�Oysters and Pearls�, a �Sabayon� of Pearl Tapioca with with poached Bagaduce Oysters and Osetra Caviar. I wouldn�t think of using tapioca in savory dish, but the texture combination was extraordinary - the tapioca balls paralleled the caviar, and the oysters matched the sabayon custard. The caviar topping was generous, briny without being fishy, and popped lightly on the tongue. The oysters were poached in the custard long enough to barely soften them so that they also melted into it. Although Zack doesn't like oysters, it made him swoon. This dish would accompany champagne perfectly.
�Terrine� of Moulard Duck �Foie Gras�, with Perigord Truffles, Truffle Salad and Toasted Brioche. I usually prefer seared foie gras slices over pates (which I�ve usually had in canned form), but this dish was a terrine made in the restaurant, from whole foie gras poached en torchon (in a dish towel, which is considered the best preparation). It was simply sybaritic; the foie gras melted in my mouth like butter - this had to be the smoothest thing I'd ever tasted. It made my eyes roll to the back of my head. It came with a garnish of tart cranberry relish, and aged balsamic vinegar the consistency of maple syrup. The waiter also served toasted brioche with the dish, �should [I] choose to spread.� Huh. Not sure if I should respond to that, but I did, indeed "choose to spread." Anyways, the brioche was buttery, light, flaky, and browned lightly. This would have gone really well with a Sauternes.
Pan Roasted Gulf Cobia, Braised Jacobson�s Farm Collard Greens, Walla Walla Shallot Marmalade, and Pickled Shallot Sauce. I�ve never had Cobia before, but this dish was a firm fleshed white fish that flaked easily, with a perfectly browned crust. The salty crispiness of the crust balanced really well with the sweet and tart shallot dressing, and the fish itself. This dish made me melt into my chair. The white burgundy we were sipping went really well with this.
Sweet Butter Poached Maine Lobster Tail, with Carmelized Fennel bulb, Crystalized Fennel Chip, and Sauce �Noilly Prat�. While this dish�s ingredients weren�t as complicated as some of the others, I think this dish might have been my favorite. It had to be the sweetest and must succulent lobster I�ve ever had. Each morsel was infused with butter, without overwhelming the flavor of the lobster. I simply don�t have words for how good this dish was � it was so good, I just wanted to cry. Another dish that would have been good with champagne.
Poached Liberty Valley Duck �Pastrami,� Carmelized Savoy Cabbage, �Langue de Canard� and �Thousand Island Dressing�. This was Zack�s favorite dish. The mildly cured duck slices were bursting with juice, and the sweetness of the caramelized cabbage emphasized the sweetness of the duck, as well as providing a nice foil to the saltiness of the duck�s brine The browned butter flavor from the cabbage also contrasted nicely with the duck�s subtle smokiness. Here is where we began to think, �Oh my god! There�s still four more to go!� This would have gone very well with a syrah.
Seared Filet of Four Story Hills Farm Nature Fed Veal, Yellow Corn Polenta Cake, �Ragout of Forest Mushrooms and Mousse de Fines Herbes.� This veal was extremely tender, almost like otoro sashimi (the fattiest, richest tuna). The polenta was light, sweet, and studded with corn kernels, without any of the glueyness or heaviness associated with most other polentas. The mushrooms in the ragout were very subtly smoky and buttery, matching well with the corn in the polenta. This went really well with our Pinot Noir.
�Vacherin Mont d�Or� with a �Pruneaux d�Agen� Bread Pudding. This was probably my least favorite dish. Don�t get me wrong - I still liked it, but I�ve had better cheeses. Vacherin is a soft, ripened creamy cheese, with an almost runny consistency (like brie) and a very nutty flavor. We were served molasses currant bread along with it, which went pretty well with it. This was Zack�s least favorite dish.
Wild Huckleberry Sorbet with Toasted Almond �Financier.� Another amazing dish, a palate refresher. It had an intense huckleberry flavor, and although it wasn�t overly sweet, it didn�t become too tart. It was allowed to melt just a little, to enhances the notes in the huckleberries' flavor. The financier (cake) was light, moist, and slightly grainy from the almonds. At this point, we thought we were entering the home stretch.
