Review of The USA's MOST FAMOUS Fine Dining Restaurant
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2024
- It’s our last stop in this five part series, discovering the best 3 Michelin star restaurants in California.
We started with Atelier Crenn, checked out Single Thread, went to Quince and Benu and now, we are here to visit the most famous fine dining restaurant in the USA, The French Laundry.
This is a Thomas Keller restaurant. Chef Keller is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple 3 star ratings in the Michelin Guide.
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Instagram - / alexandertheguest
My name is Alexander. I’m the co-owner of a ONE Michelin star restaurant, and I’m on a mission - to find inspiration in gastronomy. I love fine dining, good wine and sharing what I know with other people.
Check out my restaurant:
/ 42restaurant
I have spent many hours watching your channel and today my heart was swelled with joy. In my late 20’s, shortly after Don and Sally sold the French Laundry, I started working for Sally’s son in Boonville California. I had a long beautiful friendship with both Sally and Don, attending their wonderful, cooking classes and harvest parties as our properties were directly across the road from each other. I love that you told Sally’s story as well for there would be no French laundry without her. Literally brought me to tears.
I didn’t know about Sally and Don before this.
The Gowan farm stand is my favorite farm stand in the Anderson valley :)
Comparing FL and Per Se is apples and oranges…I think you appreciate and love PerSe more IF you’ve eaten at PerSe first…either way Kelley’s genius is on display at both in different ways
I love this reply. As an obsessed foodie, I thought I knew quite a bit about the French Laundry but sadly did not know the history. I was happy to learn about it.
@@sanj1982 , You should check out her cookbook, which is also an autobiography called Six California Kitchens.
Love how you pick out excellence in servers and put them in the spotlight. It's such a tricky profession and finding gems are rare, but also frequent.
This channel deserves 3 Michelin stars. Really appreciate the story telling and the recognition of staff you did in this episode.
Totally agree Devil…I love watching this channel and seeing things that I will never get to experience. I am jealous of him or anyone that is fortunate enough to have food and services like the restaurants this channel shows!
But I wonder if this food is as good as what we’d get at Horno or Margarita (53 and 33 area at Camp Pendleton)…😅
That chow hall food was gourmet back then. But now I think my taste buds have changed! 🤣🤣.
In the end, I’ll take almost anything over having another day of the same MRE’s. 😅
Just wait. He is not chasing sensations (as in drama) so channel growth is slower than wanted, but just you wait, this will blow up.
This
if exaggeration was a person, smh.
nobody cares. it's all about money..
Isn't this gentleman the greatest storyteller???
He gives credit, where credit is due..
He teaches us, where teaching is necessary and he gives us an experience to feel it together.
PLUS the videography is gorgeous. Kudos to whomever is filming /editing.
Donno why he's thanking us for "hosting " It's really him that's doing that! LoL
My favorite part of this episode, beyond just the incredible display and review of the food and wine, without a doubt, was the focus you put on highlighting *individual* members of the staff that made it such a special experience for you! Kudos!
Could not agree more!
Holy cow Sally speaking made me cry. That was the most genuine, “I just want to cook”…
Back in the ‘90s I was able to enjoy the French Laundry under both Sally and Thomas. Two of the culinary highlights of my life.
wrr
Hope that server gets to hear the compliment you give him. Knowing someone who travels and experiencing the best of the best gave you such praise. Well deserved.
I live with him. Yes he did
@@anishiyer4936Aww yes! Sweet sweet resolution 🤤 it tastes so good ahhh
I fuckin love that shit. I live for this shit. Feel good story of the fuckin (week)* right there- the guy was great at his job, he got the recognition he deserved for it, then he SAW IT AND YOU TOLD US THAT HE SAW IT 🎊 🎉 💥 🤯 🍾 🥂
I’m gonna have a wet dream about this moment and the feeling it’s bringing me later tonight. 😎
*The Olympics are going on right now, so feel-good stories are in high supply- otherwise it would be maybe #1 of the month. But it’s a tough competition week for feel-good stories: The Olympics are like the Olympics of feel-good stories if ya know what I mean.
