French Laundry

We were extraordinarily lucky to be invited to the 20th anniversary of the French laundry. We have been going to the French Laundry for over 19 years and have had the pleasure of tasting the cuisine of each executive chef. This special dinner featured French Laundry classics. The letter Thomas wrote to us at the dinner speaks volumes – what a wonderful person. This is why the French Laundry is our go to restaurant in the States and why we will continue to be supportive clients and more importantly friends.

Thomas 20th Letter

I will let the photos tell the story of our incredible evening.

Champagne to start

Cornets

Gougeres

“Oysters and Pearls”- Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviaar

Salad of Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm – Brentwood Corn, Garden Radishes, Pickled Chanterelle Mushrooms and Wild Purslane

Bread Service

Next wine

Atlantic Skate Wing “Poelee”, Caramelized Savoy Cabbage and Whole Grain Mustard Emulsion

Not a great photo – half eaten!

“Peas and Carrots” – Butter Poached Maine Lobster, Pea Tendril Salad and Sweet Carrot Butter

Next Wine

Another mostly eaten dish – my photographer was enjoying himself and eating instead of snapping!

“Degustation de Pommes de Terre” – Ragout of Garden Potatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Strauss Butter and Shaved Australian Black Winter Truffle

Wildflower Honey Lacquered Liberty Farm Pekin Duck – Poached Brooks Cherries, Garden Turnips, “Foie de Canard” and Watercress

Charcoal Grilled Snake River Farms “Calotte de Boeuf” – Crispy Bone Marrow, Garden Beans, Oregon Cepes, and Blanquette de Champignons

Gateau de Bleu D’Auvergne – Stewed Blueberries, English Walnuts and Cutting Celery

Not pictured: Photographer quit!

Strawberries and Cream – Mascarpone Sherbet with Tellieherry Black Peppercorn and Strawberry Syrup

Il Flottante – Thaition Bean Creme Anglaise, Poached Swiss Meringue, Valrhona Chocolate Cremeux and Spun Sugar

There is no way to convey what this evening meant to us. We feel like we are a member of the French Laundry family and we never take that for granted. We consider ourselves blessed.

Manresa

Manresa is one of our favorite restaurants and Chef David Kinch is a brilliant chef. We were extremely lucky to have a meal at Manresa on Wed July 2. I have horrible news – Manresa had a fire on Monday July 7.

News here:

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_26102133/los-gatos-manresa-restaurant-damaged-by-early-morning

Unfortunately we will have to wait for Manresa to reopen to have another incredible experience.

Our Meal:

John decided to start with one of Manresa’s special cocktails – “Dirty Turnip”- dry vermouth. bison grass infused vodka, turnip and pickling solution from the turnip

BYO Wines for the evening:

I will let the photos tell the “story.”

Signature dish of roasted red bell pepper and black olive madeleines

Apricot, chervil croquette – you ate this in one bite and the liquid center was delicious

Olive oil and spring savory ice cream, kale seaweed dried with kombu,

Sea urchin and fermented plum panna cotta, diced green apple, lemon juice, grapeseed oil, sea bean, borage flower

Bread Service – not shown incredible home made butter

Strawberry picada with anchovies, dried crispy capers, sourdough, crunchy vinaigrette. raspberry ice, raw milk curd, basil ( I hope I got this right – I ask a lot of questions and want to know all the ingredients – the wait staff is very patient with me)

Summer clams ( razor and surf from Mass), cape berries, malibar spinach, bachelor button flowers, salt wort, gelee – roasted lemon cucumber with bronze fennel

Morels, Celtuce, nasturtium with levain, puffed buckwheat, ice plant, vichyssoise sauce

Kin Medai (snapper) with eggplant, tomatillo, sesame salt, amaranth

Signature dish – “Into the vegetable garden” – I tried to get what was in this but was only able to get a few – dehydrated parsnip, chicory, potato, radish, turnip  – taking notes at Manresa is a challenge

Black cod with lightly pickled carrots, flowering coriander, coriander emulsion

“Tidal Pool” – abalone, puffed crispy rice, pumpkin seeds and dashi and onion broth to finish

Spring lamb, confit of squash and porcini mushrooms

My photographer was getting weary and me his partner was also weary of taking extensive notes so from the menu presented to us:

Goat’s milk caramel, green curry sorbet…

…yogurt and matcha, cucumber with shiso

Peaches and Cream

Petit fours “strawberry-chocolate”

I only hope that all goes well with the reconstruction of Manresa and that Manresa opens as soon as possible. I wish David Kinch and his staff my best and I know when Manresa reopens it will be better than ever and I will be there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

French Laundry

From a meal in early December.

Champagne – not pictured

Salmon Cornets

Gougeres

SOUP

Parsnips chips, Piedmont hazelnuts, cranberry, burgundy truffle

Celery Root Veloute poured on top

Oysters and Pearls – Sabayon of Pearl tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

Wine

Maine Sea Urchin Chiffon (mousseline of uni) – Kendall Farms Creme Fraiche, Sour Apple Relish, Finger Lime, Cilantro

Wild Scottish Langoustine en gelee, smoked steel head trout roe, preserved tomato, horseradish, celery, oyster crackers

Gulf Coast Snapper gently cooked in olive oil, snapper brandade, remoulade, watercress, Spanish saffron, young fennel, picholine olives, saffron broth poured on top

