French Laundry
Encyclopedia
The French Laundry is a French
restaurant located in Yountville
, California
, in the Napa Valley. The chef and owner of the French Laundry is Thomas Keller
.
The French Laundry is a perennial awardee in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World
(having been named "Best Restaurant in the World" in 2003 and 2004), and since 2006, it has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide
to San Francisco. It has also been favorably reviewed by The New York Times and called "the best restaurant in the world, period" by Anthony Bourdain
.
in the 1900s by a Scottish
stonesman for Pierre Guillaume. When a law was passed in 1906 prohibiting sale of alcohol
within a mile of a veteran's home, Guillaume sold the building.
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, the mayor of Yountville renovated the building into a restaurant. Don and Sally Schmitt owned the French Laundry for much of the 1980s, and the early 1990s. In 1994, Keller bought the restaurant.
In 2004 the restaurant installed a geothermal heating and air conditioning system.
There are two nine course prix fixe menus daily as well as several tasting menu
s. During the holiday season, the restaurant may offer special dishes.
The food is mainly French
with contemporary American
influences, giving rise to such unique specialties as Cuisse de grenouilles sur un bâton (frog's legs on a stick).
Every day, the French Laundry serves two different nine-course tasting menus, none of which uses the same ingredient more than once.
of Alinea
, Eric Ziebold
of CityZen, René Redzepi
of Noma
in Copenhagen, Clay Miller of Trummer's on Main, Ron Siegel
of The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, California, Corey Lee of Benu and Duff Goldman
of Food Network
fame. Current 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.
. The kitchens of both restaurants are connected via a real-time video feed on a television screen.
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
restaurant located in Yountville
Yountville, California
Yountville is an incorporated town in Napa County, California, United States. It is in the North Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 2,933 at the 2010 census. Almost one third of the town's population lives on the grounds of the Veterans Home of California.The town's name...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in the Napa Valley. The chef and owner of the French Laundry is Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997...
.
The French Laundry is a perennial awardee in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World
Restaurant (magazine) Top 50
The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants is produced by British magazine Restaurant based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. In addition to the main ranking, the Chef's Choice list is based on votes from the fifty head chefs from the restaurants...
(having been named "Best Restaurant in the World" in 2003 and 2004), and since 2006, it has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
to San Francisco. It has also been favorably reviewed by The New York Times and called "the best restaurant in the world, period" by Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Michael "Tony" Bourdain is an American chef, author and television personality. He is well known for his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and is the host of Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.A...
.
History of the building
The building was built as a saloonBar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
in the 1900s by a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
stonesman for Pierre Guillaume. When a law was passed in 1906 prohibiting sale of alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
within a mile of a veteran's home, Guillaume sold the building.
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, the mayor of Yountville renovated the building into a restaurant. Don and Sally Schmitt owned the French Laundry for much of the 1980s, and the early 1990s. In 1994, Keller bought the restaurant.
In 2004 the restaurant installed a geothermal heating and air conditioning system.
Cuisine
Tasting menu
Restaurant tasting menus offer small portions of several dishes as a single meal. Some restaurants and chefs specialize in tasting menus, while in other cases, it is a special or a menu option. Tasting menus may be offered to provide a sample of a type of cuisine, or house specialties, or to take...
s. During the holiday season, the restaurant may offer special dishes.
The food is mainly French
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
with contemporary American
Cuisine of the United States
American cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from the United States of America. European colonization of the Americas yielded the introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles to the latter...
influences, giving rise to such unique specialties as Cuisse de grenouilles sur un bâton (frog's legs on a stick).
Every day, the French Laundry serves two different nine-course tasting menus, none of which uses the same ingredient more than once.
Staff
Notable alumni of the French Laundry's kitchen staff include Grant AchatzGrant Achatz
Grant Achatz is an American chef and restaurateur often identified as one of the leaders in molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine...
of Alinea
Alinea (restaurant)
Alinea is a restaurant in Chicago that opened on May 4, 2005. Its head chef and owner, Grant Achatz, is known for his preparations and deconstructions of classic flavors....