@@anishiyer4936i didn't want to share him with the world: I just saw him last week after requesting him again. Tell him Bruce wholeheartedly agrees when you see him :)
It's nice when you shout out exceptional waiters, sommeliers etc. Also love you sitting down and solo drinking $1500 of wine
Luckily he got a $800 reduction hahah
@@shyeluk that was for the food
@@shyelukit says “received”. It was probably the amount charged for the deposit.
I couldn't even say for how long I've been waiting for this video! Thank you Alexander, your videos are always a treat.
wr
" Didn't want to change the world, just wanted to cook " ❤❤
Sounds a bit like false modesty. I mean, sure he is a good cook but who ever brought up "changing the world" here when discussing preparing expensive food?
@@ageoflove1980 a new flavor sensation, techniques and the way people think about what food can do, is an amazing and sometime, game changing mindset... some people even tried to do at least a bit of what they taste on some of these michelin star chefs.. since the food is either that good or intriguing them at most..
also expensive food, did you see how much it cost for their cost operations etc? remember noma why did they close? and some other 3 michelin star that ends up closing because its too expensive?
@@ageoflove1980 Thomas Keller didn't say it; it was Sally.
@@ageoflove1980I immediately thought the same too lol. No one even remotely mentioned her 'changing the world'. Where did that come from? 😂
Made me tear up a bit tbh
I really enjoyed your California series. French Laundry was my first foray into the world of Michelin 3-stars back in 2007 (under chef Corey Lee at the time) and it was a very special memory. Thank you for giving this place the attention it deserves.
wrr
X employeee here in the comments.
Just a small heads up your menu isn’t what every guest enjoys , the 4 cold snacks before hand coming from the canapé section means you were probably listed down as a Red VIP . So your menu is longer and has a lot more intricate bites and touches along the way . Still one of the best restaurants I’ve cooked at !
Disagree, his menu is on par with what I’ve had, I am not a red VIP
I had similar menu to Alex, pretty sure I'm not a "Red VIP"
i was there last Sunday and those were not part of either the vegetarian nor the regular menu.
A huge contributor to California's amazing restaurants is our proximity to where the produce is grown. Other regions do have seasonal local produce but California has access to local, fresh from the farm produce basically all year.
The freshness just allows for a completly different style of cooking which is why many chefs from other regions have a more difficult time establishing themselves here.
Dont forget the incredible bounty from the ocean!
Yea well in Ohio we have cows!!!
And produces in every direction. North, South, East, and... Well the ocean to the West! We're very lucky to have the quality of food we have here!
california is the agricultural crown jewel of the planet
you can do multiple harvests of the same crops
some species that only bloom once a year will do so 2x here
What a great review, Alexander. The French Laundry is the pinnacle of consistent excellence in American cuisine. I respect that your compliments go beyond the food. Your praise for the people who work there is a sign of awareness we don't see much in restaurant videos.
California is larger than most countries. There are 40 million residents and they have the world’s fifth largest economy only behind the USA, China, Germany and Japan. Of course they are going to have some outstanding restaurants. Love your videos. Thanks for sharing with us.
I laughed so hard at the General Kenobi joke.
Same. If I ever have anybody say that to me that has to be my response from now on.
ok
wrg, outx, can outx etc any nmw s perfx
whats the joke?
@@trevortan1589 Go watch episode 3, Revenge of the Sith
So glad you were able to experience the California 3-Stars, but it’s too bad you couldn’t have visited a few years earlier when we were the crown of US Michelin with 8 3-star restaurants at once, and 9 in total over a few years time. Saison is still around & maintains 2 stars, while Coi, Manresa, and most tragically The Restaurant at Meadowood have all closed. Meadowood, especially, is heartbreaking as it was lost during the Glass Fire of 2020. My wife and I got engaged there, and it was an incredible evening. Hoping that Chef Kostow will reopen eventually…
Junmai is not a sake producing company. Junmai refers to the style of brewing sake - without the need to add additional alcohol. In sake production it is common to add alcohol to get to the anticipated alcohol content , while in junmai sake, the whole alcohol content of the sake arises from the brewing process!
