The French Laundry (September 3, 2002)Yountville, CA For this meal, Yuan joined us. I'm looking forward to seeing what he thinks. This is also, in a small way, a kind of closure. Yuan probably got me started down the culinary road, many years ago, when he attempted to cook something with the stuff I had in my apartment many years ago, and made go out and buy a real knife. The notion that there might be different grades of knives was alien to me, but not after I used the new one to slice a tomato for the first time. Yuan was also responsible for broadening my Kansas taste buds to embrace the notions of spice and heat. We all opted for the standard 9-course tasting menu this time around. 2000 Riesling (German, but I don't remember the details) The Riesling and Chard were straightforward, but I don't remember them being profoundly good. For our foie courses, and on the advice of the server, Yuan got a glass of Sauternes, I got a glass of Gruner Veltliner, and Yuan and I shared them with our foie gras courses. The Sauternes was your basic sweet wine; the Gruner Veltliner was also sweet, but with a darker color, and more of a woody vegetal aroma and flavor. I think Yuan and I agreed that the Gruner Veltliner was more interesting. The Colgin is another cult Cabernet that I talked Yuan into getting with me, for an exorbitant price. Hey, you only live once. It was very good, dark red, and flavorful, and I'd order it again, at about 1/4 of the price. Compared to the Araujo from a couple of days ago, however, it didn't seem as interesting. I note that our sommelier thanked us for "allowing him to share the experience". Whatever that means. I guess they live to smell bottles. Cornets: black sesame seed tuile with salmon tartare, red onion creme fraiche, chive It's the same starter as before. Old hat by now :^) Yuan thought this was a nice combination of textures and flavors. Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" with Malpeque Oyster Glaze and Osetra Caviar Aha, so Keller really isn't changing every course on a daily basis. For some reason, this hits my taste buds a bit better than the first time. I'm not sure I'll ever really like caviar, but I can appreciate that for those who really enjoy that briny flavor, this delivers. sj: Caramelized Belgian Endive, Curried "Brunoise" of Banana, Garden Mache and "Gastrique de Vinaigre de Clos Chatart" Foie gras and black truffles. Can life get any better. Stacey went with the endive, I think out of curiosity, since she normally doesn't like it. I would characterize it as good, but again, I'm in the middle of my foie gras love. Sauteed Filet of St. Peter's Fish, Cherry Tomato "Vierge" and Sweet Garlic Melba Toast You'll note that this fish course is awfully similar to the one we had two days ago. But that's not a bad thing, as the fish is once again perfectly prepared and seasoned. Pan Seared Yellow Tail Tuna with a "Stir Fry" of Baby Bok Choy and "Satay" Sauce This is the first of the three highlights of this meal. The tuna was seared on the outside, with a deep red color in the center. Very rare. The sauce, made from barrel-aged tamari, was a surprise; it was, to my taste buds, a very Oriental flavor, but it went very well with the tuna. Yuan thought it was far too salty, which I didn't get at all. I used a piece of bread to mop up the remaining sauce. "Paquet des Rillettes de Lapin A La Marmalade de Figues et Salad de Fenouil" Slices of rabbit loin, served on a bed of fennel and a fig marmalade. The rabbit was the star here; not at all gamy, and not unlike very tender pork, slightly pink in the center. Very flavorful. I'm also noticing that Keller really likes to use figs; it seems like we've seen these in several dishes. Stacey was surprised, however, to bite down on a small bone fragment that somehow stayed with the dish. In this environment, with this kind of food and service, this kind of mistake is jarring. In retrospect, we probably should have said something, since I'm sure that would have resulted in a bonus dish of some sort. I was also interested to note that another egullet.com reader had the same problem, also with a rabbit dish, during his French Laundry experience. "Surf and Turf" Medallion of Four Story Hills Farm Nature Fed Veal, Lobster Mushrooms, Lobster-Infused Custard and Maine Lobster "Knuckles" On the left side of the rectangular plate, a beautiful filet of veal, browned perfectly and glistening. In the middle, a perfectly circular construction of lobster mushrooms and butter-poached lobster. On the right, a 1/4 inch thick disc of tan custard. The veal is wonderful, and the lobster and mushrooms are great, but the surprise here is the custard; it's creamy like a creme brulee, but it is the essence of lobster, even more than the actual lobster we've just eaten. The texture is so smooth, and the flavor is so concentrated, it seems unreal. "Pecorino con Foglie di Noci", Marinated Sweet Peppers and Basil-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil The cheese course, and I guess Keller's nod to Italy. The Pecorino, peppers, and basil oil are very pretty to look at, and taste good, but the previous course was so much better that this seems almost like a letdown. It doesn't stop me from eating most of Stacey's plate in addition to mine, though. Jacobsen's Farm Peach Sorbet with Toasted Almond "Financier" Ah, a dessert repeat, too. But this is just as good the second time around. I wish I had three or four of these. "Chiboust a la Vanille" with a Chocolate "Marquise" and Chocolate Syrup Similar to the dessert from a couple of days ago, except the filling in the chocolate dome is a light and fluffy vanilla cream. bonus: And once again, bonus desserts. Yuan and Stacey have run out of steam at this point, so I get a bit extra of everything. Mignardise And I clean up on the pastries and chocolates. At this point, Yuan agrees it was a good meal, but I think the initial experience overwhelmed him a bit, and he claims that several dishes didn't quite live up to his expectations. However, the next day, he pronounces it one of the best meals he's ever had. So go figure. For those of you that know Yuan, this is par for the course. One funny moment. We were seated upstairs, next to a table of eight. At one point, an armada of servers come quickly up the stairs with a series of plates for this table, only to find that two people had not yet finished the previous course. Before they get across the room, the server in the lead gets a horrified look on his face at this discovery, and turns the whole procession around immediately and rushes them back down the stairs, with plates still in hand. Yuan's comment: "hey, you can leave them here!" As we leave, we ask to see the kitchen, and we are escorted down the hallway to the pass, where Keller and two other sous chefs are resetting the tables. It appears to be a brief breather from plating before the next round of dishes arrive. Keller nods to acknowledge our presence, but he is clearly occupied with readying the troops for the next wave. Very intense expression on his face, a man who is clearly focused on his work.
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