Hen Egg Custard with a ragout of Perigord Truffles

Wine

“Tour de Canapes de Viandes” 1.Duck pastrami, hearts of palm, raisin puree   2.Braised Quail leg, Onion Marmalade, Dijon

Salad of Hawaiian hearts of peach palm, compressed Jacobsen Orchard Persimmons, Sunchokes, toasted Piedmont Hazelnuts and Black Winter Truffle Puree

Sweet Butter-poached Maine Lobster, La Ratte Potato Puree, Garden Celery, Pommes Maxim’s and Razor Clam Chowder

Wine

White Truffles Presented

Carnaroli Risotto Biologico – Castelmagno Mousse, Beurre Noisette

The Risotto with the White Truffles from Alba shaved on top

Wine

Charcoal-grilled Snake River Farms Calotte de boeuf, Short rib Croustillant, Garden Broccoli, Nantes Carrots, Black Trumpet Mushroom Coulis and sauce Bordelaise

Birthday Cake

“Passionate about Vanilla” – Vanilla custard with green tea biscuit and passion fruit mousseline

More desserts!

David Breeden is now chef de cuisine at French Laundry and he showed his skill, expertise and finesse with this meal. It was excellent.

Manresa

David Kinch is one of the most innovative and creative chefs in the country.  Combine this with his passion and dedication  plus his extraordinary ability to get the most pristine ingredients and you have a restaurant that is definitely off the charts perfect. Bottom line: there aren’t enough superlatives to capture the excitement of a Manresa meal. My descriptions will be brief as they were jotted down from my illegible notes from a meal in early December. Apologies to Chef Kinch for the inaccuracies. I also am not commenting on each dish as delicious , off the charts, perfect blend of ingredients as they apply to each dish.

BYO Krug to start

Lousy picture – Petit fours – Roast Red Pepper Gelee and Black Olive Madelines – a signature beginning

Chestnut Truffles

Notice the beautiful new presentation plates – each hand-made from exotic wood

Garden Beignet with crispy kale, malt vinegar and aged goat cheddar

Belon Oyster and seaweed ice

BYO Wine

Monterey Bay Abalone, local milk, panna cotta, breakfast radishes garnished with a salad brunette

Pim’s Butter

Brioche and Green Olive Bread

Local Dungeness crab, roasted chicken gelee, persimmon, pomegranate, dusting of fennel pollen

Nantucket bay scallops, autumn veggies – kohlrabi, celery root, brussel sprout petals, tapenade of black trumpet mushrooms, candied black olives

“Into the Garden” – notice the new plate!

“Autumn Tidal Pool” – assorted shellfish clams, mussels, cured sea bream – pine and matsutake mushrooms, pine mushroom broth, lemon peel

Red Wine

Fried Egg with sushi rice, white truffles, parmesan cheese, garden bok choy

Another photo of the above

Japanese tenderloin of rho deer that had been aged 60 days, garden carrots, bordeaux spinach, quince with saffron and licorice

Persimmon

What a meal, what an experience – run don’t walk to Manresa for a true culinary adventure from a gifted chef

French Laundry

This was our second meal at the French Laundry in July! It has been quite some time since this meal so I will have to let the photos tell most of the story. Enough to say, it was quite a story! (At least I did keep my detailed notes).

Champagne to start

Salmon Cornet

Gougeres

Soup being poured

Sweet Brentwood Corn Veloute, Baby Corn,Truffle Vinaigrette, Lovage and Truffle Relish

First Wine

Oysters and Pearls – Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

Seafood Canape – Santa Barbara Uni (in the spoon), Cucumber, Lychee, Yuzu, Garden Blossoms, Ginger Sake Granite

Second Wine

Mediterranean Lubina, Razor Clams, Mussels, Dehydrated Eggplant Chip, Cauliflower, Micro Cilantro, Thinly Sliced Fennel, Lemon Vinaigrette

Hen Egg Custard with a Ragout of Perigord Truffles

First Bread Service – Brioche, Pinwheel Pain de Mie

Butter Service

Summer Salad – Summer Melons, Hearts of Palm, Baby Radish, Garden Cucumbers, Watermelon Sorbet, Yuzu Puree, Black Sesame Nougatine, Mountain Mint and Finger Lime Vinaigrette

Grilled Fillet of Atlantic Halibut, Hobbs’ Bacon, Green Tomato Relish, Demi Sec Tomatoes, Black Strap Molasses

Third Wine

Next bread service

Sweet Butter Poached Lobster Mitts from Stoney Point, Haas Avocado, Romaine Lettuce Spears, “Piperade”, Meyer Lemon Creme Fraiche

Australian Black Truffles Presented

Hand-Cut Tagliatelle, Black Truffle Beurre Monte, Australian Black Truffles (The truffles were shaved table side – no photo)

Fourth Wine

Four Story Hill Farm Poussin Presented

Four Story Hill Farm Poussin, Cracked Bulgar Wheat, Fairytale Eggplant, Moroccan Olives, Cilantro Shoots, Poussin Poularde Reduction

Marcho Farm Nature-Fed Veal (sous vide and roasted), Creamed Morel Mushrooms, Caramelized Cipollini Onions, Nantes Carrots, Chives, Red Wine Vinegar Sauce

Reblochon – French Laundry Garden Pole Beans, Frisee, Fennel, Summer Truffle, Summer Truffle Vinaigrette

We never do a full dessert course at French Laundry so …… for John his favorite “Coffee and Donuts”

donut holes

Cappuccino semifreddo

Macademia Nuts

What a fantastic meal!!!!!!!