Thank you for pointing this out. Sincerely, your local sake brewer.
Came here to say junmai wasn't a place but a method of sake production! Even with that misunderstanding, he still sold me on wanting to try this particular one 🍶😋
@uncle_gazpacho Yep, was SMDH at that gaffe. You were a lot more gracious in your comments than the thoughts racing through my head.
The famed French Laundry. A destination I have always dreamed of but never imagine I'll have the honor of visiting. I'm so pleased to have had this inside look at this legendary culinary locale. I can tell that the service is second to none, with a well tended to staff that's honored to be there. And, of course, the artistry of the dishes was absolutely mind blowing. The wines look about as impressive as the food. Restaurants like this don't exist by accident. It's hard work, talent, dedication to the craft and single minded focus of making a truly one-of-a-kind place thrive in a cut-throat industry. I'm grateful for the review, Alexander. I'm a new subscriber, enthusiastically.
Love the history/attention to the place and setting, the reverence you show these parts of the world and the people behind the place by including this in your video. Makes for a really wholesome and culturing viewing experience.
" I didn't want to change the world , I just wanted to cook" that line just hits home! It is sentimentally moving!!!!
Thank you once again for this review. As always , your content is capturing and so interesting.
Bravo Alexander. Another great video. I moved from France to SF 24 years ago and owned my restaurant here for 12 years. I loved how you show your experience. Thank you for your channel and the great work you do. Next time you come, I’ll take for a drink.
CALIFORNIA was a terrific series. I look forward to more regional series - and individual locales, as always. Thank you!
I had the best meal of my life there fifteen years ago and I still relive it regularly in my dreams. I was so happy to see your experience was as good as mine. 🎉
Love the format! The history, the food, and the way you highlighted the staff. So good.
Wow this looked so awesome. That fish course with the colors on the fish looked amazing. Thank you for letting us experience these places with you.
Thanks to some 'insider trading' from my in-laws at the time, we were able to book the small banquet room for 6 at French Laundry for my ex's birthday back in the mid-aughts. To this day, the most memorable dining experience of my life. Since we were separate from the rest of the very cozy restaurant and were there with some culinary and wine industry friends, we literally had our own wine program (we brought a couple special bottles that were very thoughtfully worked in) and the menu was customized specifically for us, with the usual classics from the prix-fixe included, of course. Literally a new bread from Bouchon and very localized butter for each course, which was insane. Every single element of this afternoon and evening was like something out of a dream. Nearly 6 hours of pure heaven, and a lot of fun too! This was during the reign of Corey Lee, who would go on to open Per Se a couple years later, which I was also very privileged to try, and in October, just after they'd received their allotment of Alba white truffles. That was the only time I've ever had that incredible and rare ingredient and it was truly mind-blowing.
Your videos never disappoint. The expert reviews and commentary combined with the deep research and ultra high production values definitely put this in my top 5 foodtube channels.
wr
I absolutely loved this episode. Highlighting the work of the staff, especially Brighton, (hope I spelled his name right) was very touching. Such an amazing compliment and beautifully said. The guy is clearly a rockstar in his field. So many great comments to read as well. Not gonna lie I had tears in my eyes by the end of this one.
Alexander it is honestly a pleasure to see your channel grow.. you truly make great videos. i'm really truly happy for you
Being born and raised in Los Angeles but also living in Marin County(between San Francisco,Sonoma, and Napa) for 16 years from 30 yrs old until 46 yrs old and being a very good home cook and baker, from a family of cooks and bakers, I've eaten some of the best food and drank some of the best wines in the world from Michelin rated restaurants to family dinners that compare to the best restaurants, having lunch at the incredible wineries every month or so, having memberships to wineries like Domaine Carneros, Viansa, Nicholson Ranch and of course going to so many other wineries for tastings, lunches, etc... we Californians are so lucky to have the farms and the wineries that allow us to have the world's best food and drink from fresh seafood from the Pacific Ocean to freshwater rivers for fish that run wild, premium creameries for fresh cheeses to the most incredible fresh fruits and produce as well as all varieties of top grade meats.