, Eric Ziebold
Eric Ziebold
Eric Ziebold is an award-winning American chef and restaurateur behind CityZen in Washington D.C.-Early years:Ziebold began working in restaurants during his teenage years after school at Café Maude’s with mentor chef Matt Nichols, where he learned to cook in a calm and nurturing environment...
of CityZen, René Redzepi
René Redzepi
René Redzepi is the chef and co-owner of the two-Michelin star restaurant Noma in the Christianshavn neighborhood of Copenhagen, Denmark. His restaurant was voted the best restaurant in the world in 2010 San Pellegrino Awards and 2011...
of Noma
Noma (restaurant)
Noma is a two Michelin star restaurant run by chef René Redzepi in Copenhagen, Denmark. The name is an acronym of the two Danish words "nordisk" and "mad" , and the restaurant is known for its reinvention and interpretation of the Nordic Cuisine...
in Copenhagen, Clay Miller of Trummer's on Main, Ron Siegel
Ron Siegel
Ron Siegel is an American chef working in San Francisco. He is currently Chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, taking over for Chef Sylvain Portray in 2004. Siegel is perhaps best known for his 1998 appearance on Iron Chef, becoming the first ever U.S. citizen to win in Kitchen Stadium...
of The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, California, Corey Lee of Benu and Duff Goldman
Duff Goldman
Jeffrey Adam "Duff" Goldman is a pastry chef and television personality. He is the executive chef of the Baltimore-based Charm City Cakes shop which is featured in the Food Network reality television show Ace of Cakes...
of Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
fame. Current Chef de Cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth
Timothy Hollingsworth
Timothy Hollingsworth is an American chef and current Chef de Cuisine at Thomas Keller’s restaurant French Laundry in the Napa Valley. Hollingsworth represented the United States at the Bocuse d'Or world final in 2009, after winning the Bocuse d'Or USA semi-finals, held at Epcot in September...
won the Bocuse d'Or USA
Bocuse d'Or USA
The Bocuse d'Or USA is a biennial chef championship, where the winner is selected to represent the U.S. in the international Bocuse d'Or competition...
semi-finals in 2008, and represented the U.S. in the international finals
Bocuse d'Or
The Bocuse d'Or is a biennial world chef championship. Named for the chef Paul Bocuse, the event takes place during two days near the end of January in Lyon, France at the SIRHA International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade Exhibition, and is one of the world's most prestigious cooking...
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 SePer Se (restaurant)
Per Se is a restaurant located at Columbus Circle in New York City, on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center. It has been called the best restaurant in New York City by the New York Times...
. The kitchens of both restaurants are connected via a real-time video feed on a television screen.
Awards and accolades
- 2006–2011 Michelin Guide, Three Starshttp://www.michelinguide.com/us/sf_stars_2011.html
- 2004–2006, 2008 Top 40 Restaurants in the US Andre GayotAndré GayotAndré Gayot is a French restaurant critic. With his friends Gault and Millau, he coined and promoted the term "Nouvelle Cuisine" in the early 1970s. In 1981 he began publishing a series of guidebooks known as Gayot Guides, where restaurants are rated on a 20-point scale, based on the system of...
Guide - 2005–2008, "Best Restaurant in the Americas," Restaurant magazine Top 50Restaurant (magazine) Top 50The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants is produced by British magazine Restaurant based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. In addition to the main ranking, the Chef's Choice list is based on votes from the fifty head chefs from the restaurants...
- 1999–2009 Five-Star Award, Mobil Travel Guide
- 2003–2004 "Best Restaurant in the World," Restaurant magazine Top 50Restaurant (magazine) Top 50The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants is produced by British magazine Restaurant based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. In addition to the main ranking, the Chef's Choice list is based on votes from the fifty head chefs from the restaurants...
- 2003, "Outstanding Service Award," James Beard FoundationJames Beard FoundationThe James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
- 2002, Awarded the honor of World Master of Culinary Arts 2001, a 1st annual award given by WedgwoodWedgwoodWedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
- 2001, Outstanding Wine Service Award, James Beard Foundation
- 2000, "Favorite Restaurant in the U.S.," Food & WineFood & Wine MagazineFood & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
Restaurant Experts' Poll - 2000, Inducted into "Who's Who in Food & Beverage," James Beard Foundation