The Wine Region Has Become a Fine-Dining Hot Spot
Occasionally the phone rings and someone asks if I can get them a reservation at the French Laundry in Yountville, where seatings are meted out weeks in advance. No, I can’t.
The phone rings at the now-famous restaurant that’s smack-dab in the center of the verdant Napa Valley, and I get a recording the same as anyone else. So, you might as well leave your own message. From some recent feedback, including that from a trio of Orange County couples who just made the trip especially to dine there, you need to know some of the parameters of French Laundry before you go. In fact, this story might be a guideline for questions you need to ask when making reservations at famous eateries. There’s no denying that chef and owner Thomas Keller (the opening chef at Checkers in LA several years ago) and his food have gotten rave reviews in the big-time culinary magazines and even the New York Times in the past five years. It’s been touted by some as the best restaurant in America today. Personally, I don’t know how any restaurant reviewer can set himself up as such an authority, such an all-empowering palate, to make that sweeping judgment. That’s a lot of restaurants in the nation to have eaten in to be able to make such a ranking. No wonder, though, a reservation is hard to come by.
The French Laundry experience is a gustatory adventure of many courses predetermined by the chef, naturally meant to match various wines on the impressive list. One does not have the de rigueur a la carte menu. It is expensive and they have some hard and fast rules, which do cause some spirited conversation. Our six friends, for example, all have access to some very fine wines from their own cellars. They took some special bottles along to enjoy at this touted restaurant, quite ready to pay the corkage fees. However, they were told that one of their wines was on the wine list and that the restaurant will not uncork the same wine when brought in by diners.
I am actually fine with that in most circumstances, except that when one makes a pilgrimage to dine at some prestigious restaurant, it might be a very special occasion and the wine the guest brings could be a special bottle given as a memento to have on a subsequent anniversary. Ordering the same wine from their wine list is not the idea.
Consider that French Laundry charges $30 per bottle for corkage and one would assume they’d be happy to have that extra cash in the coffers. The policy meant that our friends were embarrassed by being told that the special bottle of Veuve Cliquot Champagne they’d planned to have with appetizers would not be opened for them because it was on the list. Also, they had not been told when making the reservation that the restaurant would only uncork one personal bottle of wine per couple. So, take heed and don’t bother taking anything extra to drink. The meal, I’m told, was good, although all agreed that the fish courses were the stars and the two meat courses were not extraordinary. Be aware that a 17% tip is added into the bill. However, this too may be a detriment. Our friends, and others, mentioned that service was professional, but lacking any warmth. Adding the gratuity to the bill, in my estimation, gives the waiter no incentive to do a better job. Our friends opted to let it stand at that, although all three couples are accustomed to leaving at least a 20% tip. The six were looking at a $900 bill with $90 for corkage (for their three “allowed” wines) and the gratuity. They all conceded that they would have purchased a wine or wines from the restaurant’s list had the scenario been friendlier and had they been told the rules before arriving. Meanwhile, down the street at La Toque in the Rancho Caymus Inn, the price was more palatable and our friends gushed at the helpful and gracious service. And they all reported that the food was so good and so interesting that they would go back any time. They also liked the lovely, tempered d & #233;cor. Chef and owner Ken Frank closed La Toque in LA in 1995 and moved north, much to my dismay because I’d always loved his food at his showplace on Sunset Boulevard and now I have to travel further to enjoy his compelling cuisine. Spinach soup with Maine lobster chunks in it, spice-rubbed foie gras, Atlantic salmon with braised daikon, and short ribs simmered all day in Rutherford red wine are four dishes that I recall most fondly. Then, there’s Mustards Grill, which has long been one of the most reliable, consistent and fun restaurants in the Napa Valley. Locals amusingly refer to it as a “deluxe truck stop,” a fact galvanized by the cars in the parking lot, as noted by Gourmet magazine. Dusty trucks, Rolls Royces, SUVs and limos spell eclectic clientele. Since its inception 17 years ago, the food has been interestingly conceived and presented, and the wine list is loaded with the gems of the many wineries in the area. You might find toast points topped with local cheese and roasted beets as an appetizer. Locally raised lamb with curry sauce dappled around its edge has Asian overtones. Fish are accepted only from purveyors who can guarantee that they are caught within hours of delivery, and for me that means simple grilling with a clever sauce will do quite nicely. Smoked baby back ribs are about as homey as you can get, and the chicken salad with hoisin dressing is really quite divine. In the summer season, I would never miss the fantastic crunchy strawberry shortcake.
All of these restaurants use the finest local ingredients, most of them naturally fed and organically produced. It makes a world of difference in the finesse of any dish. The California wine country is no longer noted only for wines. The area has also become one of the most agriculturally food-intensive spots in America. Poultry, rabbit, lamb, artisanal cheeses and breads, unique produce, and even fine olive oils are now exported across the nation so that other regions can proclaim that they are also making “authentic” California cuisine.
