The French Laundry

Last updated

The French Laundry
The French Laundry logo.svg
The French Laundry.jpg
Exterior of The French Laundry
The French Laundry
Restaurant information
Established1978;46 years ago (1978)
Owner(s) Thomas Keller
Head chefThomas Keller
ChefDavid Breeden
Pastry chef Jamie Houghton
Food type French with Californian cuisine influences
Dress codeNone
Rating Etoile Michelin-3.svg (Michelin Guide)
*AAA Five Diamond Award (2005-present) [1]
*Forbes Five Star Award (1999-present) [2]
Street address6640 Washington St
City Yountville
StateCalifornia
Postal/ZIP Code94599
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 38°24′16″N122°21′54″W / 38.40444030°N 122.36497120°W / 38.40444030; -122.36497120
Seating capacity60
Website www.thomaskeller.com/tfl OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
French Laundry
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location6640 Washington St., Yountville, California
Coordinates 38°24′16″N122°21′50″W / 38.40444°N 122.36389°W / 38.40444; -122.36389
Area0.4 acres (0.16 ha; 17,000 sq ft; 1,600 m2)
Built1900
ArchitectClark, Alexander (Gus)
NRHP reference No. 78000728 [3]
Added to NRHPApril 19, 1978
(45 years ago)
 (1978-04-19)

The French Laundry is a three-Michelin-star French and Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredients; she was a visionary chef and pioneer of California cuisine. Since 1994, the chef and owner of The French Laundry is Thomas Keller. The restaurant building dates from 1900 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. [3]

Contents

History

French Laundry Restaurant Greenhouse French Laundry Greenhouse.jpg
French Laundry Restaurant Greenhouse

The building was constructed as a saloon in 1896 by a Scottish stonesman for Pierre Guillaume. [4] In the 1920s, the building was owned by John Lande who used it as a French steam laundry, which is the origin of the restaurant's name. [4]

In 1978, Sally Schmitt and her husband Don purchased the building and renovated it into a restaurant. They kept the name, the French Laundry, because locals still referred to the building as such. The French Laundry was one of the first restaurants to offer what would become known as California cuisine. [5] [6] The Schmitts ran the restaurant for 17 years before selling it to Thomas Keller in 1994. [7] [8]

In 1999, Keller published The French Laundry Cookbook , which he considers his definitive book on cuisine. That year it won three International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) awards for Cookbook of the Year, Julia Child "First Cookbook" Award, and Design Award. [9]

In July 2014, the Napa Valley restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary with a six-hour feast for friends, locals, and luminaries [10] and temporarily closed for renovations before the end of the year. [11]

In December 2014, while being temporarily closed for renovations, The French Laundry wine cellar was robbed of an estimated $500,000 of wine. Most of the wine was subsequently recovered. [12] [13]

On April 7, 2015, the restaurant reopened following demolition of a number of buildings on the site. During the remainder of the renovation project, the staff worked out of a temporary kitchen. [14]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, The French Laundry closed and re-opened several times, and faced restrictions such as limited seating. [15]

Cuisine

This vegetable tasting menu was one of three menus available for Sunday December 4, 2005 French laundry carte.png
This vegetable tasting menu was one of three menus available for Sunday December 4, 2005

Every day, The French Laundry serves two different nine-course tasting menus: the Chef's Tasting Menu, and the vegetarian Tasting of Vegetables. [16] Both menus are US$390 per person, including gratuity for the base meal, although not including additional supplements such as caviar and truffles. [17] [18] During the winter holiday season, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and other holidays, the restaurant may offer special dishes.

The food is mainly French with contemporary American influences, for example specialties such as smoked salmon cornets, [19] [20] which were inspired by a trip to Baskin-Robbins.

Staff

Notable alumni of The French Laundry's kitchen staff have included Grant Achatz of Alinea, Eric Ziebold of Kinship and Métier, Corey Lee of Benu, Jonathan Benno of Lincoln Ristorante, René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen, Ron Siegel of The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, and Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes. Previous Chef de Cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth [21] won the Bocuse d'Or USA semi-finals in 2008, [22] [23] and represented the U.S. in the international finals in January 2009, placing sixth. [24]

Other locations

In February 2004, Thomas Keller opened the East Coast version of his Yountville restaurant, which he named Per Se, and also has received three Michelin stars. The kitchens of both restaurants are connected via a real-time video feed on a television screen. [25]

Thomas Keller opened a pop-up restaurant in the Silverado Resort & Spa during the renovation of The French Laundry. The restaurant, which serves American classics, is called Ad Lib. [26] This is not the first pop-up restaurant that Keller has helmed, previously popping up at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong [27] and at Harrod's in London. [28]

Reception

Since 2006, it has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide to San Francisco. It received a favorable review in The New York Times [29] and was called "the best restaurant in the world, period" in 2005 by Anthony Bourdain. [30]