My family members have been to The French Laundry but I still have not been. I've eaten at a handful of Michelin one, and two star restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles and am fortunate for that.
I've enjoyed your videos and glad you had great experiences in California despite all the craziness going on these days. It still is the jewel of the States.
Unfortunately many of the places in this country with some of the best food are in places most people do not want to live. LA, San Fran, Seattle, Chicago, NYC etc
@@axe2grind244 Nah, I love living here. One of the best places in the world
@@xsrxd3vlstheory nah its a shitshow and you know it.
@@axe2grind244 California is overcrowded, the most populous state in the union. Literally the opposite of what you state.
Or is everyone trapped there?😂
I’m rewatching the whole California series. This channel is outstanding.
Thank you for shouting out the people of the restaurants and not just the food
Really appreciate the gesture to highlight the service ⭐️
I am laughing while this video is interrupted by a Taco Bell ad. 😂
Bring the enchirito back😂
I've lived in the Bay Area all of my life, and it wasn't until I skipped town that I realized just how lucky and spoiled I've been to have access to such delicious food! Even outside of fine dining, there is a plethora of excellent farm-to-table restaurants right around the corner. I couldn't be more grateful when I visit home now.
My first visit to the French Laundry remains my favorite dining experience in America. Loved your review and it reminds me that I need to bring my wife (who's never been) there for an occasion soon. (My second favorite dining experience in America was at the old Cyrus in Healdsburg. Fantastic! I highly recommend that you visit the new Cyrus in Geyserville if you return to Northern California. Chef Douglas Keane is doing amazing things with a great concept and while the place "only" has 1 star now [awarded mere months after opening], we really expect that to go up in the nearish future.) Thanks for the great series of reviews of places in my hometown area.
Such heart and soul in this video. You bring your joy of food to this channel and also transmit what makes the special people at this and other restaurants so unique.
It would seem then, that the only thing Alexandre the Guest can't do, is miss. Another very watchable, entertaining and instructive video; definitely one of my favourite channels on here.
wr
The French Laundry is incredible, I was blown away by the service, food and hospitality! Also, their garden across the street is amazing as well!
The bit at the end about featuring great people was awesome.
your videos are incredible and besides the amazing shots, storytelling, etc - I LOVE the fact that you give such as big shoutout to the impressive service individuals! absolute class and incredible and potentially career changing feedback for them
Whats incredible is that this content isn't new, it's just told in a different way. Very similar to dining experiences. Anthony Bourdain did an episode on The French Laundry and it was phenomenal... 4 grown men had trouble completing all the courses. This review is refreshing and excellent, and a great tribute to one of the best food critics.
They were served 4 different tasting menus and every course the restaurant had to offer that were not available to non chef customers, including all dessert courses.
You are the best in the game Alex..wonderful production from your team.
I could listen to him talk all day he has such a calm and nice voice
Service at that level should always be excellent and IS! The call out is surely deserved! Thank you
In another life I'll come back a foodie, in the meantime, I'll get my pleasure watching you review these fantastic places. To be honest I could make do with the wines:)
My wife and I went there for her birthday 2 years ago and Brighton who you mentioned at the end picked us up to go to the restaurant as part of their service. I would agree with everything you said about him.
Alexander please keep making these amazing videos! Always a treat to keep learning from these amazing restaurants and their Sommeliers!
Thank you
This was a GREAT episode! Thank you Alexander
loved the cali series, glad to see you got to try the french laundry, keep up the good work man
I feel spoilt just watching your content. As a creative myself, I am tickled pink by your excellent production value, effortless writing style and delivery. What a joy this episode was. Truly inspirational and aspirational. Keep 'em coming...❤
Now, this is how you do reviews with honesty and respect at the same time. Great job, great channel. Subbed
Damn, those compliments for Brighton gave me the chills. Beautiful video, and now I'm gonna need to try to get in there. Cheeers!
