EnjoySLO Visits: The French Laundry

Last week we went to the French Laundry because they had a last-minute opening and we had an amazing time! Here’s a run down of our adventure!

The French Laundry releases its reservations monthly on the 15th of each month. How fast does it sell out? As fast as buying Lady Gaga tickets, so make sure all your information is pre-saved onto your TOCK reservation account. I’ve tried to get in twice this year but they were already booked till the end of December. However, I do like to try my luck once in a while and I would go through their reservation calendar on occasion to see if any spots open up or if people ended up dropping out. Luck would have it that they had a table for 4 open so I went ahead and booked it! The price tag for the Chef’s Tasting menu was $377 per person with gratuity included. They also had an extended tasting menu with caviar and truffle dinner available for another day but the price tag was $1200 per person not including gratuity.

I couldn’t fit everything into this video but we had 10 courses and the dessert course was 4+ items. They also bring out their infamous chocolate box and let you pick as many chocolates as you want. I have to say I wasn’t sure about the portions since they look small but the whole meal took us 3 hours to finish and we all were beyond stuffed. Some of our friends have had meals that were 6-8 hours there but I’m assuming this is pre-pandemic and with the larger more expensive tasting menus. The tasting menu is 9 courses but we paid extra for some supplements and wine. Out of all the extras we ordered the wagyu beef was definitely the favorite.

Menu Included:
– Salmon Tartare Cornets & “Ritz” crackers ** – Salmon Tartare with Sweet Red Onion Créme Fraîche &
– “Oysters and Pearls” ** – One of their signature dishes and rightfully so! The
– Roasted Cauliflower “Veloute” ** –
– “Bread & Butter”
– “New England Clam Chowder” **
– “Lotte De Mer”
– Pekin Duck
– Hand Rolled Ricotta “Agnolotti”
– “Beef and Broccoli” Wagyu **
– “Gougere” **
– Assortment of desserts
(** for my favorite dishes)

I thought the experience, in general, was going to be stuffy but it wasn’t. The servers were down to earth and they played 70s rock. Everyone was super nice and chatty. My sister mentioned she liked the pin they all wore so they just gave her one. We celebrated our 10 year anniversary and they gifted us a laser engraved bottle of their wine (Modicum) which is exclusive to them. Plus we got a bag with the signed menu, a pamphlet on all the purveyors, and shortbread cookies in take away tin boxes with The French Laundry insignia.

Overall, I would highly recommend it if you’re a food lover. We definitely want to go back!

Fun To Know Before You Go:
– When we made our reservations it was for a party of 4 one person had to drop out but they just refunded us the money. You can also opt to get another tasting or try the vegetarian tasting menu (which I wanted to do) but glad I didn’t because I was so full.
– The Chocolate Box – Get more than one chocolate – I was so full I only got 2 pieces of chocolate – next time I’d get one of each flavor and then bag what I couldn’t finish into my to go box lol. #keepingitreal
– If you’re planning on filming or taking photographs specifically ASK for an outdoor seat. The lighting inside is not the best.
– Don’t freak out if you can’t get video or photo of the kitchen. At the end of the meal they will give you a tour and time to take photos.
– They will send you an email 2 days before your reservation to ask you if there is any specifications you’d like them to know. Let them know if you’re celebrating something! They gifted us a laser engraved bottle of their exclusive wine Modicum!