Since 2007, the restaurant has been the recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

Benu is a three-Michelin star New American restaurant located in the SoMa district of downtown San Francisco opened in 2010 by chef Corey Lee, the former Chef de cuisine at the French Laundry. Benu made the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wine Country</span> Area of Northern California known as a wine-growing region

Wine Country is the region of California, in the northern San Francisco Bay Area, known worldwide as a premier wine-growing region. The region is famed for its wineries, its cuisine, Michelin star restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, historic architecture, and culture. Viticulture and wine-making have been practiced in the region since the Spanish missionaries from Mission San Francisco Solano established the first vineyards in 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Culinary Institute of America</span> American private culinary school

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is an American private college and culinary school specializing in culinary, baking, and pastry arts education. The school's primary campus is located in Hyde Park, New York, with branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first to teach culinary arts in the United States, offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees, and has the largest staff of American Culinary Federation Certified Master Chefs. The CIA also offers continuing education for professionals in the hospitality industry as well as conferences and consulting services. The college additionally offers recreational classes for non-professionals. The college operates student-run restaurants on its four U.S. campuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California cuisine</span> Food from California

California cuisine is a food movement that originated in Northern California. The cuisine focuses on dishes that are driven by local and sustainable ingredients with an attention to seasonality and an emphasis on the bounty of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Keller</span> American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author

Thomas Aloysius Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997. The restaurant is a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yountville, California</span> City in California, United States

Yountville is an incorporated town in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the population was 3,436 at the 2020 census. Almost a third of the town's population lives at the Veterans Home of California. Yountville is a popular tourist destination, particularly for its wineries and its two famed Michelin-starred restaurants, The French Laundry and Bouchon.

Ron Siegel is an American chef who formerly worked in San Francisco. In August 2012, it was announced he was joining San Francisco restaurant, Michael Mina, as executive chef. He had been Chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, taking over for Chef Sylvain Portray in 2004. Siegel is perhaps best known for his 1998 appearance on Iron Chef, becoming the first ever U.S. citizen to win in Kitchen Stadium. His cooking style is known for blending haute French cuisine with subtle Japanese touches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Boulud</span> French chef and restaurateur

Daniel Boulud is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, Montréal, Singapore, the Bahamas, and Dubai. He is best known for his eponymous restaurant Daniel, opened in New York City in 1993, which currently holds two Michelin stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasting menu</span> Collection of several dishes in small portions served as a single meal

A tasting menu is a collection of several dishes in small portions, served by a restaurant as a single meal. The French name for a tasting menu is menu dégustation. Some restaurants and chefs specialize in tasting menus, while in other cases, it is a special or a menu option. Tasting menus may be offered to provide a sample of a type of cuisine, a house specialty, or to take advantage of fresh seasonal ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Achatz</span> American chef and restaurateur

Grant Achatz is an American chef and restaurateur often recognized for his contributions to molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine. His Chicago restaurant Alinea has won numerous accolades and Achatz himself has won numerous awards from prominent culinary institutions and publications, including the Food and Wine's "best new chefs" award in 1998, "Rising Star Chef of the Year Award" for 1999, "Best Chef in the United States" for 1998 and a 2003 "Who's Who Inductee" from the James Beard Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domaine Chandon California</span>

Domaine Chandon is a winery located in the town of Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Established in 1973 by Moët et Chandon, and led by businessman John Wright, who operated the company for over 20 years, it was the first French-owned sparkling wine producer in the Napa Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Hollingsworth</span> American chef and restaurateur (born 1980)

Timothy Hollingsworth is an American chef and restaurateur. In 2012, he left his post as Chef de Cuisine at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry and moved to Los Angeles, where he opened Otium. He has won multiple awards throughout his career, including the 2010 James Beard Foundation's Rising Chef of the Year Award, the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star Chef, and the 2009 Bocuse d'Or, where he placed sixth. He was the winner of the 2018 cooking competition The Final Table.

Eric Ziebold is an American chef and restaurateur with two Michelin Star restaurants in Washington, D.C., Kinship and Métier. He was executive chef at CityZen from 2004 to 2014, where he won several awards, including a James Beard Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Pawlcyn</span> American chef

Cynthia Pawlcyn is an American chef and cookbook author known for the restaurants she opened in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Napa Valley between 1983 and 2008. Pawlcyn was an early advocate for using local, sustainable meats, and produce in her restaurants. In 2009, Pawlcyn appeared in the first season of Bravo’s "Top Chef: Masters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Per Se (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Manhattan, New York

Per Se is a New American and French restaurant located at The Shops at Columbus Circle, on the fourth floor of the Deutsche Bank Center at 10 Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City, owned by chef Thomas Keller. The Chef de Cuisine is Chad Palagi. Per Se has maintained three Michelin stars since the introduction of the New York City Guide in 2006.

