It was several years ago right after our #2 son graduated from the 'Baking & Pastry Arts' program at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Greystone in St. Helena, CA. He treated my wife and I to dinner there so I never actually saw the final bill, but it was to thank us for helping him finish his culinary training (trust me, no matter how expensive the 'French Laundry' might be, it had to be a lot cheaper than the tuition for a 30-week CIA certificate program ;-)
Anyway, it was a very interesting experience. The entire focus was on the food. The interior of the building, which supposedly was an actual laundry at one time, was very plain with almost no decor, not even flowers or anything like that. The tables clothes were stark white as was the table settings, nothing to distract from the appearance of the food. There was no menu, you ate what the chef was cooking that night (dessert was the only exception which was extra cost), and it was by seating's, two per evening.
The meal was served in courses, 7 if I recall correctly, and was typical nuvo cuisine, large plates - small portions. But the food not only looked great, it tasted great. And with each course, all of the dinner service, both the plates and flatware, except for your wine glasses, were removed and replaced with clean ones.
All in all, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. After all, it's been reported that you may have to wait as long as 6 months for reservations (they can only accommodate maybe 40 people max per seating). The only reason that we managed to get in that night was because our son, having already been working in Napa Valley for nearly a year, knew several of the people who worked in the kitchen and they managed to get him a special reservation (for the people who work in the 'industry' in Napa Valley, it's like a club or fraternity, so they help each other out with stuff like this as it really is 'who you know' that counts).
Note that this was not the first time, at least for me, having eaten in a place very similar to this (in fact, it's claimed that it was inspired by the French Laundry) and that was at 'The Lark', in West Bloomfield, MI, a couple of years before this with my brother (the priest).
However, I have to say that while the meals at both the French Laundry and The Lark were outstanding, that one of the best culinary experiences that I've ever had was when my wife and I ate at the L'Alsace on the Champs Elysées in Paris. BTW, it was also the most expensive LUNCH that I've ever paid for, well over a 100 Euro's (this was in 2004), but hey; it was Paris and we had been told that if you had the chance, don't miss eating there at least once. I would highly recommend it if any of you ever find yourself walking around Paris with a high-balance credit card in your pocket and you're looking for something to truly remember Paris by...
OCU
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