Saturday, August 11, 2012

Stalking The French Laundry

Saturday morning, we decided to travel back north up Hwy. 29 to check out Yountville, home of Thomas Keller's famous restaurant, The French Laundry, his Bouchon Bistro and Bouchon Bakery.  It turned out to be the perfect time of day for this visit, as we arrived by 9:00 AM and it was not too hot or crowded with tourists yet.  Yountville is a small, picturesque town located between Napa and St. Helena in the Napa Valley.  We had no problem finding The French Laundry, and since it was early, there were not too many looky-loos out yet (except us, of course!).  Luckily, since the restaurant was closed, I didn't feel too conspicuous as I crouched down behind the wall to get a couple of photos.

The turn-of-the-century stone building which houses the famous French Laundry.  It was formerly (you guessed it) a French laundry!

Trying to be inconspicuous (notice how I didn't pose in front of the window!).

Side view.

This is the stunning view you would enjoy if you were to be so lucky as to get a reservation at The French Laundry.  When I checked the website, there was nothing available for at least 8 weeks.

One of the most interesting, and unexpected, aspects of the restaurant is the fact that all of the produce and herbs used in their cooking are grown in the garden across the street (pictured in the above photo).  It was lush and peaceful in the early morning, with just a couple of workers tending to the crops and collecting tomatoes.  I didn't realize at first that it belonged to The French Laundry until I noticed row markers with the restaurant's name on them.




Just down the street from The French Laundry is the Bouchon Bistro and Bakery.  There was already a small line-up out the door of the bakery even at 9:00 AM.  We chose a couple of pastries and coffee, which we savoured on the patio next to the bakery.  I'll have to confess that I think Thomas Haas is just as good (must be something about the name "Thomas")...but clearly, Thomas Keller knows a thing or two about fine French cuisine.







Yountville turned out to be so much more picturesque and quaint than I expected.  Definitely a foodie's dream destination, I would love to go back and spend more time here. One day, maybe I'll even snag a table at the Laundry for dinner.  Now that would be worth writing about.







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