David Kinch is an American chef and restaurateur. He owned and operated Manresa, a restaurant in Los Gatos, California, which was awarded three Michelin stars in 2016. Kinch's California cuisine has strong French, Catalan and Japanese influences. Kinch opened a second restaurant in Los Gatos, called The Bywater, on January 12, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Kostow</span> American chef

Christopher Kostow is the executive chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, California. Under Chef Kostow, The restaurant was awarded three stars from the Michelin Guide in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2013, Chef Kostow was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Dorado Kitchen</span> Restaurant in California, USA

El Dorado Kitchen is a restaurant and bar located in Sonoma, California in the United States. It is located on the property of the El Dorado Inn in downtown Sonoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Louis Palladin</span> French chef

Jean-Louis Palladin was a French-born chef who introduced French Nouvelle cuisine to the Washington elite at his restaurant, Jean-Louis at the Watergate, and influenced a generation of French and American chefs.

Sally Schmitt was an American restaurateur who helped launch California's farm to table movement. She was the original chef and co-founder of the French Laundry.

References

  1. https://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022_TRV-5D-Restaurants-Apr-2022-1.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. https://www.forbestravelguide.com/destinations/napa-california
  3. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Alexander, Pat (2009). Yountville. Arcadia Publishing. p. 29. ISBN   9780738569659 . Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  5. Goldstein, Joyce; Brown, Dore (September 6, 2013). Inside the California Food Revolution: Thirty Years That Changed Our Culinary Consciousness. University of California Press. pp. 4–6. ISBN   9780520956704.
  6. Proudfoot, Ben (September 13, 2022). "Before Thomas Keller, It Was Her French Laundry". New York Times.
  7. "The French Laundry: Thomas Keller". Los Angeles Magazine. 45 (8): 136. August 2000. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  8. Woolever, Laurie. "Chef Talk: Thomas Keller". Wine Spectator Online. M. Shanken Communications, Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  9. "French Laundry chef talks about celebrity life". MSN. May 22, 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. Robinson, Joanna (July 8, 2014). "Truffled Grilled Cheese and In-N-Out Burgers: Celebrating the French Laundry's 20th Anniversary". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  11. Carson, L. Pierce (April 7, 2014). "French Laundry will close temporarily for expansion". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  12. "Man admits stealing $500,000 worth of wine from famed French Laundry restaurant". Los Angeles Times. December 21, 2016.
  13. Mejia, Paula (April 16, 2018). "How a Gang of Thirsty Thieves Stole Over $500,000 Worth of Wine". Atlas Obscura.
  14. "French Laundry reopens, reveals renovation plans". Napa Valley Register. April 7, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  15. Edmonds, Lauren. "Michelin-starred restaurant where Gov. Newsom dined during COVID-19 surge got over $2.4 million in PPP loans". Insider. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  16. "Today's Menus". Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  17. "Chef's Tasting Menu – 26 October 2015" (PDF). The French Laundry. Retrieved October 27, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  18. "Tasting of Vegetables – 26 October 2015" (PDF). The French Laundry. Retrieved October 27, 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  19. "Thomas Keller". www.finedininglovers.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  20. "The Easy Way to Make Thomas Keller's Signature Salmon Cornets". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  21. Forbes, Paula (November 26, 2012). "Timothy Hollingsworth Is Out at French Laundry; Per Se's David Breeden Is In". Eater.com. Vox Media Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  22. Wells, Pete, The New York Times (September 28, 2008). French Laundry Sous Chef Will Represent U.S. in Bocuse d’Or
  23. Cowin, Diana, Food & Wine (February 2009). Competing at the Bocuse d’Or: Team USA's Unbeatable Recipes
  24. Sciolino, Elaine, The New York Times: Diner's Journal (January 28, 2009). The American Chef Comes in Sixth
  25. Zimmer, Erin (May 29, 2009). "Per Se's Kitchen, Still Well-Stocked and Watching the French Laundry on Flat-Screen TV | Serious Eats : New York". Newyork.seriouseats.com. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  26. Lucchessi, Paolo (January 12, 2015). "Thomas Keller to launch temporary restaurant at Silverado: Ad Lib". insidescoopsf.sfgate.com. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  27. Stolerman, William (November 2, 2010). "Mandarin Oriental HK Welcoming Chef Thomas Keller". Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  28. "The French Laundry at Harrods: Thomas Keller interview". telegraph.co.uk. September 2011. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  29. "The French Laundry – Reviews and Ratings of Restaurants in Napa Valley – New York Times Travel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  30. "Las Vegas". Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Season 1. Episode 7. October 17, 2005. 7 minutes in. His Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry, is in my opinion, the best restaurant in the world. Period.
  31. 1 2 "The French Laundry". Wine Spectator. January 1, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  32. "San Francisco 2013 Michelin Guide; Michelin Travel & Lifestyle". Michelinguide.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.