Here we go on another Euros 2,000 Gourmet Journey. To be fair, you are the best and thank you.
wrgg
The French Laundry has such a special place in my heart! It was my first Michelin 3 star restaurant and my first foray into fine dining. I still remember the oysters and pearls being the star dish of the meal. But what really stood out to me was the warm hospitality and attentive service. I have been to many other top tier restaurants since then, but The French Laundry front-of-house team still sets the standard of excellent service for me. Their team made me realize that high end dining can be approachable for everyone.
The most underrated channel on YT 🔥
wr
Finally french laundry. I'm happy to see all the classics. Coffee and donuts, cornets, oysters and pearls. Sad you didn't get to meet Keller.
Your recognition of Brighton was beautiful!
We were there last year and I totally agree about Brighton! So much grace and charisma. Thank you French Laundry for an amazing experience.
I just love this channel so much, thank you for doing what are you doing, I’ve watched each one of your videos and this one was by far my favorite.
Such a great pleasure to watch your videos . They perfecltly match the styles of the beautiful restaurants we get to see through your experienced eye . Thank you !
For reference, the French laundry was were Gavin newsom, governor of California was dining with friends while people were locked down and businesses were going bankrupt during covid.
What a legendary place, and so happy this American classic is still hitting it out of the park! Good to know some things never change 🙂
I celebrated my birthday at TFL many moons ago. It is the best of the best. I will never forget the food, service and the whole experience. Food, wine and great company. Cheers and thank you for the excellent content.
wr
I’ve been to the French laundry! It’s absolutely divine and unreal!! Love living in the Bay Area! So many great restaurants ❤❤❤❤❤
Congratulations to Your cousin! He will always remember that wonderful day!
I’m glad you had a chance to enjoy the French Laundry and Opus. I’m lucky enough live fairly close to the Napa Valley. You’re a class act. I always look forward to your videos
I love watching Alexander’s videos and appreciate that he gave my home state of California a try. I also love that I watch his videos right before I watch Are You Garbage? That’s a collaboration that would be amazing.
It is SUCH a joy to watch your clips! Each one is a piece of Art... in so many ways! I adore how you appreciate the people, the story and the small things. Wonderful! Thank you!!!
Do they still do the all you can eat chocolate selection at the end? Love the homage to the crew
this incredible edit..... KISS YOUR FILMMAKING TEAM FROM ME
I’ve been waiting all week for this!!!
Just an fyi, this isn’t the typical French Laundry experience. This looks more elevated than the meals I’ve experience twice. But honestly, it’s great to see what the service looks like when they’re at the top of their game, especially with the content this channel provides.
they are obviously aware that this is going on youtube
Ate there in April 2024 and this totally in-line with what we were served. Same waiter and sommelier too.
@@mickeyreilley3474i was there last Sunday and also had Brighton, but the dishes were not from either regular menu.
Always a pleasure to watch this channel.
Great review and nice to praise the waiter Brighton 👍👍👍
wrrr
he is insanely good at his job. i request him whenever i go, and saw him last week. he's a rockstar!
Always love your style and bespoke suits!
What an amazing series it's been.. Loved this last one especially...
Wow Alexander! Glad to see you made it to The French Laundry. I had the pleasure of serving you and your son at Bouchon in Las Vegas not too long ago. Yountville is amazing and full of good food and wine.
I'm feel so lucky to have found your channel. Every video improves from the last, so much that I am shocked every time I accidentally look at the subscriber count😅
The Guys from Zen Singapore are the best :-) Great Shoutout
Such an amazing content, it makes me cry for real
Fantastic vid as always, really enjoyed this one.
TFL and Single Thread get my vote for top 2 in America.
The French Laundry is my favorite restaurant of all time, and I'm vegetarian! Michelin dining can be very underwhelming if you don't eat meat. I've been to many Michelin Star restaurants where the vegetarian menus were just fine, usually not worth the money. The French Laundry, on the other hand, was absolutely astonishing. They served a full vegetarian tasting menu, including vegetarian versions of their iconic dishes such as the cone appetizer. It was far and away the best meal I have ever had.
