A day in the life of The French Laundry

This is great reading for all food obessives. San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Sophie Brickman is doing a series of behind-the-scenes, in-the-kitchen looks at some of the Chronicles four star restaurants. Starting with the Everest of restaurants, her first report is on a day in the life of Thomas Keller's French Laundry. Absolutely stellar, appetite whetting reporting that will show you just how much effort goes into food that has to perfect, every time out of the pass through. Find out what it takes to work at arguably the best restaurant on the planet, with the world's finest ingredients at your disposal. Loved it!

picture from the SF Chronicle

Drool on: The French Laundry menu

Thomas Keller's little "family" restaurant in Yountville, Ca., The French Laundry, is without question one of the top two or three foodie meccas of the world where, if you want to have any bragging rights whatsoever when it comes to restaurant cred, you have to be able to say "Oh, The French Laundry? Of course we've been. You mean you haven't? Gee, that's too bad." I am among those looked down upon by those more fortunate. I have been this close more than once in rationalizing the $250 per person cost...before wine which can take the ticket up to $350 to $400 per person quicker than it takes the fizz to subside in your Champagne flute...but haven't quite crossed over to the other side. Not helping was this recent menu from TFL, which I saw posted on FoodDude's blog this morning. Totally drool worthy, and I love the descriptions. A seemingly simple "Beets and Leeks" is actually a sneaky way to make sure you get your daily requirement of lobster. To which I would say "Bring it on!" All I know is next time temptation collides with opportunity, I am in!!

Clicking on the menu below will bring it up in a larger format.

Doing Battle Over Dinner: Keller vs. Achatz

I was alerted to this carnival of food excess by Michael Ruhlman's blog. Apparently Thomas Keller, he of French Laundry and Per Se fame teamed up with Chicago chef Grant Achatz of Alinea to put on a 20-course, Mentor-vs.-Protegé culinary throwdown that I was shockingly not invited to. Not that I would have coughed up the $1,500 to be front row center at what must have been the dining event of the year, but geez, I would have at least liked the opportunity to turn them down! In any event, my petty and Fantasy Island-like grievances aside, Ruhlman linked to the NYT's Pete Wells comments about the dinner are a fantastic and riveting blow-by-blow description of high end, ultra-high pressure restaurant service. Very well written...you can feel the tension and urgency. And all the special needs diners! Why do they leave the house??

I've listed the links here to his series of posts. I would click through them top to bottom (also have a link to the menu....gee, that food wouldn't suck, now would it?!).

Part 1
Part 2 (with menu)
Part 3
Part 4

Picture from the New York Times
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One year ago today @ E.D.T.: A mashed potato primer!

Waiter, I'd like a reality check, please!

I saw a link to this article in last week's LA Times on Michael Ruhlman's great blog. It is an article by chef Thomas Keller (left), owner of the celebrated The French Laundry about the new role of chefs/restaurant owners and the ever expanding responsibility they face. It's not just about working the line anymore. This is a great article, and I agree with Ruhlman's assessment that it is "A must read for chef-owners, exec chefs and chefs de cuisine, any professional cook, really."

My favorite quote from the article is where Keller recounts the early days of The French Laundry, one of the most respected restaurants in the world and surely one of the most profitable restaurants going, where: "After two years my accountant called and told me that for the first time we had finally made a profit -- $17." Ah, the glamorous restaurant business!