Chocolate �Velours� with Vahlrona Chocolate �Sacher� and Cocoa Syrup. Oh. My. God. is what I had to say about this. It was a chocoholic�s wet dream. It really was like eating chocolate velour � it had a velvety chocolate shell, dusted with fine cocoa powder, and a chocolate lava filling. When the shell was pierced with a fork, a little cloud of cocoa powder puffed up, then the syrup oozed out like lava. The waiter had described it as a "chocolate explosion", and it literally was!
In addition, we were served several amuse guele. Because the table before us didn�t leave on time, the maitre�d along with the hostess brought us gruyere cheese popovers, and lobster broth while we waited. The popovers were fresh from the oven, and when we bit into them, warm cheesy popover steam wafted into our nostrils. They were very light and flaky, with the complexity of an aged gruyere. The lobster broth was buttery and sweet, with and intense lobster flavor - it definitely had been a part of the lobster course. It really got my mouth watering, and my stomach rumbling. As soon as we were seated, we were served a chopped smoked salmon tartare cone, with cr�me fraiche. The �cone� was a buttery crepe-like paper-thin crip rolled wafer, into which the lightly dilled cr�me fraiche was piped. The salmon topping was finely minced and sweet.
After the chocolate �Velours�, we were also served cr�me brulee, lemongrass pot de cr�me, a plate of French macaroons, and �Mignardises�, a tray of various miniature tarts, cookies and pastries. The cr�me brulee was light, yet rich, with a hint of vanilla bean, and a perfectly browned crust. The pot de cr�me had subtle and delicate, perfume-like lemongrass notes that lingered on the tongue like fine wine. It was easy for us to joke, at first, about the miniscule doll-size portions, but since each course was so rich (and there were like, 13 of them!) and butter-infused, we were nearly begging for mercy by the 6th course. They did not skimp on the luxury ingredients. I was a little disappointed though, that the restaurant's signature dessert, "Coffee and Doughnuts," cinnamon sugared beignets with cappuccino semrfreddo, was not available.
The d�cor was restrained and beautiful. The French Laundry is tucked away in an charming and discreet stone building covered with ivy, dating back to the turn of the (last) century. Yes, it was once a french laundry. At one point, it was a brothel. Although it was dark, I could tell that the grounds were beautiful, with well-tended gardens and granite pathways. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that the restaurant grows some of its produce.. When we parked, I saw Thomas Keller, the restaurant's reknowned chef and founder, emerge from the kitchen to pick out something from the gardens, pausing briefly to smile and nod at us, and return to the kitchen, which was in a separate building connected to the dining room by a covered walkway. The kitchen had huge windows, so we could peer in and see the staff at work. I also saw Keller come out to the lobby to socialize with the guests and staff. Later on, he autographed my menu ("It's all about cheese"). Inside, there were lots of floral arrangements, mostly small ones, candles, polished wood, soft lighting and embroidered wallpaper. It was very warm and cozy, almost homey - intimate.
The service was nearly flawless � the only mars were when Anne briefly left the table, her napkin was not replaced, and they didn�t bring out her coffee until after everyone had been served, and we asked for it. (Up til then, they had been serving ladies first. Maybe they heard our "garkon" comments). These were very minor mistakes, though. The waitstaff was extremely knowledgeable about each dish and the wines, and operated with almost military-like clockwork precision, but were never intrusive. Up to five waitstaff attended to our table at one time (clearing and replacing dishes, scraping the table, refilling drinks and serving out the next course). I have to say, every time the waitstaff descended upon our table, we immediately silenced ourselves, like bad schoolchildren caught by the principal. Maybe that�s because topics of conversation included sporks, Fox�s Man v. Beast, Orlando Bloom, the WB�s The Surreal Life, mocking the French, as well as multiple giggle fits and sighs of pleasure. Ah, well, like I said before, and I know everyone at the table would agree with me, this was truly the best meal I have ever had. The company and the laughter were a big part of it. Thank you to Anne, Ryan, Justin, Brian and my husband Zack, for indulging me in this wonderful experience. I hope I�m not ruining future restaurant reviews by running this one first, because I really doubt anything will hold a candle to this. If I were to be executed, my last meal would be at French Laundry. To quote Brian, �Wow. I don�t think I ever want to eat again.