Have had several friends that have dined here
Their reviews have been that it didn’t meet expectations
Glad you enjoyed the experience
What an incredible serie! Really enjoyed it, thank you!
I’m obsessed with this. Yummy. Such beautiful food. I’m confined to my bed and this was a dream of mine. Thank you
An extravagant dinner demands extravagant peaked lapels haha. I’m sure we would love an episode dedicated to your wardrobe.
Imagine being a service memeber and getting a personal shoutout for your excellence. Brighton and Lisa must be so chuffed!
Brighton is incredible; I requested him for my return visit last week and he MAKES the experience extra special
The best food related channel on the Interwebs.
I think The French Laundry was the first Michelin starred restaurant I dined at many many years ago. I have to admire, I was pretty impressed. While waiting for my reservation, I stood outside a window and watched the kitchen. Even the amount of time, effort and procedure in just filling the butter dish for the guests table was really involved. It was late fall when I went. And I noticed the cooks going into the field across the restaurant with flashlights to pick things off the ground for, what I guessed, was for dinner that night
I didn’t know what farm to table was until I saw that. I didn’t even know the name of that movement yet.
The food. Well, of course it was excellent. Again, it was the first Michelin starred restaurant I dined at. I’ve never tasted food like that before. And the presentation was also incredible. This was before social media and people taking pictures of their food with every sitting. All I remember was it was the first time I had truffles…black truffles. Before that, I thought truffles was just round chocolates.
The one dish I thought was excellent was the beef tongue. But. This is where your mind tells you that it’s ’beef tongue’. And though it was delicious. The thought of ‘beef tongue’ took away a few percentage points of enjoyment. If I thought it was just ‘beef’. It would have been a 12/10.
Don’t remember the wine. I didn’t drink wine that much back then. I ‘maybe’ had a glass of red.
The one embarrassing thing though was the French Laundry philosophy of the tasting menu price was that it included the gratuity. And I did just that. I paid my bill in full without any extra added. At the time, I was on a very tight budget. But, looking back I could have plunked down another $40 to be just a little nicer. I still carry that guilt with me to this day.
I hope to eat at the French Laundry some day. Thomas Keller was such an inspiration to me when I was a chef.
While we have not eaten at the French Laundry we have dinned at several 3 star restaurants in Europe. Our favorite being La Cinq at the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris.
It was a dinning experience we will always remember.
If ever you go back to California go to Somni is Los Angeles when it opens back up, best restaurant I’ve been to in the USA (have been to EMP, Alinéa, FL, etc)
Great stuff as always, from both you and TFL. Might respectfully suggest that, considering the description of the experience as "perfect" that it is a little unfair to the restaurant to have the word "NIGHTMARE" in all caps on the video title - even if it was (booking, of course). I was expecting a much colder review because of that.
Edit: This appears to have been changed; sign of a true gentleman there.
The French Laundry is an amazing example of how set and setting can affect the dining experience. I've eaten at TFL and Per Se, and honestly found the food to be fairly similar (I think TFL has a slight edge). But while my experience at Per Se was somewhat underwhelming, dinner at The French Laundry was one of the best dining experiences of my life. The history, the sense of place, the sheer monumentality of the restaurant, combined with absolutely perfect service-it was divine. Even when a couple of the courses fell a little flat (this is relative of course, a 7/10 Thomas Keller dish is still pretty damn good) it didnt matter, it somehow didn't deteact at all from the overall experience. It was a meal I'll remember for the rest of my life. Glad to see TFL is still going strong after all these years.
wr
Which dishes did you find to be 7/10?
Alexander, I love this channel!! Every video blows my mind.
I would love to attend this restaurant one day too.
We have friends in Napa Abajo who've eaten there a number of times over the years...What they said about the place is "amazing food, perhaps the best they've ever had....but a few hours later you'll be hungry again..go for the flavors, excellent service, superb wine..but eat something before going if tiny portions aren't your thing"
First video I have seen on this channel.
Really great work.