The French Laundry
History
The building was constructed as a saloon in 1896 by a Scottish stonesman for Pierre Guillaume. In the 1920s, the building was owned by John Lande who used it as a French steam laundry, which is the origin of the restaurant's name.
In 1978, Sally Schmitt and her husband Don purchased the building and renovated it into a restaurant. They kept the name, the French Laundry, because locals still referred to the building as such. The French Laundry was one of the first restaurants to offer what would become known as California cuisine. The Schmitts ran the restaurant for 17 years before selling it to Thomas Keller in 1994.
In 1999, Keller published The French Laundry Cookbook, which he considers his definitive book on cuisine. That year it won three International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) awards for Cookbook of the Year, Julia Child "First Cookbook" Award, and Design Award.
In July 2014, the Napa Valley restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary with a six-hour feast for friends, locals, and luminaries and temporarily closed for renovations before the end of the year.
In December 2014, while being temporarily closed for renovations, The French Laundry wine cellar was robbed of an estimated $500,000 of wine. Most of the wine was subsequently recovered.
On April 7, 2015, the restaurant reopened following demolition of a number of buildings on the site. During the remainder of the renovation project, the staff worked out of a temporary kitchen.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, The French Laundry closed and re-opened several times, and faced restrictions such as limited seating.
Cuisine
Every day, The French Laundry serves two different nine-course tasting menus: the Chef's Tasting Menu, and the vegetarian Tasting of Vegetables. Both menus are US$390 per person, including gratuity for the base meal, although not including additional supplements such as caviar and truffles. During the winter holiday season, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and other holidays, the restaurant may offer special dishes.
The food is mainly French with contemporary American influences, for example specialties such as smoked salmon cornets, which were inspired by a trip to Baskin-Robbins.
Staff
Notable alumni of The French Laundry's kitchen staff have included Grant Achatz of Alinea, Eric Ziebold of Kinship and Métier, Corey Lee of Benu, Jonathan Benno of Lincoln Ristorante, René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen, Ron Siegel of The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, and Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes. Previous Chef de Cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth won the Bocuse d'Or USA semi-finals in 2008, and represented the U.S. in the international finals in January 2009, placing sixth.
Other locations
In February 2004, Thomas Keller opened the East Coast version of his Yountville restaurant, which he named Per Se, and also has received three Michelin stars. The kitchens of both restaurants are connected via a real-time video feed on a television screen.
Thomas Keller opened a pop-up restaurant in the Silverado Resort & Spa during the renovation of The French Laundry. The restaurant, which serves American classics, is called Ad Lib. This is not the first pop-up restaurant that Keller has helmed, previously popping up at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and at Harrod's in London.
Reception
Since 2006, it has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide to San Francisco. It received a favorable review in The New York Times and was called "the best restaurant in the world, period" in 2005 by Anthony Bourdain.
Since 2007, the restaurant has been the recipient of the Wine Spectator Grand Award.
- 2007, Wine Spectator, Grand Award
- 2006, Michelin Guide, Three Stars