of my favorite girls <3. Girls day out in Napa! 11.20.11

Salad of Little Gem and Citrus with dill cream dressing, toasted sunflower seeds, sliced radishes and shaved shallots 

I loved the chunks of grapefruit and oranges incorporated into the salad.  The grapefruit were juicy and bittersweet, but more on the sweet side and the oranges were juicy and sweet.  Not only do the pulpy fruits add a great texture, but also a very refreshing feel to the salad.  I love sunflower seeds in salads, its a cheaper alternative to pinenuts that tastes just as good.  It was an amazing salad!

 

Egg's Benedict with house cured ham, english muffin, poached hen egg, hollandaise

Look how gorgeous they are! I definitely underestimated my appetite because I almost finished two of these.  The english muffins were delicious especially drenched in the hollandaise sauce. It's usually so rich in flavor that I barely finish a whole serving.

  Sauteed Spinach

I love spinach, but they made it way too salty for my liking.  With something rich like egg's benedict, I feel that the veggies should have been more bland.  That's just my opinion though.

 

Cripsy Potatoes with melted onions

These were so delicious.  The potatoes were deep fried to a perfect crisp and the melted onions were addicting.  We all loved it.

My beautiful plate of food!

 

Rocky road sundae
chocolate ice cream with almonds and marshmallow cream

I was already so full, but I had to give this dessert a try!  The almonds were delicious and the wrinkles that you usually see on the nut were completely smooth.  It was a yummy dessert, but not one that I can have too much of!

Ad Hoc

6476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

Occasion: We got lucky with this one. Got there at 5:15pm waited for about 10-15 minutes and got seated for a party of 4. Score. I know people who talk about having to make reservations months in advance because AD HOC FRIED CHICKEN NIGHT lands on every other Monday. Since we had a 3 day weekend and Monday off for the Memorial Day Weekend, we decided to make a journey up there and give it a try. 05.30.11

 
Finally, here at last!

Baby Iceberg Wedge

oven dried tomatoes, pickled red onions, brioche croutons, bacon lardons and catalina dressing

I don't usually eat iceberg lettuce as a wedge, but it definitely adds a crunch to the dish.  I love love loved sun dried tomatoes, oh and the catalina dressing.  One of the tastiest yet simple salads I've ever had! Happy right from the start!

Oxtail and sweetbread rice pot

with carolina gold rice, crimini mushrooms and french laundry garden carrots

Not part of the preset menu for the night, but it was something extra that we could add to our menu.  I thought it was pretty tasty, just a little bit salty for my liking. It reminded me of a home cooked chinese meal with the variety of ingredients used, though the rice is not as fluffy as one would find at a home of a chinese family.  Overall, it wasn't a bad dish, just not my favorite.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

The highlight of our trip, basically what we've been waiting to try.  Yes, I must admit it was good.  Fried to the perfect golden brown with tender meat inside.  It's hard deep frying chicken because you have to worry about the skin and the meat.  You don't want the skin to be too burnt or the meat not being cooked enough.  For that, I give them credit in making it so perfectly delicious with the perfect skin and tender meat.  Though, I could have done with a better seasoning, not saying it wasn't good because it was...but something could have been different.  I also loved the touch of the rosemary on top.  They boys absolutely loved it and killed every last bit of it.

Chilled spring vegetable salad with nettle vinaigrette

Nice and refreshing, but I wish it was served warm! I needed to get my veggies in some way!

Whipped Yukon gold potatoes

with paprika butter

I love potatoes so, I'll eat it made in any shape size and form.  It was good, but I wish that they had made chunky mashed potatoes.

The cheese board

with 4 different kind of cheeses, nuts, cherry jam and crostinis

I really liked the pairing of cheese and jam, it's so delicious. Sweet and tangy mixed with savory cheese.

Ice cream sandwich

with chocolate chip cookies and coffee ice cream

By the time the dessert got to us, I was so full already! But don't worry, I still managed to scarf most of it down.  The cookie was nice and warm which was good, but it wasn't as soft as I would have liked it to be.  With each bite, the warm cookie squished the ice cream out, making it very sloppy to eat.  My only complaint is that the cookie should have been served soft and not as warm, otherwise amazingly delicious!

Three Twins Ice Cream

Oxbow Public Market
Napa, California

Occasion: Made a trip back to Napa, even though we had just been up the day before. 05.30.11

Burnt caramel and lemon cookie

I sampled just about everything they had that day and these two flavors appealed the most to me!!  This organic ice cream spot really is something special.  I was so glad to know that they have one in San Francisco, not too far from where I work! Score!

The Grill at Meadowood

900 Meadowood Lane
St. Helena, CA 94574

Occasion: Wining and dining day in Napa! 05.29.11 We all got the three course menu for $49, which was a pretty good deal, since I got to sample my +1's meal!

Foie Gras Torchon

Look at the presentation! Very nice!  A big and generous slab of this foie gras pate.  I liked eating it spread on complimentary bread.

Dayboat Scallop Ceviche

with lime, cilantro and tortilla rounds

I love ceviche and they definitely did not disappoint here.  Generous portions; enough for two to share without fighting over the last bite.  It was good eaten by itself, but was also delicious when spread on the tortilla rounds.

Pan Roasted Monkfish

with saffron, meadowood garden spring brocolli and butterbeans.

Another very delicious dish they served.  Monkfish has a natural saltiness to it, which added to the flavor of it.  I really enjoyed the beans; both the taste and the texture; very soft in the inside.

Beef Tenderloin

with black truffle gnocchi, morel mushrooms and asparagus
My favorite thing on this dish were the gnocchi.  It was nice and chewy and the flavor of the black truffle along with the mushroom, complemented the meat very well. 

Caramelized lemon brioche

with a honey ice cream and a meadowood garden citrus marmalade
This was probably my favorite dessert.  It kind of reminded me of a french toast of some sort with a custard like texture that was topped on the brioche bread.  Brioche bread is great for soaking up the flavors of the marmalade as it is thicker than most breads.

Chocolate Delice

with cocoa almond cake and a pomegranate granita

I love just about anything with almond flavor.  I think it might have been the cocoa almond cake that made it as good as it was.  I'm not usually a big chocolate cake person, but I actually enjoyed this!

Roasted apple torte

with cream cheese frosting and caramel ice cream

I've never been big on apple desserts, though I have had some really good ones.  This did not do it for me.  Apple chunks were too big for my liking and too tart, which was good to have a sweet cream cheese frosting and the caramel ice cream to pair with it.